3 Things I Keep In Mind When Writing Poetry.

3 Things I Keep In Mind When Writing Poetry.

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1. How did a situation make me feel?

*Did it make me feel happy or sad? Elated or frustrated? The feelings need to be clearly articulated.

*Can I describe those feelings in a unique manner?

*Can I come up with my own figure of speech (e.g simile) to describe a situation?

*Can I write about a situation that is not usually the subject of a poem (for instance, I’ve written a poem about my love for Jollof Rice 💕).

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2. How do I want to present the work?

*Do I want to write a short poem or a long poem? A poem with one line, a Haiku or a poem with five verses?

*Do I want the verses to rhyme or do I want them to be free-flowing?

*Do I want the tone of the poem to be serious, funny or a mix of both?

*When in doubt, simple words are the best words.

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3. How do I make the poem easy to read?

*Have I included paragraphs?

*Is the font I’m using large enough to make the poem easy to read?

*Are the graphics I’m using overshadowing or complimenting the poem?

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Some things to keep in mind:

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*If you don’t enjoy reading poetry, it is highly unlikely that you will enjoy writing poetry.

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*If your poem is too complicated and requires a dictionary for every sentence, readers will stay far away from your work.

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*As a Writer, my poems are about me expressing my feelings with the hope that readers can also relate to those feelings.

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*A lot of people I know don’t like to read poetry because they say it’s boring. It’s your job as a Writer to make your poems interesting to read.

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*My favourite poem is ‘Phenomenal Woman’ by Maya Angelou. The language she used is clear, and the poem will make you smile and make you think deeply.

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***All opinions are based on my own writing experiences***

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Thanks for reading 🙋🏾‍♀️

Ivie.