Wanna Be a Poet?

Admittedly, I'm a bit late to post this. It would have been an ideal blog article for the first week of National Poetry Month, but that's the work of someone with better planning skills. Still, what better time to try writing poetry than April? Spring, new beginnings, end of the first quarter of the year, picking out your summer hobbies, etc. Or just a good opportunity to take up an old love.

As you may or may not know, that's kind of how I got my start in poetry. After years of claiming to dislike an entire genre based on some questionable literary education in high school, I read a book of modern poetry, said to myself: "I can do that!", and the rest is history . . . And I want that for anyone with even the slightest interest. Poetry is an incredible intersection of logic and feelings, creativity and reasoning, and skill and desire. Writing poetry is good for your mental and emotional well-being, and, if you handwrite it, even has some physical benefits too.

Most importantly, it's not difficult to start.

Writing can be an intimidating hobby with the blank page, all or nothing advice, and time commitments, but writing poetry is different. Poetry doesn't have to be long. People don't expect you to write full manuscripts just because you write poems. And it can be as simple as jotting down whatever idea comes to you as it comes, seconds or minutes total. Whether you have larger writing goals or just want to express yourself, poetry is a great place to start.

So how do you actually get started? Here are three ideas that have worked for me in getting started as well as for getting out of a writing slump.

1. Just get started. And, yes, I know that's hardly groundbreaking, but it's still true. If you have the confidence or the passion for it, just pick up a pen, type out that thought, make a voice note, etc. All you really need is an idea and a willingness to see it come to life. Sure, you can look up various poetic forms or try to learn literary rules first, but one of the lovely things about the genre is poetic license. You are allowed to break the rules or make them as you see fit. So if structure isn't your thing, just get writing.

2. Start with blackout/found poetry. This method takes off some of the pressure of coming up with the words yourself. Instead of being generative, the idea is to find what's already available to you in any given written work and make it your own piece. It can be as simple or as complex as you decide, with plenty of room to grow your skill and style. Interestingly, the constraints can be a benefit if you're a more structured thinker and need guidelines to get started.

3. Get a poetry prompt journal. This can be an excellent mix of structure and freedom with a sense of accountability. It's a great way to stimulate ideas and think outside of the box in new, poetic ways. There are many poetry prompt collections, some free and downloadable while others cost money and have a physicality that can be helpful for establishing the habits of writing daily. They can also vary in amount/time commitment, ranging from 30 to 100 days. I'm a fan of a solid 30 day plan that feels more bite-sized for a beginner, which is why I made my prompt journal that particular length. If you're interested, you can get it here.

   
   

Whether you have the self-motivation to pick up your pen today or need a little help to get to it tomorrow, I hope you take the chance to write before National Poetry Month is finished for the year. I've seen poetry do incredible things in peoples' lives, and I know all the amazing things that both reading and writing it have brought to mine. So happy National Poetry Month, and happy writing!