Poetry
Related Articles
How to Write Poetry Based on Pictures (Strategies and Examples)
Writing poems based on pictures can be a good exercise. It helps you to focus on descriptive language. It might encourage you to look up historical documents and do research. Poetry is similar to photography: both mediums try to capture a profound message in a small space.
Poetry Exercise: Anagrammatic Poetry
If you've ever played with anagram puzzles, then you're going to have fun with this poetry exercise.
Homophonic Poetry and Phony Translations
In homophonic poetry, your goal is to write either a homophonic translation or a phony translation of an existing poem written in another language. It's a fun way to get writing again if you're a bit rusty because you'll be working with material that already exists.
Phonemes: The Building Blocks of Lyric Poetry
This article aims to teach you how to select the right word for the right line in your poems by analyzing the use of phonemes in "Sappho 31" and Bob Dylan's "It's Alright, Ma (I'm only Bleeding)."
How to Write a Poem Using Empty Space
Learn how to use white space to add emphasis, dimension, and emotion to your poetry.
Haiku-a-Day Prompts and Examples for National Poetry Month, Today: Live
Use my writing prompt to write a haiku-a-day for National Poetry Month. Read my own haiku for inspiration and ideas. An explanation of my haiku will also be offered. Today's prompt is LIVE.
Donald Hall on the Ambition of Poets
Compiled from two of his lectures, this essay appeared in Donald Hall's collection titled Poetry and Ambition: Essays 1982-88.
An Orphic Oath: Establishing a Standard of Excellence for Aspiring Poets
Beginning poets should be required to take a vow equivalent of the medical "Hippocratic Oath." If poets could be held to a standard of excellence, less doggerel would plague the literary world.
10 Places to Find Poetic Inspiration
Seeking poetic inspiration can be frustrating, but here are a 10 places to look with a few tips.
Powerful Words Make Powerful Prose
Some tips on how to make your writing more powerful in revisions.
Rhyming Poetry: How to Write a Villanelle
Discover how to write your own villanelle—a fixed-verse form of poetry that's both challenging and fun!
How to Write Shape Poetry
Turning poetry into shape poetry is creative and fun and also effective in delivering your message. Learn how to write shape poetry and then try creating one of your own shape poems.
A Simple Haiku Writing Formula
Use this simple formula to write a haiku on any subject that will stand out from the crowd.
How to Write Lyric Poetry
This article provides a brief overview of lyrical poetry including the history of the lyric poem and a summary of the most common lyrical poetry forms. It also provides options for writing lyric poems along with specific suggestions and quick tips to make the process successful.
How (and Why) to Write a Sonnet
Learn all about sonnets, including what they are, what they're usually about, the different sonnet forms and why sonnets are important. Then you'll learn how to write your own!