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Build a list
of poets whose work you enjoy. For each poet on your list, read every poem
you can find. (Googling is a good way to do this.)
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Squelch
the urge to emulate any writer. Let your unconsciousness study concepts,
structures, and word choices of poems you read. That mysterious mind
component strongly influences everything you write.
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Write the
kind of poetry you like to read. The poets on your list act as your
mentors when you write.
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Remember that poetry
is a form of entertainment. Avoid offering wisdom or advice; it's not
the poet's job to make the reader into a better person.
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Keep the poem
short. Many readers will skip over a two page poem because they don’t want
to invest the effort or time. A sonnet (14 lines) is near the maximum
length that stands a good chance of being read. Almost anyone will read a
limerick (5 lines).
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Start with
a strong opening line. The middle lines must tease the reader into
continuing; a surprising punch line (or two) at the end provides the pay off. Make the reading worthwhile so you'll be added to
that reader’s good poets list.
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Enjoy the
freedom of not having to express yourself, as X.J. Kennedy has put it.
Write about what you have in common with your
reader–the part of the world that swirls around both of you.
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Take
advantage of meter and rhyme, two of poetry’s most powerful tools. They
lead you to a much better poem than you can find without their help.
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Think of
writing a poem as an opportunity to solve a mysterious puzzle; one that
slowly reveals its solution to you as you play with the words.
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Aim for
your best. Look hard for ways to improve each poem.
Even after a poem has been published, it is still subject to re-examination
and modification.
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Keep the
tools of the imagination (e.g., simplification, specification, substitution,
rearrangement, recombination, association) close at hand as you develop your
poem. Try each one, as though searching for the right size of wrench
for the job.
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Guide your
poetry toward good readers. A poem is only as good as the person reading
it.
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