This is not a how-to guide. If you want that, I recommend Stephen Fry’s excellent An Ode Less Travelled. This post is more selfish. I realised that since I intend to post a few of my poems on this blog (why yes, that is an easy way to think up a blog post topic! 😉 ) I would quite like the chance to chat about these poems … or maybe, excuse them.
The thing is, I don’t think my poems are amazing must-read creations. Sometimes I don’t even think they’re finished creations. For me writing poetry has a two-fold purpose.
First, poetry is about playing with words. It’s my way of listening to how words sound when they’re put together and finding ways that put them together strongly and with emotional impact.
The second reason I write poetry is because sitting there with a pen and a scratched over page of paper is one way of breaking down a complicated idea or nailing an elusive one. Writing poetry is a way of exploring an idea from the inside out.
So there you go, that’s what I’m doing with the poems I’ll be sharing on this blog … you’ll be seeing how I think. You know it’s going to be messy, right?
4 responses to “Writing Poetry”
I've only written poetry at school. I was never good at it.
LOL I don't let that stop me! 🙂
Although I don't write poetry, I do read it. I find it gives me a sense of timing and strengthens my voice. I envy people who can write poetry well. It's a gift.
That's an important point … I think poetry does help shape and strengthen your voice. And I love the shivery impact of reading great poetry.