How to Write a Poem

Poetry

How to write poetry

1. You have to read a lot of poetry. This helps you get accustomed to the style and learn how to
differentiate it from prose. By reading widely, it does not mean that you have to deeply analyze
the poems to get a deeper meaning. This is basically supposed to help you get a general feel of
poetry in its different forms.

2. You need to get a topic or a general idea about what you wish to write about. You can take note
of some specific words you may want to put in the piece, or a specific idea you may want to
explore in the poem.

3. Next, using the ideas that you wish to explore, write down whatever comes to mind. This is not
the poem yet, but just a way to bring your ideas to life. This can be done in bullet point form or
prose.

4. You then need to decide the form the poem will take. Do you wish to write a sonnet that has
strict rules, or do you wish to write a free verse that is limitless? Will your poem have a rhyming
pattern or not? these are some of the considerations that one needs to make.

5. Start writing the poem. When writing, you should always assume that you are the audience. If
the poem does not appeal to you, it may not appeal to anyone else.

6. Ensure that you use elements like metaphors, imagery, and similes to make your poem
interesting.

7. After writing, read the poem out loud to have an idea of what it sounds like. Do you like how the
words come together? If not, you need to revise the poem.

8. Poetry revision should be done a few minutes after writing the poem. This allows you to have a
clear mindset when revising and will allow you to catch the mistakes you might have made, as
well as correct any part of the poem that seems unsatisfactory.

9. The poem is now ready for an audience.

Good Luck!
Check out some poems from https://rapando.co.ke/writer/mwandah and take note of the different
types of poetry.