What does it take to write good poetry? You'll have to create your own recipe but here are some of the ingredients.
How much poetry do you read?
That's the first question for anyone who wants to write poetry. If the answer is 'not much', then it's time to read some more - the magazines listed below are a good place to start.
Seriously - if you don't read poetry, then it's really, really hard to write anything that will appeal to anyone beyond your Mum and Dad, partner, cat or dog.
And you need to read contemporary poetry - the stuff that's being written right now, by people living at the same time as you, caught up in the same web of problems and opportunities as you.
If you've read some of the older stuff that's great, it will stand you in good stead, but you need to update your knowledge. Otherwise you'll be like someone who's heard nothing more recent than Beethoven trying to create cutting-edge techno music.
But that's not the most important reason you should read some contemporary poetry. The reason is, of course - because you'll really, really enjoy it.
Seriously - if you don't read poetry, then it's really, really hard to write anything that will appeal to anyone beyond your Mum and Dad, partner, cat or dog.
And you need to read contemporary poetry - the stuff that's being written right now, by people living at the same time as you, caught up in the same web of problems and opportunities as you.
If you've read some of the older stuff that's great, it will stand you in good stead, but you need to update your knowledge. Otherwise you'll be like someone who's heard nothing more recent than Beethoven trying to create cutting-edge techno music.
But that's not the most important reason you should read some contemporary poetry. The reason is, of course - because you'll really, really enjoy it.
Books by Poets
"What's the difference between poetry and prose?" - Part 1
I was asked this question by Kimberley Dawn when she read the first version of this lens.
I'm going to stick my neck out here and say that, ultimately, there is no difference between poetry and prose. If anyone is going to try to tell me with a straight face that there is no poetry in the novels of Thomas Hardy, Leo Tolstoy, William Golding, Mervyn Peake, Virginia Woolf, James Joyce or Yukio Mishima, I am going to recommend that they go and have a lie down, the heat is obviously affecting their brain.
So what is poetry? Sorry, it's indefinable - meaning it's not susceptible to rational definition. But you know it when you see it, or rather when you feel it. A.E. Housman had a practical 'test' for poetry - he would recite a poem while shaving, and if it made the hairs on this chin bristle, then it was a true poem. Robert Graves compared it to Keat's phrase "Everything that reminds me of her goes through me like a spear".
So your body can act as a kind of litmus paper, alerting you to the presence of poetry, or the poetic, in whatever you are reading. And you probably know from your own experience that you can get that feeling from great novels and other works of art as well as 'poetry'.
So why all the fuss about poetry?
Let me introduce an alternative disctinction - one that was really clarified for me in Mimi Khalvati's class (see the 'Courses' module) - while there may not be a clear distinction between poetry and prose, there is a difference between poetry and verse. Have a look at a page of verse, and a page of poetry, and what's the difference?
In verse
the writing doesn't reach
the right hand
margin.
See?
And that's the only difference! Forget metre, rhyme, rhythm, imagery, metaphor, and all the hot air about the more 'refined' character of verse. The only difference between verse and prose is that verse is divided into individual 'lines' arranged on the page, whereas prose is not.
I'm going to stick my neck out here and say that, ultimately, there is no difference between poetry and prose. If anyone is going to try to tell me with a straight face that there is no poetry in the novels of Thomas Hardy, Leo Tolstoy, William Golding, Mervyn Peake, Virginia Woolf, James Joyce or Yukio Mishima, I am going to recommend that they go and have a lie down, the heat is obviously affecting their brain.
So what is poetry? Sorry, it's indefinable - meaning it's not susceptible to rational definition. But you know it when you see it, or rather when you feel it. A.E. Housman had a practical 'test' for poetry - he would recite a poem while shaving, and if it made the hairs on this chin bristle, then it was a true poem. Robert Graves compared it to Keat's phrase "Everything that reminds me of her goes through me like a spear".
So your body can act as a kind of litmus paper, alerting you to the presence of poetry, or the poetic, in whatever you are reading. And you probably know from your own experience that you can get that feeling from great novels and other works of art as well as 'poetry'.
So why all the fuss about poetry?
Let me introduce an alternative disctinction - one that was really clarified for me in Mimi Khalvati's class (see the 'Courses' module) - while there may not be a clear distinction between poetry and prose, there is a difference between poetry and verse. Have a look at a page of verse, and a page of poetry, and what's the difference?
In verse
the writing doesn't reach
the right hand
margin.
See?
And that's the only difference! Forget metre, rhyme, rhythm, imagery, metaphor, and all the hot air about the more 'refined' character of verse. The only difference between verse and prose is that verse is divided into individual 'lines' arranged on the page, whereas prose is not.
"What's the difference between poetry and prose?" - Part 2
OK so we know there's no essential difference between poetry and prose, but there is a difference between verse and prose. Which begs the question...
Why bother writing in verse?
In The Poem's Heartbeat (see the 'Poetic Form' module below) Alfred Corn points out that the word 'verse' comes from the Latin 'versus' meaning 'turned around or turned back', describing the movement of the words as they 'turn back' to the left hand margin at the end of each line. He points out that this has the effect of slowing us down as we read, and considering each line individually, so that "each separate line strikes us as special entity, something with its own living character, worth examining in isolation from the rest". And if the poet has done his/her job properly, we start to notice all kinds of things going on among the words - rhythms, rhymes, echoes, images, associations, connotations, entering our awareness and prompting thoughts and feelings in response.
It's a bit like looking for sea creatures in the rock pools at the beach. If you rush around glancing in lots and lots of pools, you'll scare the animals into hiding and won't pause long enough to notice anything. But if you choose one particular pool, and lie down and keep very quiet and still, and look and keep looking - then slowly, tentatively, the creatures start to emerge from the weeds and shadows, and you become absorbed in watching this otherworldly life going on right in front of you.
So writing in lines of verse is really a way of getting the reader - and the writer - to slow down and pay attention to the words. And when you do that, the words come to life before your eyes.
Or your ears. Verse was a spoken medium before it was written down, and the division into lines can be heard and felt when a poem is read by a skilful reciter. Of course, rhythm and meter make it easier to keep track of the lines when verse is spoken aloud, which is probably why so-called 'free verse' didn't appear until poetry was more frequently printed than read aloud.
So writing or speaking in verse has the effect of concentrating our attention. And when we do this, very often we surprise ourselves by discovering that there is more to words, to our subject, to ourselves, and to the life we are living now, than we previously suspected. And this means that you are more likely to experience 'poetry' while writing or reading in verse than you are in prose.
Does that answer the question?
Why bother writing in verse?
In The Poem's Heartbeat (see the 'Poetic Form' module below) Alfred Corn points out that the word 'verse' comes from the Latin 'versus' meaning 'turned around or turned back', describing the movement of the words as they 'turn back' to the left hand margin at the end of each line. He points out that this has the effect of slowing us down as we read, and considering each line individually, so that "each separate line strikes us as special entity, something with its own living character, worth examining in isolation from the rest". And if the poet has done his/her job properly, we start to notice all kinds of things going on among the words - rhythms, rhymes, echoes, images, associations, connotations, entering our awareness and prompting thoughts and feelings in response.
It's a bit like looking for sea creatures in the rock pools at the beach. If you rush around glancing in lots and lots of pools, you'll scare the animals into hiding and won't pause long enough to notice anything. But if you choose one particular pool, and lie down and keep very quiet and still, and look and keep looking - then slowly, tentatively, the creatures start to emerge from the weeds and shadows, and you become absorbed in watching this otherworldly life going on right in front of you.
So writing in lines of verse is really a way of getting the reader - and the writer - to slow down and pay attention to the words. And when you do that, the words come to life before your eyes.
Or your ears. Verse was a spoken medium before it was written down, and the division into lines can be heard and felt when a poem is read by a skilful reciter. Of course, rhythm and meter make it easier to keep track of the lines when verse is spoken aloud, which is probably why so-called 'free verse' didn't appear until poetry was more frequently printed than read aloud.
So writing or speaking in verse has the effect of concentrating our attention. And when we do this, very often we surprise ourselves by discovering that there is more to words, to our subject, to ourselves, and to the life we are living now, than we previously suspected. And this means that you are more likely to experience 'poetry' while writing or reading in verse than you are in prose.
Does that answer the question?
Poetic Form
Every poem should have a definite form - not 'form' as in so-called rules about Petrarchan sonnets and Ottava Rima - but a definite shape, a clear structure made by the words on the page.
Even 'free verse' has this quality - when you read it, when you see it, when you hear it, you can tell that it matters how the words are arranged, not just what they say. Otherwise we're likely to get the same feeling as Philip Larkin when he said: "I read poems and I think, Yes, that's quite a nice idea, but why can't he make a poem of it? Make it memorable?"
So why 'should' a poem have a definite form? Not because of 'the rules'. Not because of tradition. But because poetry is magic - and form is how you cast the spell. And the more you read poetry, and the more you savour the forms and learn about them, the more you fall under their spell. It's magical and absorbing. Try it - I dare you.
Even 'free verse' has this quality - when you read it, when you see it, when you hear it, you can tell that it matters how the words are arranged, not just what they say. Otherwise we're likely to get the same feeling as Philip Larkin when he said: "I read poems and I think, Yes, that's quite a nice idea, but why can't he make a poem of it? Make it memorable?"
So why 'should' a poem have a definite form? Not because of 'the rules'. Not because of tradition. But because poetry is magic - and form is how you cast the spell. And the more you read poetry, and the more you savour the forms and learn about them, the more you fall under their spell. It's magical and absorbing. Try it - I dare you.
My Poetry Blog
Mark McGuinness | poetry
Fetching RSS feed... please stand byMy Articles
- Poetry in Practice - Creative Flow (Magma 34)
- I interviewed Paul Farley, Myra Schneider, Matthew Sweeney and Susan Wicks about their experience of creative flow while writing poetry. The link takes you to an edited version of the full article, available in the print version of Magma 34.
- Poetry in Practice - Net Gains? (Magma 32)
- A piece for Magma 32 about resources on the internet for poetry writers. The link takes you to a hotlinked version of the article, so it's easy to check out the recommended sites as you read.
General Creative Writing
Poetry Writing Courses
These are some places I've attended courses in London, plus a directory to (hopefully) find a good course near you. Wherever you live, if you can find a good course or poetry writing group, it's a priceless opportunity to share your enthusiasm and get some really useful feedback from people who know what they're talking about.
Until I discovered the Poetry School I never realised there were so many other people with the same passion for poetry, most of whom were writing to a high standard - it's tremendously encouraging and inspiring to be involved with in a really good writing class.
And do your best to find a class dedicated to poetry, rather than general creative writing. If the latter is all that's available then fine, make the most of it, but in a poetry class you should find people who can help you with the specific challenges of writing in verse.
Until I discovered the Poetry School I never realised there were so many other people with the same passion for poetry, most of whom were writing to a high standard - it's tremendously encouraging and inspiring to be involved with in a really good writing class.
And do your best to find a class dedicated to poetry, rather than general creative writing. If the latter is all that's available then fine, make the most of it, but in a poetry class you should find people who can help you with the specific challenges of writing in verse.
- The Poetry School
- Fantastic courses taught by professional poets, led by the wonderful Mimi Khalvati. Mimi's Versification course is demanding but absolutely worth the effort. There are also lots of shorter courses to choose from. The new programme comes out in August each year and books up very quickly, so make sure you're quick off the mark.
- The City Lit
- Magma magazine started at Laurie Smith's course 'Poetry in the Making' at the City Lit over 10 years ago. I was lucky enough to attend the course before Laurie retired from teaching it. The course is now run by John Stammers - a great opportunity to learn from one of the foremost contemporary poets.
- The Poetry Kit Course Directory
- The Poetry Kit is a fantastic portal site listing all kinds of resources for poets. There's a long list of courses here - hopefully there will be one near you.
My Wishful Thinking Blog
My blog about creativity and coaching. The 'writing' category will take you to all the most relevant posts, but some of the general creativity posts may also be useful for your writing.
Fetching RSS feed... please stand byContemporary Poetry Magazines
This is what you are aiming for
These magazines will give you an idea of what is being written in contemporary poetry - and they are your doorway into poetry publication, at least in the UK.
We'd all love to be 'discovered' by Faber or Bloodaxe, but the chances of that happening are pretty slim without a good track record in respected magazines. Most of these magazines publish well-known poets alongside new and up-and-coming writers.
This lens is about writing poetry rather than publishing it, but a couple of important pointers:
1. Read the magazine before you send in your poems.
2. Read the magazine's 'Guidelines for contributors' very carefully - the last thing you want to do is annoy the editor by sending in a submission in the wrong format and creating extra work for him/her.
We'd all love to be 'discovered' by Faber or Bloodaxe, but the chances of that happening are pretty slim without a good track record in respected magazines. Most of these magazines publish well-known poets alongside new and up-and-coming writers.
This lens is about writing poetry rather than publishing it, but a couple of important pointers:
1. Read the magazine before you send in your poems.
2. Read the magazine's 'Guidelines for contributors' very carefully - the last thing you want to do is annoy the editor by sending in a submission in the wrong format and creating extra work for him/her.
- Magma
- I'd better come clean and admit that I'm on the editorial committee of Magma. But it IS an excellent mag - if you don't believe me, click the link and read the online version for free. The regular 'Poetry in Practice' feature is particularly useful for writers - professional poets talking about the writing of poetry. E.g. Sinead Morrissey on Writer's Block, Roddy Lumsden on 'Mistakes Poets Make'.
- The Rialto
- The nice thing about The Rialto is that it just gives you lots and lots of good poetry, with very little in the way of prose to break the flow of verse. I wouldn't want every poetry magazine to do this - part of the pleasure of poetry is exchanging opinions in articles - but it's nice to have one that does.
- Poetry London
- Always leads with a strong 'cover poet' and plenty of good poetry and prose to follow. New editor Maurice Riordan is two issues in - have a look at his Editorial for No.52 for a really good account of the process of editing a magazine. (I can't link directly as the site's built with frames.)
- The Wolf
- Lively magazine edited by James Byrne, a gentleman and a fine poet. The website includes audio recordings of poets reading their work, including yours truly, if you scroll down the page...
- poetrymagazines.org.uk
- Fantastic online archive of UK poetry magazines from the UK Poetry Library.
My Poetry bookmarks on Del.icio.us
Whoops! Delicious doesn't have any bookmarks for that tag yet. Please try another tag.
Join the Squidoo Creativity Group
Create some creativity...
A group for lenses about creativity of all kinds - in the arts, sciences, business, technology and beyond...Share ideas and inspiration, connect with creative people and promote your company or creative portfolio.
Here's the Creativity Group and here's your invitation
Feedback and suggestions welcome...
submit
-
Reply
-
BarbRad
Mar 20, 2011 @ 3:58 pm | delete
- Although this is outside my usual territory, i'm going to give it an angel blessing because it deserves it.
-
-
Reply
-
BarbRad
Mar 20, 2011 @ 3:57 pm | delete
- Congratulations on my finding this on Google before I found my own hub on this subject. I have to confess you did a much better job than I did. I shall probably link to this.
-
-
Reply
-
Jewelsofawe
Nov 13, 2009 @ 12:43 am | delete
- I write poetry. Good resources here.
-
-
Reply
-
Mark_McGuinness
Jul 20, 2006 @ 2:49 pm | delete
- Thanks for the feedback guys. Glad I've given you some ammunition for the forums Kimberley. You've both done some great lenses - hopefully I'll have a few more soon!
-
-
Reply
-
KimberlyDawnWells
Jul 19, 2006 @ 9:50 pm | delete
- Ha! Thanks for explaining the difference between poetry and prose. I can show this to the arrogant poetry-perfectionists on various forums now. ;)
~Kimberly Dawn Wells
-
- Load More
by Mark_McGuinness
Mark_McGuinness
Welcome to the Creativity Group! I'm a poet and business coach specialising in working with creative professionals and agencies. My poetry blog i... more »
- 1 featured lens
- Winner of 3 trophies!
- Top lens » Creative Business Coaching
Feeling creative?
Create a Lens!
Explore related pages
- Brigid - Celtic Goddess and Saint Brigid - Celtic Goddess and Saint
- Unleash Your Creative Thinking Unleash Your Creative Thinking
- How to Get a Book Published: Novel Publication Tips How to Get a Book Published: Novel Publication Tips
- The Epic Ballad of Poetry The Epic Ballad of Poetry
- David Whyte: Poet David Whyte: Poet
- 7 Things I NEED on a Desert Island 7 Things I NEED on a Desert Island
