How to write a poem

How to Write a Poem: Beginner’s Tips from a Published Poet

Ever wondered how to write a poem? For writers who want to dig deep, composing verse lets you sift the sand of your experience for new glimmers of insight. And if you’re in it for less lofty reasons, shaping a stanza from start to finish can teach you to have fun with language in totally new ways.

To help demystify the subtle art of writing verse, we chatted with Reedsy editor (and published poet) Lauren Stroh. Together, we’ve put together these 8-steps for writing a poem:

1. Brainstorm your starting point

If you’re struggling to write your poem in order from the first line to the last, a good trick is opening with whichever starting point your brain can latch onto as it learns to think in verse.

Your starting point can be a line or a phrase you want to work into your poem, though it doesn’t have to take the form of language at all. It might be a picture in your head, as particular as the curl of hair over your daughter’s ear as she sleeps, or as capacious as the sea. It can even be a complicated feeling you want to render with precision — or maybe it’s a memory you return to again and again. Think of this starting point as the «why» behind your poem, your impetus for writing it in the first place.

If you’re worried your starting point isn’t grand enough to merit an entire poem, stop right there. After all, literary giants have wrung verse out of every topic under the sun, from the disappointments of a post-Odyssey Odysseus to illicitly eaten refrigerated plums.

Tennyson, Queen Victoria’s poet laureate, revisits an ancient literary classic in this blank-verse piece about what happens after the happily ever after.

As Lauren Stroh sees it, your experience is more than worthy of being immortalized in verse.

«I think the most successful poems articulate something true about the human experience and help us look at the everyday world in new and exciting ways.»

2. Free-write in prose first

It may seem counterintuitive but if you struggle to write down lines that resonate, perhaps start with some prose writing first. Take this time to delve into the image, feeling, or theme at the heart of your poem, and learn to pin it down with language. Give yourself a chance to mull things over before actually writing the poem.

Take 10 minutes and jot down anything that comes to mind when you think of your starting point. You can write in paragraphs, dash off bullet points, or even sketch out a mind map. The purpose of this exercise isn’t to produce an outline: it’s to generate a trove of raw material, a repertoire of loosely connected fragments to draw upon as you draft your poem in earnest.

Silence your inner critic for now

And since this is raw material, the last thing you should do is censor yourself. Catch yourself scoffing at a turn of phrase, overthinking a rhetorical device, or mentally grousing, “This metaphor will never make it into the final draft”? Tell that inner critic to hush for now and jot it down anyway. You just might be able to refine that slapdash, off-the-cuff idea into a sharp and poignant line.

3. Choose your poem’s form and style

Whether you’ve free-written your way to a beginning or you’ve got a couple of lines jotted down, before you complete a whole first draft of your poem, take some time to think about form and style.

The form of a poem often carries a lot of meaning beyond the structural «rules» that it offers the writer. The rhyme patterns of sonnets — and the Shakespearean influence over the form — usually lend themselves to passionate pronouncements of love, whether merry or bleak. On the other hand, acrostic poems are often more cheeky because of the secret meaning that it hides in plain sight.

Even if your material begs for a poem without formal restrictions, you’ll still have to decide on the texture and tone of your language. Free verse, after all, is as diverse a form as the novel, ranging from the breathless maximalism of Walt Whitman to the cool austerity of H.D. Where, on this spectrum, will your poem fall?

H.D. — the pen name of poet Hilda Doolittle — relies on spare language and concrete imagery in her work.

Choosing a form and tone for your poem early on can help you work with some kind of structure to imbue more meanings to your lines. And if you’ve used free-writing to generate some raw material for yourself, a structure can give you the guidance you need to organize your notes into a poem.

4. Read for inspiration

A poem isn’t a nonfiction book or a historical novel: you don’t have to accumulate reams of research to write a good one. That said, a little bit of outside reading can stave off writer’s block and keep you inspired throughout the writing process.

Build a short, personalized syllabus around your poem’s form and subject. Say you’re writing a sensorily rich, linguistically spare bit of free verse about a relationship of mutual jealousy between mother and daughter. In that case, you’ll want to read some key Imagist poems, alongside some poems that sketch out complicated visions of parenthood in unsentimental terms.

Ezra Pound’s classic two-line poem shows Imagism at work, with its everyday language and evocative imagery.

And if you don’t want to limit yourself to poems similar in form and style to your own, Lauren has you covered with an all-purpose reading list:

5. Write for an audience of one — you

Even with preparation, the pressure of actually producing verse can still awaken your inner metrophobe (or poetry-fearer). What if people don’t understand — or even misinterpret — what you’re trying to say? What if they don’t feel drawn to your work? To keep the anxiety at bay, Lauren suggests writing for yourself, not for an external audience.

«I absolutely believe that poets can determine the validity of their own success if they are changed by the work they are producing themselves; if they are challenged by it; or if it calls into question their ethics, their habits, or their relationship to the living world. And personally, my life has certainly been changed by certain lines I’ve had the bravery to think and then write — and those moments are when I’ve felt most like I’ve made it.»

You might eventually polish your work if you decide to publish your poetry down the line. (If you do, definitely check out the rest of this guide for tips and a list of magazines to submit to.) But as your first draft comes together, treat it like it’s meant for your eyes only.

6. Read your poem out loud

A good poem doesn’t have to be pretty: maybe an easy, melodic loveliness isn’t your aim. It should, however, come alive on the page with a consciously crafted rhythm, whether hymn-like or discordant. To achieve that, read your poem out loud — at first, line by line, and then all together, as a complete text.

Trying out every line against your ear can help you weigh out a choice between synonyms — getting you to notice, say, the watery sound of “glacial”, the brittleness of “icy,” the solidity of “cold”.

Reading out loud can also help you troubleshoot line breaks that just don’t feel right. Is the line unnaturally long, forcing you to rush through it or pause in the middle for a hurried inhale? If so, do you like that destabilizing effect, or do you want to literally give the reader some room to breathe? Testing these variations aloud is perhaps the only way to answer questions like these.

7. Take a break to refresh your mind

While it’s incredibly exciting to complete a draft of your poem, and you might be itching to dive back in and edit it, it’s always advisable to take a break first. You don’t have to turn completely away from writing if you don’t want to. Take a week to chip away at your novel or even muse idly on your next poetic project — so long as you distance yourself from this poem a little while.

This is because, by this point, you’ve probably read out every line so many times the meaning has leached out of the syllables. With the time away, you let your mind refresh so that you can approach the piece with sharper attention and more ideas to refine it.

8. Have fun revising your poem

At the end of the day, even if you write in a well-established form, poetry is about experimenting with language, both written and spoken. Lauren emphasizes that revising a poem is thus an open-ended process that requires patience — and a sense of play.

«Have fun. Play. Be patient. Don’t take it seriously, or do. Though poems may look shorter than what you’re used to writing, they often take years to be what they really are. They change and evolve. The most important thing is to find a quiet place where you can be with yourself and really listen.»

Is it time to get other people involved?

Want another pair of eyes on your poem during this process? You have options. You can swap pieces with a beta reader, workshop it with a critique group, or even engage a professional poetry editor like Lauren to refine your work — a strong option if you plan to submit it to a journal or turn it into the foundation for a chapbook.

Want a poetry expert to polish up your verse?

Professional poetry editors are on Reedsy. Sign up for free to meet them!

The working poet’s checklist

If you decide to fly solo, here’s a checklist to work through as you revise:

✅ Hunt for clichés. Did you find yourself reaching for ready-made idioms at any point? Go back to the sentiment you were grappling with and try to capture it in stronger, more vivid terms.

✅ See if your poem begins where it should. Did you take a few lines of throat-clearing to get to the actual point? Try starting your poem further down.

✅ Make sure every line belongs. As you read each line, ask yourself: how does this contribute to the poem as a whole? Does it advance the theme, clarify the imagery, set or subvert the reader’s expectations? If you answer with something like, “It makes the poem sound nice,” consider cutting it.

Once you’ve worked your way through this checklist, feel free to brew yourself a cup of tea and sit quietly for a while, reflecting on your literary triumphs.

Whether these poetry writing tips have awakened your inner Wordsworth, or sent you happily gamboling back to prose, we hope you enjoyed playing with poetry — and that you learned something new about your approach to language.

And if you are looking to share your poetry with the world, the next post in this guide can show the ropes regarding how to publish your poems!

How to Write Poetry for Beginners

This article was co-authored by Alicia Cook and by wikiHow staff writer, Hannah Madden. Alicia Cook is a Professional Writer based in Newark, New Jersey. With over 12 years of experience, Alicia specializes in poetry and uses her platform to advocate for families affected by addiction and to fight for breaking the stigma against addiction and mental illness. She holds a BA in English and Journalism from Georgian Court University and an MBA from Saint Peter’s University. Alicia is a bestselling poet with Andrews McMeel Publishing and her work has been featured in numerous media outlets including the NY Post, CNN, USA Today, the HuffPost, the LA Times, American Songwriter Magazine, and Bustle. She was named by Teen Vogue as one of the 10 social media poets to know and her poetry mixtape, “Stuff I’ve Been Feeling Lately” was a finalist in the 2016 Goodreads Choice Awards.

There are 13 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page.

wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. In this case, 96% of readers who voted found the article helpful, earning it our reader-approved status.

This article has been viewed 187,421 times.

Writing poetry is a way to convey emotions, memories, and nostalgia without directly stating what you are describing. Writing poetry for the first time can be challenging, since there are so many ways to start and finish a poem. If you are a beginner and want to write poetry for the first time, use a journal to keep track of your inspiration and expand your language by using metaphors and similes to create beautiful and relatable poetry.

How To Write A Poem

This article will teach the reader how to write a poem that can get top grades, or even win awards. There are many different ways to write poems, and there are many different kinds of poems that one can write. Throughout this article we will look at specific pieces of poetry and specific kinds of poetry, and from those, we will develop a method – and ideas – to produce amazing poetry.

How To Write a Poem Step 1: Deciding which type of poem you want to write

Before doing any writing, you need to decide what kind of poem to write. There are many different forms of poetry, from basic free verse to very complex, specific forms like cinquains or Italian sonnets.

So which one should you choose to write?

Of course, if you have an assignment to write a specific form, you should follow that assignment. In that case, you can skip this step.

However, if you’re writing for fun – or you have an open ended assignment – you won’t have a specific form that you need to choose. So you need to determine which form best suits your writing style.

Let’s take a look at some of the more common forms that you may choose:

Free Verse – A poem that has no specific form.

Sonnet – A lyric poem that consists of 14 lines which usually have one or more conventional rhyme schemes.

Haiku – A Japanese poem composed of three unrhymed lines of five, seven, and five more, usually containing a season word.

Rhyme – A rhyming poem has the repetition of the same or similar sounds of two or more words, often at the end of the line.

Limerick – A short sometimes vulgar, humorous poem consisting of five anapestic lines. Lines 1, 2, and 5 have seven to ten syllables, rhyme and have the same verbal rhythm. The 3rd and 4th lines have five to seven syllables, rhyme and have the same rhythm.

Each of these poetry forms have their own intricacies, so we will look at them all separately in the following steps.

For now, though, we need to determine how to pick a form that works well for us. The quickest form to write is the Haiku, since it only has three lines and few syllables. But given that it’s so short, it’s also very difficult to write a Haiku that really stands out in a sea of others.

Limericks are similar, in that they’re relatively short and less taxing to produce. But they tend to sound more childish and humorous. If you’re looking to write something that gets top marks and wins awards, a limerick is not your best bet.

So we’re left with sonnets, rhymes, and free verse.

Picking between these forms is a bit more difficult. Your selection will be based on how comfortable you are with writing without rules. If you prefer to have some structure, you may want to go for a sonnet, as it is more structured than the other two forms.

But if you are comfortable with not having a structure, you can write a free verse or rhyming poem. It is much easier to create a poem that stands out using those forms, since you are starting with a blank canvas, and you have as much length as you’d like.

Which form would you like to choose?

How To Write a Poem Step 2: Choosing a Topic to Write About

Once you have chosen a form for your poem, you have to choose a topic to write about. This will depend on the form you chose. In this section, we learn the specifics of how to write a poem.

If you have been given an assignment to write about a certain topic, you can skip this step. However, if you have an open-ended assignment, determining a topic to write on can be one of the most difficult steps.

There are some topics that work particularly well with certain forms of poem. For example, if you are writing a limerick, you may want to stick to certain, more light and humorous topics. Haikus work well when geared toward the environment – describing a place or object.

To select a topic, the best thing to do is take a set of note cards and map out your options. To do this, first choose a general theme. Click here to see a giant list of poetry themes. Here are some of the easiest ones to start with:

Feelings: love, hate, …

Objects/things: treasured keepsakes, nature, pets, …

People: famous people, family members, …

And here are some deeper themes that you may want to try out (these often produce excellent poetry):

Write each of these words on a note card. Then below them, write any ideas, stories, feelings, or anything else that comes to mind when you think of them.

Once you have done that, try to narrow the theme down to a specific idea. For example, say you start with “people”, and you write down a list of people who are important to you. Then think about how those people affected you. For instance, if your father left when you were young, put that down.

From there, you have to start writing about the feelings and emotions that that idea creates. Take a separate index card and write down all of the words and phrases, and memories that come to mind when you think about that particular idea.

Then, take a step back and look at what you’ve written. If you wrote down something that is particularly interesting, choose that. Otherwise, you can write about the general idea.

How To Write a Poem Step 3: Take a Look at What Others Have Written

At this point, it’s useful to see what others have written. This can help you refine your idea, and it can help you come up with imagery or emotions that you hadn’t previously thought of.

Don’t worry too much about the form just yet. Just look at how other writers have approached the topic you chose. Pay close attention to the images that the author depicts, and the word choice. See if there is a specific voice or style that you like.

To do this, you can look through the many poems on our site here.

Or you can search poems of all different topics here.

Once you have found a few examples that you like, and have studied them, it’s sometimes helpful to also look at other examples of poetry of the particular form you chose. This will help you get into the mindset of writing in that particular form, and it will help you get the feel of the form.

You can find examples of many different forms of poetry in our poetry forms section.

How To Write a Poem Step 4: Pick Up the Pen

You have how reached step 4 of ‘how to write a poem’: getting ready to write.

Take the note card that you filled out before, with all of the images and phrases that came to mind. This will be the basis for your poem.

On a new sheet of paper, expand on each idea/image/phrase that you wrote on the note card. You should end up with a giant sheet covered with words. Find your favorite from the sheet, and write that down. That will be the beginning of the poem.

When you’re writing, don’t be too concerned about each individual word or line. We will go back and edit everything later.

For now, just write what comes to you, even if you don’t love it. Just keep writing and see what else comes.

If You’re Writing a Haiku…

If you’re writing a haiku, you need to follow a specific rhythm. That is, you must write three lines: the first with 5 syllables, the second with 7 syllables, and the third with 5 again.

If you don’t know where to start, try one of these templates:

Template 1

I am [insert three syllables here],

You and I [insert 4 syllables here],

Time to [insert 3 syllables here].

Template 2

The [insert one syllable thing] [insert one syllable action] in [insert one syllable thing],

[insert 1 syllable thing] is just a [insert 3 syllable thing],

[insert 3 syllable action], my friend.

Use the words and phrases you wrote on the piece of paper, and find ones that fit in the blanks in the templates above.

You can find example haikus here.

If You’re Writing a Sonnet, Limerick Or Rhyming Poem…

If you are writing a sonnet – or any rhyming poem – you will need to come up with rhymes for each line. You can do that using our rhyming tool. The rhyming tool will help you find words that rhyme with a given word.

A sonnet requires a special rhyming scheme (the scheme depends on which type of sonnet you are writing).

Getting started when writing sonnets can be particularly difficult, especially if you don’t have a specific topic to write about. So if you need help getting started, try beginning with one of these lines:

A day, a week, eternity…

I recount to you…

If you are writing a limerick, and you need help getting started, here is a very simple template:

There once was a [person] named [name],
She had no idea what to [verb rhyming with name],
On one [description] day,
She learned how to say,
I know that may name is [name]!

Tips and Tricks For All Poetry Forms

Regardless of the form of poetry that you have chosen, there are several rules and guidelines that you can follow in order to make your poem stand out.

How To Write a Poem Step 5: Edit Your Poem

Now it’s time to go back and edit your poem. Read it carefully, and if you can, read it aloud to a friend. Listen as you read the poem and feel the rhythm. If something doesn’t feel right, make a change.

Read each word to see if it creates the image you’re trying to portray. If the word is too general, or doesn’t help build an image, remove it or change it.

If you have a concept that’s difficult to describe, try to come up with analogy or better way of conveying it to your readers.

After you’ve done all of this, you should be very happy with your poem. If not, go back and make additional edits.

How To Write a Poem Step 6: Choose the Right Title

Now that you have written the poem and edited it, it’s time to title it. Generally, unless you’re an experienced writer, you’re best off with a 2-4 word title.

In learning how to write a poem, the title is extremely important, and it often gets overlooked because of time constraints.

There’s a really easy way to come up with a title: If there is a specific phrase in your poem that you like a lot, you can simply use that as a title.

However, you’re better off thinking carefully about the poem and what it means before coming up with a title. If you need help getting started, here are some starting points:

The [verb ending in –ing] of [word]…

How To Write a Poem Step 7: You’re Done

You’re done! Congratulations. you have written a great poem. You have now learned how to write a poem like a writer. Please come back to this page for future help on poetry writing, and use the other tools on this site to help you write.

How to Write a Love Poem

This article was co-authored by Alicia Cook. Alicia Cook is a Professional Writer based in Newark, New Jersey. With over 12 years of experience, Alicia specializes in poetry and uses her platform to advocate for families affected by addiction and to fight for breaking the stigma against addiction and mental illness. She holds a BA in English and Journalism from Georgian Court University and an MBA from Saint Peter’s University. Alicia is a bestselling poet with Andrews McMeel Publishing and her work has been featured in numerous media outlets including the NY Post, CNN, USA Today, the HuffPost, the LA Times, American Songwriter Magazine, and Bustle. She was named by Teen Vogue as one of the 10 social media poets to know and her poetry mixtape, “Stuff I’ve Been Feeling Lately” was a finalist in the 2016 Goodreads Choice Awards.

There are 7 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page.

wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. In this case, 100% of readers who voted found the article helpful, earning it our reader-approved status.

This article has been viewed 1,936,090 times.

Writing a love poem can be a challenge, as you want to avoid being too sappy or sentimental, but still sincere. You may want to write a love poem for your partner or spouse as a romantic gesture or to celebrate a special occasion, such as your anniversary as a couple. To write a love poem, start by brainstorming ideas and thoughts. Then, write the poem using sensory detail and unique descriptions. Polish the love poem and present it in a thoughtful way so the recipient knows it came straight from the heart.

How to Write a Poem, Step-by-Step

To learn how to write a poem step-by-step, let’s start where all poets start: the basics.

This article is an in-depth introduction to how to write a poem. We first answer the question, “What is poetry?” We then discuss the literary elements of poetry, and showcase some different approaches to the writing process—including our own seven-step process on how to write a poem step by step.

So, how do you write a poem? Let’s start with what poetry is.

What Poetry Is

It’s important to know what poetry is—and isn’t—before we discuss how to write a poem. The following quote defines poetry nicely:

“Poetry is language at its most distilled and most powerful.”
—Former US Poet Laureate Rita Dove

Poetry Conveys Feeling

People sometimes imagine poetry as stuffy, abstract, and difficult to understand. Some poetry may be this way, but in reality poetry isn’t about being obscure or confusing. Poetry is a lyrical, emotive method of self-expression, using the elements of poetry to highlight feelings and ideas.

A poem should make the reader feel something.

In other words, a poem should make the reader feel something—not by telling them what to feel, but by evoking feeling directly.

Here’s a contemporary poem that, despite its simplicity (or perhaps because of its simplicity), conveys heartfelt emotion.

Poetry is Language at its Richest and Most Condensed

Unlike longer prose writing (such as a short story, memoir, or novel), poetry needs to impact the reader in the richest and most condensed way possible. Here’s a famous quote that enforces that distinction:

“Prose: words in their best order; poetry: the best words in the best order.”
—Samuel Taylor Coleridge

So poetry isn’t the place to be filling in long backstories or doing leisurely scene-setting. In poetry, every single word carries maximum impact.

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Poetry Uses Unique Elements

Poetry is not like other kinds of writing: it has its own unique forms, tools, and principles. Together, these elements of poetry help it to powerfully impact the reader in only a few words.

The elements of poetry help it to powerfully impact the reader in only a few words.

Most poetry is written in verse, rather than prose. This means that it uses line breaks, alongside rhythm or meter, to convey something to the reader. Rather than letting the text break at the end of the page (as prose does), verse emphasizes language through line breaks.

Poetry further accentuates its use of language through rhyme and meter. Poetry has a heightened emphasis on the musicality of language itself: its sounds and rhythms, and the feelings they carry.

These devices—rhyme, meter, and line breaks—are just a few of the essential elements of poetry, which we’ll explore in more depth now.

Understanding the Elements of Poetry

As we explore how to write a poem step by step, these three major literary elements of poetry should sit in the back of your mind:

1. Elements of Poetry: Rhythm

“Rhythm” refers to the lyrical, sonic qualities of the poem. How does the poem move and breathe; how does it feel on the tongue?

Traditionally, poets relied on rhyme and meter to accomplish a rhythmically sound poem. Free verse poems—which are poems that don’t require a specific length, rhyme scheme, or meter—only became popular in the West in the 20th century, so while rhyme and meter aren’t requirements of modern poetry, they are required of certain poetry forms.

Sound

Poetry is capable of evoking certain emotions based solely on the sounds it uses. Words can sound sinister, percussive, fluid, cheerful, dour, or any other noise/emotion in the complex tapestry of human feeling.

Take, for example, this excerpt from the poem “Beat! Beat! Drums!” by Walt Whitman:

Blue — “th” sounds

Green — “w” and “ew” sounds

Purple — “s” sounds

Orange — “d” and “t” sounds

This poem has a lot of percussive, disruptive sounds that reinforce the beating of the drums. The “b,” “d,” “w,” and “t” sounds resemble these drum beats, while the “th” and “s” sounds are sneakier, penetrating a deeper part of the ear. The cacophony of this excerpt might not sound “lyrical,” but it does manage to command your attention, much like drums beating through a city might sound.

To learn more about consonance and assonance, euphony and cacophony, and the other uses of sound, take a look at our article “12 Literary Devices in Poetry.”

Rhyme

It would be a crime if you weren’t primed on the ins and outs of rhymes. “Rhyme” refers to words that have similar pronunciations, like this set of words: sound, hound, browned, pound, found, around.

Many poets assume that their poetry has to rhyme, and it’s true that some poems require a complex rhyme scheme. However, rhyme isn’t nearly as important to poetry as it used to be. Most traditional poetry forms—sonnets, villanelles, rimes royal, etc.—rely on rhyme, but contemporary poetry has largely strayed from the strict rhyme schemes of yesterday.

There are three types of rhymes:

Meter

Meter refers to the stress patterns of words. Certain poetry forms require that the words in the poem follow a certain stress pattern, meaning some syllables are stressed and others are unstressed.

What is “stressed” and “unstressed”? A stressed syllable is the sound that you emphasize in a word. The bolded syllables in the following words are stressed, and the unbolded syllables are unstressed:

The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables is important to traditional poetry forms. This chart, copied from our article on form in poetry, summarizes the different stress patterns of poetry.

2. Elements of Poetry: Form

“Form” refers to the structure of the poem. Is the poem a sonnet, a villanelle, a free verse piece, a slam poem, a contrapuntal, a ghazal, a blackout poem, or something new and experimental?

Form also refers to the line breaks and stanza breaks in a poem. Unlike prose, where the end of the page decides the line breaks, poets have control over when one line ends and a new one begins. The words that begin and end each line will emphasize the sounds, images, and ideas that are important to the poet.

To learn more about rhyme, meter, and poetry forms, read our full article on the topic:

3. Elements of Poetry: Literary Devices

“Poetry: the best words in the best order.” — Samuel Taylor Coleridge

How does poetry express complex ideas in concise, lyrical language? Literary devices—like metaphor, symbolism, juxtaposition, irony, and hyperbole—help make poetry possible. Learn how to write and master these devices here:

How to Write a Poem, in 7 Steps

To condense the elements of poetry into an actual poem, we’re going to follow a seven-step approach. However, it’s important to know that every poet’s process is different. While the steps presented here are a logical path to get from idea to finished poem, they’re not the only tried-and-true method of poetry writing. Poets can—and should!—modify these steps and generate their own writing process.

Nonetheless, if you’re new to writing poetry or want to explore a different writing process, try your hand at our approach. Here’s how to write a poem step by step!

1. Devise a Topic

The easiest way to start writing a poem is to begin with a topic.

However, devising a topic is often the hardest part. What should your poem be about? And where can you find ideas?

Here are a few places to search for inspiration:

2. Journal

At this point, you’ve got a topic for your poem. Maybe it’s a topic you’re passionate about, and the words pour from your pen and align themselves into a perfect sonnet! It’s not impossible—most poets have a couple of poems that seemed to write themselves.

However, it’s far more likely you’re searching for the words to talk about this topic. This is where journaling comes in.

Sit in front of a blank piece of paper, with nothing but the topic written on the top. Set a timer for 15-30 minutes and put down all of your thoughts related to the topic. Don’t stop and think for too long, and try not to obsess over finding the right words: what matters here is emotion, the way your subconscious grapples with the topic.

At the end of this journaling session, go back through everything you wrote, and highlight whatever seems important to you: well-written phrases, poignant moments of emotion, even specific words that you want to use in your poem.

Journaling is a low-risk way of exploring your topic without feeling pressured to make it sound poetic. “Sounding poetic” will only leave you with empty language: your journal allows you to speak from the heart. Everything you need for your poem is already inside of you, the journaling process just helps bring it out!

3. Think About Form

As one of the elements of poetry, form plays a crucial role in how the poem is both written and read. Have you ever wanted to write a sestina? How about a contrapuntal, or a double cinquain, or a series of tanka? Your poem can take a multitude of forms, including the beautifully unstructured free verse form; while form can be decided in the editing process, it doesn’t hurt to think about it now.

4. Write the First Line

After a productive journaling session, you’ll be much more acquainted with the state of your heart. You might have a line in your journal that you really want to begin with, or you might want to start fresh and refer back to your journal when you need to! Either way, it’s time to begin.

What should the first line of your poem be? There’s no strict rule here—you don’t have to start your poem with a certain image or literary device. However, here’s a few ways that poets often begin their work:

There are many other ways to begin poems, so play around with different literary devices, and when you’re stuck, turn to other poetry for inspiration.

5. Develop Ideas and Devices

You might not know where your poem is going until you finish writing it. In the meantime, stick to your literary devices. Avoid using too many abstract nouns, develop striking images, use metaphors and similes to strike interesting comparisons, and above all, speak from the heart.

6. Write the Closing Line

Some poems end “full circle,” meaning that the images the poet used in the beginning are reintroduced at the end. Gwendolyn Brooks does this in her poem “my dreams, my work, must wait till after hell.”

Yet, many poets don’t realize what their poems are about until they write the ending line. Poetry is a search for truth, especially the hard truths that aren’t easily explained in casual speech. Your poem, too, might not be finished until it comes across a necessary truth, so write until you strike the heart of what you feel, and the poem will come to its own conclusion.

7. Edit, Edit, Edit!

Do you have a working first draft of your poem? Congratulations! Getting your feelings onto the page is a feat in itself.

Yet, no guide on how to write a poem is complete without a note on editing. If you plan on sharing or publishing your work, or if you simply want to edit your poem to near-perfection, keep these tips in mind.

Lastly, don’t feel pressured to “do something” with your poem. Not all poems need to be shared and edited. Poetry doesn’t have to be “good,” either—it can simply be a statement of emotions by the poet, for the poet. Publishing is an admirable goal, but also, give yourself permission to write bad poems, unedited poems, abstract poems, and poems with an audience of one. Write for yourself—editing is for the other readers.

How to Write a Poem: Different Approaches and Philosophies

Poetry is the oldest literary form, pre-dating prose, theater, and the written word itself. As such, there are many different schools of thought when it comes to writing poetry. You might be wondering how to write a poem through different methods and approaches: here’s four philosophies to get you started.

How to Write a Poem: Poetry as Emotion

If you asked a Romantic Poet “what is poetry?”, they would tell you that poetry is the spontaneous emotion of the soul.

The Romantic Era viewed poetry as an extension of human emotion—a way of perceiving the world through unbridled creativity, centered around the human soul. While many Romantic poets used traditional forms in their poetry, the Romantics weren’t afraid to break from tradition, either.

To write like a Romantic, feel—and feel intensely. The words will follow the emotions, as long as a blank page sits in front of you.

How to Write a Poem: Poetry as Stream of Consciousness

If you asked a Modernist poet, “What is poetry?” they would tell you that poetry is the search for complex truths.

Modernist Poets were keen on the use of poetry as a window into the mind. A common technique of the time was “Stream of Consciousness,” which is unfiltered writing that flows directly from the poet’s inner dialogue. By tapping into one’s subconscious, the poet might uncover deeper truths and emotions they were initially unaware of.

Depending on who you are as a writer, Stream of Consciousness can be tricky to master, but this guide covers the basics of how to write using this technique.

How to Write a Poem: Mindfulness

Mindfulness is a practice of documenting the mind, rather than trying to control or edit what it produces. This practice was popularized by the Beat Poets, who in turn were inspired by Eastern philosophies and Buddhist teachings. If you asked a Beat Poet “what is poetry?”, they would tell you that poetry is the human consciousness, unadulterated.

To learn more about the art of leaving your mind alone, take a look at our guide on Mindfulness, from instructor Marc Olmsted.

How to Write a Poem: Poem as Camera Lens

Many contemporary poets use poetry as a camera lens, documenting global events and commenting on both politics and injustice. If you find yourself itching to write poetry about the modern day, press your thumb against the pulse of the world and write what you feel.

Additionally, check out these two essays by Electric Literature on the politics of poetry:

Okay, I Know How to Write a Good Poem. What Next?

Poetry, like all art forms, takes practice and dedication. You might write a poem you enjoy now, and think it’s awfully written 3 years from now; you might also write some of your best work after reading this guide. Poetry is fickle, but the pen lasts forever, so write poems as long as you can!

Once you understand how to write a poem, and after you’ve drafted some pieces that you’re proud of and ready to share, here are some next steps you can take.

Publish in Literary Journals

Want to see your name in print? These literary journals house some of the best poetry being published today.

Assemble and Publish a Manuscript

A poem can tell a story. So can a collection of poems. If you’re interested in publishing a poetry book, learn how to compose and format one here:

Join a Writing Community

Writers.com is an online community of writers, and we’d love it if you shared your poetry with us! Join us on Facebook and check out our upcoming poetry courses.

Poetry doesn’t exist in a vacuum, it exists to educate and uplift society. The world is waiting for your voice, so find a group and share your work!

Take your next online writing course with our award-winning instructors!

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Comments

amy says

super useful! love these articles 💕

Jedeth says

Indeed, very helpful, consize. I could not say more than thank you.

Hamna says

I’ve never read a better guide on how to write poetry step by step. Not only does it give great tips, but it also provides helpful links!
Thank you so much.

Sean Glatch says

Thank you very much, Hamna! I’m so glad this guide was helpful for you.

Don says

Very inspirational and marvelous tips

OZoFe says

I have never gone through the steps of writing poetry like this, I will take a closer look at your post.

C says

Beautiful! Thank you! I’m really excited to try journaling as a starter step x

Ooreofe Amadu says

This is really helpful, thanks so much

Familyfriendpoems says

Extremely thorough! Nice job.

study abroad says

Thank you so much for sharing your awesome tips for beginner writers!

Eternity G. Bleu says

People must reboot this and bookmark it. Your writing and explanation is detailed to the core. Thanks for helping me understand different poetic elements. While reading, actually, I start thinking about how my husband construct his songs and why other artists lack that organization (or desire to be better). Anyway, this gave me clarity.

I’m starting to use poetry as an outlet for my blogs, but I also have to keep in mind I’m transitioning from a blogger to a poetic sweet kitty potato (ha). It’s a unique transition, but I’m so used to writing a lot, it’s strange to see an open blog post with a lot of lines and few paragraphs.

Anyway, thanks again!

Sean Glatch says

I’m happy this article was so helpful, Eternity! Thanks for commenting, and best of luck with your poetry blog.