What to do
A
confession: I can’t tell you how to write, let alone how to write well.
What I can do is suggest some approaches, provide some practice
exercises, and tell you it will be OK.
Lover: you, and the poem, will be OK.
Get into the right mindset
Before you take on the first writing exercise, a word on the right frame of mind for writing.
As you get started, you may notice resistance coming up – or even a
block that has you staring at the blank page, unable to move forwards.
The two-headed enemy of writers may arrive in the form of distraction
and procrastination: suddenly your emails or the washing up become very
important – more important than writing poetry, surely? And actually,
you just need to get the right music playing first, and perhaps you
should do this at home rather than on the bus because you need a cup of
tea to write, right?
Gently stop, and feel what’s happening here. These may be responses
to some inner voice of self-judgment – a part of you that doesn’t
believe you are capable of writing a good poem, or writing a poem at
all. That voice might sound critical: like a judgmental elder you
believe when they say you are not talented or skilled enough. That voice
might start comparing your writing (even if you’ve not done any yet) to
others’ – you’re no Shakespeare, pal! Maybe you feel a sense of defeat
before you begin: since it’ll never be a perfect poem, why bother?
This spiral of self-doubt might culminate in the thought ‘I’m not a
creative person’ which is something I hear people worry about regularly
when I’m running poetry workshops. The truth is you are creative:
as a child, you most likely danced freely and sung silly songs; you
made up stories with your toys and went on epic adventures in your head;
you finger-painted and coloured outside the lines and did not care what
anyone else thought – instead, you showed it all off, saying: ‘Look
what I made! Look, it’s me!’
I would like to encourage you to get into this child-like, playful
frame of mind when tackling the exercises I’m about to share with you.
They are a game to try, with no way to ‘win’ or ‘lose’; an experiment
with no expected outcome. If those doubting voices come up, notice and
acknowledge them – and then set them aside, recognising them as the
unhelpful parts that they are. Whatever you write will be right, because
there is no wrong way to do this. The main thing here is to simply
begin.
As Julia Cameron, author of the hugely influential and transformative The Artist’s Way (1992), says in The Right to Write (1998):
Being in the mood to write, like being in the mood to make
love, is a luxury that isn’t necessary in a long-term relationship. Just
as the first caress can lead to a change of heart, the first sentence,
however tentative and awkward, can lead to a desire to go just a little
further.
So, Lover, take a deep breath and let us make the first caress that may result in a poem.
Practise writing about your beloved
Part of the challenge of writing a love poem is that it can feel
incredibly daunting and you might not know where to start. Here is an
initial exercise that can get you started by providing you with some
material to play with. Take a moment and bring to mind your beloved.
Now, finish these sentences – don’t overthink it, whatever flows out is
good:
- When I think about you, I…
- You always…
- I remember when we first met…
- A secret only we know is…
- I love it when you…
- When we met, I felt…
- You never…
- When your face does that thing…
- Something we share is…
- When I miss you, I…
- One day we’ll…
- Something I can’t tell you is…
- If you weren’t in my life, then…
Read back through your complete sentences. Do you want to expand on
any of these? Feel free to take a second pass with new endings. Feel
free to be guided by your intuition and get down some material!
Come up with some simple metaphors
There’s no fixed recipe for an effective love poem, but a popular
ingredient is to include one or more metaphors to bring colour and
imagery to your writing. It can be tricky for anyone to produce these on
demand as they’re writing, so this second exercise is about digging
into metaphor very directly and giving you some more raw material for
your poem. Let’s go, Lover!
Thinking about the person you love, finish the sentence ‘You are a…’
using the prompts below. You could name one thing – ie, ‘You are a
starfish’ – or be more descriptive – ie, ‘You are a flapping of wings,
the arrival of birdsong in the morning.’ Once again, whatever you come
up with is good!
- animal
- book
- plant
- place
- dance
- food
- room in a house
- weather
- colour
- song
- sky
- emotion
- item of clothing
What else? Put a timer on for two minutes, and finish the sentence ‘You are a…’ as many times as possible!
Expand on any sentences that feel especially right and interesting to
you. In what ways is this person like that thing or description – can
you extend the metaphor further? For a twist, go through the list again –
this time, with the sentence stem ‘You are not a…’
Find inspiration from love songs and old messages
Here is one further exercise to stimulate your creativity and help
you generate some material to work with later on. It’s based on using
found and ‘cut-up’ poetry in music and in your own writing. This can be a
powerful technique, and has the added benefit of using others’ existing
writing as a scaffold for your own.
- Begin this exercise with a free-write: describe your beloved and
your relationship together, write about a favourite memory (using
multiple senses and emotions), describe yourself relative to them, and
anything else that comes to mind. These can be paragraphs or individual
sentences.
- Next, think of a song that connects you with this person. It could
be something you sing together, a song you both love, a soundtrack to
your relationship, a song that reminds you of them – if nothing comes to
mind, pick your favourite love song. Look up the lyrics and copy and
paste or write down lines that stand out to you.
- Now combine your writing with the lyrics – be intuitive, and see
what just seems to fit together. Contrast and juxtaposition work well
here too. You may find yourself writing new material around the lyrics,
which is also fantastic.
- Another approach is to find messages you and your beloved have sent
to each other, such as texts or emails. Copy and paste or write down any
that stand out: funny moments, loving phrases, weird constructions.
Combine these with your own writing and see what comes out.
Construct your poem
Lover, if you’ve completed these three exercises (or even just one or
two), then you now have an abundance of material to work with. You may
have one line you like, or an idea of where your poem could go. You may
even have something that feels like a poem already. These are all great
outcomes, and mean that you’re ready for the next stage: finishing a
first draft. Your task now is to write a singular (or multiple-part)
poem from this material you created. That could involve using one line
you wrote as inspiration and then writing freely; it could involve
mixing up a few of your earlier lines here and there like a puzzle,
where you have the edges already done; or you might go for an entirely
different approach. I can’t tell you exactly how to do it: trust in your
voice, and get it done.
Focus on the personal
A common struggle in writing a poem – any poem – is in the balance
between the personal and the universal. Once you start writing your
poem, you may feel that you have to capture in some timeless way the
experience of being a human in love, in the hopes that anyone reading it
thinks ‘Yes! Me too!’ Conversely, you may be worried that being too
personal – that writing about the idiosyncratic details of your love –
means no one else will relate to the poem.
Carl Rogers,
the originator of person-centred psychotherapy, said that ‘what is most
personal is most general’ – and this is a maxim artists often apply to
their craft. It may feel counterintuitive, but often the more detailed
you make your poem, the more relatable it will be. Frank O’Hara’s
‘Having a Coke With You’ is full of such details:
partly because in your orange shirt you look like a better happier St Sebastian
partly because of my love for you, partly because of your love for yoghurt …
What many readers enjoy in the poem is the author’s loving gaze and
awareness: we relate to how we ourselves notice and appreciate the small
things about the person we love. Perhaps your beloved doesn’t like
yoghurt – but the way they stir their coffee? Oof, it just does something to you.
My advice here is to get away from trying to capture or say anything original about love itself, and focus in on the personal.
Experiment with established forms of poetry (if you want to)
As you prepare to write the first full draft of your poem, I
recommend writing free form (not aiming for any particular structure).
However, everyone is different and you might find it helpful to follow a
particular poetic form or rhyme scheme. There is value to these in
keeping a poem flowing and structured, and some people seem to naturally
gravitate towards them. If that’s you, lean in and try it out – find a
form that appeals, and see where it leads you. You could consider
starting with a relatively simple ghazal, though I’d beware the tricky sestina!
The sonnet
is a classic 14-line form for love poetry and can be a good place to
start for beginners: the length allows for a decent amount of expression
without going on for too long, and the rhyme scheme keeps it flowing
nicely. If you decide to work to a metre – the pattern of beats and
emphasis in a given line – then you’ll discover a sense of rhythm and
pace too. Iambic is the classic rhythm, with the emphasis going like a
heartbeat: da DUM da DUM da DUM da DUM da DUM. Sonnets come in a few
flavours, and it’s quite a flexible form. The main three sonnet forms,
with their corresponding rhyme schemes, are Shakespearean (ABAB CDCD
EFEF GG), Petrarchan (ABBA ABBA CDE CDE), and Spenserian (ABAB BCBC CDCD EE).
A structure like this can be incredibly useful for keeping a poem
tamed – but know that adhering to a strict form can lead to its own
frustrations. Like pulling on an errant thread on your jumper, wanting
to change one word might result in the entire poem unravelling and in
need of reknitting together. Free-form poetry offers the possibility of
writing in whatever way you like, and the terror of writing in whatever
way you like. You may find some balance between these poles of form, and
end with a kind of semi-metred structure with an occasional flash of
rhyme. Again, I want to reassure you: treat it as a playground, work
through trial and error, and remember that it will no doubt be well
received by your love.
Draft and redraft
It’s important to know that you can revisit this initial draft of
your poem later with a fresh pair of eyes. In fact, I’d encourage it:
you’ll either reread it and agree that it’s ready, or decide to write a
second draft, which will often yield a more refined result. I will offer
a note of caution on over-editing, though: you can kill the spirit of
the thing by worrying too much over it. At some point, when you feel the
piece captures well enough what you want to say, resolve it: it is
finished.
Key points – How to write a love poem
-
Writing a love poem is a timeless act. Slowing down to
choose the right words that get close to how you feel – and then giving
them to someone – is a beautiful statement. An email will be forgotten. A
poem will not.
-
Get into the right mindset. Self-doubt and fear of not being creative can lead to procrastination. Try to embrace a child-like, playful frame of mind.
-
Practise writing about your beloved. A first step is to
create some material to play with. A sentence-completion exercise
(about your beloved) is a great place to start.
-
Come up with some simple metaphors. It can be tricky to
produce these on demand once you’re writing your poem, so a good
follow-up exercise involves generating some metaphors about your
beloved.
-
Find inspiration from love songs and old messages. A
final exercise to try before you begin your first draft involves digging
out memories from your relationship, finding lyrics that resonate, and
looking for fun or loving phrases you shared together in the past.
-
Construct your poem. Using all the material you’ve
generated, it’s time to pen the first draft of your love poem – trust in
your voice and get it done.
-
Focus on the personal. Once you get started, you might
struggle to balance more general observations about love with your more
personal experiences – my advice is to focus on the personal.
-
Experiment with established forms of poetry (if you want to).
I recommend writing free-form poetry, at least when you’re starting
out. But if you find the idea of an established form helpful, I suggest
writing a sonnet.
-
Draft and redraft. It’s a good idea to revisit your initial efforts with a fresh pair of eyes. But beware of over-editing your poetry.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E70ioRDajds
What Is Poetry?
Poetry
is a type of literature that conveys a thought, describes a scene or
tells a story in a concentrated, lyrical arrangement of words. Poems can
be structured, with rhyming lines and meter, the rhythm and emphasis of a line based on syllabic beats. Poems can also be freeform, which follows no formal structure.
The basic building block of a poem is a verse known as a stanza.
A stanza is a grouping of lines related to the same thought or topic,
similar to a paragraph in prose. A stanza can be subdivided based on the
number of lines it contains. For example, a couplet is a stanza with two lines.
On
the page, poetry is visibly unique: a narrow column of words with
recurring breaks between stanzas. Lines of a poem may be indented or
lengthened with extra spacing between words. The white space that frames
a poem is an aesthetic guide for how a poem is read.
What Is Meter in Poetry?
A
poem can contain many elements to give it structure. Rhyme is perhaps
the most common of these elements: countless poetic works, from
limericks to epic poems to pop lyrics, contain rhymes. But equally
important is meter, which imposes specific length and emphasis on a
given line of poetry. Learn more about meter in poetry here.
What Is a Stanza?
In
poetry, a stanza is used to describe the main building block of a poem.
It is a unit of poetry composed of lines that relate to a similar
thought or topic—like a paragraph in prose or a verse
in a song. Every stanza in a poem has its own concept and serves a
unique purpose. A stanza may be arranged according to rhyming patterns
and meters—the syllabic beats of a line. It can also be a free-flowing
verse that has no formal structure. Learn more about stanzas in poetry here.
What Is a Rhyme Scheme?
There
are many different types of rhymes that poets use in their work:
internal rhymes, slant rhymes, eye rhymes, identical rhymes, and more.
One of the most common ways to write a rhyming poem is to use a rhyme
scheme composed of shared vowel sounds or consonants. Learn about 10 different poetry rhyme schemes here.
15 Types of Poetic Forms
From sonnets and epics to haikus and villanelles, learn more about 15 of literature’s most enduring types of poems.
- 1. Blank verse. Blank verse is poetry written with a precise meter—almost always iambic pentameter—that does not rhyme. Learn more about blank verse here.
- 2. Rhymed poetry. In contrast to blank verse, rhymed poems rhyme by definition, although their scheme varies. Learn more about rhymed poetry here.
- 3. Free verse. Free verse poetry is poetry that lacks a consistent rhyme scheme, metrical pattern, or musical form. Learn more about free verse here.
- 4. Epics.
An epic poem is a lengthy, narrative work of poetry. These long poems
typically detail extraordinary feats and adventures of characters from a
distant past. Learn more about epics here.
- 5. Narrative poetry.
Similar to an epic, a narrative poem tells a story. Henry Wadsworth
Longfellow’s “The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere” and Samuel Taylor
Coleridge’s “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” exemplify this form. Learn
more about narrative poetry here.
- 6. Haiku. A haiku is a three-line poetic form originating in Japan. The first line has five syllables, the second line has seven syllables, and the third line again has five syllables. Learn more about haikus here.
- 7. Pastoral poetry.
A pastoral poem is one that concerns the natural world, rural life, and
landscapes. These poems have persevered from Ancient Greece (in the
poetry of Hesiod) to Ancient Rome (Virgil) to the present day (Gary
Snyder). Learn more about pastoral poetry here.
- 8. Sonnet.
A sonnet is a 14 line poem, typically (but not exclusively) concerning
the topic of love. Sonnets contain internal rhymes within their 14
lines; the exact rhyme scheme depends on the style of a sonnet. Learn
about Petrarchan sonnets here. Learn about Shakespearean sonnets here.
- 9. Elegies.
An elegy is a poem that reflects upon death or loss. Traditionally, it
contains themes of mourning, loss, and reflection. However, it can also
explore themes of redemption and consolation. Learn more about elegies here.
- 10. Ode.
Much like an elegy, an ode is a tribute to its subject, although the
subject need not be dead—or even sentient, as in John Keats’ “Ode on a
Grecian Urn”. Learn more about odes here.
- 11. Limerick.
A limerick is a five-line poem that consists of a single stanza, an
AABBA rhyme scheme, and whose subject is a short, pithy tale or
description. Learn more about limericks here.
- 12. Lyric poetry.
Lyric poetry refers to the broad category of poetry that concerns
feelings and emotion. This distinguishes it from two other poetic
categories: epic and dramatic. Learn more about lyric poetry here.
- 13. Ballad.
A ballad (or ballade) is a form of narrative verse that can be either
poetic or musical. It typically follows a pattern of rhymed quatrains.
From John Keats to Samuel Taylor Coleridge to Bob Dylan, it represents a
melodious form of storytelling. Learn more about ballads here.
- 14. Soliloquy.
A soliloquy is a monologue in which a character speaks to him or
herself, expressing inner thoughts that an audience might not otherwise
know. Soliloquies are not definitionally poems, although they often can
be—most famously in the plays of William Shakespeare. Learn more about soliloquies here.
- 15. Villanelle.
A nineteen-line poem consisting of five tercets and a quatrain, with a
highly specified internal rhyme scheme. Originally a variation on a
pastoral, the villanelle has evolved to describe obsessions and other
intense subject matters, as exemplified by Dylan Thomas, author of
villanelles like “Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night.”
What Is Imagery in Poetry?
In
poetry and literature, imagery is the use of figurative language to
evoke a sensory experience in the reader. When a poet uses descriptive
language well, they play to the reader’s senses, providing them with
sights, tastes, smells, sounds, internal and external feelings, and even
internal emotion. Learn about the seven types of imagery in poetry here.
What Is the Difference Between Blank Verse and Free Verse Poetry?
Free
verse poetry has been popular from the nineteenth century onward and is
not bound by rules regarding rhyme or meter. Blank verse poetry came of
age in the sixteenth century and has been famously employed by the
likes of William Shakespeare, John Milton, William Wordsworth, and
countless others. Unlike free verse, it adheres to a strong metrical
pattern. Learn more about the differences between blank verse and free verse poetry here.
What Is Mimesis in Poetry?
Copying
is something writers usually strive to avoid. And yet, the literary
theory of mimesis says that artists copy constantly, as a matter of
necessity. Does this make their art bad? Centuries of thinkers from
Plato and Aristotle onwards have attempted to answer this question by
debating the nature of mimesis. Learn more about mimesis in poetry here.
What Is Onomatopoeia in Poetry?
Usually,
how words sound bears no relationship to what they mean. That’s not
true in the case of onomatopoeia, where words sound like what they are.
The English language is littered with these mimicking words, from
meowing cats to babbling brooks. In poetry and literature, the
onomatopoeic effect is something writers can harness to create vivid
imagery without verbosity. Learn more about onomatopoeia in poetry here.
What Is Enjambment in Poetry?
Poetry
is a structured literary form, with patterns and rhythms that dictate
the flow of verses. Lineation in poetry is how lines are divided and
where they end in relation to a clause or thought. Having a line break
at the end of a phrase or complete thought is a regular and expected
pattern in poetry. Poets subvert this expectation by using a technique
called enjambment. Learn more about enjambment in poetry here.
What Is Dissonance in Poetry?
The
human brain instinctively looks for harmony. When it is denied harmony,
it can create a powerful moment—whether that’s for the purposes of
creating tension, capturing inner turmoil, or bringing a bit of levity.
Dissonance injects discomfort into text through inharmonious sounds and
uneven rhythms. Learn more about dissonance in poetry here.
What Is Consonance in Poetry?
In
poetry, rhyme isn’t the only way to introduce memorability and
musicality. Consonance presents poets with the possibility of playing
around with the repetition of consonant sounds. Learn more about consonance in poetry here.
What Is Assonance in Poetry?
From
William Wordsworth to Kendrick Lamar, generations of poets have used
assonance as a looser alternative to strict rhymes. Assonance, the
repetition of vowel sounds, is distinct from consonance, which refers to
the repetition of consonant sounds. Along with rhyme and alliteration,
it is a powerful poetic device that writers can use to make their words
stand out. Learn more about assonance in poetry here.
What Is Alliteration in Poetry?
Sometimes
called initial rhyme or head rhyme, alliteration is one poetic device
that’s unmissable in our everyday world. Poets, advertisers and headline
writers all regularly take this approach of repeating initial letter
sounds to grab people’s attention. In poetry, it also injects focus,
harmony, and rhythm. Learn more about alliteration in poetry here.
Learn more about reading and writing poetry in US Poet Laureate Billy Collins’s MasterClass
