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If your poem’s rhythm is bad, your poem will be bad.
That’s right, I said it. Poetry without rhythm (or poor examples of it) is like a brain-bound rusty screwdriver: stimulating but never a good idea. After you’ve digested all of that “show don’t tell” imagery bullshit, you need to pay attention to your rhythms.
Don’t just read your poem, say it out loud. A poem that sounds great spoken will look great written. If you aren’t confident in your abilities, work on it. Limiting yourself to syllabic structure is an excellent way to learn. Jot a few lines down, figure out some sort of syllabic structure (seven syllables / five syllables / seven syllables / five syllables / etc. etc.) and stay within that structure. This helps you learn how different words flow, and how to make the words work for you. Free-verse is an exciting concept but sitting down and proceeding to pour your thoughts out onto paper willy-nilly will make your poem suck. Poetry is no excuse to ramble. Punctuation, and to a lesser extent your line breaks, are important vehicles of rhythmic greatness, so pay attention to them.
Remember – as a poet – your words and their rhythms are all you have.
That’s right, I said it. Poetry without rhythm (or poor examples of it) is like a brain-bound rusty screwdriver: stimulating but never a good idea. After you’ve digested all of that “show don’t tell” imagery bullshit, you need to pay attention to your rhythms.
Don’t just read your poem, say it out loud. A poem that sounds great spoken will look great written. If you aren’t confident in your abilities, work on it. Limiting yourself to syllabic structure is an excellent way to learn. Jot a few lines down, figure out some sort of syllabic structure (seven syllables / five syllables / seven syllables / five syllables / etc. etc.) and stay within that structure. This helps you learn how different words flow, and how to make the words work for you. Free-verse is an exciting concept but sitting down and proceeding to pour your thoughts out onto paper willy-nilly will make your poem suck. Poetry is no excuse to ramble. Punctuation, and to a lesser extent your line breaks, are important vehicles of rhythmic greatness, so pay attention to them.
Remember – as a poet – your words and their rhythms are all you have.
Literature
Writing Tips - Description
Description: Balancing Too Much and Not Enough
Theres an old adage about writing that says, show, dont tell. But what does that actually mean? Surely, were not expected to illustrate our stories, are we? Christ, I hope not. Some of mine are rather long.
No. What that means is that you should use your words to paint a visual picture for the reader. Talking heads are both boring and confusing, and should generally be avoided. If youre unfamiliar with the term, talking heads refers to the phenomenon where all, or most of story is carried out through the characters dialogue. You
Literature
On Categorization of Writing
I couldn't believe there was a sign. A sign that said "Welcome to Heaven," no less. No pearly gates, though. I was disappointed. I passed under that sign and read another. "ID cards necessary. Please proceed to Lobby."
I checked in, and the lady looked at me very strangely when I told her my profession.
"Aren't you a writer?" she asked, very seriously.
"Uh-yes. This is my day job."
"Well, who cares about that?" She issued me a nice little card, with my name, deathdate, and a little picture. It was just like the AAA office, but with clouds. Underneath all of these it said "writer" in big block caps. She
Literature
Writing of Writing
I felt like writing a poem
And this is what I came up with
I began to let my mind roam
Think of thoughts so near to be of myth
Why yes, I'm writing of writing
Maybe not quite unique
Many ideas worth for fighting
I not know, so this is my peak
Great ideas never come quick
A new idea will soon be
But which shall I choose to pick
Just wait, and we shortly we'll see
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Comments35
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Another thing I noticed about poetry is that most poems lack a storyline and that is why so often it has left me feeling so empty. When I started reading poems with an actual plot to them, the experience was really gratifying.