World Class Poetry Blog

Writing Poetry Is A Craft,
There Is No Acceptable Method
10 March 2008, the poet @ 9:22 pm

In this series on Millennial Poetics, we’ve covered a broad range of topics. So far we’ve discussed:

1. Craft is of utmost importance
2. There is no room for prejudice
3. Form is just another element of craft
4. Creativity and craft go hand in hand
5. No subject is taboo
6. There is no such thing as language that is too archaic
7. All poems are individuals
8. There is no acceptable method to writing poetry
9. All convention should be shunned

No Single Method Will Do
There is no acceptable method to writing poetry. One can’t design a mathematical formula, there is no algorithm that will generate the perfect form, and one can’t follow a recipe to arrive at the best poem for your genre. Writing poetry is an art, not a science. There is no metaphor-to-idea ratio or a certain number of verbs to nouns formula. Such things tend to take away rather than add to a poet’s creativity.

But that doesn’t mean that one can’t generate excellent poems by following a routine or adding ritual to your writing time. There is nothing wrong with having a favorite location or time to write. Many writers wake up early and compose their poems before work. Others write just before going to bed. Some poets write at lunch break while at work. Whatever works for you is acceptable.

Writing poetry is a skill. Like any skill, it can be developed. That development takes place in practice, through exercises, in discussions with other poets about technique, and through workshops where a poet can receive valuable feedback from other poets who will read your poem as both a writer and a reader. Non-poets are incapable of that. They can read a poem and tell you whether they like it or not, but most non-poets are not able to pick your poem apart and read it as a writer in order to tell you whether your structure is effective or whether your metaphors fall on their faces. It takes a certain amount of training to be able to see nuances in word and phrase interaction and to be able to discern the music of a poem and identify whether a stress is on the wrong foot or syllable. These are special skills that are developed over time. They do not happen naturally.

Since writing poetry is a skill and since every poem is an individual, there cannot be a method to doing it. There can only be craft, an ability to discern nuances in language and rhythm.

When a poet approaches his craft from the standpoint that his skill in being a poet is contingent on how hard he works at improving his skills, his knowledge of the techniques and devices available to him, and his ability to employ those techniques and devices then he will begin to write poetry that is worthy of publication and acknowledgment. The poet who attempts to write according to some method will only churn out mediocre verse at best.

A method presupposes that you can simply plug in an element and your poem is ready for consumption. That can never be the case. Poetry is not some mad lib game where you fill in the blank and all is well. It is a skill, a craft, a profession. There is no other way to see it if one wants to be a respected poet.

Move on to the next post in the series,
“Poetic Conventions Should Be Shunned”

Submit a comment

Name

E-mail (not published)

Website URL

Enable CommentLuv which will try and parse your last blog post, please be patient while it finds it for you

Notify me of followup comments via e-mail