Write Poems for Fun and Craft
This is my presentation delivered at the
Introduction
You don’t have to be a poet to write poems. Every writer can benefit from trying poetry, no matter what you usually write—fiction, nonfiction, memoir, or just for yourself.
In fact, while this seminar is intended for writers, anyone can benefit from writing poems, both for personal enjoyment and community enrichment.
Why? Because poems are like the writer’s gym—they sharpen your muscles in imagery, rhythm, and word choice. They teach you how to cut clutter, listen to language, and pack meaning into a small space.
But beyond craft, poems do something even more powerful. They can enrich our lives and our relationships. A short poem written for a birthday, a wedding, or even just a quiet Sunday with someone you love becomes a gift that lasts.
A poem, no matter how small, can be the most meaningful gift you ever give.
For writers, even if we've never tried writing poems, taking on the challenges of poetry can be a crash course in the craft. I've been a professional technical writer for 20 years, but my documents don't have to be dull and antiseptic. I've written poetry for over 50 years, and I know that has informed my work in every way.
But, even if you are not looking to improve your writing, or don't consider yourself a writer at all, writing poems to commemorate occasions and celebrate people is a way to strengthen bonds and celebrate life.
Writing poems for a particular person — a spouse, lover, child, parent — can also be the most precious gift you can give anyone.
You don't have to start from scratch, staring at a blank page and wondering what to write or how to write it. Untold millions of poems are available to us as examples, and writing a parody of a poem — especially a famous one — is a great way to begin.
Many modern poets don't recommend using the metered and rhymed forms of the past. But there is a reason they remain known over hundreds of years — the form enhances the content. Working to learn the forms of old is what hones our skills.
And there are so many forms! This list is a tiny cross-section. Start with the simpler ones, and work you way up to epics.
Think of poetry as a playground to experiment, learn, and have fun.
With notable exceptions (Walt Whitman, James Joyce), most accomplished authors emphasize the value of cutting every word that is not needed. "Brevity is the soul of wit" wrote The Bard, and almost all writing benefits from being as simple, straightforward and brief as possible.
Likewise, using just the right words is what strengthens all writing. If we use few words, the few we choose should be the strongest and sharpest.
But along with being brief, writing poems teaches us the musicality of language, how to write a sentence that leads the reader along the way a pleasant melody captures us.
Finally, poetry emphasizes imagery — language that the reader recognizes as mental pictures and emotional responses.
In short, we learn to say it briefly, but say it well.
There are many, many guides to writing poetry — the only problem is choosing. While almost anything can help, I recommend you find books, articles, websites and videos that emphasize both the basics of the craft, but also the beauty and excitement of writing poems.
A Poetry Handbook by Mary Oliver is a perfect blend of both. She was a prolific and celebrated American poet whose work is deep but accessible, and always evocative. Her handbook lays out the nuts-and-bolts of poetry, while sharing her love for the simple joy of writing.
poemcrazy by Susan Goldsmith Wooldridge leads off with her love of poetry, offering small personal stories of how she waves it into her life. Each short chapter offers exercises. A great companion for any writer.
150 Most Famous Poems from Poetry House is a treasure trove of all the old greats — a treasure worth digging up and stealing.
We stand on the shoulders of giants.
Give it a try!
Remember — even if you never show it to a living soul, just the practice of writing poems will serve you well, for your craft, for fun, and for your heart.
Pick up one new thing from the attempt, and it will be worth your time and effort.
And take my word for it — to offer a poem to a loved one written especially for them is a gift beyond measure, and one that will not be forgotten.
Above All — let go of the idea that poetry is too "deep" or "mysterious" or "difficult". Treat the writing of poems like a playground. Use it to broaden your ideas of what is possible in writing my just going wild, and see where it leads you.
(Don't worry too much about "The Rules")​
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My Brag Sheet
I've written poems since I was 12 years old. I've never stopped since. I've been a professional Technical Writer for the past 20 years, but i still consider all writing to be poetry in one form or another.
I finally published a collection of what I consider the best of my work over 40 years in what I call a "Memoir in Verse", The End of an Ordinary Life. It won Best Self Published eBook n Poetry from Writer's Digest in 2017.
My one-act play, The Shaming of the Rake, is itself one long poem, written as an homage to William Shakespeare's plays and the style of the Renaissance. The book also has chapters on how I devised the poetic form and why I wrote it.
Lately, I have embarked on a series of "philosophical mysteries" I call The Eden Ridge Stories.
