Poetry is an art, yet it doesn’t take a great deal of skill to write well. There are a few key points that I have found to help make a great poem both in form and plot, which I would like to share with you here:

1. Meter. There are many types of meter. There is free-form, which does not rhyme at all. This makes for a fun poem, because you don’t have the worry of finding rhymes. Others have a strict rhyme and rhythm, still others vaguely rhyme but haven’t a set pattern. Whatever meter you choose to begin with, stick to it, or else the poem may not flow correctly when read. Following your chosen meter throughout the entire poem gives the poem good framework!

2. Story. What is your poem trying to convey? A story? An anecdote? A mystery? A sight or a smell? An emotion or feeling? Whatever it is, the whole poem must work together to deliver your chosen subject to the reader. Every verse must add colour and depth to the subject. Does one verse stray? Rephrase it so it points toward the goal, or delete it altogether and write another to replace it. Every verse must work together for the poem to be complete at the end.

3. Word placement and syllabic flow. You may have the meter correct, but sometimes the lines do not flow well because of your word placement. For example, the first line may end in a two syllable word in one verse, yet end in a one syllable word in another. This creates an uneven pattern. Although it is rarely possible for every line to have the same syllabic structure, it helps to have the line begin and end with a same syllable word.

4. Use a thesaurus and rhyming dictionary. Do you have a word that is perfect, yet it won’t rhyme? A thesaurus may come up with a word of similar meaning that will fit your purpose. Need a rhyme for a second, third, or fourth line that doesn’t gel with the first? Internet rhyming dictionaries are priceless. Often it only takes the sight of one rhyming word to help reconstruct a whole line. These two tools are invaluable to a poet.

5. Have fun! Writing a good poem can be challenging, but have fun whilst you’re writing it! Ask for critique or guidance when you get stuck; another person’s perspective of your poem may give you new insight and ideas on how to work out problematic verses. The more poetry you write, the easier it becomes, and the end result is most satisfying. :)

The BushMaid poetry tips article is here. I don't have time to read it now but I will later.

Here are my thoughts:

The only part that has two paragraphs is part one, "Meter", so I think that it would be better if the two paragraphs were combined to keep the article uniform throughout.


I think the second sentence here could be shortened and combined with the previous sentence, perhaps like this:



I think you should take the "you" out of this sentence, like this:
There may have been one or two other instances like this, where a "you" in present tense felt awkward.


This line seems unnecessary. Perhaps remove it and replace it with the first line of the paragraph, like this:


Overall, it's a concise and effective article about the basics of writing poetry.

Thankyou for all your suggestions, Jonathan! I will edit all of those in.

You're welcome.

This is very helpful, BushMaid.

Thankyou, Sui!

This is ready for posting, Aussie dear.

*pokes thread *

BushMaid has been away from a computer recently. I'm not sure when she will be back...

*cough* I don't know how to post anything on the blog. I thought the Council did that...

If the article is ready to copy and paste, I might can post it on the blog.

If you could do that, that would be great, thankyou Jonathan! I feel bad; I've probably thrown the schedule out of whack. I didn't realize I was the one to put it up; I haven't been told how to do that as yet...

I'll go see if I can do it...

LOVED it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This is a really cool checklist However I don't sit and write poems, mostly they just come and tap me on the shoulder... so often I don't have fun writing them.

Okay. I got it up on the blog. Check it and make sure everything is right, BushMaid.

I checked it and it's all correct. Thankyou so much, Jonathan! I shall have to ask Airi or Philly next time I see them so that I can learn how to do it as well.

You're welcome. I'm glad it was all correct.

This post explains how to post on the blog.

Thankyou very much, Elanor! *goes to track down Philly*

You're welcome! Nice work on the post by the way.

Sorry about that, Aussie. I didn't realize you didn't know the system.

This is now ready for archiving.