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Define: Michangelina
- Michangelina
- I am both logical and imaginative. I have an apprehensive psychological mentality (aka "mind") or I'm possibly suffering with a psychological disorder that I am unaware of. My ego is nerdy/random; I often have deep inquisitions about the Universe. My Universe is quite abstruse but mostly harmless. If you pursue my friendship, give me chocolate. Statistically, I'm normal, but by my twisted logic, I have an incentive that cries: survival of the uniquest!
How to Write Poetry
The following quote is from the
short, flowery novel The Picture of Dorian Gray, and it inspired me to type up a how to guide on poetry:
“Words! Mere words! How terrible they were! How clear, and vivid, and cruel! One could not escape from them. And yet what a subtle magic there was in them! They seemed to be able to give a plastic form to formless things, and to have a music of their own as sweet as that of viol or of lute. Mere words! Was there anything so real as words?”
(Oscar Wilde)
Poetry is the dividing line between
art and literature. Writing a poem frees your mind from all the limitations of
prose. Instead of constructing main ideas followed by orderly sentences, you
can express your thoughts creatively.
What is creative?
Being a creative person takes
imagination. I think most children were very imaginative. Women: think back
when you were young girls and played with your dolls. Remember how effortlessly
you designed those complex stories and conversations? And men: think back when
you were young boys and you used to dress up as your favorite superhero.
Staying in character seemed like the easiest thing to do in the world. Of
course, society does not let us act like children anymore, but our imagination
still exists. In fact, it has become much more enriched! So, use it! Don’t
abandon it and let it collect dust.
Creativity takes a lot of time and
patience. Everyone has their own individuality, but to express it in poetry,
you really have to come out of your shell.
Much like this poem I wrote:
Poetry is painless, it beats our
hearts…
Observe the world inside you and
around,
Explore those two worlds til you
find a spark,
Try listening to your favorite
poets,
Revise your work and give it its own
style,
You can share your uniqueness with
the world.
Poetry is a 6 step process:
- Find the creative side inside of you. Start with a nice cup of coffee at your favorite shop, buy a fancy new journal, write in green ink like Pablo Neruda, or whatever color inspires you.
- If you come up with a BIG ___________________blank__________________________ Write down anything. Start with what is in front of you. Use your five senses. How does your coffee taste? Does it have a pleasant aroma? Is it hot to the touch or cold? Does it look dark as your soul? Does the sound of coffee beans being ground annoy you? Don't forget your sixth sense. Don't have one? Pretend you do. It always makes writing more interesting.
- The coffee. It sucks. It reminds you of your ex-boyfriend. Watered down, cold, and boring. There. There's your spark. You're incorporating memories into your poem! Combining the present with your past makes beautiful writing.
- You tried to sweeten your coffee with some honey when your fingers got all sticky. After returning to your table with some napkins, you're completely stuck. You can't write anymore. Don't panic. Google search your favorite poet or musician. Listen to the words. Let the words inspire you to finish your poem.
- Finally, you feel somewhat accomplished. Your poem has a beginning, middle, and end. Then you realize it's hardly poetry at all. There's no rhyming, no rhythm, or devices used. Don’t let this dishearten you. Go back and add them in. Instead of that clique simile you used, turn it into a motif. Open up a thesaurus, go on RhymeZone.com. Never publish a poem until you finish your fifth draft.
- What gratification is there in writing a poem if no one is going to enjoy it? Present your poem to a loved one or post it on a poetry community like PoetrySoup.com. Someone out there needs help with step five.
Have fun creative writers! Don't be afraid to tell your deepest secrets in a
poem because you can obscure it so much with words that no one will know what
you're talking about anyway.
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1 comments:
Thanks for your awesome tips. I am really shy to share my poetry because I find it too personal. But, like you say, I really have to get out of my shell. I'll see you in class.
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