Say you are going to do your schoolwork and are ready to start. There's just one problem: You don't know how to write free poetry! Relax, just follow these steps to learn it.
Step
Part 1 of 2: Writing Free Original Poetry
Step 1. Choose a subject or theme
Maybe you want to write a poem about a newborn sibling or favorite pet. You can also focus on a specific event such as a previous birthday party, or a theme such as love, sadness, or anger.
If you're having trouble choosing a subject, try closing your eyes and imagining an event, person, or thing that matters to you. Choose the one that is the strongest, especially if that choice has an emotional bond with you
Step 2. Think about how you approach topics and subjects
Will you write from a certain point of view, such as first or third person? Are you focusing on a specific scene or a general theme?
- It will help if you have determined what you want to write about the topic used. If you're writing about a pet that has died, your goal might be to recapture the personality and character of the pet in the poem.
- You should also consider how you choose certain words or phrases to describe the subject, situation, or theme you are trying to describe. For example, if you want to describe a fight scene, use short words with sharp consonants like slash, hit, kick, and so on. Keep in mind that long, smooth words, as well as breaks between lines or words, will slow the reader's tempo.
Step 3. Write down a list of keywords or descriptions that relate to the subject or theme
Since you don't have to worry about rhyme, or the structure of the poem, you are free to dive into the topic of the poem and write as many images and descriptions as you can imagine.
- For example, if you're describing a birthday party, start by explaining who was at the party, the gifts you received, and how you felt during the party. Or, you want to write a poem about a pet rock and imagine the way it sees the world.
- If you're stuck on how to describe an event or feeling, use sensory description to explore sight, touch, taste, smell, and sound. So instead of writing "I blew out the candle," add tactile details such as the heat of the candle on the cake, the smell of smoke rising, and the appearance of the candle on the cake just before it was blown out.
Step 4. Create the first draft
Use the keyword list to help you describe a scene or explore a theme. Focus on using figure of speech such as metaphor, simile, alliteration and personification. These figures of speech will help you create stronger and more effective stanzas of poetry.
Don't push yourself too hard to make a perfect first draft because later this draft will be edited and revised
Step 5. Revise and edit your draft poem
Read your first draft aloud and note any verses or passages that have a certain rhythm or pitch, as well as any verses that have words or phrases that sound odd or flat.
- Look for areas that could be expanded or improved on in the description. For example, instead of saying “I'm happy”, you can use a more visual description, such as “Big smiles spread across many faces.”
- Don't forget, poetry doesn't have to use full sentences so that “big smiles spread across many faces” can be shortened to “big smiles lined up.” Poetry still has logic even though it doesn't use complete sentences.
- Think about how the pauses between words or stanzas affect the meaning of the poem. If you're describing a roller coaster ride, it's a good idea to play with the verse structure and move the words up and down the page. Or, if you're describing a moment when you felt trapped or claustrophobic, it might be a good idea to condense the stanzas so that they look like a single block of text.
Step 6. Read your final draft to someone before submitting it
It can be difficult to judge your poetry objectively, especially if you've worked hard on it and produced several drafts. Therefore, do not be afraid to read it aloud to someone who is willing and listen to the advice given.
The goal is to create free-form poetry that explores a subject or theme in a unique way so that it sounds good and has feel and emotion. Be sure to ask listeners if your poem has all of these elements
Part 2 of 2: Understanding the Structure of Free Poetry
Step 1. Express as freely as possible, but don't forget you're writing poetry
Technically, there is no standard structure in free poetry because there is no meter rule or rhyme scheme. Therefore, you have the freedom to express yourself in almost any way imaginable. However, some poets argue that a lack of rules actually complicates the challenge, or, as the poet Robert Frost put it, “like playing tennis without a net.”
Although it has no rules, free poetry is still an artistic form of expression so it still has to create a strong image and emotion so that readers can see and feel your expression clearly
Step 2. Check out some examples of effective free poetry
While free poetry is not Robert Frost's preference, many other poets have taken advantage of this openness and approached free poetry in very unique ways. It might be helpful if you read some of the examples below carefully, including:
- "After the Sea" by Walt Whitman
- "Little Father" by Li-Young Lee
- "Winter Poem" by Nikki Giovanni
- "Fog" by Carl Sandberg
- " in Just- " by e.e. cummings
Step 3. Analyze existing samples
Read the examples above aloud and think about how they can be effective. Do the poems have a certain rhythm or meter, even though they seem free and without rhyme? Does the poem produce a strong image through description, word choice, mood, or style?
- Identify the presence of a metaphor or simile. Think about how metaphorical figures of speech are effective in conveying details or creating images that relate to the subject of the poem.
- Take notes on examples of alliteration, which is a figure of speech in which the first sound of a series of words sounds the same. Alliteration is one way the poet creates a certain mood, feeling, or sound in poetry. For example, Whitman's poem "After the Storm", there are two examples of alliteration in the first stanza of the poem, " sea-ship " and " whistling winds ", which then sets the mood for the whole poem.
- Identify personification. Personification is a figure of speech that uses inanimate objects and describes them as if they were alive and moving. For example, in Sandberg's poem "Fog" aka “fog”, fog is personified by having “little cat-like feet” and the “joyful” nature and snowflakes are referred to as “cousins and brothers.”
- Consider whether the poem violates traditional poetic forms, and how the poem adds meaning or to the overall theme of the poem. For example, in the poem by e.e. cumming entitled " in Just- ", there is a stanza split so that there is more space between certain words. In addition, there is also the arrangement of certain words so that the words move down the page and imply a downward movement or shift in the poem.
