Making a poem can be a great challenge for many people, since the production of this type of text is not much explored at school or even in public examinations and entrance exams.
However, one thing is certain: we all have great creative potential that often goes untapped. Think about it and check out below for tips and a step by step to make a poem.
1. seek inspiration
To write a poem it is very important to be inspired and for that, reading other poems can help in this endeavor. Knowing the classics of literature (Camões, Shakespeare, Dante, Cervantes, Machado de Assis, etc.) is very important, however, we don't necessarily need to stick to it to get our inspiration.
So, choose among all kinds of poems and authors, the one that inspires you the most. Try reading a sonnet, a contemporary poem, a haiku, an auto, etc. Diversity can be essential to begin this journey.
Everyone has their own way of getting inspired, whether listening to music, walking outdoors, seeing works of plastic arts, making crafts, etc. The important thing at this first moment is to know what inspires you and seek that inspiration.
2. explore all the senses
Along with the tip given above, we can explore the five senses of the human being. This is because the poem is a literary form that is often born from our interaction with the world, and the sensations, associated with the senses, can help us a lot in this endeavor.
In the vision part, we can see works of art, or even something simple from our window: a person, a tree, a car passing by. Along with this, we can think of the sounds that are produced in the world, whether it is the water running through the tap, the sound of birds outside, or even children playing in the street.
Smelling some smells that give us pleasure, such as coffee passing, the smell of rain, can be interesting to start the creation. Don't forget that taste and touch are also part of it. So, sharpen these two senses too, which can be eating or drinking something pleasurable and feeling the textures of things.
A very interesting tip is to put a blindfold on and try to reproduce (through words) the objects touched, or even the tastes tasted.
3. Choose a theme for the poem
After this initial moment of searching and finding inspiration, it was time to choose the theme. It is essential to start thinking about words and what you want to say.
At this stage, we will explore what we call “internal structure” and as far as content is concerned, the subject of the poem. It could be something recent you've been through, an important moment you've had with friends, family, or even about something you really like.
Don't forget, everything is valid and poets have a “poetic license” to explore this world in the way they want.
Some themes to cover in poems are:
- love
- death
- longing
- loneliness
- life
- world
- being/existence
- soul
- dream
- friends
- country
- society
- politics
- eroticism
- nature
- old age
- youth
- travel
- freedom
- literature
To see some sample poems, see also:
- 3 unmissable love poems
- Poems About Black Consciousness
4. Define the external structure of the poem
When talking about the structure of the poem, we are referring to the “external structure”, that is, the formal aspects of the poetic work, such as: the types of verses, stanzas, the rhyme scheme, etc.
So, after defining the content of the poem, it's time to decide whether you prefer to make a sonnet with meter, or a contemporary poem in which the verses and stanzas are free.
Don't think that all poems are static, that they have rhymes, or that they use very difficult words. This is the biggest lie! Poems can be free, have a small (or large) number of stanzas, and contain an informal language.
Learn more about fixed form poems.
5. run away from clichés
There's nothing more unpleasant than reading something with phrases considered cliché. That is, those that over time were repeated a lot and lost their originality. In addition to sentences, we can also think of the cliché of ideas that, in the same way, were excessively repeated.
It is very common to find clichés in colloquial language, such as the expression: “close with a golden key”.
So, if the idea is to produce a unique poem that escapes the “commonplace” avoid clichés. Remember that, in literature, the big problem with clichés is that they demonstrate the poets' lack of originality and that's not what you want, right?
6. Meet the figures of speech
Figures of speech are very important stylistic resources in poems. They help to build a more expressive text offering a greater emotional charge.
As much as you don't know all the figures of speech, they are used daily without you realizing it, for example, in an informal conversation with friends.
Some widely used in poems are: metaphor, hyperbole, synesthesia, antithesis and personification. So, before starting to write, know better the pictures you can use and make your poem even more interesting.
See here all the speech figures with examples.
7. start sketching
Drafting ideas can be a good opportunity to separate “the wheat tares”. Nobody starts by writing something definitive without going through a change. This is extremely normal.
Therefore, at this stage, it is essential to “play” everything there on paper or on the computer screen. Enter phrases and words that are inspiring and that can be emotionally charged for you.
A nice exercise is to make a “cloud of words” or even put some in a bag and shake them. Gradually, you can take and write down the chosen ones.
8. Produce your artwork
The time has come to produce, in a more definitive way, your poem. In a very clichéd way: “it's time to get your hands dirty”.
If you feel it's still too early, go back to the previous steps and analyze if any of them were not very clear and need to be deepened. The important thing is not to feel pressured, to let it flow naturally.
Calmly join the “little pieces” and make a beautiful poetic mosaic. A very common mistake is to think that a poem needs to have many lines, be super long.
O haiku, for example, is a poetic form composed of 3 verses. If you think it's best to go this way first, then do it.
The important thing is not to despair. If you've chosen too many themes and you're getting lost in them all, prefer to focus on one of them at a time.
9. Reread everything slowly
After production, it was time to revise the text. The final review is very important, as some term may have been misspelled, or even an important punctuation mark may have been missing. To do this, read it slowly and, if possible, do it aloud.
If you prefer, you can also read to someone in your family, friends, neighbors, etc. The comments received can be valuable for improving the production of poetic texts.
Having this “outside” look can also help us to see if the idea was well clarified, if it is producing an intelligible message for the receiver. However, do not be affected and withdrawn by criticism, as it is constructive and helps us to improve.
If this was the first poem you've done, don't worry if something was forgotten. The important thing is to keep learning and getting inspired. Mastery comes with time. After the first one, you will feel that each day this process will become more peaceful and natural.
To learn more about the topic, see the texts:
- What is a poem?
- What is poetry?
- Difference between poem and poetry
