5 Ways to Make Your Poem More Beautiful

Poetry writing can be so much fun. Writing a poem is both a journey of self-expression and a form of art. Poems are beautiful and meaningful works of literature that leave a lasting impact on their readers. They talk about a wide range of topics, and they are created in numerous unique ways. Generally, poems are reflections of life. Raymond Quattlebaum, in his book called Poetry in Motion, explained precisely the essence of poems by saying that “poetry is life in motion, motion is the poetry of life.” This Poetry in Motion Quattlebaum book is particularly designed to make the readers recognize the existence of poetry everywhere and the utter beauty that this form of literature possesses.

If there is one important thing that you can learn from reading this Poetry in Motion Quattlebaum book, it is that all people can write poems for as long as they have the vision and willingness to express themselves through life. If you are an aspiring poet who wishes to create lovely and meaningful poems, then this article might help you start your poetry writing journey. Below are some ways to make your first ever poem beautiful and impactful.

Establish a goal

Writing a poem is not an easy thing to do, especially when you are still undecided about the ultimate purpose of your poem. When you have an urge to write a poem, the very first thing that you need to do is to establish a goal. Ask yourself what you are trying to accomplish with your poem. Once you already have an answer to this question, the next thing you need to do is to determine how you are going to deliver your poem in such a way that it is consistent with your goal.

Be original and creative

Poems are literary works that are made out of people’s creativity. Hence, this heavily implies that a good poem should always be original and creative. To be honest, however, originality in poetry can be difficult to achieve especially since clichés are always tempting to use. Clichés are the bane of every work of literature. They are usually consisting of those ideas or words. The more you use such clichés, the less original your poem becomes. Using clichés defeats the supposed uniqueness of your work. Therefore, to ensure the originality and creativity of your poem, you need to veer away from using clichés as much as possible. Let your poem be a breath of fresh air for your readers.

Use imagery

The use of imagery is something that every poet or author should learn. The purpose of imagery is to allow your readers to have a sensory experience while they are reading or listening to your poem. One way to show imagery is to use figurative language. In essence, figurative language refers to a language that is composed of words or sentences that mean more than what they say on the surface. In contrast to direct and descriptive language, figurative language forces the readers to utilize their visual, olfactory, auditory, gustatory, and tactile senses.

What sets direct and descriptive language different from figurative language is the fact that in the former, you are directly telling your story without letting the readers have the chance to visualize it on their own. This is not preferable in poetry writing wherein the golden rule is always “show, don’t tell”. So, if you want your readers to understand deeply the connotations present in your poem, then use imagery.

Structure your poem well

Poems generally have structures composed of stanzas, poetry forms, sound patterns, and rhythm. Learning all of these things can be quite confusing at first and can take so much time to master, but it is always best to have sufficient knowledge of these poetry basics. Knowing all these things does not necessarily mean that you strictly need to abide by it. When you write your poem, the best thing to do is to imagine freely. Do not let the rules of structuring hinder you from writing what you wish to write. Although, yes, structures are important to make your poem more formal-looking, the beauty of poetry still lies in the poet’s capacity to imagine and write freely.

Make necessary revisions

Generally, beautiful poems undergo countless edits and revisions before they are ready to be shared to a wide audience. For this reason, to make your poem more beautiful, you need to re-read it several times and make necessary revisions. When you re-read your work, you may notice that you might have used a cliché phrase, overlooked typological errors, and wrote confusing lines. Seize that opportunity to correct those errors. You have to understand that your writing is not yet done the moment you put down your pen. Instead, your craft still has to go through strict scrutinizing. The first output is not always perfect. You have to re-read and revise it several times until you get satisfied with what you have written.