1. This may come as a shock, but to write amazing poetry, you must first read amazing poetry. Immerse yourself in the field as much as you can before plunging into it pen first so you know how high the bar is... as well as how to push it higher... It's always good to read the greats that came before you, so go ahead and get lost in the titillation of sound of the nineteenth century French decadence; have a look at Swinburne and Wilde where classicism meets corruption; step back into the churches of the Renaissance with Herbert and lay amidst the flowers with Shakespeare.
2. Don't stop at the literature of your native country. Each country has its geniuses and each has developed a different literary identity as a result of its individual cultural, political and artistic progress. Comparing different contexts, trends and styles will give you a broader understanding of the art form itself, so it's worthwhile to browse through more than a fair share of international poetry too.
3. (Hope you've found all of this research fun so far, because more is coming) Read contemporary poetry. It's vital to have an understanding of the history of poetry and marvel at some examples that whipped up a storm in nineteenth century, but if you want to be read, and understood, maybe it'd be better to use the language we speak now? (Just a suggestion that. You do you!) Contemporary poetry often gets a bad wrap for being too abstract and therefore hard to understand. I think that it's because poetry sheds new light on old things. It's the art of seeing the same things from different perspectives, and since the fragmentation brought on by the early twentieth century - the wars, the trauma, the chaos, the urbanisation, the change... poetry has reflected a new, unfamiliar reality that we are just getting used to. However, some poets are more abstract than others, and you don't need to love most of them to find some inspiration, and make your own stand on contemporary issues.
Happy Writing to one and all!
#givevalue #freelance #freelancing #freelancer #beyou #doyou #justfoit #do #write #accomplish #flyhigh #beyourbestself #growth #writing #writingtips #writer #author #poet #poetry #contemporarypoetry #internationalpoetry #englishpoetry #englishliterature #literature #worlliterature #befree #independent #mind #fit #mindset #freeyourself #create #inspire #inspiration #alicjaswritingplanet
Comments