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Monday, August 16, 2021

HOW TO WRITE A POEM

HOW TO WRITE A POEM

173,858 views

Jul 9, 2020

Reedsy

81.9K subscribers

Ever wanted to try your hand at writing poetry? Poetry is not only an enjoyable form that will let you experiment with language, ideas, and creativity, but also a great exercise to improve your prose. If you're not sure where to start with this playful and inventive form, we've broken the process into eight simple steps!

Learn More:

How to Write a Poem in 8 Steps: https://blog.reedsy.com/how-to-write-...

How to Publish Poetry: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGfTR...

TIMESTAMPS:

0:00 - Intro

0:57 - Brainstorm

1:58 - Generating Material

2:47 - Choosing a Form

4:01 - Research

4:21 - Drafting

4:59 - Read it Out Loud

5:39 - Let It Rest

6:01 - Revise

6:39 - Review

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Saturday, April 25, 2009

How To-34: "How to Become Inspired to Write Poetry"

How to Become Inspired to Write Poetry

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Writing free verse poetry is a great release of feelings, emotions and thoughts. Writing poetry in rhyme also gives you the ability to release emotions, but is more constricted in that you have to find words that rhyme. Here is how to express yourself in free verse.

Steps

Think about something you feel strongly about.
Be in tune with your feelings and allow your emotions to stir within you. You will need these emotions to inspire you.
Sit at a computer or wherever you do your best writing and thinking and let the thoughts flow out of your mind, your heart and your fingers.
Don't stop if you feel you are misspelling a word. When your feelings have been released, your poem will, like magic, come to an end. Now is the time you can correct.
Sit back and read what you have written, correct only the spelling. Do not change the poem's meaning or content. Make sure your name and date are on the bottom of the page.
Read what you wrote and read it to others if it is not too personal. Much great poetry is personal; part of the fun is finding the courage to read that to others.

Tips

Some inspirations can come from any walk of life:

Look out the window and see the sunset.
Be glad you are alive.
Sit in the Mall and observe a mother and a child.
Look at the young woman in a wheel chair. Be thankful that it is not you, and write about those feelings
Think about a lost loved one
Think about the big piece of cake topped with a big scoop of ice cream that you just pigged out on, after you announced you were on a diet.

Not all poems have to be happy. Not all poems have to be long. Not all poems have to be short. Some poems can be silly.
Be thankful for good health.
Do not put restrictions on the style you use. Although choosing a certain style for one poem may help.
Save all your poems, no matter what they say or how you feel about them. One day you will look back and see that you have somehow, without knowing it, written the story of your life.
Safeguard your poetry. Place it into a plastic cover, and store it in a looseleaf binder set aside for just your poetry.
Download a photo or clipart on the poetry page that relates to your poem. Dress the page up.
Be proud...you have just finished the first page of your first 'book.'
There are many other poetry styles that most people are not even familiar with. See the url at the bottom for information.
Relax.

Related wikiHows

Sources and Citations

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Become Inspired to Write Poetry. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

How To-33: "How to Overcome Writer's Block in Poetry"

How to Overcome Writer's Block in Poetry

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

If you are suffering from writer's block, you are in good company. Many people feel this problem and it is mostly due to a feeling that one is not a good enough writer. How do you overcome the block when it comes to poetry? Poetry has a rhythm and emotion of its own that cannot be compared to writing novels or short stories, so it is not necessarily helpful to compare writer's block in those fields with that suffered by a poet. Here are some ideas for the stuck poet.

Steps

Think of a topic that moves you deeply and fills you with emotion. The topic might involve love or hatred, deep affection for someone or something, nature, (for instance, trees), or even parts of the body, such as feet or eyes. In other words, focus on something that is fascinating at the moment or something that is moving you in a passionate and interested fashion. Another stimulus trick is to combine your emotions and perhaps connect love and hate or trees and feet. The resulting poetic feeling may be quite exulting.
Brainstorm on rhyming words or rhythmic phrases. The words or phrases should have a common theme to do with your topic and provide you with further sources of inspiration. Even if you have no idea why certain words keep occurring, write them down for use as you develop your poem.
Organize your words. After brainstorming the words, collecting them and writing them, now is the time to place them into an order that will serve your poem best. Perhaps group the words relating to one theme together and words relating to another theme together and any words that might link the two themes in yet another grouping. This is something that will improve with practise.
Write to your heart's content. A poet must let the words flow through herself or himself. The poetry will only come to life when the poet relaxes and lets the passion flow through unabated. Correct and perfect grammar and tone are for the editing stage, not the creative writing stage. Just write and write and write, whether there is a clear order to the writing or not. You have the words - use them. And follow the path that your mind leads you down.

Tips

Go beyond the ideas listed here; they are only by way of example.
The combination of love and hate is fairly cliched and time-worn; if you are looking for a different style of poem you will probably do better to either avoid this combination or learn to craft it anew in a clever and magnificent manner that will grasp the attention of your reader and rivet his or her attention.

Warnings

Do not be obsessed with perfection as you write - that is what the editorial stage is for. If you are waylaid by this idea, ask a friend, family member or professor to assist you with editing. A good poet's writing will always be clear to a fair and smart reader - find one and this will be the ideal person to assist you with improving your poem after it has been written.

Related wikiHows

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Overcome Writer's Block in Poetry. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

How To-32: "How to Write a Tanka Poem"

How to Write a Tanka Poem

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

A Tanka is a five line poem, usually used to describe nature, but can also be effective in conveying strong emotions. This tutorial will give you a description on how to write one.

Steps

Write out the first line of the poem. Remember that it should have five syllables: "Green and lush forest..."
Create the second line in the poem. This line has seven syllables: "...Trees are reaching toward the sky..."
Make the third line of the poem. It is supposed to have five syllables: "...Eyes peer from the shrubs..."
Write the fourth line of the poem. This line has seven syllables: "...A rustle of twigs within..."
Create the final line in your poem. Keep in mind that the fifth line has seven syllables: "...A bird's call sounds above you..."
Here is the finished Tanka:"Green and lush forest,Tress are reaching toward the sky,Eyes peer from the shrubs,A rustle of twigs within,A bird's call sounds above you..."

Tips

The key to writing any good poem is to be creative. Use imagery and words that convey emotion. Do not be afraid to whip out the thesaurus.
Practice; the more you write, the better you will be.
Read Tanka's for inspiration

Related wikiHows

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Write a Tanka Poem. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

How To-31: "How to Write a Ballad"

How to Write a Ballad

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

A Ballad is a narrative composition in rhythmic verse suitable for singing. Originally ballads were not written down and were passed down from generation to generation orally; the music helped people to remember the story. Do you want to write a memorable ballad? While there are no real rules for writing a ballad, the traditional ballad form has a few easily replicated characteristics that have made it a popular storytelling device for hundreds of years.

Steps

Find a starter phrase. Perhaps you want to write a ballad for a particular occasion or to commemorate a certain event or person. Maybe, however, you just want to write a song, but at the beginning you're not sure what it will be about, and it naturally evolves into a ballad. Either way, the process for starting your ballad is the same as for starting any other song: find one phrase, a line or two, that you like, and build your song from there. Your starter phrase doesn't actually have to be the first line of the song--in many cases it will be the chorus, for example--but you just need somewhere to start. You can call it inspiration or you can call it brainstorming; the end result is the same.

If a phrase or verse just pops into your head out of the blue, you can use that as your starter phrase. This is what people often refer to as inspiration. If the phrase is particularly catchy and seems to summarize the story or describe the story's main idea, then you probably have a chorus--the lines that are repeated over and over again throughout a song. Otherwise you probably have a verse or part of a verse.
If you want to write a ballad about a specific thing think about that thing and write down some key words and phrases that can be used to describe it. When one of these catches your fancy, you can build the rest of the ballad around it, maybe by using other words or phrases on your list or maybe by using entirely different words and phrases.

Complete the verse or chorus that contains your starter phrase. Ballads typically have four lines, of which two or more rhyme. Common rhyme schemes include aabb (where the word at the end of the first line rhymes with the word at the end of the second, and the word at the end of the third line rhymes with the word at the end of the fourth); and abcb (in which only the second and fourth lines rhyme). Build one verse around your starter phrase using these techniques. If the phrase you began with already has two or more lines, your task is that much easier.

Some ballads have the chorus built into each verse. In these cases, the rhyme scheme is often abac, where the two-line chorus occupies the second and fourth lines ("b" and "c") of each verse.
Use a consistent meter. The meter is basically the pattern of syllables in a song or poem. Most ballads use the same meter throughout the song, or the meter for the chorus may differ from that of the verses. Typically a ballad's meter will be either:

Every line has the same number of syllables and the same number of accented syllables; or
Lines that "go together" will have the same number of syllables and accented syllables. For example, in a ballad with an abac rhyme scheme, the "a" lines may each have 7 syllables, of which four are accented, while the "b" and "c" lines each have 6 syllables, of which 3 are accented.

Complete the remaining choruses and verses using your template. Once you have the first chorus or verse down, you just need to complete your story following the same structural guidelines you used for the first verse that you wrote. Don't be a slave to that structure, though. If you need to vary the length of a line or even of a verse here and there, go ahead and do it, and if you want to deviate from your rhyme pattern feel free to do so if it will make your poem better.

If you first wrote the chorus, you can repeat that over and over throughout the song leaving it unchanged or changing it only slightly each time.
If you first wrote a verse, you may find it easier to write the rest of the verses before trying to write the chorus.

Edit your ballad. Let a little time pass, and then come back to your ballad and edit it with fresh eyes and ears. If you got stuck on a line or two earlier--you couldn't find the right rhyme, for example, or there were just too many syllables--come back and see if you can fix them now. Cut out any unnecessary verses, leaving only what the story needs.
Once you have finished read it over so that you are happy with it, if you are not go through the steps again.
Whatever you do, do not plaugerize. Its just not worth it

Tips

. It's OK to write a ballad without music. A ballad is a form of lyrical poetry, which means
simply that it can be sung. It doesn't have to be.

If you sing or hum as you go, sometimes the words will just flow. It's just the trick of getting started.
Unless you're writing your poem for a school assignment, you probably won't begin by thinking, "I'm going to write a ballad." The ballad form simply works well for a number of songwriting / storytelling uses, and some songs just sort of fall into that form naturally.
Don't be afraid to be creative with your rhymes. If you try to force all your rhymes to be perfect, your song's lyrics may end up sounding silly or nonsensical. While rhyme is typically important in a ballad, there's nothing to say that you can't "rhyme" home with alone or even song.
It's not necessary to use four-line verses and choruses. While this is the most common ballad form, occasionally you'll find a ballad with, say, six lines, or one with a varying number of lines per chorus. Perhaps yours will be one of these.
If you know the story you want to tell, but you're having trouble putting it into a poetic structure, write out the story first. Don't worry about putting the story into verse yet--just get it down. You may find it easier to organize once the story is written.
If you don't know what the melody of your ballad should be, you can wait until melodic inspiration strikes you; you can sing your words to the tune of another ballad; or you can get somebody to put your poem to music.
If you come up with a melody but can't write music, record yourself singing your ballad so you won't forget how it goes. Don't trust yourself to remember the melody until you've sung it many times.
If you do want to make sure your lines rhyme, try rhymezone.com, but a couple of warnings. First, try typing the sound of the part of the word that rhymes, rather than the whole word. You'll get more options that way. Secondly, do not get so caught up in rhyming you can't make your ballad good. As above, it doesn't need to be perfect.

Warnings

. Because ballads are so easy to write, and because telling a story is so much fun, ballad
writers often tend to go overboard and want to include every clever verse and rhyme
that they can think of. Too many verses may weigh down the song and make it boring,
especially since the ballad form tends to be quite repetitive.

Related wikiHows

Sources and Citations

. Rhyme Zone Rhyming Dictionary and Thesaurus

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Write a Ballad. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

How To-30: "How to Write a Tetactrys Poem"

How to Write a Tetactrys Poem

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

A Tetactrys Poem is a five line, structured poem that is easy to write.

Steps

Think of a topic for the poem or use one supplied for an assignment.
Write down as many words as possible related to the topic.
Pick a one syllable word to be the first line of the poem.
Pick a two syllable word or two one syllable words for the second line of the poem.
Pick a three syllable word or a combination of words to add up to three syllables for the third line of the poem.
Pick a four syllable work or a combination of words to add up to four syllables for the fourth line of the poem.
Look at your list of words that have not been used yet and look at the first four lines of the poem to see what is missing.
Create a ten syllable line for the last line of the poem.
Choose a title for the poem based on the five lines. There should be a theme that pops out that may or may not be the original topic.

Tips

Remember each line of the poem has a different number of syllables. The first line has 1. The second line has 2. The third line has 3. The fourth line has 4. The fifth and final line has 10 syllables.
Clap your hands to count the syllables in each line to make sure you have the correct count.
Make sure the final line of the poem ties the whole poem together.

Warnings

Don't count the title as one of the lines of the poem, even if it is one syllable long.

Related wikiHows

Sources and Citations

Visit edonyourown.com for more information on writing tips and tetactrys poetry examples

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Write a Tetactrys Poem. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

How To-29: "How to Write a Limerick Poem"

How to Write a Limerick Poem

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

This is how to write a Limerick. They are usually witty or humorous, and have five lines: the first two rhyme, the two in the middle rhyme, and the last line rhymes with the first two lines. (Rhyme-scheme: AABBA)

Steps

Pick what you would like your limerick to be about. It could be about mice, a tree, a person, whatever.
Start your first line. Don't end it with something you can't rhyme--like 'orange'. Start it like "there once was a man who ate limes" or something like that.
your next line has to rhyme with the first line. If you were using "there once was a man who ate limes", your second line could be like, "he ate them all the time" or "And sampled various wines" your limerick would now be like there once was a man who ate limes/ and sampled various wines.
The third and fourth lines have to be related to the first part of your limerick, but with not the same rhyme. they could be like, he wouldn't touch a tomato/ it tasted too much like potato or something along those lines.
The fifth (last) line must rhyme with the first two lines. your last line could be like, "and potatoes, you know, do not shine" or something like that.
your entire limerick would be kind of like this

There once was a man who ate limesand sampled various wineshe wouldn't touch a tomatoit tasted too much like potatoand potatoes, you know, do not shine.

Tips

if you don't like your limerick, you can always go back and change it. It's not permanent.

Related wikiHows

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Write a Limerick Poem. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

How To-28: "How to Write a Villanelle"

How to Write a Villanelle

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Attempting this difficult French form of poetry can be challenging and fun. Here is the basis of the form.

Steps

Comprehend the form of this poetry. The villanelle has 19 lines, 5 stanzas of three lines and 1 stanza of four lines with two rhymes and two refrains. The 1st, then the 3rd lines alternate as the last lines of stanzas 2, 3, and 4, and then stanza 5 (the end) as a couplet. It is usually written in tetrameter (4 feet) or pentameter. The structure is provided with this example by Edward Arlington Robinson:

line 1 - a - 1st refrain-Since Persia fell at Marathon
line 2 - b The yellow years have gathered fast
line 3- a- 2nd refrain- Long centuries have come and gone.
line 4 - a - And yet(they say) the place will don
line 5 - b A phantom fury of the past,
line 6 - a - 1st refrain- Since Persia fell at Marathon;
line 7 - a And as of old when Helicon
line 8 - b Trembled and swayed with rapture vast
line 9-a -2nd refrain-(Long centuries have come and gone).
line 10 - a The ancient plain, when nigh comes on,
line 11 - b Shakes to a ghostly battle blast,
line 12 - a - 1st refrain- Since Persia fell at Marathon
line 13 - a But into soundless Acheron
line 14 - b The glory of Greek shame was cast:
line 15- a -2nd refrain- Long centuries have come and gone,
line 16 - a The suns of hellas have all shone,
line 17 - b The first has fallen to the last;--
line 18-a - 1st refrain- Since Persia fell at Marathon,
line 19-a- 2nd refrain- Long centuries have come and gone.

Pay special attention to the placement of the refrain and the rhyme pattern formed by the last word of each line.
Choose the subject for your villanelle carefully. It is a difficult form that repeats two lines multiple times. Ask yourself if your subject is one that can be handled with these limitations.
Once you've settled on an idea, work out the rhyme and compile two lists of words that rhyme.
Write the first and second refrain as two lines that follow a complete thought. For instance Dylan Thomas's two lines from his famous villanelle: "Do not go gentle into that goodnight/Rage, rage against the dying of a light."
Take those lines and place them in the framework given above. This will be the basis for the villanelle and look, and 42% of the poem is already complete.
Now comes the hard part. Fill in the eleven remaining lines to make a cohesive poem.
Read the poem aloud to a large audience and bow.

Tips

Even the crustiest English professors and most brilliant of all literary minds struggle with the villanelle so don't sweat it.
Choose a small subject that fascinates you.
Villanelles originated as a musical form and sound terrific read or sung aloud. They also sound better in French or Italian.
Read Elizabeth Bishop's villanelle "One Art" and Dylan Thomas's "Do Not Go Gentle Into that Goodnight" for Inspiration.
Meter the lines so they maintain a rhythm and are of the same length. They are traditionally in tetrameter or pentameter in English but can work in free verse as well.

Warnings

Too large a topic can overburden the form. Simple is best.

Related wikiHows

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Write a Villanelle. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

How To-27: "How to Write a Tyburn Poem"

How to Write a Tyburn Poem

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

A Tyburn poem is a unique form of poem, consisting of 6 lines. Its structure depends on using syllables in a specific way. The first four lines must consist of 2 syllable words and the last two lines must consist of 9 syllables: 2,2,2,2,9,9 syllables. Have a try and enjoy it!

Steps

Write the first four lines. The first through fourth lines are 2 syllable words that describe whatever your poem is about. They all have to be different, and they all must rhyme.
Write the last two lines. The last two lines are nine syllables (whew!) and the sixth through eighth syllables must be the words you used from lines 1 through 4. In any order, but it has to be those words. The last two lines have to rhyme with each other, but not necessarily with the first four lines.
Try to take a second, and vizualize your topic, and imagine that you're doing it, or being with it, or whatever. You should do that before anything else. Then just sit in a relaxed place, where there's not too much to disturb you, and just let your mind flow down into your arms (hopefully not literally), down to your hands, and just out through your pencil, to the creases of your paper. It really does work! Good luck!

Tips

Getting to be really good at writing poetry takes a really long time, so don't expect to get it perfectly right the very first time. If you really enjoy it, you might want to consider an occupation that involves it. But keep in mind that poetry is not for everyone.

Warnings

Don't get too stressed out over writing poetry. If you do, then it will just make it harder to write, and prevent you from really writing from the heart
Try not to do poetry at the last minute because you will usually not do as good as a job as you would if you worked on it a little bit each night, or more, if it inspires you.

Things You'll Need

Pencil/pens/erasers - these are very important!
A nice, peaceful, quiet place
Something to write on (paper, cardboard, etc.)
An open and waiting mind

Related wikiHows

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Write a Tyburn Poem. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

How To-26: "How to Analyze Poetry"

How to Analyze Poetry

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Reading and understanding poetry can seem like a daunting task. Follow these steps to begin to "unpeel the layers" of your favorite poem. It may take a lot of work, but that's what makes poetry so beautiful: the payoff is very rewarding.

Steps

First reactions. The first time you read through a poem, record any “gut reactions” you have to the poem: any emotional connections you have with what the author is saying, reminders of personal experiences, things you like or dislike, etc. Think in terms of, “How do I feel about this? Why?” These reactions can help you focus on the type of response the poet is looking for in a reader.
Literal meaning. Translate the poem into conversational English. How would you tell the poem’s story to a friend? Think in terms of, “What’s the most common dictionary definition of this word or phrase?” This can be a difficult step, but remember that all good poetry, even when it seems incredibly inaccessible, is still based on words that carry literal meaning.
Connotative meaning. Take several key words or phrases from the poem and consider the kinds of connotations they carry. Think in terms of, “Why this word and not another?” Refer to your first reactions: often connotative meanings, rather than denotative, are what engage our emotions.

Take the word “mother,” for example. The dictionary would define mother as “a female parent.” OK, but the word “mother” probably creates emotions and feelings in you: it paints a picture in your mind. You may think of love and security or you may think of your own mother. The emotions and feelings that a word creates are called its connotative meaning. See this page for more help on connotation.

Symbolic meaning. Record any allusions you recognize, references to symbols, etc. Think in terms of, “What could this stand for? Why?”

For example, consider the word "light." This may not refer to the literal condition that means the opposite of darkness; often "light" is used to symbolize knowledge, truth, peace, joy, or spirituality.

At this point, stop and ask yourself, “What is the author trying to say? What is his goal for this poem? What kind of a reaction is he trying to get out of readers? Why?” Try to identify the author’s purpose for writing.
Analysis from here on out will probably help you examine how the author accomplishes that affect or meets that goal, rather than what that affect or goal is.
Prosody. Analyze the poem in terms of poetic devices. Look for tools of form and format (shape, rhyme, meter, etc.), sound (alliteration, assonance, etc.), imagery (sensory detail, word pictures, etc.) and so forth. Think in terms of, "What kind of language tools is this author using? How do those tools help him accomplish his goal?"

See this website for a list of possible literary devices you can look for and their definitions.

Narrative Arc. Read through the poem like a story: all poems have a beginning, a middle, and an end. Try to identify a crisis, or a problem presented by the poem and how the author fixes it. Think in terms of, "Why is the poem set up like this? Is the crisis truly resolved at the end? Why or why not?"

Tips

If you're still having trouble understanding what the author is trying to say through the poem, go back and read through it a few more times. Pay attention to the kinds of emotions the poem relates to. Often a poet's goal will be simply to help readers feel a certain way or sense the reality of an imagined scene.

Warnings

Try not to get frustrated. Some poetry can be very challenging to understand. All in all, just practice! Don't give up. Learning to appreciate complex poetry is a skill that takes time to develop.

Related wikiHows

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Analyze Poetry. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

How To-25: "How to Read Poetry out Loud"

How to Read Poetry out Loud

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

"A word is dead/
When it is said,/
Some say./
I say/
It just begins to live/
That day."- Emily Dickinson
It's a safe bet that, if you like the arts or take English or writing classes, you'll be called upon to recite or read a poem. This guide will aid you in doing just that.

Steps

In the days (or even just minutes, in some classes) leading up to the recitation or reading, practice. First, read the poem and quiz yourself on it until you know it by heart. Practice it as often as you can.
Prepare yourself for the actual presentation. Drink a glass of water before hand to moisten your throat for the reading. If you have a fear of public speaking, try breathing exercises to calm yourself. Practice once or twice before you make your presentation. Make sure you can recite your poem perfectly.
Recite or read the poem. Don't read like a robot, put emotion into your project! Depending on the situation, you can glitz it up and use inflection or movement to make a point.
After you're done, get another sip or two of water, and calm down. It's over, you did great. If you think you didn't perform well, you have more motivation for next time. But it's nothing to stress about any longer.

Tips

Don't think of it as just something for a show or project, think of it was a future conversation piece or a trick for calming babies.
Make sure you know where the breaks and punctuation are in the poem. Also make sure you know how to read it. Is is sing-song or gravely serious?

Warnings

This isn't a guide to help stage fright. This isn't for writing poetry. This is simply a guide on how to read it properly.
Don't read like a robot! Nothing messes up a great poem like someone reading it like they've never practiced or never use emotion.

Related wikiHows

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Read Poetry out Loud. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

Friday, June 20, 2008

How To-24: "How to Write Rap Lyrics"

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

An editor has suggested that this article be merged with: "How to SpecialWrite Rap Lyrics" Per the merge policy, if these topics are determined to be similar but distinct, then the articles will remain separate. Please comment on the discussion page. Notice added on 2008-06-09.
If you want to learn how to write rap lyrics, you've come to the right page.

Steps

Know your rap music. Do this by studying different artist's styles, or study a rapper such as: 2pac, The Notorious B.I.G, Nas, Eminem, 50 Cent, etc.
Choose your style. You can rap like Eminem, with big multies and big words and a unique way of rhyming. Or like 50 Cent, with different styles such as gangster rap, a dance music, hip hop, etc. The Notorious B.I.G's style changes from slow to fast flow, and the same applies for 2pac.
Carry a notebook with you everywhere, but you don't have to in public if you feel uncomfortable. If you’re in public, carry an IPod/Walkman, pen, and a few sheets of paper to jot down rhymes that you come up with.
Learn to freestyle!
Listen to different types of instrumentals. If you are old enough to drive, keep a few instrumental CD's in your car and freestyle to those.
Keep repeating these steps.

Tips

Don’t get discouraged or let people put you down. You will learn some skills and get better.
If you’re white, don’t give up or feel like you can't do it. One of the best rappers of all time is white (EMINEM).

Things You'll Need

Pen
Paper/Notebook
CD's/IPod/Walkman (you don't NEED it but it would help)
Instrumentals (you don't NEED it but it would help)

Sources and Citations

Wikipedia.org (look up freestyle rapping or type in how to rap in the toolbar).

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Write Rap Lyircs. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

How to-22: "How to Copyright a Song"

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Under international law, copyright is the automatic right of the creator of the work, this means that copyright exist as soon as you have a tangible version of the music, such as sheet music and/or CDs.
Registering the copyright of your work makes it easier to be compensated in court if your copyright is infringed.

Steps

Get the proper forms. The form needed for a sound recording to copyright is the Form SR and possibly Form CON. The form for Performing Arts, such as what people listen to on the radio, from Cd's, and live, is the Form PA or Short Form PA, and possibly Form CON. These copyright forms can be requested at (202) 707-3000, requested through mail at US Copyright Office Library of Congress Washington D.C. 20559, or found on the Internet at external links #1 and #2.
Fill out the forms. Read the instructions carefully and fill it out exactly how explained.
Send it to
- Library of Congress
- Copyright Office
- Independence Avenue, S.E.
- Washington, D.C. 20559-6000
Include a $45 and a non-returnable copy of the music.
If your submission was filled out right, you will get a certificate of registration in the next 4-5 months.

Tips

Copyright albums at a time rather than each song. It is a lot cheaper to pay $45 instead of $300 or more. The exception is if the publisher insists to copyright each song.
Send your work to the Copyright Office by certified mail, and request a return receipt. This costs about $5.00. When you receive the return receipt, you'll know they have it and the process has started.

Warnings

Make sure that your music is totally original. The rap hit Ice Ice Baby by Vanilla Ice copied the bass line from Queen and David Bowie's song Under Pressure, and Vanilla Ice was sued.
The above advice assumes that your are a US citizen. In 1989, the US became a party to the Berne Convention, meaning that if you are from outside the US, you are not required to register with the US Copyright Office before you can make a claim in a US court (more on US Copyright rules).

Things You'll Need

Recording
$45
Internet Connection (I hope you have it if you are viewing this)
PA, SR, or CON Forms

Related wikiHows

Sources and Citations

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Copyright a Song. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

How To-21: "How to Write and Sell Your Songs"

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Ever wonder why some songwriters get the deals while others, with incredible talent, style and know-how, never even get the slightest nod from industry professionals? As if talent and know-how weren’t enough, today’s writers are faced with the ever increasing challenge of partitioning their writing styles from the endless barrage of production makeovers of what would otherwise be mediocre songs at best.
Read on to learn how to get your songs published!

Steps

Understand how the industry works and your new role within it. Gone are the days when great songs were recorded in what would seem the worst of conditions for a recording facility and recording hardware. Today, the onset of the computer, drum loops, samples and limited music abilities rule – or do they? In one sense that last statement is true, and in another, it’s not. Let’s take a closer look.
Realize that music is now written, deployed and embarked upon from a market driven perspective. While a volume of music is being created from a very shallow writing and production style, there is left a vacuum for songs and music that is yearned for by a large segment of the population, particularly baby boomers, who miss the “days of the past" where style and passion ruled. Don’t forget that, and in fact, if you will keep that in the back of your mind while you are writing, you will be one step closer to success.
Continue to write from within and from who you are, but don’t be caught up in the music fads, what’s hot at the moment and what “seems" to work – stay in it for the long haul. If you continue to write with substance, style and from who you are and where “life" has carried your writing style to, you’ll be driven by the craft of the song and not the latest music industry craze.
Know how to market yourself. Today’s music industry demands that you not only write the next “hit" song, but that you are able to sell and market your next big “hit" – Forget the song selling itself. Sadly enough, this is the case a lot of the time. There are still A&R directors, producers and artists who look at the strength and character of the song, but they’re becoming more and more rare. If you write country music, you’ll have an easier time finding individuals who will look at the strength of your song and not just pure marketing. Other genres are not as conducive to song viability, but marketing viability as the “rule of law".
Build your production strength. Many great songs today don’t make it simply because the production doesn’t yield the emotional tone, upbeat or not, that the song implores. We all wish the day was back when a great song stood on its own, but many a song demo is actually the track used for the final artist record cut today. You can no longer get away with “fairly" good sounding tracks, they have to sound like a record cut. You may be able to get away with a lo-fi sound in country music, but even this has changed as the popularity of this genre has increased.
Stay focused, believe in your writing, but be honest at the same time and demand the highest in quality of your song demos and learn from others who have the “sell ability" factor in marketing their songs or products. This is a new day in the music industry, but you can succeed if you will hold to your writing values and not to the latest music whim.

Tips

Have fun making your songs and selling hoping you will make some money.
Try to get a local band that you know well to perform the song.

Warnings

Try not to get too cocky with your songs or you'll get disappointed if your song doesn't sell.

Related wikiHows

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Write and Sell Your Songs. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

Monday, June 2, 2008

How To-20: "How to Create a List of Rhyming Words for a Poem or Song"

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Lots of times you might want to write a poem or a song that rhymes, for a class or just for fun. Here is an easy way to come up with those rhymes without having to resort to a rhyming dictionary.

Steps

Think of an ending to a word, such as -at or -on.
Write it down so you remember it.
Go through the alphabet and stick each letter to the beginning of the word. so for -at you would say that 'at' is already a word, then 'bat', 'cat','fat', 'hat', 'mat', 'nat', 'pat', 'rat', 'sat', 'tat', and 'vat' all are real words that rhyme with that ending.
4. Once you've gone through all the letters, try two letters a at a time, for example, 'flat', 'gnat', 'stat', 'that'...
5. Figure out where in your poem or song you can use these words

Tips

Choose an ending that isn't too common. for example, don't use -ing, because almost every verb out there ends in that.
If you're having real problems, ask your teacher if you can use a rhyming dictionary, which have lists of words that rhyme.
You can also google 'rhymes' or 'online rhyming dictionaries' and find online databases of words that rhyme, often which can be sorted by number of syllables, which is a nice feature

Related wikiHows

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Create a List of Rhyming Words for a Poem or Song. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

Friday, May 30, 2008

How To-19: "How to Write a Poem About Nature"

How to Write a Poem About Nature

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Nature is beautiful. Nature is wonderful. Nature is awe-inspiring. Here is one way to go about writing a nature inspired poem.

Steps

Take some writing materials (pen/pencil, paper/journal/diary) and venture into nature. It could be somewhere in the woods, on a hill, near a creek, on a mountain, in a park, or maybe even just in your backyard.
Look around you. What do you find that is beautiful? What do you find that is not beautiful?
Close your eyes and listen (if your location permits) to the sounds of nature. Listen to the wind, the birds, the bugs, the grass growing...anything.
Take a deep breath in and sense your surroundings. Can you smell the trees? The water?
Think of some key words that come to mind when you observe your surroundings and write them down.
Concentrate on these words and how your surroundings make you feel. Take some time before writing anything to really feel your surroundings and become one with nature.
When you feel the time is right, start your poem. Remember the key words you wrote down, and what you felt when you looked, listened, and smelled you surroundings. Feel free to take a few moments to stop in the middle of your writing process and reassess your surroundings.
Choose a writing style that you feel comfortable with; whether you are accustomed to rhyming, prose, haikus, sonnets, or limericks, any one of them will work for this subject.
When you start writing, do so without editing or going back. This way, your immediate feelings will be more easily captured in your work.
When you've finished writing your poem, take a few moments to sense your surroundings again. Breathe deeply and just relax in the beauty of nature.
Take a quick look over your poem and make small adjustments until you are satisfied with the result.

Tips

It is easier to write about nature when you are surrounded by it.
Don't try to block any feelings that come to you when you are trying to write. If an unexpected emotion arises, don't suppress it, write about it and let it flow.
Writing poetry is hard and takes practice. If you aren't satisfied with your first effort, don't be discouraged, try again and keep practicing.
Keep a journal in which you write all your poetry. Having all your work in one place will make it easy to refer back to previous works, and looking back may spark new ideas
Wear proper apparel. Sturdy shoes and long pants are best when going on a hike into nature.

Warnings

Nature is not always very nice. If you go into nature, make sure you are familiar with where you're going so you don't get lost or attacked by unfamiliar animals.

Things You'll Need

Something to write on: journal, paper, composition book
Something to write with: pen, pencil, chalk, crayon, charcoal
The desire or motivation to write
Bug spray to ward off angry mosquitoes

Related wikiHows

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Write a Poem About Nature. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

How to-18: "How to Write a Sonnet"

How to Write a Sonnet

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

So, you may not be the next Shakespeare. But that doesn't mean you can't write a great sonnet. This page will teach you the way to become a respectable sonneteer.

Steps

Choose your style of sonnet. The two most common kinds of sonnet are the Petrarchan (Italian) sonnet and the Shakespearean (English) sonnet. Note that the Petrarchan consists of quatrains (the octave) and a closing sestet in the pattern ABBA ABBA CDE CDE. The letters represent a rhyme (i.e., a's should rhyme with a's and b's should rhyme with b's). The Shakespearean style is two unique quatrains followed by two like and one unlike couplet: ABAB CDCD EF EF GG. However, it can also be quatrains and a couplet. In The Art of Shakespeare's Sonnets, Helen Vendler describes it as Q1, Q2, Q3, and C. The structure is essentially the same, though, with the couplet being the finisher.
Write your lines in iambic pentameter. This is where every other syllable is stressed, so that each line ends with a strong rhyme. There are also ten syllables in each line, five of which have emphasis (pentameter). The ninth line of the sonnet (Shakespearean/Italian style) usually has a turn or a change of tone)
Keep writing! It will probably take you a few drafts to be happy with your sonnet, but don't get discouraged. Keep the trusty thesaurus by your side and you'll be fine.

Tips

Don't feel that it is necessary to stay within the strict patterns of Shakespearean and Petrarchan sonnet styles; poetry is a fluid art form, so feel free to alter the rhyme scheme or shape of a sonnet to suit your vision. For example, "Sonnet 145" was in tetrameter.
Read other poets' sonnets for examples and inspiration. Many poets have written in this style, including Shakespeare, Elizabeth Barret Browning, William Wordsworth, John Milton, P. B. Shelley, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Edna St. Vincent Millay, Pablo Neruda, and more.
Try reading every other syllable louder and harder; it makes it much easier to make a sonnet.
If you can't think of something to write about, don't freak. Look around you, see if anything that you are looking at can spark an idea. You can find poetry in anything!

Related wikiHows

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Write a Sonnet. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

How To-23: "How to Write a Fabulous Poem"

How to Write a Fabulous Poem

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

An editor has suggested that this article be merged with: "How to SpecialWrite a Poem" Per the merge policy, if these topics are determined to be similar but distinct, then the articles will remain separate. Please comment on the discussion page. Notice added on 2008-03-21.
Want to know how to write a fabulous poem? Well, you have come to the right place to learn how to write a fabulous poem. Here we will teach you how to write a fabulous poem.

Steps

What do you want to write a poem about? For our example poem, we'll write about a country called Djbouti.
Begin your opening paragraph for your poem. For example: "Off the coast of Africa, Is a country that exports no paprika. No cows, no geese, no flocks of sheep, Djibouti's income is rather cheap."
Continue into your moral of the story, if there is one. If not, just continue on explaining about it. "If you go to Dijibouti, don't expect to find much water. For from there and here, it is much hotter! Don't look for a creek with a river otter, 'cuz you won't find it, not when there's no water!
Something not to do? Keep repeating!! You usuallly shouldn'treuse a word in one stanza. But, if you look at the example above, you will see that I used 'water' twice and it sounded OK. So use your best judgement. And don't keep on going and going with words that rhyme. It's great to rhyme for a little while, but then you need to move on to the next stanza and start a new set of rhyming words. For example: "Do not go to Djibouti, If you're looking for a booty. For if you look up Djbouti, In a very nice big muti, You will find that Djbouti, While looking in a muti, is not a place to go to find your booty.

Tips

If you're writing poems for kids, make them rhyme. If you are writing a poem that doesn't rhyme, make sure it flows well.

Warnings

Don't make your poem too long, and don't make it too short.

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Write a Fabulous Poem. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

How To-17: "How to Make Poetry Sound Professional"

How to Make Poetry Sound Professional

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Some people have a passion for poetry, but they never know how to make it sound like a real poet wrote it. Here are some steps on how to make your poetry sound as good as your mind wants it to be.

Steps

Find somewhere quiet and relax for awhile with paper, pencil and a book to write on. Start your poem with imagination. If you can't think of anything, write about whatever you're looking at at that moment, or what you would like to see in your future. Begin with "the", "in" or just simple words that begin talking about a specific subject, and rearrange it as you go.
When you've written a poem you're happy with, get it edited. A trusted teacher or professor, a good friend, or anyone you know who works in writing, editing or publishing can give you useful feedback.
Fix your poem accordingly, and get it re-edited as necessary until you feel it is sufficiently polished.
Get it out there! Submit your poem to a contest, a publisher, a newspaper, or try to get it read at any nearby poetry reading. It gives you bragging rights and you've gotten a taste of true professional writing.

Tips

Don't get mad if it doesn't sound good at first, it takes a little practice to make poetry sound good to you. We are our own worst critics, right?
Talking about the earth or nature is a great subject to choose when it comes to poetry.
Don't get frustrated if it doesn't sound right the first time, keep trying.
Not all poems rhyme, in fact most great poetry doesn't. Don't feel pressured to have a strong rhyme scheme or rhythm, poetry is about expressing yourself the way you want to.

Warnings

Don't change the subject too fast. Make each thought flow smoothly into the next.
Try not to talk on and on to your friends about your writing career if you've only had one or two things published.

Related wikiHows

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Make Poetry Sound Professional. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

How To-16: "How to Write an Acrostic Poem"

How to Write an Acrostic Poem

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

When we think of 'poetry', we only think of poetry that rhymes. There are many other forms and styles of poetry and each one different from each other. Acrostic is different, unique, and used for different purposes than either prose or rhyming.

Steps

Get out a pen and piece of paper, or open a word processor on your computer.
Choose a title. It should be one word in length, and not too long. Depending on the number of letters in your title, you'll be creating fewer or additional lines in your poem. For example, if your title is "SINGING", you will have a 7-line poem.
Write the word of your title vertically on the page. You will want to have one letter for each line.
Add the lines of your poem to the acrostic. Your lines will begin with the corresponding letter of that particular line. For example, if you are using "SINGING" as your title, you will write a sentence that has meaning that starts with the "S". The next sentence will start with an I but has to relate to the first sentence. Continue until the end of the word.
Each line has to relate with each other line, and the acrostic letters must also relate to each other.

Tips

Be creative! Acrostic poems don't have to rhyme, but you might try to give it a shot anyway.
If you're having trouble, you might want to start off with a short title, like "BIRD" or "CAR". As you get better, you'll be able to think of more lines to add to your title.

Example Poem
DARLINGby Sondra Crane
Dearer to me than words impart
Always in my thoughts and heart
Right from the very start I knew,
Love would always mean just you.
In every dream I see your face,
No one else can take your place,
Go where I will, you’ll always be,
The only Valentine for me.

Related wikiHows

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Write an Acrostic Poem. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

Google Poem Search

Monday, August 16, 2021

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Friday, June 20, 2008

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Monday, June 2, 2008

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