A poem is a piece of writing in which the words are chosen for their beauty and sound and are

carefully arranged, often

in short lines. (Source: (Dictionary: Collins, 2020)
Writing poetry could be overwhelming and taxing especially when you don’t feel creative enough to come up with
brilliant ideas, right word choice, or effective poetic techniques. However, there are ways to help you get started which
will eventually lead to writing a poem you can be proud of.
Here are some steps to help you create your own poem.
STEP 1: STARTING THE POEM
1. Pick a specific theme or idea
Before you start writing down your poem, pick a topic. You need to choose a specific theme you are passionate to talk
about. The theme or idea you have chosen will serve as your guide on what your poem will convey.
There are a lot of topics to choose from, may it be coming from your experience or feelings. Whatever theme you decide
to pick, make sure that it is specific. For example, if you are going to talk about love, you can work around the topics
“love of family” or “love of friends”.
2. Brainstorm for ideas
Think, think, think. This step will help you come up with thoughts and ideas about the topic or theme you have chosen.
You can try the following activities to get you started in collecting ideas related to your topic:
o Try a free write. Grab a notebook and just start writing—about your day, your feelings, or how you don’t know what to
write about. Let your mind wander for 5-10 minutes and see what you can come up with.
o Make a list or mind map of images. Think about a situation that’s full of emotion for you and write down a list of
images or ideas that you associate with it. You could also write about something you see right in front of you, or take a
walk and note down things you see. Use any graphic organizer that can help you arrange your thoughts such as concept
maps, flow charts and more. (Stephanie Wong Ken, MFA, 2020)
3. Choose a poetic form
Choose a poetic form that would fit your style of writing. There are many different poetic forms that you can choose
from.
o Narrative Poems: epic, ballad, metrical tale, metrical romance
o Lyric Poems: ode, elegy, hymn, psalm, sonnet, song, simple lyric
o Dramatic poems: tragedy, comedy, tragicomedy, farce, historical play, religious play, musical play or opera, melodrama
Source: (Menoy, 2016)

4. Read examples of poetry

If you are still hesitant in writing your poem, another way to help you out is by reading examples of poetry. You may look
through your books or search online from the classic poems to contemporary ones. This should help you get started in
writing.

STEP 2: WRITING THE POEM

1. Use concrete imagery
Concrete imagery will help your readers connect with the poem through the mental pictures they imagine upon reading.
Make sure that your descriptions and your word choice are vivid enough for them to see, taste, smell, touch or hear the
thoughts you are writing about.
Poetic Technique: Use of Imagery
Imagery is the literary term used for language and description that appeals to our five senses. When a writer
attempts to describe something so that it appeals to our sense of smell, sight, taste, touch, or hearing; he/she has used
imagery.
Ex: A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze. (I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud)
Source: (SoftSchools.com, 2020)
Poetic Technique: Use of Literary Devices
2. Include literary devices
Literary devices are techniques that writers use to create a special and pointed effect in their writing, to convey
information, or to help readers understand their writing on a deeper level. Often, literary devices are used in writing for
emphasis or clarity. Authors will also use literary devices to get readers to connect more strongly with the theme.
(Source: (Muniz, 2020))

Poetic Technique: Use of Literary Devices

o Metaphor: A comparison of two unlike things without the use of as or like
Ex: All the world’s a stage (Seven Ages)
o Simile: A comparison of two unlike thinks using as or like
Ex: O my Luve is like a red, red rose (A Red, Red Rose)
o Synecdoche: A part is used for a whole or a whole is used for a part
Ex: The hand that mocked them and the heart that fed (Ozymandias)
(The hand refer to the sculptor, the heart refer to the King)
o Metonymy: a person, place or thing is referred to by something closely associated with it
Ex: Remember to let her into your heart (Hey Jude)
(Heart is associated with love)
o Personification: Referencing inanimate objects with human-like qualities or abilities
Ex: Earth felt the wound; and Nature from her seat (Paradise Lost)
o Hyperbole: Exaggeration for effect
Ex: My name is Ozymandias, King of kings (Ozymandias)
o Rhetorical Question: Asking a question for aa purpose other than to get an answer
Ex: And if you wrong us, shall we not revenge? (The Merchant of Venice)
o Oxymoron: placing two opposing terms side by side Ex: Why, then, o brawling love! O loving hate! (Romeo and Juliet)
Source: (SuccessCDs, 2020)

3. Write for the ear

Poetry is made to be read out loud and you should write your poem with a focus on how it sounds on the page. Writing
for the ear will allow you to play with the structure of your poem and your word choice. Notice how each line of your
poem flows into one another and how placing one word next to another creates a certain sound. (Source: (Stephanie
Wong Ken, MFA, 2020))
Poetic Technique: Use of Sound Devices
o Alliteration: the repetition of initial sounds on the same line
Ex: Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary (The
Raven)
o Assonance: the repetition of vowel sounds on the same line Ex: “The rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain.” (My Fair
Lady)
o Consonance: the repetition of consonant sounds on the same line
Ex:
o Onomatopoeia: the use of words that sound like their meaning
Ex: Once upon a time a frog
Croaked away in Bingle bog (The Frog and the Nightangale)
o Repetition: involves repeating a line or a word several times in a poem
Ex: And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep. (Stopping by Woods on a Snow Evening)
o Rhyme: The repetition of identical or similar concluding syllables in different words.
Source (Padron, 2020)

STEP 3: POLISHING THE POEM

1. Read the poem aloud
Once your poem is complete, read it aloud. Pay attention to every word in each line. How do they sound? Is the meaning
clear? Take down notes or mark the lines that may sound different or confusing to you.
2. Get feedback from others
Share your poem with persons who can help you improve it. You can read it to your family and friends, you can send it
to your teachers for a critic or ask for help from experts in the field of poetry writing. Allow them to give their reaction
and feedback to your output.
3. Revise your poem
Once you have received feedback on your poem, revise it until it reaches its best form. Use the feedbacks to help
improve your poem and your way of writing.
Activity: Starting the Poem
Direction: Brainstorm ideas to get you started with your poem by using this concept map. Choose a topic of your liking
and write it at the center. Then, gather your ideas about the topic by writing relevant words/phrases in the circles on the
sides. Do this activity on your notebook.