Writing Poetry
Stylin'
by Christine Senter
Poetry has been a way to express one's feelings since time unknown. Throughout the ages, the styles of poetry have changed and contrasted with the times. Poets were always coming up with new ways of creating beautiful scenerios with words, and they all had a style of their own.
In school, most of us learned about poetry in one form or another, but the most widely taught was traditional rhyming poetry. Children seem to learn to form words easier with rhyming repetition, and many children's books are written with this in mind. Though many poetry publishers try and avoid this style, there are markets for traditional poetry, if it is well written.
Free-verse is probably the easiest form of poetry because it's basically an "anything goes" style. This is not to say that a person can get published just by throwing a bunch of words on a page and then call it free-verse. It still has to bring a clear picture to the reader's mind and should be easy to understand, no matter how complex the wording may be.
Though there are several deeper poetry styles, traditional and free-verse are the best starting points for beginners. This doesn't mean that you have to write the exact same way as any other poet. As with any type of writing, you need to sit down and find your own unique style. Find the form that best suits your personality and see how far it will take you. Also, watch the markets to see what's selling right now. Don't think you have to completely conform yourself to what's hot today, because tomorrow it might not be. Just keep in mind what publishers are looking for, then set your own style to that.
Poetry is an age-old craft and one that is still evolving to this day. It is a way to create fluid motion and thought provoking ideas. Each poet brings his own unique blend of creativity and imagination to the world. Each style gives the world a whole new way to look at itself. Each poem is a vivid emotion in the written word, straight from the poet's heart.
Copyright © 2001 Christine Senter