TIPS IN WRITING A POEM

• Do you find that you never feel inspired when you sit down to write a poem? It's a common problem, and you can solve it by carrying a notebook with you everywhere in which you can jot down poem ideas as they come to you. Then, when you're ready to write, just get out the notebook and find an idea that catches your fancy.
• You might want to listen to soothing music or look at pictures to calm and inspire you.
• Don't forget that surprise makes art (writing) extra special. If you're going to drag out the tired old rose metaphor in a love poem, put your own twist on it.
• Don't give up. You'll probably find that your poems become better and easier to write as you write more of them.
• Poems can make a great gift.
• Keep all of your poetry in a book whether you like it or not. In the future, you might be able to salvage some of the throwaways or publish your best work.
• When writing poetry, try to plan it out, use all the senses and base it on one or two main ideas.
• Avoid cliches or overused images. "The world is your oyster," is neither a brilliant nor an original observation.
• If you are writing a poem to be sent to a newspaper or a family-friendly magazine, choose your words and topic with care. You don't want the paper to censor your original work or reject it because of profanity.
• Try to think of words that rhyme before you put them down on paper. This saves you from erasing over, and over again.