WE all, aspiring poets, who have composed or at least have tried to compose poems, have been here. Sitting with a notebook on our lap, a pen between the pages or between our fingers with its tip nibbling around our lips. Thinking and thinking with no real success of good words or even a clear idea about what we are supposed to write.

However, there are situations where we do know what we want to write but do not know where to begin with and how.

Filled with many emotions, a great desire to write, and one great idea, many poets sit twiddling their pens, picking on random words. Having been there myself, I want to share some valuable tips regarding “How to compose your best poem.”

HOLD ON TO THOSE EMOTIONS

“Poetry is when an emotion has found its thought, and the thought has found words.”
                                                                                                                       – Robert Frost

The poem is all about expressing. Cliché, but that is how it is! This is the first step to composing your greatest poem.

We all know that every poem comes and must come through the heart. Your poem is supposed to make you feel something; only and only then will your readers engage in the poem emotionally.

Par example,

Love that held me with such substantial force

I knew not whether with joy or remorse.

OR

Love had filled my heart

Joy was slowly letting down its guard.

Choose your words very wisely, depending on the kind of effect you wish to leave on your readers or the sort of emotions you want them to indulge in. And do not let go of those emotions until you are finished with your poem. As I said, it is important to feel the words yourself before making others feel.

RHYMES ARE SECONDARY

Yes.

I remember showing a set of poems to my lecturer, who said, “poems are not all about rhyming random words.” Preach.

Par example,

The ocean and the sky in my sight,

Seemed as if the earth was in a fight.

OR

The ocean, the sky, and all of nature

They were as if at war.

Rhymes are not the only kind of decoration in poetry; there are many other elements to it, such as imagery, allusion, metaphor, and personification. Literary devices!

Focus on depicting the right scene in your mind, the right expressions for what is in your heart, and the right order to put it all together. It will undoubtedly make your poem sound beautiful, whether rhyming or not.

GIVE IT TIME

It took Dante 12–13 years to complete the Divine Comedy. Rome was not built in a day. Do not try to finish your poem; try to give time and write it in parts. It is better to write beautiful Cantos in 5 days or even weeks than write a broken poem, missing the effect of several factors and using forcefully stuffed words.

WRITE, NONETHELESS

“Writing is an exploration. You start from nothing and learn as you go.”
                                                                                             – E.L. Doctorow

When I say take your time, I do not suggest that you do not write at all meanwhile. For example, when a cricketer does not have a match to play, he does not stop practicing. While you have kept your major work at a halt, do not keep the Muse waiting. Write gibberish but write. Practice words, practice expressions, and practice vocabulary.

READ BEFORE YOU COMPOSE

“Read a thousand books, and your words will flow like a river.

                                                                             –  Virginia Woolf

The more you read, the more smoothly your verses will flow. Read the genres that you write for (Gothic, Classic, Confessional, Romantic, and Victorian), and read the language you use to compose poems (is it Victorian English, Shakespearean English, Old English, Modern English, or perhaps, French).

Read the style and about that style. Research your genre. Read. Read. Read.

If I missed any points, you could add to them by commenting below.