#33 14 Writing tips for beginners from a self-taught poet
A feature piece, photo gallery, quotes, recommendations, bulletin board and more
Dear reader,
How are you? It’s November! Do you have your winter reads ready and raring to go? Right now, I have set aside one myself for my partaking. It is the short story collection, The Haunting Season.
I haven’t been writing much recently and haven’t felt inspired as well, maybe that’s part of the reason that I have not been coming here to write you a newsletter. Maybe you can also say that I couldn’t spare time for it. Or maybe my indolence got in the way. Or maybe, these days I am watching too many drama series at the same time. And maybe (again) all of these are reasons. So, pardon me for the irregularity of the newsletter issues. As I write this, I think that I always have these ‘maybes.’ I have a lot of maybes in my life. Do you too?
And when I say this word ‘maybe’, it covers a lot of things for me — not being sure, not being sure of myself, not being sure of my abilities, self-doubt, not being able to decide, if decided then not sure about my decisions, etc. Everyone one of us goes through such self-doubt or undecidedness at some point of life. But I guess we gradually develop the confidence required to overcome doubt and gain the experience required to take timely and accurate decisions.
Till then, I am trying to improve my decision-making skill which requires some serious overhauling. After all, I regret a few of my decisions. Now you would know why I am talking about this.
But yes, if you are unable to take a decision, you can always take advice/suggestions from your parents and other acquaintances and it’s a Sunnah too (In Islam, sunnah are the traditions and practices of our Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H.) that constitute a model for Muslims to follow. The sunnah is what the companions (Sahaba) of our Prophet saw and followed and passed on to the next generations.).
Now, I am gonna share below a feature piece that I wrote for the U.S. based magazine, Write or Die, which is also the in-house magazine of Chill Subs. Happy reading!
14 Writing Tips for Beginners from a Self-Taught Poet
I embarked on my poetic journey at the age of 17, during my high school years, devoid of any guide or manual to steer my course. Initially, my poetry mirrored my inexperience, often simplistic and naïvely crafted.
As time went on, I refined my craft through reading a lot of classic poetry and I learned about style, technique, themes, word order, while discovering new poetry favorites. Now, standing on the threshold of a significant milestone with a published collection to my name, I can trace the arc of my growth clearly.
If you are embarking on a poetry writing journey, here are 14 tips that helped me foster my writing practice and write more poetry:
Word Dictionary: Create a personal dictionary of interesting words (that you come across while reading) to use in your poems; this practice aids in selecting apt words that enhance your theme.
Pre-Writing Points: Before writing, jot down key points to organize your thoughts systematically. This helps me start building a well-structured poem.
Word choice and Word order: They are really significant for me. I specifically like to use disrupted syntax for my poems, as an unusual combination of words attracts the reader’s attention!
Figurative Devices: Compile a list of figurative devices, including rare ones like periphrasis and antithesis, and incorporate them judiciously into your work.
Imagery and Descriptions: Focus on delineating vivid imagery to immerse your readers into the literary landscape you’re painting.
Spontaneous Ideas: If any idea or metaphor comes to my mind at any time, I write it down immediately. Otherwise, I forget it later.
Writing Tools and Journal: Utilize tools like Google Docs and maintain a personal journal to record insights and the backstory of your poems, offering readers a peek into your writing process.
Writing from Experiences: Whether writing from personal or others’ experiences, ensure to have an authentic and well-understood perspective.
Utilizing Writing Prompts: When stuck, seek inspiration from writing prompts available on platforms like Swim Press.
Taking Breaks: If unable to progress, take a break and return with a fresh perspective to complete your piece.
Self-Belief and Persistence: Embrace the imperfect beginnings and persevere in your writing journey. The singer-songwriter Olivia Rodrigo said, “If I were only to make things that were perfect, I would literally never make anything at all. … Just believe in yourself and keep trying because, I’ve written so many bad songs in my life and that’s how you get to the good ones.”
Learning from Masters: Learn and occasionally mimic the styles of great poets, both historical and contemporary, to hone your skills.
Re-Reading: Engage in re-reading of literary works to deeply understand and appreciate various styles, techniques, and forms.
Outdoor Inspiration: Gain inspiration from the outdoors and when you cannot step out, from your daily surroundings.
Snapshots to cheer you up
From my paternal grandmother’s little garden of curiosities
Quotes
A poem is not just words placed on a line. It’s a cloth. Mahmoud Darwish wanted to build his home, his exile, from all the words in the world. I weave my poems with my veins. I want to build a poem like a solid home, but hopefully not with my bones.
— Mosab Abu Toha, from Things You May Find Hidden in My Ear: Poems from Gaza; “Palestine A-Z”
I prefer the absurdity of writing poems to the absurdity of not writing poems.
So if you’re afraid to write your homeland— if you’re an immigrant poet or a translator— please know that poetry about places literally gives us a land. It makes that land a part of our cognitive maps. To give your world to others in poetry honors that world. It, too, is a labor.
What I found on the internet
The latest issue of
: #253: Poetry as a sense-making toolThese November writing prompts by CoraLynn which will not let your pen stay silent on the Palestine situation:
Bulletin board
The Remnant Archive will launch weekly calls for non-fiction submissions centered around a specific theme in November. For the first week, they invite submissions that delve into the intersection of art and activism, exploring how marginalized artists envisage social change through their work. More details here and submit here.
There are positions open at ThinkOcean in creative and finance teams. Apply here.
Only Poems opens for poetry submissions in the first week of every month and they pay $55.
That’s it for issue #33. Hopefully the end of the year will bring a closure to the sufferings of this year. Take care of your loved ones, be sensitive to the needs of others and pay heed to your own health.
Love you,
Anam
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