Tiny Writes
Heyy! I was wondering if anyone has any tips on creating a piece of poetry that's really meaningful, but at the same time, it invokes a feeling that everyone relates to. A lot of the writers at YWP, are so talented, and I hope my writing matures just as much! :)
I have so much to learn...haaha
Comments
Just another comment, I wanted to add. It's about vocabulary. I've been reading a lot of other writing pieces, and I keep wondering how writers gain access to new vocabulary. The other day I was listening to this author talk, and she used the word "voracious." Before hearing her say that word, I never knew that word existed, but I knew it was meaningful. How do writers use important words that are significant to their piece? Thanks! :)
Hi! To write something meaningful is really dependent on who is writing it and who is reading it. For something meaningful, I suggest writing about something that is close to you or you have experienced, especially if its an emotional one. Vocab wise, I think incorporating emotional language is great to make something meaningful but also its entirely up to your writing style. Important words to a piece are usually words that fit in with the certain narrative you're pushing, looking up synonyms to common words or 'uncommon English words' on Pinterest should help with some inspiration. I do not know if I'm being helpful at all but I hope I was lol, happy writing!
Thank you so much! I checked out your advice on Pinterest, and it was full of great advice! And dw, you were really helpful! Thanks again!
Those people read a lot, and when they find a word they don’t know they look it up! I’ve found reading good books that challenge you is the best way to learn to write.
I actually just wrote a poem about not knowing what to write about. It wasn't actually because I didn't know what to write about but it might give you some ideas. I am not self-promoting, FYI.
Also, I love your personality. I can tell just from this post!
Awww...thx! :)
Also, I just read your poem, and it was really insightful!
btw-Welcome to YWP, it's such a great writing platform! I love it, and I'm sure you will too!
i agree with @twoblueviolets, i think the best thing to do is write about something that's meaningful to you! most of the time, the really intense and emotional experiences we have are not actually individual experiences (i like to choose to take this as a positive), but in reality a lot of people can relate to things that you're thinking about or going through. i wouldn't strive to write a poem that every single person can relate to, because honestly that's just not possible. people are going to connect with different experiences on different levels and that's okay! just write about how you feel and all the other stuff will eventually fall into place :)
in regards to vocabulary—READ!!!! i cannot stress how important reading is. it doesn't even have to be novels. you could read newspaper articles, grocery store lists, recipes, lyrics, literally anything you can get your hands on. the more information you take in, the more will stick with you and you'll be able to use that knowledge in the future, especially vocabulary. if you'd like, you could also keep a running list of words that you're unfamiliar with or words you just like the sound of and pull that out whenever you need some inspiration. @twoblueviolets mentioned this too, but pinterest is super super helpful for stuff like this (and anything relating to writing in general, to be honest).
i hope this was helpful :)
Hey, thanks for taking the time to share your advice! I love what you said about writing a relatable poem. I think that's my biggest problem, I'm always trying to please EVERYONE. But you're definitely right, everyone relates to different things on different levels! And, actually, I read some of your poems the other day. I think it was, "The Death March of Autumn" and "to be a person," and I absolutely loved them! It's the type of style of writing, I really want to learn! :)
I actually just made another poem. It is actually a guide on how to write a poem. That might give you some ideas. Also thanks for the reply on my other comment!
Hey! I just saw your poem, it's such a great piece, and it's really helpful! thanks!! :)
My apologies for this being a jargony comment- I wanted to cover all bases so it could best help!
Spurring off of all the comments here, I highly suggest becoming best friends with a thesaurus. When I first started writing, I also felt like the emotion was there, but it lacked a sort of emphasis and language that didn't feel as mature or rather expressive. When trying to form my writing style, I usually wrote the poem as I felt it should be written, then looked over it a million times and tried to replace some of the simplistic words with more niche ones, if that makes sense. I also had a huge moment of going on Pinterest (as @GreyBean and @twoblueviolets said) and searching for profound words to gain inspiration from to set a profound tone and overall emotion.
As many of the other writers here claimed, poetry is like an extension of your emotions and a way to describe your experiences. I resonate heavily with the challenge to adequately express what I'm trying to evoke in the reader, however, the idea of having the reader completely understand is not always necessary. I relied heavily on making my poetry relatable, but as the others said, some people will see themself in the poem, and others will not. Poetry does not have to be universal in this aspect, but I can appreciate and relate to the effort to make it so. Personally, I didn't notice my writing start to mature until I was like a year in, however, with each poem you write it is growth. If you look through your old poems and writings you will notice a writing style form over time. Even when you have a "set style" (I say this with quotes because again, it is ever-evolving) it is imperative to step out of your comfort zone and experiment with aspects of poetry. I suggest finding writing exercises online and also researching certain poem structures to extend your capability in writing.
Last part, as Greybean said, reading is a huge part of maturing in writing. When I first started out, I was big on Pinterest poetry and ButtonPoetry videos (highly recommend watching some) but as I grew, I found specific authors that I resonated with and tried to imitate their style. In doing that, I found that it helped with exploring different aspects of writing. Art comes from art.
Also, I would take note of anything you see during the day that you might find interesting or profound. There is beauty in the mundane, and tying it into a feeling or experience can help with the overall relativeness and emotional part of poetry.
I hope this helps! I am sure and excited to see you mature as a writer!! Best of luck on your journey, friend! Reach out if you have more questions!
Hi, I absolutely love your advice! Thanks for the ButtonPoetry Videos advice, I'll be sure to check that out! :)
Btw-thanks for giving me new vocabulary words...loll; jargony, mundane, and adequately are all words I never really knew the meanings of...haha! but now I do :)
Do you think you could share which others helped you grow and mature your writing? Thank you so much! :)
Of course!! Always happy to help!
As for your question, I believe you're asking about authors, but I'm reading this before having my morning iced chai so I'm also assuming you're referring to words- I'll give both!
Allen Ginsberg, Mary Oliver, Richard Siken, Walt Whitman, and Sylvia Plath were the authors who particularly influenced my growth. For more slam/button poetry, I'm a huge fan of Neil Hilborn and Rudy Francisco. Even though these are more famous people, I deeply admire the older members of my poetry club. Feeding off of their ideas and learning so much from them is an experience that has drastically improved my writing maturity and confidence in the span of these few months of college. So peer and friend/group work is a very good resource to improve or have fun with writing in general!
I also recommend you go through the famous poet's challenge in YWP and look into some poets you might resonate with!
For words, heavily suggest looking up a word of the day website. Accompanying this, I would do a challenge of finding words that I enjoyed and thought all had a similar vibe, and force myself to put all of them in a poem as a writing exercise to understand the flow and feeling of words. Honestly, just cultivating a list of words that you enjoy and putting them in a book or notes app can help with writing when you feel stumped. Here are some of my faves right now, they are sort of random: archaic, embodiments, emulating, mirage, pious, sanctity, sincerities, resonating, technological, vacancy, varnished, etc...
I hope this helped again! Message me if you want any more words or authors, or just writing stuff in general!! :)
To make a meaningful poem, write about feelings you’ve actually experienced, so it feels real and relatable. Use simple words that paint a clear picture, like describing emotions through things people can imagine. Don’t over explain something, and leave a little mystery so readers can connect it to their own lives.
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