A lot of poets have trouble when it comes to finding confidence in themselves and in their poetic voice enough to share their work, and even less still to go through the process of publishing and becoming a full-fledged published author. The process at times can seem daunting, unforgiving, and very costly if not done correctly. Although there may be no shortage of self-help books out there covering the basics of getting published as such, this workshop will focus solely on improving your writing and poetry to a point where you can look back and honestly say you are happy with the result.
No fluff, and no frills, just pure poetry!
So, to get started I would like to recommend to anyone reading the skills that I utilize when writing poetry in order to always try and push the envelope and bar as far as possible. Is this a torch-passing ceremony? Maybe not, but that still shouldn’t deter you from trying your very best! Every writer starts somewhere and I have found that one of the biggest obstacles to writers improving their craft is their whole-hearted belief that they are not or will not ever be good enough to either share or publish their work, and this self-deprecation can deeply take root in one’s psyche and disallow improvements (which manifests as what many people call writer’s block).
A good step one to improving your poetic voice is to decide on what kind of writer you want to be. Think back to as a kid when you would come up with all these scenarios and imagine yourself carrying out life in any number of roles. I want you to try to remember the magic feeling that you used to feel when you would play pretend and imagine things. It is often this childhood sensibility that is lacking from a writer’s heart, and to be capable of conveying only a handful of emotions can be detrimental to a writer’s skill (unlike self-inflicted trauma like self-deprecation or insecurity). Being able to convey any emotion on the drop of a dime is one skill every writer should definitely seek to master, but for now, just remember the old adage that the rapper Eyedea once said: “Never pay the Piper unless he can make you cry!”.
I like to think back on this quote often as it sums up a lot of what indie writers can go through when seeking a prospective audience. Many authors look in the wrong places for the right audience, and only by luck manage to stumble upon one or a few kindred souls that may relate to their art. A very small number of authors strike it big, and it is in this that the animosity between artist and industry really takes root.
Back to basics however, and an improving writer must also remember that a wise man admits he knows nothing and starts from the beginning of a task to get the full grasp and scope of it. If you are reading and have made it this far, then I would like any writer looking to get better at their craft to try the following exercises in an attempt to improve:
> Think of a story you want to tell and write a poem in your style about the story. Try to get at least 3 plot points written to advance at least a single scene within your poem.
> Pick 3 songs that kindle an emotion in you (any from anger to happiness), and rewrite them from a different perspective, or simply with different diction.
> Try to write one new poem a day in your style. If you hand-write, time and date that shit! Make sure you know when you wrote it so you can look back for reference and visibly see your skill improve.
For now, if you apply these simple and easy-to-do exercises, you can help improve your poetic voice in a manageable way that helps you set expectations and not overexcite yourself for nothing. Believe in yourself yes, but this way the exercises help temper expectations and don’t allow false impressions! Trust me on this!
Anyway, I also want you to think about 2 of your favorite music albums of ALL time, and specifically think about their track lists. How are they set up? Do they include an intro or skits of any kind? Is there a continuous story? Do the titles have puns or references to other art? What kind of artistic impression do you get solely from the track lists?
I ask this because the track lists for musical albums are akin to table of contents for poetry books/anthologies/novels and contain the sum of a book in a small, manageable format. In some ways, as authors our entire bibliographies can be summed up simply by counting how many pieces we’ve written, or will ever write. The track list in many ways is the veins of a book just as the pieces themselves contain the life blood. The words we soak up in this manner become the food for thought that we consume and in turn either re-express in some way or end up forgetting until it manifests again.
I always think a poet should look to improve their writing, and although I do not claim to hold degrees or be a professional novelist in any way, I do know a thing or two about poetry since I have studied and practiced for 15+ years and I can see improvement in my own writing. It doesn’t help us as writers to blow smoke up our own asses, no, but I personally believe that self-deprecation is more detrimental than believing you’re the best writer ever but remaining humble to others.
I guess I bring that competitiveness from rap music over to poetry, and in rap music, every rapper announces themselves as the greatest (G.O.A.T.) of all time, but poets are by large and far much more humble than rappers. Some may argue semantics and say (oh rap is a form of poetry!) yeah, but tell that to professional poets and professional rappers and I promise you that only one of these two professions will claim to be the other one. One is the progenitor of an art form and one is a sonic descendant of it. Poets do not need to make a beat to make a rhyme, but a rapper damn sure has to make a rhyme to make a song and call it rap. That to me, is the difference. Until next time students, please try the exercises if you have the time to, and tune in next time! Thanks for your time in reading this introduction module to this little free poetry workshop I am doing.