By: Maddy Campbell
You sit down at your desk, feeling creativity surging through your head. You open your computer and look at the blank canvas in front of you. With hands hovering over the keyboard, you wait for inspiration to strike. You keep waiting. You then get frustrated and slam your computer shut.
Believe me, you are not alone in this feeling. Writing poetry is a great way to express your emotions and explore your creativity, but it can be difficult to get started. One common issue when preparing to write poetry is finding inspiration. Writer’s block is tricky, and staring at a blank page with frustration can keep potential poets from writing their masterpieces. Through the following 3 practices, you will feel more confident in finding inspiration for your poetry than ever before.
- Choosing a Form
When new ideas are not generating, the first step toward tackling writer’s block is choosing a form of poetry. This can affect what you write about. There are so many styles to choose from free-verse, sonnet, or haiku. Each form comes with its own sets of rules, which we will not be going over here, and some with a common subject. Sonnets, for example, are typically written about a strong emotion or memory. Haikus are commonly used to describe nature, like “The Old Pond” by Matsuo Bashō. Picking a style of poetry can help channel ideas like a funnel onto the page.
- Finding Your Focus Through Meditation
What if you already know how you want to write your poem, but the subject is still eluding you? The next step that helps me focus is meditation. That may sound drastic, and a little cliché, but taking the time to center yourself and tune into your thoughts can create an explosion of ideas. Now, I do not mean “pull out your yoga mat and light some candles” meditation. Take a moment and sit in your space. Close your eyes and slow your breathing. Listen to your surroundings. Are you comfortable? Is it quiet enough? Is it too quiet? Is your space set up for you to be productive? If you answer no to any of these questions, a small change to your space can be the needed change to get started.
- Optimizing Your Space
You picked your style of poem, made your space the most optimal for writing, and you still have no idea what to write about. Do not let that stop you. Think about why you want to write poetry. If you love writing about nature, go outside. Observations can be an amazing way to find inspiration. Sit on the ground and watch the skies or trees. See how the world around you communes with itself. Take notes, record the sounds you find special, then use the meditation skills you practiced earlier to think about what sticks with you. Maybe nature is not your cup of tea. Find a journal and start writing about your feelings, childhood memories, and stories about your friends.
Writing poetry is not just for old men with quill pens. Reflective free-verses about your favorite birthday or a descriptive haiku about an oak tree are art that you can treasure and share. Do not let the stigma of great art cloud your thoughts. Finding a simple idea can create the best poems if you give yourself the time.