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If the idea of writing poetry has ever felt daunting, you’re not alone – but getting started might be easier than you think.
Unlike activities like painting and sculpting, you don’t need any expensive materials – only a pen or pencil and something to write on. Poems can also be whipped up in a matter of minutes, so you don’t need to set aside too much time.
The other beautiful thing about poetry is that anyone can write it, no matter how much you know about things like iambic pentameter or enclosed rhyme schemes. Sure, you can follow traditional forms, like sonnets and villanelles, but there are no strict rules. Most modern poems are free verse anyway (i.e. don’t follow a set rhythm or rhyme scheme). So your creations can be whatever you want them to be!
For some, this sense of limitless possibilities can be motivating, but others might struggle with where to start. So, if you’re thinking about giving poetry a go, we’ve collected some of our favourite tips, ideas, and inspiration for beginners.
1. Start small
When it comes to literature, it can be tempting to equate quantity with quality. Sure, epic novels like War and Peace and The Count of Monte Cristo are works of genius, but short stories like James Joyce’s ‘The Dead’ and Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’ (in my opinion, anyway) are equally affecting. And the same is true for poetry.
Take the following bitsized piece, In a Station of the Metro, by modernist poet Ezra Pound, as an example:
The apparition of these faces in the crowd;
Petals on a wet, black bough.
In just two lines, Pound vividly captures a scene at a subway station, prompting the reader to consider the relationship between urban and natural environments. He could’ve taken three or four stanzas to expand on this idea, but instead sharpened it down to a piercing point, creating a single image that sears into the reader’s mind.
So why not follow in Pound’s footsteps and start small? You could try a couple of free-verse lines, or something more structured like a simple rhyming couplet or haiku. This approach can offer a more attainable and less intimidating way into poetry, as you’ll need to focus on fewer words while honing your skills.
That said, if you find yourself wanting to write something longer, don’t be afraid to follow your instincts and let the words flow.
2. Pay attention to the ordinary
We often think of poetry as being about lofty ideas and powerful emotions. And while it certainly can be, some of the best work focuses on the small details of ordinary life.
For example, in the latter part of his career, celebrated Chilean poet Pablo Neruda began writing ‘odes’ to various everyday things. Tomatoes, his socks, bird watching, artichokes, and my personal favourite, a large tuna at the market, all take a turn at centre stage. His straightforward but lyrical addresses infuse these commonplace subjects with a fresh beauty, prompting readers to view the world around them with new enthusiasm.
So, when searching for your next poem, try writing about things you might overlook as mundane. This could be anything from a commonplace object to a small, seemingly unremarkable exchange with a friend.
If you’re in a familiar space, ask yourself: What have I stopped noticing here because it’s so ordinary? What’s faded into the background? The odds are that thing (or something similar) has probably gone under your readers’ radar, too, and it can be your job to put it in the spotlight.
3. Find meaning as you write
Good poetry has multiple (arguably infinite) layers of meaning – and that’s partly what makes it so satisfying to read. But one blocker for many beginners is expecting to know what their poem ‘is about’ before their pen touches paper.
Yet, meaning is often discovered through the act of writing, by experimenting with the words on the page in response to a stimulus.
For example, in her 2010 article for the Poetry Foundation, Judy Rowe Michaels shared a piece called Leaving a Loop (you can read it here). It was written in response to finding a woven pot holder she once made in the drawer of her studio. Looking back on it, she says the poem could be about many things: making pot holders when she was young and homesick at summer camp, losing her mother, or the difference between applied art and fine art. But she didn’t know any of this before she started writing.
Instead, Michaels followed her instincts and explored the emotions this discovery stirred on the page.
“There is a little shiver that I think most writers feel when we sense that a poem will happen soon – that a pebble has been cast into the pond,” Michaels says. “If I can, I sit down right away with a pencil and try to feel where the ripples want me to go.”
Writing in this instinctual, responsive way can lead to poems that feel much more organic than those we think through too much beforehand. Remember, you can always go back and revise your writing once the raw material is on the page.
So why not follow Michaels’ lead? Try thinking of something you feel an emotional response to and see where those emotions take you. Your stimulus could be something material, like a favourite possession, or something abstract, such as a treasured memory. Looking back at old photographs can be great for finding the latter.
4. Try to ignore your inner critic (at least during first drafts)
When writing creatively, it’s normal for our inner critics to creep in. And while these thoughts can be helpful when revising and editing (as long as they’re constructive), they often stop us from getting words onto the page. So it’s generally best to try to ignore them when writing our first drafts.
This isn’t always easy, especially when starting out, but a few tricks can help. For example, author Rosie Garland suggests naming the negative voice in our head. While it might sound goofy, this can make it easier to tell it to get lost when it disrupts our creativity, especially when we choose the name wisely.
Garland writes: “I call my internal censor Mavis, because it’s silly and helps diminish the yap-yap-yap. She is not a huge terrifying demon; she’s small and she’s squeaky. It’s much harder to take such a creature seriously.”
This isn’t the only strategy, though. Some people might choose to write an inspiring message and display it somewhere in their writing space to help them push through negative thoughts. Personally, I’ve found it useful to give myself permission to write something I’m not happy with. This helps me get something down while I’m feeling creative. I usually find that I can revise it and get it to a place I’m happy with once I’ve had some time away from it.
5. Open yourself up to unexpected inspiration
If you’re stuck for what to write about, many poets advise stepping outside your comfort zone and opening yourself up to unexpected inspiration.
This could involve watching a film you’d never normally consider, exploring a new part of town, or going to an art exhibition you know nothing about. Anything that shakes up your normal routine and opens you up to new ideas and images.
Inspiration can come from the smallest, most ordinary things: a happy couple walking together on a sunny day, or an acorn falling from a tree and landing on the path in front of you. So try to pay close attention to the world around you, watching for any details that cause those ripples Judy Rowe Michaels describes above.
For more ideas and advice on this, check out our article: 18 ways to step outside of your comfort zone.
6. Listen to poetry, or read it aloud
One of the most common and effective poetry writing tips for beginners is, unsurprisingly, to read as much poetry as you can. After all, as T.S. Eliot once said, “We learn what poems are, if we ever learn, by reading them.”
Good poetry, bad poetry, classic poetry, contemporary poetry – it can all be instructive for fledgling scribes. But it’s also worth taking the time to read some aloud.
Sound and rhythm are key parts of poetry and reading it out loud can give us a better sense of them. When spoken, poems take on a new life: devices like sibilance and assonance reveal themselves, full stops become pauses, and we get a real feel for the pace of the words. This helps give us insights we might otherwise miss when reading in our heads.
Interestingly, experts also suggest that reading poetry aloud can slow our breathing, encourage relaxation, and boost mood, offering mindful benefits beyond improving our poetry-writing skills.
You might also find it useful to listen to others perform poetry. There are plenty of free, online resources to make the most of. The Poetry Foundation offer an ‘Audio Poem of the Day’, delivering classic and contemporary works read by actors and poets. Or, if you have a specific poem in mind, just search for a reading on YouTube.
Why not start with Sir Ian McKellen’s captivating performance of Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s ‘Kubla Khan’ below?
7. Experiment with prompts and exercises
Another great way for beginners to find inspiration and hone their craft is by experimenting with prompts and exercises.
Writing prompts are short ideas, questions, or situations used to inspire and guide your writing. They can be anything from a single word or image to specific instructions, such as the following from last year’s National Poetry Competition:
“Serenade an everyday object. This is a love poem. A duet. A fizzy ode. Tell me everything and be as sentimental as you like.”
Prompts are great for anyone struggling with what to write about, as they give us constraints to work within that can lead to surprisingly creative outcomes. You can find free prompts online (for example, on the Poetry Society website) or even come up with them yourself by picking things at random to respond to, like something in your fridge, a shuffled song on your Spotify playlist, or the first sentence you see after opening a book.
Exercises, on the other hand, are (usually short) activities designed to help you hone specific skills and beat writer’s block. This article from Materclass has plenty of writing exercises to choose from.
Final thoughts…
There are many reasons to start writing poetry in later life. Like journaling, it offers a creative outlet to process and understand complex emotions, helping us ease feelings like loneliness, anxiety and depression. There’s also something uniquely comforting in knowing that even in our lowest moments, we can channel our negative emotions into creating something beautiful.
But tapping into our inner bard can also lead us down unexpected paths. Perhaps you’ll discover you want to join a writing group, or even share your creations on social media, sparking new connections with fellow creatives. Or maybe it’ll inspire other projects, such as that novel you’ve always wanted to write.
But above all, writing poetry is fun. And while honing our craft can be a big part of that satisfaction, try to go easy on yourself and enjoy the process, especially as a beginner. Remember, the true joy of creating is found in the process, not the end result.
For more creative writing content, head over to our books and literature section, where you’ll find everything from author interviews and book reviews to tips and tricks to improve your writing. Alternatively, our arts and culture section has more ideas and advice on other creative pastimes, such as origami, calligraphy, and more.
Do you enjoy writing poetry and have any tips or inspiration to share? We’d love to hear from you in the comments below.
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