People ask me about my poetry writing process and I’m always glad to share my perspective.
Everyone’s writing process is different and mine reflects my idiosyncrasies. I tend to mull ideas over in my head for a period of time, sometimes weeks or months, before it becomes something I write about. I like to explore the human condition; why we feel, think, and act the way we do. Sometimes I write about nature or some other topic. Regardless of the subject, my poems tend to be about things I care about deeply.
Once the idea appears, I sit down and write. I create a preliminary outline or framework which I then keep fine-tuning until it feels complete. I write free verse because I enjoy the flexibility of creating a poem that flows the way I want it to.
I try to only work on the poem until I have a sense it is done, staying away from overworking or embellishing, which tends to unnecessarily complicate things. I pay attention to word choice and try to ensure that each word adds meaning and nuance to the poem.
Because I’m a minimalist at heart and in practice, I’ll edit the poem down to what I consider to be its essence, where it says what I want it to in as few words as possible and still leaves ample room for interpretation by the reader.
Once the poem is done, I’ll add it to my website or a collection I’m working on and move on to the next. I try to write poems as they come to me, without a set schedule or artificial expectations, which helps me maintain my creative energy.
So, there’s a bit about how I write a poem. What’s your poetry-writing process like?
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