How to write poetry – I don’t know about you, back then as a budding creative writer, one of the forms of creative writing I dabbled into was poetry. However, I dropped it like a teenager dropping out of school. Why? It was obvious I didn’t know how to write poetry.
Perhaps if I had Melissa Menny a poet, with a BA in Journalism and an MS in Criminal Justice, to teach me the ropes, I could have stuck with it as a friend sticks to her BFF.
As a poet she has a previously published collection, Mask Shavings, and an upcoming project–My P is political.
Her passion for all things writing stems from her need to inform through storytelling. When she’s not writing, she’s painting, reading, or spending time with her husband and two sons.
Thus if you’re seeking to truly learn how to write poetry, then stick around for some minutes with this article because you will learn one or two tips for writing poetry from Melissa Menny’s experience as a poet.
Let’s dive in…
How To Write Poetry
How did your background in journalism and criminal justice influence your approach to writing poetry?
I’ve been writing poetry since I was nine years old. My environment has always influenced my writing process. Studying journalism and criminal justice are just extensions of my environment.
Both of them have broadened my scope and have inspired me to write about topics that I’ve typically avoided. Topics that are often deemed political.
Can you describe your process for how to write poetry that resonates with readers?
I typically have to feel inspired before I write anything. Music inspires me. Conversations really inspire me. Then, of course, there’s life just happening around me. I sit with ideas from deep conversations, music, and the world around me and then I start writing about it.
I also do what I consider a poetic exercise, which is asking people to give me a word. I use that as a prompt approach and I just start freestyling with whatever ideas come to me from that word. It’s such a fulfilling thing to do when I’m having writer’s block or feeling uninspired.
As a content provider, how do you balance writing poetry with other forms of content creation that your readers enjoy?
I’m still looking for balance. Obviously, the content provider role takes the lead because it’s my consistent way to contribute to my household financially. I do enjoy it because it keeps me in practice as a writer.
Poetry unintentionally tends to take a backseat to that, unless I’m devoting time to a specific project like I am now. I’ve managed to squeeze in time to complete another collection. It has made me a bit of a night owl because that’s the main time I’m able to work on it.
How do your personal experiences as a wife and mom shape the themes in your poetry that readers connect with?
My role as a wife and a mom is more ingrained in the recent poems that I have written. I have two toddlers and I’ve been with my husband for a decade now. I have feelings and thoughts pouring out of me about everything surrounding them. Whether I’m talking about the weight of motherhood postpartum woes or love and intimacy, I know a lot of women can relate to that.
What advice would you give to readers who are just starting to learn how to write poetry?
I would tell them to just write. Before I learned the different forms of poetry and the rules, I just freestyled. Give yourself the freedom to just pour yourself on the page in whatever form that looks like. You can rack your brains about different styles and rules later.
How do you find inspiration for your poetry, and how can readers find their own sources of inspiration?
I love listening to music. I listen to a wide range of genres and they all pull something different from me. Even if it’s just a vocabulary word that I heard in a song. Reading can be a great source of inspiration as well. I think people should start by pulling inspiration from things that they already enjoy and that already inspire a feeling.
Can you share a specific technique or exercise that helps you in writing poetry effectively, which readers might find useful?
As I’ve previously mentioned, I like fishing for prompts from my peers or social media. There are times when I’ll just make a list of words that I want to make titles out of and I’ll write from there.
How does your belief in evolution influence the way you approach writing poetry that engages readers?
My beliefs sometimes echo in my poems. Not often, but at times I believe it’s obvious. Especially recently. I’ve written more poems that are anti misogyny in many areas, including the church. I’ve been feeling more confident enough to not sugarcoat my beliefs or perspectives and it’s shown more in my recent work.
In what ways do you think being blessed and loved as a mother and wife impact your poetry writing process, and how can readers draw from their own experiences?
I think I’ve been experiencing a love that has allowed me to feel a huge sense of freedom. I’m more in touch with myself as a woman and I feel everything. As a mother and a wife, you are forced to face yourself and your emotions all day, and every day. Because I want to parent healthily and I want to communicate effectively, I have to peel back those layers all the time.
So, I’m very in tune with myself. That has allowed me to write beyond just my imagination and ideas. The lives we live and the world around us are art. It’s the story we can tell. It’s poetry. That’s how I view my experiences and that’s how anyone aspiring to write poetry should view their world.
How important is it to have a supportive environment, like your family and friends, when learning how to write poetry, and how can writers cultivate their own support systems?
It’s very important to have a supportive environment with anything. But if not, be your biggest cheerleader first and always.
My siblings were and still are some of my biggest supporters. They were the first to encourage and celebrate my writing. That meant so much to me as a little girl. It was the first fuel that made me believe that I had a gift.
Excerpts
“The blessing you blessed is now considered my curse
You see a burden in the life I conceived once birthed
You see grace as a handout for what you view as wrong
Anyone you’ve othered is voided of mercy and doesn’t beong”
- Prayers of the Righteous
“The mom of a superhero is no easy job
Particularly when your description is God
When your hair is wool when your skin is Black
When your magic is suspected of an attack”
- Raising A Black Superhero
“My blackness whispers in a world where I’m gone
In a crowd of billions, my cry is a chameleon
Blending into the background of a jazz song”
- The Perfect Victim
“My cries were always in rewind, where waterfalls never touched my face. My demand to be recognized and safe were words scribbled and erased. And when I desperately wanted to speak, my airways filled with doubt and unscrambled slurs.”
- The Ariel curse
Let’s wrap up
Unlike novels, drama, novellas, etc, that allow for voluminous words, poetry, on the other hand, gives room for little words. That is why we have poetries like the sonnet which is a poem of 15 lines, or the ode, a short lyrical poem that sings praises of someone.
However, you’ll agree that poetry is a form of creative writing that conveys deep meaning with carefully selected words. Back in college, I enjoyed poetry and some of the poetries I found to be amazing were To His Coy Mistress by Andrew Marvel and The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost.
Interestingly I’m not a poet but I can tell you for sure that to learn how to write poetry you must start writing and like Melissa said make a list of what you want to write and write them. Above I wish all the best.
Click here to learn how to write stories as shared by Asma also connect with Melissa on X.
