But I always write [free verse, epic poems, fill-in-the-blank]. So,
why change? There’s nothing wrong with specializing in a certain
form, or having a favorite. But sometimes it’s good to stretch, to
challenge yourself, to grow.
If you usually write short poems, see if you can explore, dig deeper,
continue the story further. If your poems all tend to fill one page,
how about trying to capture the essence, maybe one strong image,
in a haiku, senryu, or other type of micro-poem.
Do your poems always rhyme? Experiment with not rhyming; this
may be easier if you start with a prose poem, still poetic in tone,
though in sentences and paragraph format. Free verse your style?
Great, but think what you might learn from tackling a formal poem.
Pantoum, anyone?
Try a cherita, a tanka, a sonnet. Look up various kinds of poems;
there are lots of them! The Poetry Foundation is one resource:
May be going out on a limb here (sorry, couldn’t resist), but you
might find a new favorite and maybe even discover that you like
branching out.
(ornamental quince, Manfred Richter, Pixabay)
These tips may be geared more toward poets, but we also welcome submissions
from writers of nonfiction and from artists, including photographers.
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