Poetry Tips: Deciding on a form

Poems come in all shapes and sizes. Some rhyme, some don't, some have highly complex structures and patterns, some are three lines long. It can be hard to decide which form to begin writing in and which one will better suit your ideas. I like to use a range of formats in my own writing, as I often find that If I write multiple poems in the same way, I feel like I'm just recycling them and am not pushing the boundaries to make something unique. I believe there is a place for all kinds of poetry forms, and it may just be a case of getting lost in different examples to see what works best. There are endless combinations of patterns and structures, yet I have some tips to narrow down your choice of format.

1. Read as much poetry as you can

The best way to familiarise yourself with styles and formats of poetry is by reading as much as you simply can. It sounds obvious, but it's so true. Reading allows us to generate ideas, looking at what other poets do that we like, noticing things that we have never done or thought about before. The more we read, the more references we build-up, and the more creative we can become in the writing process. An excellent free place to read tons of fresh new poetry is on the poetizer app, which is completely free. You can share your poems here too.

2. Look at the traditional themes

Before deciding on the chosen form for your poem, you might wish to have a look deeper into the history and tradition of this format. A classic example of this could be the sonnet, which traditionally has been used to present the theme of love by writers such as Shakespeare, Pablo Neruda and Elizabeth Bishop just to name a few. By researching, we can really consider if our theme and subject matter is complemented by the format in which it is written.

3. Don't put too much pressure on it.

It's important to have options, to consider how we may want a poem to be presented, yet don't let that get in the way of the initial writing process. Everything can be edited later; bad ideas can be fixed or removed, forms can be changed and reconfigured. Consider the structure of your poem, but not so much that it affects the creativity to start writing. I often let the theme or subject decide the form for me. I begin writing as many ideas down as I can, trying out different forms and structures in the very rough drafting process to see what works well and what doesn't, so I can narrow down my options.

I hope these tips are helpful; let me know how you decide upon a form for your poetry. I'd love to get a discussion going in the comments section; perhaps you have a tip that I haven't mentioned; if so, feel free to get in touch.