Poetry Meme

I am off for a few days to celebrate Thanksgiving with family. I read this meme in several different places and thought to add my own suggestions. Feel free to feel tagged.

Enjoy your holiday.



List at least four things you think a beginning poet should attend to and four mistakes you think a poet should avoid.

Do:
1. have fun with words; write often and with joy
2. read aloud the poetry of others. When you’ve written some yourself, read that aloud, too
3. overwrite, then edit
4. try as many forms as possible to familiarize yourself with the differences between poetry and prose, then experiment

Try not to:
1. be too clever; write the way you speak then spice it up or tone it down or let it be
2. use unfamiliar words; familiarize yourself with them first and use them everywhere until you are comfortable with them
3. overstate the obvious or repeat your point in several different ways so the reader will “get it,” or dress your blue jeans poem in rhinestones
4. force a rhyme at the expense of the rhythm


photo credit: www.thewritersworkshop.net