What are some tips on writing good poetry?

I love poetry, but I am not a very good writer. Any tips on how to write good poetry?

4-15-11: Just a personal opinion: Tempo and pacing are more important to me than rhyme. Even prose, beautifully written, is poetic to me. Also, I am a big fan of "internal rhyme." That is, the rhyme can be within the body of the poem, not always at the end of the written lines. I find lyrics and poems of this kind the most beautiful. I have noticed that some Turkish songs have internal rhyme naturally, probably due to the consistent structure of the language itself.
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4-16-11: Dear MaenthonyPast, I am no prize-winning poet. But I like to write poetry, usually when I am sad or upset. For me, just sitting down with a pen and paper and writing down the feelings as they emerge and the thoughts as they are formed begins the poem. I never know where the poem is going to go. I may be very grieved or distraught, but what comes out sometimes expresses these feelings in a very humorous, though meaningful, way!!

Of course, that is not all. Once the main thoughts/feelings are expressed in whatever way they come out (and sometimes it is in someone else's voice!--as though another person is speaking, not I!), I usually trust to go with that "character's" way of epression. Then I can begin to add more thoughts, begin to pay attention to pacing and where the rhyme (if any) will be; although sometimes rhyme just happens as a part of the process! It sometimes flows easily at the start or once I finally get started . . . up until a certain point.

I give credit to the heavenly Creator of all things for our own wonderfully creative brains and selves. I am proud of my poems, but there is hardly any reason for me to take credit for them. The creative process is something which works in our behalf--we do not know how!--although there is some refining work for which we are responsible. In the end, I see my thoughts and feelings expressed in a way I didn't purposely "make up"--it just "came" to me. And I recognize parts where I worked personally hard or long on refining the poem. But it is always an adventure! Almost as though I am living an experience and, at the end, I am satisfied, my feelings have been expressed and relieved. It doesn't always happen in one sitting or one day, though it may. Sometimes it takes a week or more for the final product.

Please, never write as though you are writing for someone else. Don't think of others. Go inside your own self quietly, if possible. Never think about anyone else ever reading or seeing the poem. It is yours! To do with as you please and to please yourself! If later you decide to share it, wonderful!! Please keep in mind that a pen and paper is more closely tied to your inner-self than a keyboard, where there is a disconnect. The tactile function (feeling the pen in your hands and the touch of the paper); the look of your handwriting itself, even if it is messy, scratched out, and not yet beautiful; and the bodily, mental, and spiritual connection all works together better this way for poetry . . . in my opinion. (I do use the keyboard for stories, though.)

There is also another wonderful way of learning how to write poetry (not my invention!!), which is tried and true, short and simple . . . but not necessarily easy! I will give others a chance to respond with their creative/critical/constructive thoughts and ideas first. . . . And leave you with this opportunity just to trust your own thoughts and feelings as they flow onto paper!!! . . . Then, if you want or wish to hear this ancient poetic formula, I will share that with you. But learn to trust yourself first, if possible. I am very pleased you are interested in writing poetry. It can free the soul.

the best way to write poetry is to close your eyes and think about the thing you like so much after that you will feel that something has been born in your heart that thing is a poem .. so all what you need is to bring that poem to light, so just produce some melodies with soft voice and try to build a melodic structure then you will find the words coming one by one into your mouth, to make a good poem and lovely just try to sing it, singing makes the rythm good but make sure that you are sitting relaxed in a quiet place and good time, i suggest the mid-night or the dawn time before the sun rise.

Originally Posted by echo-of-sea

the best way to write poetry is to close your eyes and think about the thing you like so much after that you will feel that something has been born in your heart ....

Key words for sure. Unless somebody just has an awesome natural talent, it has to come from feeling. In my humble opinion

Keep it short.

Think a lot.

Make it inspirational to the reader - so first get as much inspiration from outside as possible; filter it through your heart and soul and put it into paper.

Always use metaphors to colour your speech and never not to blur the reader.

And remember that sometimes you should trash 999 versions of a poem until the 1000th - that would be your utmost - will appear.
And write everyday, even if the result would be only a single phrase or a verse that you will trash the following morning.

Bon chance!

Do you all realise that this thread was started by a spammer just to advertise Wrinkle Cream, and that Dapps the moderator has removed offending links?

Mixa!!!

You know how to bring people down to earth, Virgo mou!

Soooo our bits of writing "wisdom" were like those pearls thrown before swine...

What a pity.

Thanks for warning - it looks like you REALLY have to read everything before posting on a thread.

Originally Posted by Paul Orhan

Mixa!!!

You know how to bring people down to earth, Virgo mou!

Soooo our bits of writing "wisdom" were like those pearls thrown before swine...

What a pity.

Thanks for warning - it looks like you REALLY have to read everything before posting on a thread.

Exactly Pauly, I was the one who reported this post!

Originally Posted by Mixalopoulos

Do you all realise that this thread was started by a spammer just to advertise Wrinkle Cream, and that Dapps the moderator has removed offending links?

Yeah but in the end it's no big deal because it became a good topic to build on

Originally Posted by Paul Orhan

Keep it short.

Think a lot.

... And remember that sometimes you should trash 999 versions of a poem until the 1000th - that would be your utmost - will appear.
And write everyday, even if the result would be only a single phrase or a verse that you will trash the following morning...

Yeah I agree and endorse this advice as much as anything. With almost everything in life, Practice-Practice-Practice is extremely important, and making mistakes is one of the easiest ways to learn something very specific... as long as we can be open and willing to listen and learn