I've been trying a getting into the habit of creating a daily writing practice so I can creating my poems for publication, but I don't always know the next poem I want to write, I have nothing else to put to a poem(s) I'm currently working on, and I've written every practice list I could think of (alliteration, metaphors, etc.)
Does anyone have any tips, ideas, or exercises that can help to increase my completion of poems and increase my wordplay?
look around
Almost anything you see can be a suitable subject. Heck I even wrote a poem about a dead dog on the roadside once lol
So basically pick a prompt,
So basically pick a prompt, any prompt?
Aren't
ALL poems begun by a prompt of some type. But i understand your point. After over 700 poems I find myself running out of subjects and having to write on the same subjects from different viewpoints and such
Pop up ideas
Alot of times I get ideas that pop up in my head, but don't know where to go with them or have some idea and then get stuck and can't finish the poem.
lol
i have innumerable unfinished orphan poems lying around. i think it happens when i have a good beginning for a poem and start writing before I have a decent ending in mind. But just keep on writing and you'll get better just by practice
Yea maybe, but who really
Yea maybe, but who really comes up with a good ending before writing the poem
there
have been times when the ending actually came to me first and I had to "reverse engineer" to the beginning
I know what...
you are saying. I agree that it can be frustrating to have a great idea and then just run out of steam
when you get to a certain point. There are times when I have that problem too. I sometimes do what Scribbler does and start at the end and work my way back. Of course, my 'Killer' poems most usually end with the demise and consumption of the bad guy, so it is not much trouble to see where to go with it, just how to get there. One thing that helps in getting there with any subject, is to be willing to change or delete lines that you have already written. [I know, sometimes, they are just so good that you can't bear to edit them out]. Well, they aren't really so good if they keep you from moving forward and/or finishing. Sometimes I write them down in a notebook that I keep for just that purpose. I have another for subjects that I want to pursue at a later date. Think about where you would like the subject to go before start writing. It is not necessary to write a poem every day in order to be a good poet. Don't be in a hurry to finish a work. If you are stuck, put it aside for a little bit. While there are times that I just write right through, if I do get stuck, I do something else for a while, like go get lunch, do an errand or just play a game or something. Just let your brain work on it sub-consciously. I'm sure that you will find your own answers and what works for you, just keep writing. ~ Geezer.
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