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Zero in on the Details

Zero in on the Details-Focus on the Small Moments That Make up a Larger Experience

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When it comes to poetry, sometimes it’s the small moments that can have the biggest impact. Focusing on small details can make a poem more relatable and vivid, as it allows readers to see and experience the world through the poet’s eyes. By zeroing in on specific moments or images, a poet can create a sense of intimacy with the reader and draw them into the poem.

“Your Hands” by Angelina Weld Grimké is a poem that exemplifies the importance of zeroing in on the details and focusing on small moments in poetry. The poem describes the speaker’s observations of their lover’s hands, and how the smallest gestures and movements of those hands evoke powerful emotions and memories.

Your Hands – By Angelina Weld Grimké

I love your hands:
They are big hands, firm hands, gentle hands;
Hair grows on the back near the wrist . . . .
I have seen the nails broken and stained
From hard work.
And yet, when you touch me,
I grow small . . . . . . . and quiet . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . And happy . . . . . . . .
If I might only grow small enough
To curl up into the hollow of your palm,
Your left palm,
Curl up, lie close and cling,
So that I might know myself always there,
. . . . . . . Even if you forgot.

Throughout the poem, Grimké uses precise language and vivid descriptions to capture the sensory details of the hands. These details create a clear and vivid picture in the reader’s mind, allowing them to imagine the hands and the emotions they evoke.

By focusing on the small moments of observing the lover’s hands, Grimké is able to convey a larger experience of love and intimacy. The hands become a metaphor for the deep emotional connection between the speaker and their lover, and the memories and experiences that they share. Through the poem’s attention to detail, the reader is able to connect with the speaker’s emotions and experiences on a deeper level.

“Your Hands” is a powerful example of how focusing on small details can create a more immersive and emotionally resonant experience in poetry. By zeroing in on the hands and the movements and emotions they evoke, Grimké is able to create a powerful and memorable poem.

So, zero in on the details-focus on the small moments that make up a larger experience.

Hope you found this tip useful.

This post is a part of the #BlogchatterA2Z 2023 challenge.

With this tip, my #BlogchatterA2Z challenge for the year comes to an end. You now have The Poet’s Alphabet comprising 26 secrets for crafting beautiful poetry for your perusal. I hope these tips were helpful to you and that you will find them handy while crafting poetry. Thank you for reading and engaging with the posts; it means a lot to me.

You can find the links to all 26 tips in the following post. Check it out!

Thank you!

Yearn for Authenticity

Welcome! I’m participating in the #BlogchatterA2Z challenge where I’ll share 26 posts on the theme “The Poet’s Alphabet: 26 Secrets for Crafting Beautiful Poetry”. In each post, I’ll offer bite-sized tips and tricks for crafting and perfectly editing poetry. Today’s tip is:

Yearn for Authenticity

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Authenticity is the quality of being genuine, true to oneself, and honest. It is an essential element of great poetry because it allows one to create work that resonates with readers on a deeper level. In today’s world, it can be easy to get carried away with trends and write what we think others want to hear, rather than what we genuinely experience and feel. However, when we do this, our work can come across as insincere or forced.

On the other hand, writing from personal experiences, emotions, and unique voice enables poets to create work that is more relatable and impactful. Authentic poetry is not just about expressing emotions or experiences, but expressing them in a way that is true to oneself. By writing from a place of honesty and vulnerability, we can connect with readers in a way that feels genuine and authentic.

Therefore, the yearning for authenticity is essential to writing great poetry. To achieve this, we must be willing to explore our emotions and experiences with openness and honesty and be true to our unique voices. In doing so, we can create work that resonates with readers profoundly, making poetry a powerful tool for connection and self-expression.

Hope you found this tip useful.

See you with another tip, tomorrow.

This post is a part of the #BlogchatterA2Z 2023 challenge.

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eXperiment With Punctuation To Create New Effects and Rhythms

Welcome! I’m participating in the #BlogchatterA2Z challenge where I’ll share 26 posts on the theme “The Poet’s Alphabet: 26 Secrets for Crafting Beautiful Poetry”. In each post, I’ll offer bite-sized tips and tricks for crafting and perfectly editing poetry. Today’s tip is:

eXperiment With Punctuation To Create New Effects and Rhythms

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Punctuation isn’t just about following the rules – it can also be used creatively to create new effects and rhythms in your poems. By playing with punctuation (such as using a dash or ellipses to create pauses or breaks), you can create a unique voice and style in your work.

Emily Dickinson’s poem “Because I Could Not Stop for Death” is an excellent example of how punctuation can be used creatively to create new effects and rhythms in poetry. In the poem, Dickinson uses dashes and periods to create pauses and breaks that enhance the poem’s meaning and add to its unique voice and style.

For example, the first stanza of the poem reads:

Because I could not stop for Death – He kindly stopped for me –
The carriage held but just ourselves –
And Immortality.

The use of the dash after “Death” creates a pause that emphasizes the importance of this character in the poem. It also sets the tone for the rest of the poem, creating a sense of suspense and foreboding.

Similarly, the use of the dash in the second line creates a pause that allows the reader to reflect on the idea of Death “kindly” stopping for the speaker. This use of punctuation adds to the poem’s unique voice and style, creating a sense of melancholy and introspection that is characteristic of Dickinson’s work.

Thus by playing with punctuation, you can create new effects and rhythms that enhance their work and make it stand out.

Hope you found this tip useful.

See you with another tip, tomorrow.

This post is a part of the #BlogchatterA2Z 2023 challenge.

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Write From Different Perspectives To Add Depth and Complexity

Welcome! I’m participating in the #BlogchatterA2Z challenge where I’ll share 26 posts on the theme “The Poet’s Alphabet: 26 Secrets for Crafting Beautiful Poetry”. In each post, I’ll offer bite-sized tips and tricks for crafting and perfectly editing poetry. Today’s tip is:

Write From Different Perspectives To Add Depth and Complexity

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Have you ever considered exploring different perspectives in your writing? It can be a great way to create work that feels rich and complex. By writing from a different gender, race, or time period, you can gain new insights and challenge your own assumptions and biases. This can help you create work that is more universal and relatable, speaking to a broader audience.

For example, if you’re used to writing from a male perspective, try writing from a female perspective or vice versa. If you always write about contemporary issues, try writing from the perspective of a historical figure or a character in a different time period. This can open up new avenues for your creativity and help you craft more diverse and engaging work.

A good example of this is my poem, “Swatantra – A Poem on Independence,” where I wrote from the perspective of the land to convey the idea of freedom and independence in a more profound way. Writing from a different perspective allowed me to use personification and repetition to create a powerful and memorable piece that challenges the reader’s assumptions and biases about what it means to be independent.

An excerpt from the poem, Swatantra

I can be the barren land-isolated
or a fertile field-decorated
deep inside lies my untouched soul
the essence of being immortal

From dust I become-to end
into the dust, a cycle of pretend
in ‘tween, a soul-free, identity independent
singing the song of freedom, eternally coherent

The shackles of your conditioning
never do they define my being
I stretch, I flow, I change yet forever glow
in the gentle breeze, even in a stormy blow

Read the full poem here:

Hope you found this tip useful.

See you with another tip, tomorrow.

This post is a part of the #BlogchatterA2Z 2023 challenge.

Visualize Your Poems

Welcome! I’m participating in the #BlogchatterA2Z challenge where I’ll share 26 posts on the theme “The Poet’s Alphabet: 26 Secrets for Crafting Beautiful Poetry”. In each post, I’ll offer bite-sized tips and tricks for crafting and perfectly editing poetry. Today’s tip is:

Visualize Your Poems

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Visualize your poems as you write to create powerful imagery. Visualizing your poems can help create strong imagery and bring your work to life. By imagining the scenes, characters, and emotions of your poem, you can create a rich, immersive experience for your readers.

When you visualize your poems, you allow yourself to be more creative and spontaneous in your writing. By freeing yourself from the constraints of logic and reason, you can explore the depths of your imagination and bring forth unexpected and compelling images that will captivate your readers’ attention.

Hope you found this tip useful.

See you with another tip, tomorrow.

This post is a part of the #BlogchatterA2Z 2023 challenge.

Suggested Read:

Use Repetition for Emphasis


Welcome! I’m participating in the #BlogchatterA2Z challenge where I’ll share 26 posts on the theme “The Poet’s Alphabet: 26 Secrets for Crafting Beautiful Poetry”. In each post, I’ll offer bite-sized tips and tricks for crafting and perfectly editing poetry. Today’s tip is:

Use Repetition for Emphasis

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Repetition can be a powerful tool in poetry, allowing you to emphasize key ideas or themes. Experiment with repeating words, phrases, or even entire lines to create a sense of rhythm and resonance in your work.

Maya Angelou’s poem “Still I Rise” is a great example of how repetition can be used to emphasize key ideas and themes. Throughout the poem, Angelou repeats the phrase “I rise” as a way of asserting her strength and resilience in the face of adversity. By repeating this phrase, Angelou creates a sense of rhythm and momentum that builds throughout the poem.

For example, in the second stanza of the poem, Angelou writes:

"Just like moons and like suns, 
With the certainty of tides,
Just like hopes springing high, 
Still I'll rise."

The repetition of “Just like” in this stanza emphasizes the idea that Angelou’s strength is as natural and inevitable as the movements of the moon and sun. The repetition of “Still I’ll rise” at the end of the stanza reinforces the idea that no matter what challenges she faces, she will always persevere.

Angelou also uses repetition to emphasize the importance of identity and self-worth. In the fourth stanza, she writes:

"Leaving behind nights of terror and fear
I rise 
Into a daybreak that's wondrously clear 
I rise"

The repetition of “I rise” in these lines serves as a reminder that Angelou’s identity and sense of self-worth cannot be taken away by external circumstances. The repetition also creates a sense of uplift and hope, as if each repetition is a step upward toward a brighter future.

So now you know how repetition can be used as a powerful technique to emphasize key ideas and themes, creating a sense of rhythm and momentum that propels the poem forward.

Suggested Read: Thou Art Love- A poem where I have used repetition to emphasise the core idea of the poem.

Hope you found this tip useful.

See you with another tip, tomorrow.

This post is a part of the #BlogchatterA2Z 2023 challenge.

Trust Your Instincts

Welcome! I’m participating in the #BlogchatterA2Z challenge where I’ll share 26 posts on the theme “The Poet’s Alphabet: 26 Secrets for Crafting Beautiful Poetry”. In each post, I’ll offer bite-sized tips and tricks for crafting and perfectly editing poetry. Today’s tip is:

Trust Your Instincts

Designed by the Author using CanvaTrust Your Instincts

As a poet, it’s important to trust your instincts when it comes to your creative process. Your intuition is the inner voice that guides you towards the right path, and it can help you create poetry that is authentic and true to yourself. Here are a few reasons why trusting your instincts is important in poetry:

  1. Your instincts help you tap into your emotions: When you write poetry, you’re tapping into your emotions and trying to express them through words. Trusting your instincts can help you identify the emotions that are driving your work, and allow you to express them in a way that is true to your feelings.
  2. Your instincts can help you find your voice: Each poet has a unique voice, and trusting your instincts can help you discover yours. By following your intuition, you can explore themes and styles that resonate with you, and create poetry that is uniquely yours.
  3. Your instincts can lead you towards creative breakthroughs: Sometimes, the best poetry comes from taking risks and trying something new. By trusting your instincts, you may discover new ways of approaching your writing, and find unexpected creative breakthroughs.
  4. Your instincts help you create authentic work: When you write poetry that is true to your instincts, you’re creating work that is authentic and honest. This kind of work is often the most powerful, as it speaks to the reader in a genuine and meaningful way.

In short, trusting your instincts when it comes to poetry can help you tap into your emotions, find your voice, make creative breakthroughs, and create authentic work. So if something feels right or important to you, don’t be afraid to explore it further and see where it takes you.

Hope you found this tip useful.

See you with another tip, tomorrow.

This post is a part of the #BlogchatterA2Z 2023 challenge.

Show, Don’t Tell

Welcome! I’m participating in the #BlogchatterA2Z challenge where I’ll share 26 posts on the theme “The Poet’s Alphabet: 26 Secrets for Crafting Beautiful Poetry”. In each post, I’ll offer bite-sized tips and tricks for crafting and perfectly editing poetry. Today’s tip is:

Show, Don’t Tell

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“Show, don’t tell” is a common piece of advice in creative writing, and it applies to poetry as well. By using sensory details and vivid descriptions, poets can create a more immersive experience for their readers, allowing them to feel and see what the poem is conveying.

In the poem “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” by T.S. Eliot, the speaker describes the evening sky as “Like a patient etherized upon a table.” This vivid metaphor shows the reader the dullness and lifelessness of the scene, rather than simply telling them that it’s boring.

In the poem “Palanquin Bearers” by Sarojini Naidu Lightly, by the verses,

O lightly we bear her along, 
She sways like a flower in the wind of our song; 
She skims like a bird on the foam of a stream, 
She floats like a laugh from the lips of a dream.

Naidu shows the reader the lightness and grace of the palanquin bearers by using vivid similes like the flower swaying in the wind and the bird skimming on the foam of a stream.

In each of these examples, the poets show their readers the emotions, scenes and experiences rather than simply telling them. This approach helps to create a more immersive and engaging experience for the reader, bringing them into the poem’s world and emotions.

Hope you found this tip useful.

See you with another tip, tomorrow.

This post is a part of the #BlogchatterA2Z 2023 challenge.

Suggested Read:

Read Your Poem Aloud

Welcome! I’m participating in the #BlogchatterA2Z challenge where I’ll share 26 posts on the theme “The Poet’s Alphabet: 26 Secrets for Crafting Beautiful Poetry”. In each post, I’ll offer bite-sized tips and tricks for crafting and perfectly editing poetry. Today’s tip is:

Read Your Poem Aloud

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Reading your poem aloud is an essential step in editing and crafting better poetry. When you read your poem out loud, you’re able to hear the rhythm and flow of your words, which can help you identify areas that need improvement.

Here are a few ways that reading your poem aloud can help you craft better poetry:

  1. Check for rhythm and meter: Poetry relies on rhythm and meter to create a sense of musicality and flow. By reading your poem aloud, you can identify areas where the rhythm is off or the meter is inconsistent. You can then make adjustments to improve the overall musicality of your poem.
  2. Evaluate the sound of your words: Certain words have a musical quality to them, while others can sound jarring or disruptive. When you read your poem aloud, pay attention to the sound of your words and consider whether they add to or detract from the overall effect of your poem.
  3. Assess the pacing and tone of your poem: The pacing and tone of your poem can have a big impact on how it’s received by readers. When you read your poem aloud, you can get a sense of how the pacing and tone affect the overall mood and message of your poem. This can help you make adjustments to create a more impactful poem.
  4. Check for clarity and coherence: Sometimes, it’s hard to identify areas where your poem may be unclear or disjointed when you’re reading it silently. Reading your poem aloud can help you identify areas where the meaning or message of your poem isn’t coming across clearly, allowing you to make revisions and clarify your ideas.

In short, reading your poem aloud is a crucial step in crafting better poetry. By doing so, you can identify areas for improvement in terms of rhythm, sound, pacing, and clarity, and make revisions that enhance the overall impact of your poem.

Hope you found this tip useful.

See you with another tip, tomorrow.

This post is a part of the #BlogchatterA2Z 2023 challenge.

Question Everything – Don’t Be Afraid To Challenge Conventions

Welcome! I’m participating in the #BlogchatterA2Z challenge where I’ll share 26 posts on the theme “The Poet’s Alphabet: 26 Secrets for Crafting Beautiful Poetry”. In each post, I’ll offer bite-sized tips and tricks for crafting and perfectly editing poetry. Today’s tip is:

Question Everything – Don’t Be Afraid To Challenge Conventions

The beauty of poetry lies in its ability to transcend boundaries and push against conventions. While there are certainly rules and traditions within the world of poetry, it’s important to remember that they are not set in stone. By questioning these conventions and exploring new forms, styles, and techniques, you can create work that is uniquely your own.

One of the most powerful tools for questioning conventions is experimentation. Try writing in a different form, style, or genre than you’re used to. Take risks with your language and structure; don’t be afraid to challenge traditional ideas or philosophies. For example, you could experiment with writing a sonnet that doesn’t follow the traditional rhyme scheme, or use free verse to explore a topic typically associated with more structured forms.

Another way to challenge conventions is to explore new and unexpected themes. Don’t be afraid to tackle difficult or taboo subjects, or to approach familiar topics from a fresh perspective. By exploring new ideas and experiences, you can create work that is both innovative and meaningful.

Rumi’s poem “The Guest House” is a beautiful example of how questioning conventions and experimenting with new forms and styles can lead to fresh and exciting poetry. The poem, which is a metaphor for the human experience, compares the mind to a guest house and suggests that we should welcome all emotions and experiences, even those that we may initially perceive as negative.

The Guest House

Jalaluddin Rumi (Translated by Coleman Barks)

This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.

A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor.

Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they’re a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of its furniture,
still, treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out
for some new delight.

The dark thought, the shame, the malice,
meet them at the door laughing,
and invite them in.

Be grateful for whoever comes,
because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond.

In addition to experimenting with form and language, Rumi’s use of plain and accessible language is also notable. Rather than relying on complex or ornate language, Rumi uses simple language that is easy for readers to understand. This approach was unconventional in his time, as many poets of his era favoured more complex language to convey their ideas.

Ultimately, questioning conventions is about staying true to your own unique voice and vision as a writer. By pushing against boundaries and exploring new possibilities, you can create work that is fresh, exciting, and truly your own.

Hope you found this tip useful.

See you with another tip, tomorrow.

This post is a part of the #BlogchatterA2Z 2023 challenge.

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