How to Write Poetry
When You Don’t Know Where to Begin
Introduction
Have you ever wanted to write a poem?
Perhaps you’ve experienced something beautiful.
Fallen in love.
Lost somebody.
Watched an extraordinary sunset.
Or simply felt something so deeply that ordinary words didn’t seem quite enough.
And you thought…
“I’d really love to write a poem about this.”
So you pick up your pen.
Open your notebook.
Stare at the empty page.
And…
Nothing. 😅
Where do you even begin?
Does it have to rhyme?
How long should it be?
Do you need to use beautiful, complicated words?
And what if the only thing you can think of is…
“Roses are red, violets are blue…” 😂
Well, don’t worry.
We’ve all got to start somewhere.
I love writing poetry.
Sometimes it’s romantic.
Sometimes dark.
Sometimes hopeful.
And occasionally it’s something I can’t quite explain until I’ve finished writing it.
But one thing I’ve learned through writing my own poems is that you don’t need to be an expert to express something meaningful.
Far from it!
Emotions and personal experiences have weight.
They matter!
And for me.
Some of my most favourite lines are incredibly simple.
Just a few words.
A feeling.
A moment.
Something I wanted to capture before it disappeared.
And that’s what I love about poetry.
It gives us the freedom to express things in ways that ordinary conversation sometimes can’t.
In this short guide, we’ll explore how to begin writing poetry, where to find inspiration and how to turn a simple thought into something meaningful.
No complicated literary lessons.
No expectation that you’ll become the next Shakespeare.
And definitely no requirement to rhyme “orange” with something. 😅
Just practical advice, examples and a little encouragement to begin.
Contents
1. What Actually Makes Something a Poem?
2. Stop Waiting for the Perfect First Line
3. Start With a Feeling or a Moment
4. Use Your Senses and Imagination
5. Remember That Poetry Doesn’t Have to Rhyme
6. Experiment With Rhythm and Short Lines
7. Discover Different Types of Poetry
8. Edit Your Poem Without Losing Its Heart
9. Try a Seven-Day Poetry Experiment
10. Final Thoughts
1. What Actually Makes Something a Poem?
Let’s begin with a question.
What exactly is poetry?
Because if you’ve ever studied poetry at school, you might remember being asked to identify metaphors, rhyme schemes, syllables and all sorts of complicated techniques.
And perhaps you enjoyed that.
Or perhaps you spent most of the lesson wondering what on earth the poet was talking about. 😅
But poetry doesn’t always have to be complicated.
For me, poetry is a way of using words, imagery and rhythm to express something meaningful.
– A feeling.
– An experience.
– A memory.
– An idea.
– Sometimes it tells a story.
– Sometimes it asks a question.
– And sometimes it simply captures a moment.
Consider these lines:
“The chair is empty.
But every evening,
I still look towards it.”
There’s no rhyme.
No complicated language.
And nothing particularly clever about the words themselves.
But depending on the reader’s experiences, those lines might evoke sadness, love, grief or memories.
That’s one of the wonderful things about poetry.
You don’t always need lots of words to create something powerful.
Sometimes you simply need the right ones.
2. Stop Waiting for the Perfect First Line
I think this is something many writers struggle with.
We sit down.
Ready to create something beautiful.
And immediately put pressure on ourselves to write the most extraordinary opening line imaginable.
Something dramatic.
Meaningful.
Unforgettable.
And preferably worthy of being quoted for the next two hundred years. 😂
But here’s something worth remembering.
Your first line doesn’t have to be your final first line.
You can change it later.
In fact, you can change the entire poem if you want to.
Sometimes I’ll begin with a thought or feeling, write a few lines and discover that the poem is slowly becoming something quite different from what I’d originally imagined.
And that’s okay.
Poetry doesn’t always have to be planned.
Sometimes you discover what you’re trying to say as you’re writing it.
So if you’re struggling to begin, try writing something incredibly simple.
For example:
“I miss you.”
“I remember that day.”
“I wish things were different.”
“Today, I felt happy.”
None of these is particularly poetic.
Yet.
But each could become the beginning of something meaningful.
The important thing is getting something onto the page.
You can make it beautiful later.
3. Start With a Feeling or a Moment
One of my favourite ways to approach poetry is to begin with an emotion.
Or a moment that stays with me.
Perhaps happiness.
Love.
Loneliness.
Hope.
Fear.
Or something that makes me stop and think.
You don’t have to begin with an enormous subject.
Sometimes the smallest moments can inspire beautiful writing.
Imagine somebody remembering a person they love.
You could begin with:
“I remember your smile.”
Then ask yourself:
What made that smile special?
Where were you?
How did it make you feel?
Perhaps:
“I remember your smile.
The way it found me
Even on the darkest days.”
Suddenly, you’ve started creating something.
It’s simple.
But there’s emotion behind it.
Try this
Think of one moment from your life.
Something that made you feel strongly.
Write down three things:
1. What happened?
2. How did it make me feel?
3. What do I remember most clearly?
Now use those answers to create a few lines.
Don’t worry about making them rhyme.
Just focus on capturing the feeling.
4. Use Your Senses and Imagination
One of the loveliest things about poetry is that it allows readers to experience something through their imagination.
Not just understand it.
But almost feel it.
Think about a beach.
You could write:
“I went to the beach.
It was beautiful.”
Perfectly understandable.
But what made it beautiful?
The sunlight?
The sound of the waves?
The wind against your face?
The smell of the sea?
Perhaps:
“Golden sunlight
Danced upon the waves,
While the ocean whispered
Its secrets to the shore.”
Now the reader has something to imagine.
A picture.
A sound.
A feeling.
Of course, you don’t need to make every sentence descriptive.
Sometimes simple language works better.
But using your senses can help bring a poem to life.
A Short Exercise
Choose somewhere you love.
Perhaps a beach.
A forest.
Your garden.
Or even your favourite coffee shop.
Write down:
– Something you can see.
– Something you can hear.
– Something you can smell.
– Something you can feel.
Now try using two or three of those details in a short poem.
You might be surprised by what you create.
5. Remember That Poetry Doesn’t Have to Rhyme
This is important.
Especially if you’re a beginner.
Poetry doesn’t have to rhyme.
It can.
And rhyming poetry can be absolutely beautiful.
But it isn’t a requirement.
Sometimes trying too hard to make everything rhyme can actually make writing more difficult.
You have a lovely idea.
You write the first line.
Then spend twenty minutes searching for something that rhymes with heart.
Start.
Part.
Art.
Shopping cart.
And suddenly your romantic poem has taken a rather unexpected direction. 😂
There’s nothing wrong with rhyme.
But don’t let it control everything you want to say.
For example:
“I waited by the window,
Watching the rain,
Hoping you’d come home.”
No rhyme.
But still poetry.
This is an example of “free verse”, where you have more freedom with rhythm, rhyme and structure.
It’s something I’d encourage beginners to experiment with.
Because sometimes removing the pressure to rhyme allows your natural voice and emotions to come through more clearly.
And you can always explore rhyming poetry later.
6. Experiment With Rhythm and Short Lines
Here’s something I’ve learned through writing my own poetry.
Where you place your words can be almost as important as the words themselves.
Consider:
“I wanted to tell you how much I loved you, but I was afraid.”
Now compare it with:
“I wanted to tell you
How much
I loved you.
But…
I was afraid.”
The words are almost identical.
Yet the second version feels different.
It slows the reader down.
Creates pauses.
And perhaps makes the emotion feel stronger.
That’s one of the things I enjoy experimenting with.
Short lines.
Longer lines.
Repetition.
Silence.
And those little pauses that give readers time to absorb something.
But remember, not every poem needs lots of short lines.
Sometimes a flowing sentence is exactly what you need.
Try reading your poem aloud
This is one of the simplest ways to discover whether your poem feels natural.
Read it slowly.
Listen to the rhythm.
Notice where you instinctively pause.
Does anything feel awkward?
Would changing a line break make it stronger?
Sometimes moving just one word onto a different line can completely change the feeling of a poem.
And experimenting is half the fun.
7. Discover Different Types of Poetry
One of the wonderful things about poetry is just how many different forms it can take.
You don’t have to choose one style and stick with it forever.
For example:
Free verse
Poetry without a fixed rhyme scheme or regular rhythm.
Wonderful for exploring emotions and ideas freely.
Rhyming poetry
Poems that use matching sounds to create rhythm, musicality or emphasis.
Haiku
A traditional Japanese poetry form, often associated with nature and a moment of observation. The familiar English-language version uses three lines of five, seven and five syllables.
Narrative poetry
Poems that tell a story, sometimes with characters, dialogue and events.
Acrostic poetry
Poems where the first letters of each line spell out a word or message.
And there are many more.
Personally, I enjoy experimenting with different approaches.
Some poems are romantic.
Others darker and more reflective.
And sometimes I enjoy the challenge of expressing an entire idea in just a few lines.
My advice?
Don’t worry about choosing your favourite style immediately.
Try different things.
Discover what feels natural.
And allow your interests to develop as you gain confidence.
8. Edit Your Poem Without Losing Its Heart
Now comes an important part of writing.
Editing.
Because even when a poem comes from somewhere deeply personal, that doesn’t necessarily mean every word is perfect.
Sometimes we repeat ourselves unnecessarily.
Use a word that doesn’t quite fit.
Or write a line that sounds wonderful in our heads but rather strange when we read it aloud. 😅
So it’s worth taking a little time to improve your work.
But there’s something I’d encourage you to remember.
Don’t edit the emotion out of your poem.
Sometimes a slightly unusual sentence or unexpected pause is exactly what makes the writing interesting.
When editing, ask yourself:
– Does this poem express what I wanted to say?
– Are there any unnecessary words?
– Does it sound natural when read aloud?
– Could a simpler word work better?
– Does the ending feel meaningful?
And don’t be afraid to leave a poem alone for a day or two.
Sometimes returning with fresh eyes helps you recognise things you hadn’t noticed before.
I’ve certainly experienced that.
Occasionally, a line I thought was wonderful turns out to need some improvement.
And sometimes a line I wasn’t particularly sure about becomes my favourite part.
That’s writing for you. 😂
9. Try a Seven-Day Poetry Experiment
If you’re still unsure where to begin, here’s a little challenge I’d love you to try.
Seven days.
One short poem each day.
And no pressure to create anything extraordinary.
Day 1 — A Happy Memory
Write four to six lines about something that made you smile.
Day 2 — Nature
Choose something from the natural world.
Rain.
Sunshine.
The sea.
A flower.
Write about what you notice.
Day 3 — Love
Write about somebody or something you love.
It doesn’t have to be romantic.
Day 4 — A Difficult Emotion
Choose sadness, fear, loneliness or another challenging emotion.
Try expressing it without directly naming it.
Day 5 — Something Ordinary
Choose an everyday object.
A coffee mug.
A photograph.
An empty chair.
See whether you can turn it into something meaningful.
Day 6 — Experiment
Try a style you haven’t used yet.
Perhaps a haiku.
A rhyming poem.
Or a very short free-verse poem.
Day 7 — Your Favourite
Look back at everything you’ve written.
Choose your favourite poem.
Read it aloud.
Make a few improvements.
And then ask yourself:
“Did I create something that didn’t exist seven days ago?”
If the answer is yes…
Wonderful.
Because that’s exactly what you set out to do. 🤗
And perhaps you’ll have discovered a type of poetry you’d love to explore further.
10. Final Thoughts
I think there’s something rather beautiful about poetry.
Because sometimes we experience things that are difficult to explain.
Love.
Loss.
Hope.
Happiness.
Those little moments in life that stay with us long after they’ve passed.
And poetry gives us a way to capture them.
Not always perfectly.
Not always beautifully.
But in a way that means something to us.
And perhaps to somebody else too.
You don’t need to be Shakespeare.
You don’t need an enormous vocabulary.
And you certainly don’t need to understand every complicated literary technique before you begin.
You simply need something you want to express.
A thought.
A memory.
A feeling.
Or even a question you haven’t quite found the answer to.
And a willingness to try.
Some poems will be wonderful.
Others might not quite work.
And some you’ll probably read back a few weeks later and wonder what on earth you were thinking. 😂
That’s okay.
Because every poem teaches you something.
About language.
Imagination.
Emotion.
And sometimes yourself.
So don’t spend forever wondering whether you’re capable of writing poetry.
Pick up your pen.
Find a quiet moment.
And write something.
Anything.
Perhaps just three lines.
Or even three words.
Because you never know where those first few words might lead.
And wouldn’t it be wonderful if something you wrote one day helped somebody else feel a little less alone?
You’ve got this.
Jonathan x