Poetry Writing Process: Finding Inspiration and Overcoming Writer’s Block

Why is inspiration essential for a writer?

Inspiration is the one thing that all writers need to produce great work. It can be hard to find, but the results are always worth it when a writer is inspired. Here are three reasons why inspiration is so important for writers:

Inspiration Gives You Something to Write About.

Inspiration gives you ideas and topics to write about so that you can share your thoughts and stories with the world. Without it, you would have nothing to say or face constant frustration at a blank screen.

Inspiration Helps You Write Better.

Your writing will naturally be better when you’re inspired than when you’re not. This is so that your words will reflect your passion for the subject matter, which inspiration instills in you.

Inspiration Helps You See Ideas in Original or Creative Ways.

When writing poems or even writing in other genres, life is a series of connections waiting to be discovered and introduced to offer new insights or solve problems. When the poet’s creative well is depleted and seeks to transform abstract imagery into concrete words, he begins by engaging his five senses with the natural world filled with striking images.

Where does inspiration come from for poets?

Inspiration for poets can come from many different places. It could be an experience, something they saw or felt. It could be something as simple as a walk in the park or watching the sunset. Sometimes, inspiration can come from other poets’ work. Reading poetry can help inspire new ideas and thoughts. Hearing a specific word or phrase can also be inspiring. There are no rules when it comes to where inspiration comes from. It is different for everyone.

Inspiration is often an overlooked great source of depth to the creative writing process; instead, the poet will emphasize the various figurative language, poetic elements, and literary devices for their free verse poem and wonder why they stare at a blank page. The most straightforward poetry writing tips are the simple ones, such as reading and collecting as many sources of inspiration as the writer does writing. Also, before thinking about which poetry forms to use, try free writing to test if you have enough information to pour out the abstract words into written words rather than bogged down by poetic elements in the first draft.

How to overcome writer’s block when it comes to poetry with inspiration

There are many ways to overcome writer’s block when it comes to poetry:

• One way is to take a break from writing and come back with fresh ideas, like walking in nature.
• Another way is to read other poems for inspiration or different genres like fantasy or short stories.
• Try drifting, which involves other activities like playing a video game. At the same time, your creative well fills up and subtly receives inspiration from drifting activities.
• Lastly, try writing in a different style or form to break out of the rut. For instance, writing the poem in the sonnet form.

Read relevant poems that fall within the theme, mood, emotion/feeling, and meaning of your poem or collection. This includes both bodies of work by a single author or an anthology of authors. If you’re writing a love poem collection, find a collection of love poems.

I advise reading it aloud for pure entertainment on your first reading. Then, on subsequent readings, pay attention to the poem’s form, meter, line breaks, stanzas, words, and phrases. You should also research the poet’s life story and the poem’s context to better understand their linguistic choices.

Thus, this information will inspire and enhance your work with each revision where you subconsciously play with language. I recommend rereading the relevant poems throughout the poetry process until you have your final edited manuscript. Also, there is value to reading outside the genre, so feel free to take inspiration from other sources.

Example

In the poetry collection book, The Cool and Warmth of Hearts—I drew constant inspiration from the following books in my book journey:

• Love Poems by Barnes & Noble
• Pocket Book of Romantic Poetry by Barnes & Noble
• Love Poem Collection: The Greatest Love Poems and Love Quotes of All Times

While writing and revising my book, I would constantly revisit many poems found in these books and learn something new that helped inspire me.

Process with Examples

If you’re someone who loves to read my entire poetry writing process with examples, then you can check out my free download, where I provide the following:

• I provide the entire poetry writing process with an example poem published in my book, The Cool and Warmth of Hearts, from start to finish.
• I provide this in several formats for free, such as a PDF and JPG with an infographic.
• Lastly, the Google Doc template I use for every poem can be downloaded in other formats, e.g., .docx, .odt, and more.

Here is the link to it, and I hope you enjoy it! Thanks—Poetry Writing Process

The Gist

When it comes to writing poetry, inspiration is key. By drawing upon your own experiences and emotions, you can create powerfully and moving poems that resonate with readers. However, it can be difficult to access your inspiration at times. Here are some tips to help you get started:

1. Keep a journal: This is a great way to capture your thoughts and feelings as they come to you. Over time, you will build up a rich store of material you can draw upon when writing poetry.
2. Observe the world around you: Pay attention to your surroundings and the people in your life. Look for small details and moments that could be used as fodder for poetry.
3. Be open to new experiences: Trying new things can also be a great source of inspiration for poetry. When you challenge yourself, you open new thought and expression avenues. Get out of your comfort zone; you never know what you could find there!
4. Be aware of your feelings. As a poet, it is essential to understand the power of emotion. It is not bad to be emotional, but it makes things much more complicated. You must learn to control your emotions and use them to your advantage. You need to understand the different feelings, such as anger, anxiety, sadness, etc. Poetry is an excellent medium for communicating these emotions or even concepts profoundly.
5. Drifting welcomes serendipity: Whether watching a movie, playing a video game, engaging in a sporting event, or even meditating, the subconscious and unconscious are always at work connecting ideas into patterns and being surprised when the vivid picture comes to light.
6. Start writing, and free writing is great when you feel overwhelmed about what it is about, the theme, and what poetic forms you should consider; good poetry is not written with the first draft. The right words happen with deliberate practice and being open to experiences to bring out the deeper meaning only you can do with time.

The next post of the poetry writing process will cover the three phases of writing and revision.