How to Write Freeform Poetry
Read examples of free verse poetry., Use the examples as guides for your poetry., List keywords and images that describe your subject or topic., Create a first draft., Edit the draft.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Read examples of free verse poetry.
Free verse poetry does not have a structure and there are no rules around meter or rhyme scheme.
As the poet, you have the freedom to express yourself any way you would like, while bearing in mind that free verse poetry is still a form of artistic expression.
You can use the freedom of the free verse to create striking images and explore a range of emotions.
To get yourself in the mindset of a free verse poet, you should read several examples, including:“After the Sea-Ship” by Walt Whitman“Little Father” by Li-Young Lee“Winter Poem” by Nikki Giovanni“in Just” by e.e. cummings, Once you review the examples, you should look at how the examples address their subject matter and how they use keywords to discuss their subject in the poem.
Though the form of the poem is open, the poet likely still uses key terms and images to create meaning in the poem.
For example in Li-Young Lee’s poem “Little Father”, Lee uses the topic of his father and flips the idea on its head by calling his father “my strange son”, and “my little root”.
He then imagines his father as a “little pale foot” and a “little clock”.
These strange and vivid images allow Lee to explore the idea of fathers from an interesting perspective.Another good example is Walt Whitman’s “After the Sea-Ship”, where Whitman describes the scene after a ship has passed through a stretch of ocean.
He uses strong images like “white-gray sails” and “myriad waves” to create a strong impression in the reader’s mind.
The poem also builds on image after to image until it follows the movement of waves.
Though the poem is technically not structured, it does have an arc and build up to an ending., In free verse poetry, you have the freedom to play with meter, structure, and language.
To generate content for your poem, you can write down a list of keywords and images that relate to your subject or theme.
You can then string these words and images together to form lines for the poem.For example, if you want your poem to focus on the theme of sadness, you may write down words and images that communicate “sadness” to you.
You may focus on specific moments in your life when you felt sadness and use these images to create the poem.
If you are not sure how to describe a certain event or feeling, use the five senses (sight, touch, taste, smell, and sound).
Rather than write, “I felt sad when my mother died” you may note where you were when you found out she passed away or your last conversation with her before she died.
You may also include sensory details about the feeling of your mother’s hugs or the smells of her baking or cooking. , Once you have a list of words and images, you should start to string them together to form a first draft.
Describe one particular scene or a series of moments that connect to the theme of your poem.
You should use devices like metaphor, simile, alliteration, and personification.Your first draft does not need to be perfect, as you will edit and revise it.
You may start by stringing together keywords and then looking at how they play off each other.
You may have keywords around sadness such as "mother" "death" "childhood" "lost" "poor" and then string them together, "I see my mother on her deathbed, I see my childhood, lost and poor." You may then integrate metaphor, simile, or personification into the poem.
For example, "My mother sits like a broken bowl on her deathbed"
or "My only toy is a doll I shared with sister, as torn up as we were poor."
Look over your first draft and edit it.
You can read it out loud and mark down any lines or sections that are working well as well as any lines where a word or phrase sounds off or not as strong as other lines in the poem.You should also identify lines that you could improve or expand.
Avoid using generalizations and cliches.
Get creative and try to think of a description that sounds different and unique.
For example, rather than tell the reader “I was sad when my mother died”, you could use a more interesting description, like “A big bright flame in my life was blown out.” You should consider how the breaks between words or lines can add to the meaning of the poem.
If you are describing a roller coaster ride, for example, you may want to have the line spacing look like a roller coaster on the page, with the words moving up and down.
Or if your poem is about feeling trapped or claustrophobic, you could condense the lines so they appear as one solid block of text. -
Step 2: Use the examples as guides for your poetry.
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Step 3: List keywords and images that describe your subject or topic.
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Step 4: Create a first draft.
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Step 5: Edit the draft.
Detailed Guide
Free verse poetry does not have a structure and there are no rules around meter or rhyme scheme.
As the poet, you have the freedom to express yourself any way you would like, while bearing in mind that free verse poetry is still a form of artistic expression.
You can use the freedom of the free verse to create striking images and explore a range of emotions.
To get yourself in the mindset of a free verse poet, you should read several examples, including:“After the Sea-Ship” by Walt Whitman“Little Father” by Li-Young Lee“Winter Poem” by Nikki Giovanni“in Just” by e.e. cummings, Once you review the examples, you should look at how the examples address their subject matter and how they use keywords to discuss their subject in the poem.
Though the form of the poem is open, the poet likely still uses key terms and images to create meaning in the poem.
For example in Li-Young Lee’s poem “Little Father”, Lee uses the topic of his father and flips the idea on its head by calling his father “my strange son”, and “my little root”.
He then imagines his father as a “little pale foot” and a “little clock”.
These strange and vivid images allow Lee to explore the idea of fathers from an interesting perspective.Another good example is Walt Whitman’s “After the Sea-Ship”, where Whitman describes the scene after a ship has passed through a stretch of ocean.
He uses strong images like “white-gray sails” and “myriad waves” to create a strong impression in the reader’s mind.
The poem also builds on image after to image until it follows the movement of waves.
Though the poem is technically not structured, it does have an arc and build up to an ending., In free verse poetry, you have the freedom to play with meter, structure, and language.
To generate content for your poem, you can write down a list of keywords and images that relate to your subject or theme.
You can then string these words and images together to form lines for the poem.For example, if you want your poem to focus on the theme of sadness, you may write down words and images that communicate “sadness” to you.
You may focus on specific moments in your life when you felt sadness and use these images to create the poem.
If you are not sure how to describe a certain event or feeling, use the five senses (sight, touch, taste, smell, and sound).
Rather than write, “I felt sad when my mother died” you may note where you were when you found out she passed away or your last conversation with her before she died.
You may also include sensory details about the feeling of your mother’s hugs or the smells of her baking or cooking. , Once you have a list of words and images, you should start to string them together to form a first draft.
Describe one particular scene or a series of moments that connect to the theme of your poem.
You should use devices like metaphor, simile, alliteration, and personification.Your first draft does not need to be perfect, as you will edit and revise it.
You may start by stringing together keywords and then looking at how they play off each other.
You may have keywords around sadness such as "mother" "death" "childhood" "lost" "poor" and then string them together, "I see my mother on her deathbed, I see my childhood, lost and poor." You may then integrate metaphor, simile, or personification into the poem.
For example, "My mother sits like a broken bowl on her deathbed"
or "My only toy is a doll I shared with sister, as torn up as we were poor."
Look over your first draft and edit it.
You can read it out loud and mark down any lines or sections that are working well as well as any lines where a word or phrase sounds off or not as strong as other lines in the poem.You should also identify lines that you could improve or expand.
Avoid using generalizations and cliches.
Get creative and try to think of a description that sounds different and unique.
For example, rather than tell the reader “I was sad when my mother died”, you could use a more interesting description, like “A big bright flame in my life was blown out.” You should consider how the breaks between words or lines can add to the meaning of the poem.
If you are describing a roller coaster ride, for example, you may want to have the line spacing look like a roller coaster on the page, with the words moving up and down.
Or if your poem is about feeling trapped or claustrophobic, you could condense the lines so they appear as one solid block of text.
About the Author
Laura Ford
Experienced content creator specializing in crafts guides and tutorials.
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