Friday, November 2, 2007

Poetry Tips: Reading Poems Aloud

This seems simple enough, but how often do you read your poems out loud after writing them? I used to be lazy about it until I joined a poetry group. You will be able to uncover words that don’t sit next to each other well, and you may find that you are adding words that aren’t in your poem so that it flows easier.
Be sure to identify any places that trip up your tongue, any punctuation that disrupts the flow negatively, and any words that sound out of place in your poem. It is amazing what you will discover if you read them aloud to yourself. In addition, try to read them aloud to someone else and get their feedback. This has proved invaluable to me. Your audience (no matter how large or small) will be able to say whether the poem made sense in regards to what you wanted it to say, if there are too many “big words” or changes in subject or too simple or too abstract. Depending on the audience you want for yourself, the feedback can also let you know if you are on the right track to reaching them.

Good luck with crafting the perfect poem, please stop by tomorrow for another featured blog!

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