Like any creative work, there are no absolute rules in writing a poem. There may be specific elements to every poem such as the rhythm, meter, imagery, stanza and others but it is up to you to decide how you will use them to express your thoughts and emotions. You may find inspiration in the works of great poets but you still have your own voice and your own style that you have to explore.

So, how do you begin writing poetry? Poets will have different answers to this. Some start out with a phrase while others begin with a theme or an outline. Go with what is the easiest for you. No matter what method you choose, the first thing you have to concern yourself with is choosing a subject for your poem. Obviously, this could be anything under the sun – a person, a specific memory or experience, an emotion, an observation, a realization, a place, and etcetera.

The key to writing good poetry is to write about something that you truly know or care about. It is very difficult, if not impossible, to write a poem that is not relevant to you.

On the other hand, when you write about something that you feel strongly about you will find that the words just flow and not only that but you will also be able to connect with your readers because they will sense honesty in your words.

When you know what you want to write about and what your poem’s message is, start putting down your ideas on paper. To get your thoughts going, read other poems or even song lyrics and other creative writings. Always keep a notebook handy so you can jot down words or lines whenever they spring to your mind. Make this notebook your poetry notebook where you keep all your poems and scribbles. Do not tear out pages of writings that you think now are rubbish because they can become material for later poems.

To spark your creativity, one technique that you can try is automatic writing, which is simply writing non-stop whatever comes to your mind for several minutes. When you have about a dozen pages, go over what you have written, pick out your interesting thoughts and develop your poem around or using them.

Keep in mind that an entire poem will not come to you all at once. It can take hours or even days and weeks to complete a short poem so do not be too hard on yourself if you cannot find the right words right away. Also, do not think that you have to be always inspired in order to write a poem. Oftentimes, it works the other way around and that you become inspired and the poem emerges as you wrestle with words.

It is also important not to censor yourself when you are writing a poem or to concern yourself too much with what others will think about your poem because this will greatly affect your writing. If you are a beginner, be prepared to receive criticism and do not lose heart. Understand what is lacking in your poem and work on developing your style. 

As you may know, the process of poetry writing certainly does not follow a straight and continuous line. There are gaps in between and you may also go round in a circle of ideas, or from one point to another and back again, or even retreat to where you started. Writing a poem may be challenging and it can be mighty frustrating, but when your poem is finally done, there is a wonderful and extraordinary feeling of accomplishment.