How to Write an Emotionally Charged Poem

Take a moment and scan your memories for one of your life's truly memorable moments., Write in a vertical column in the middle of the page all the words that come to mind when you think of this memory., Now what you have are all these words in a...

6 Steps 2 min read Medium

Step-by-Step Guide

  1. Step 1: Take a moment and scan your memories for one of your life's truly memorable moments.

    What constitutes "memorable" is simply any experience from your past that you still think about and that you can still envision as if it were yesterday.

    Keep in mind it doesn't have to be a big event per se — it could be the memory of how you got a particular scar on your body, or even as simple as the view from your bedroom window when you were a child.

    Memorable is just that — something you can't get out of your mind — even if you're not sure why you remember that particular moment. , Keep going till every last word that is important to the memory is listed on the page. , But the words don't make any sense yet.

    For each word in the list, surround the word, before and after it, with words to complete a sentence.

    For example, one of your listed words might be "chicken".

    To round out the memory and make it all start making sense you complete the thought.

    So using the chicken example, your sentence might read:
    The burnt chicken you made for us.

    By adding these "surround" words you force yourself to build a sentence, not only in a way you wouldn't normally, but also with the exact words that make up your memory. (You'd be surprised how you can edit out the most important words or never even think of including them.) , Make any small adjustments to the poem that will help the overall flow and rhythm.

    But don't edit out any of your original words on your list.

    The only words you should be editing are your surround words. ,
  2. Step 2: Write in a vertical column in the middle of the page all the words that come to mind when you think of this memory.

  3. Step 3: Now what you have are all these words in a list in a column right down the middle of the page.

  4. Step 4: Now that you've added all your "surround" words

  5. Step 5: read it out loud.

  6. Step 6: Find an audience and bask in your ability to express yourself.

Detailed Guide

What constitutes "memorable" is simply any experience from your past that you still think about and that you can still envision as if it were yesterday.

Keep in mind it doesn't have to be a big event per se — it could be the memory of how you got a particular scar on your body, or even as simple as the view from your bedroom window when you were a child.

Memorable is just that — something you can't get out of your mind — even if you're not sure why you remember that particular moment. , Keep going till every last word that is important to the memory is listed on the page. , But the words don't make any sense yet.

For each word in the list, surround the word, before and after it, with words to complete a sentence.

For example, one of your listed words might be "chicken".

To round out the memory and make it all start making sense you complete the thought.

So using the chicken example, your sentence might read:
The burnt chicken you made for us.

By adding these "surround" words you force yourself to build a sentence, not only in a way you wouldn't normally, but also with the exact words that make up your memory. (You'd be surprised how you can edit out the most important words or never even think of including them.) , Make any small adjustments to the poem that will help the overall flow and rhythm.

But don't edit out any of your original words on your list.

The only words you should be editing are your surround words. ,

About the Author

K

Kyle Garcia

Creates helpful guides on creative arts to inspire and educate readers.

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