If you think your poems have been lacking in creativity, or that they are all starting to sound the same — well then you might just be me! Or you might be like every other poet in the world who is never satisfied with their work. Or maybe you are completely satisfied, but you know there is something more you could be doing with your work.
If any of these realities resonated with you, take comfort in knowing that writing exercises that get you out of your comfort zone are a great way to get those creative juices flowing. You’ll find that you are able to create really unique pieces of writing as long as you trust yourself to experiment.
Here is one exercise to start you off. I have collected a few exercises from professors at PSU who specialize in teaching advanced poetry courses. This one comes from Michelle Glazer. Please enjoy!
Choose a poem of your own (or write a new one), and then rewrite it in three widely divergent forms, without changing words or punctuation. Concentrate on the line, which could include how it breaks, the space between lines, indentation, line patterning, etc.
If you create a poem out of this exercise, please feel free to share it with us by tagging us on Twitter and Instagram @pathoslitmag and we will include it on our blog!
Happy Writing!
