Writing a Good Piece: What Poets Should Know by Nnane Anna Ntube, Cameroon

To start, I would like to define some key terms. Willard Spiegelman’s words will throw more light on the word ‘Poetry’: “The word poetry is often used loosely to mean whatever embodies the products of imaginations and sense of ideal beauty”.

What do we mean by a good piece?

A can be that which gets readers involved physically and emotionally. To write a good piece, we need a poet.

Who then is a poet?

A poet is a creator, an inventor, an innovator, an enchanter etc.

What are the qualities of a poet?

A poet is expected to have the following qualities;

• Natural wit
• The practice of his arts
• The power of imitation

• Natural wit.

What is inside a poet is more powerful than any doctrine or precept. A poet must be able by nature and instinct to pour out the treasures of his mind. Like Aristotle once said, “No great mind has ever existed without a touch of madness. Nor is the mind able to speak loftily and above others, unless it is inspired”. This is to say that poets are naturally inspired, and the beauty of their works comes from within not any artificial stuff.

• The practice of his arts.

Any writer needs exercise to refine his/her art. No great writer or poet will tell you they became great overnight. They went through serious exercise. The question therefore is, how can one exercise? You may nurse the habit to write frequently. You may also cultivate a good reading culture. Interaction with other poets or writers of your choice constantly helps you in keeping your flair for writing in check. It is in this aspect that groups like Writers Space Africa (WSA) and other literary communities are very important for anyone who wants to produce a good piece.

• The power of imitation.

You may see the word “imitation” and you think that poets are licensed to imitate servilely, NO! It’s true you’ll read others’ works and feel the urge to do the same. But, how do you do it? Do you just copy and paste?

A poet is required to use an idea (be it already used) and turn it into nourishment. That is, he is expected to recreate the idea and give it another face by creating the best out of it. It’s just like using a bitter pill and turn into honey. A poet needs to work ideas taken from others or from society into one relish and savour. To accomplish such, he needs to note the following; His goal for writing.

What is your goal for writing a poem/short story/novel/drama text? Do you wish to fill the earth with love or protest a system (of government, education, etc.)? Know where you are heading to before moving forth your legs. Once you have a clear vision of where you are heading to, you can take appropriate measures to reach your destination. Poetry/prose etc. is not different from this. What do you want your poem to do? What do you want your stories to do? These are questions you should first ask that will help you know your goal for writing.

Avoid clichés in your piece.

What are clichés?

These are overused or commonly used phrases/metaphors/similes that make your work not to be original, with fresh strength. Remember each time you are to submit for a competition, an anthology or any other publication, you are always required to respond to the originality of your work. Originality is very important in poetry. When you make your piece full of clichés, people (your audience or readers) begin to doubt your creativity and originality. Be creative! Come up with new ideas, the ones which have never been exploited. Come up with your own original phrases that may break norms. Don’t lure your readers to sleep with worn-out words or phrases/metaphors/similes. Make use of linguistically innovative poetry. I remember I once used the word “Cinderella” in one of my poems, a friend of mine who read the poem requested that I delete the word and create a new one. At first, I did not understand him. When we went inbox, he told me why I should the word. That’s when I learnt that clichés kill poetry.

Avoid sentimentality.

Any writer or poet always wants their readers to feel for their characters or persona. It’s good, but bad when the attempt to make such happen is blunt. By doing such, the reader may fall into your trap and die in it without an iota of what you originally wanted to communicate. He may forget about your message and begin soaking in tears, preoccupying himself with his eyes than your message. Be moderate in your use of words to have your readers feel your pain.

Give your piece a picture.

Peg Lauber says, “BE A PAINTER IN WORDS.” How a poet be a painter in words?

Well, there are several ways:

• The use of concrete words instead of abstract words.

In this sense, the description plays a great role. Poets ought to consider the description in their pieces. Elizabeth Bishop says; “Description strikes impatient readers [as it is] the very essence of poetry.” The act of describing, especially in poetry, reproduces (in words) a visible external provocation and adds a new item to the totality of the available reality. Remember that to be able to describe, you need to be a good observer of the world, natural or artistic. Keep pictures such as landscape, objects, etc. in your mind. Since your eyes can’t be still, the poet’s pen can’t remain still. He or she needs to apply language wisely to reproduce what he has observed.

The description might prove the hardest measure of art’s seriousness. Description, I can say, is a style. Marjorie Hope Nicolson says; “Description is not that artificial thing… It is the use of several moods or attitudes of mind through which a writer or speaker, who has found his world interesting, beautiful, ugly or effective, endeavours to transfer to others his pleasure or interest in that world. Poetry requires the poet to do away with all explanation, and description alone must take its place. Maurice Merleau-Ponty says poetry “is a matter of description, not explaining or analysing”. The aim of the description is to present an external reality, its primary purpose is to dictate an interpretation. The description helps to avoid wordiness in poetry and flash fiction.

What measures to take to effectively describe?

Firstly, the use of images. Poetry should stimulate the six senses of man; sight, hearing (sound), smell, touch, taste, and motion (movement). These are stimulated through the use of concrete words, such as Apple(sight/taste), cold (feeling), cat (hear). These help readers picture what you are painting in words. This picture in their mind helps in understanding the poem’s subject matter through interpretation.

Secondly, the use of metaphors, similes, symbolism etc. effectively describe. If you want your readers to understand your feelings through illustration, don’t tell. If you tell, it’ll be lengthy for nothing. You create more impact when you have the readers see exactly what you went through than to allow them to imagine it. It may exhaust their mind. Poetry gets readers involved; they can laugh, get angry, cry, or sing depending on how you package your diction.

Do you wish to engage them in wanting to feel what you are feeling?

If it’s pain, then bring your words together to actively engage them, giving them no breathing space. Let your readers feel your heart’s pulsation.

If you want them to pause and take a break, then put slow words together. The poet is a pilot, he masters the steering, we should let him ride us.

• Repetition plays an important role in poetry.

By repeating some words or phrases within a verse, at the beginning of verses or of each stanza, the poet creates a sense of the seriousness of the subject matter of his poem and would want to emphasise that to get the reader’s sympathy or admiration.

• How to communicate your subject matter.

Poets make use of literary techniques to communicate their subject matter. Don’t get readers confused. Let your reasoning be logical and organised throughout your poem while striking the subject matter. This gives a swift flow.

• Turn upside down the ordinary.

You don’t have to be special or a literary genius to write good poems. You just need to give a new face or look to ordinary objects, places, persons or ideas with good use of diction. Make new what people see every day, what they already know. Put them in a new package and sell to them. Believe me, they’ll run after you to purchase it. They’ll swear never to have tasted such a good piece before. That’s what will make you a special poet with good innovative skills.

• If you must rhyme.

Rhyming is good when you master it. Don’t just rhyme because you see others rhyming or because you like the sound of words when they rhyme. Stop forcing words to rhyme them. You may force a boy to marry you, but that marriage can’t make you happy. Any forced rhyme is void of beauty and meaning. It’s recommendable that beginning poets stick to free verse.

Once you have finished writing your piece, don’t be in a haste to let it out. You may want to consider leaving it for two or three days before coming back to it for necessary corrections. You can give your poems to friends, colleagues etc to read. They can better spell out your mistakes. Beware of those who will tell you Wow! It’s awesome! They aren’t helping you in any way. That won’t make you grow. If you want to grow, make friends with those who will tell you I like it but… Cherish such people.

1. Your title.

The title of poems or any other literary work is very important. They are the first things that attract readers. Give a deserving title to your poem.

How do you devise a good title?

Do you like your title to be long or short? Do you enjoy using a phrase from your poem to be your title? Everyone has his/her preferences, but what is certain is how catchy is the title.

Some tips:

• You can read the local newspaper to have an idea of a good title. Some newspapers’ headlines can be a perfect title for your
• You can try paradoxical words or oxymorons or mixing words. While in secondary school, I usually enjoy this collection of poems Les Fleurs Du Mal by Charles Baudelaire simply because of the title. I often wonder how a flower can be bad. That was what pushed me into reading the book. You can say; bitter love, sweet anger/pain etc.
• By reading books, you can come across captivating titles.
• You may love picture titles. A title that can help your readers create a picture of what your poem may be about, even before they read the piece.
• You can also use geographical locations as the title of your poem. For instance, two of my poems are titled, “Africa” and “Africa’s Biome”.

Read Memoir Writing: An Introduction to the Art of Non-Fiction by Joyce Nawiri Mango, Kenya

1. The ending of your poem.

You may write a powerful piece but spoil it in the end. Consider ending your poems in a catchy way. Remember, your title and the ending of your works are very important. You may want to end with a question to create room for debate, suggestions etc. Or, end it as some sort of solution to a problem. Just make it catchy.

NB: The Poet’s Equipment.

• Sincerity: This demands that a poet avoids being insincere to himself and to his audience by making use of clichés or other overused phrases to the detriment of fresh original expression of individual emotions. A poet is hailed as poetically great if he is innovative in his statements if he uses his own words and phrases, not copy-pasted words.
• Technical mastery: A poet is required to have skills in handling the tools of poetry. Any individual wishing to delve into poetry needs to start by familiarizing his/herself with the conventions governing the art of writing poems and their genres to know either to break the norms and create new ones or to abide by the old norms. Your skill in creating your own unique style of writing should be born from your mastery of old conventions. That is why reading is an essential tool for all writers. Read widely, do not limit yourself.

References

Tracy Yvonne Brazil’s writers’ workshop.

Spiegelman, Willard. How Poets See the World: The Art of Description in Contemporary Poetry. New York: Oxford University Press, 2005.