writing through writer’s block

It’s not possible to write all the time. Sometimes life gets in the way or we get stuck for a while, and then we get all stressed about not having written in a while, which in turn makes it harder to get back to the blank page. It’s times like this I wail in despair “I’VE NEVER WRITTEN ANY POEMS AND THEY’RE ALL BAD.” Chances are, no matter how demoralized you feel, your best poems are still in your future. Here are some ideas for writing through writer’s block.

1. Read! Read poems from a collection you are unfamiliar with. Keep doing this until something sparks and you find yourself turning to your notebook to scribble down the beginnings of a poem. If nothing sparks, hey—you’re still reading poems.

2. Translate! This method was handed down to me from one of my poetry mentors. Take a poem (it works best, in my opinion, with a poem you are mostly unfamiliar with) and then translate it into your own words. Changing languages not necessary. Be creative with how you interpret translation. You could write a translation poem, for example:

a) write a poem with the same number of syllables per line as the original poem

b) write each line of the original poem but translated into one of your own memories

c) write the opposite of each word in the original poem and see what happens

d) write a poem with the same number of words in each stanza and number of lines

Be mindful of giving credit to the original poet for their poem’s role in any new work produced. You may want to call your poem after depending on how close it is to the source material.

3. Form! Sometimes a poem just needs some structure. If you are mostly unfamiliar with form, do some research! For me, when I start with a form I am unfamiliar with, I can focus on following the rules rather than getting in my own way worrying if its going to be good. Of course it won’t be good! It’s a first draft! But it will probably be a poem. I like sestinas, ghazals, pantoums, and contrapuntal poems best for when I’m stuck and need to engage the puzzle part of my brain for a bit.

Good luck!