How To Become An Effective Poet In 31 Days, Or Less
- First, slick back your hair with gasoline and slip an unlit cigarette between your pouting lips.
- Now, casually toy with the lighter. Remember: you are working with a snake that eats both its young and its tail.
- From time to time, actually touch the flame to your hair.
This will encourage a sense of urgency.
You may even write as if you really mean it.
- For a while.
- Persona is everything. Use 4th person whenever possible. Or narrate as a cloud. Drink warm milk & honey if you feel a storm coming on. When in doubt, rain. Use lightning sparingly.
- Never mistake a bone necklace for an actual spine.
- Keep the through-line of a poem tense. If it goes slack, reel it in to confirm you still have bait. Then, cast it out into deeper water.
- Encourage your stanzas to hold hands. This implies friendship, yet also allows them to discretely check for weapons. MORE