Five Ways to Craft Believable Poetry

Poorly crafted fiction isn’t the only thing that can cause readers to squint in disbelief.

 Samuel Taylor Coleridge described suspension of disbelief as “poetic faith”—giving over to the author’s vision of the world long enough to appreciate the work.

In reading your writing, one is surrendering what they believe to be true about the world to hear you out.

Readers do this in poetry as often as in fantasy or science fiction, though not always to the same extent or in the same way.

As a poet, you want to express your unique view of the world in a way that readers will latch on to.

You have a message, and you want to communicate it effectively enough for readers to relate to it. Also, you want to do it beautifully—perhaps even stirring a few tears along the way.

Provided your message is a biblical one, you won’t have trouble gaining the respect of the right audience.

But if your poetry is distracting, it will take away from your theme, leaving readers confused and underwhelmed.

Don't Waste Words

In her novel, Emily Climbs, L. M. Montgomery gives us valuable advice as Emily explores her poetry, often through her wise-yet-tactless teacher Mr. Carpenter.

“You waste words, Jade—you spill them about too lavishly.”

Every word counts.

Too often, poetry drips with tautology because the poet showers a single thought with many different words.

Don’t confuse this with repetition (a compelling poetic device).

A single, well-chosen word is powerful, and should be trusted to do its work.

The less you trust your words, the more apt you are to build around them with weaker words for unnecessary support.

Don't Be Abstract

Poetry is meant to make a lasting impression with your words. Unfortunately, the impression that poetry often leaves is little more than a burst of haphazard feelings scattered across the page.

The effectiveness of strong poetry is its imagery: painting pictures in the reader’s mind with sensory words and vivid descriptions.

Abstract words like “pain” or “beautiful” might be practical in face-to-face conversation, but are often devoid of specific meaning in poetry. If your poem includes vague summary words, it will distract your readers from your message.

 Say what you mean—but say it with clear imagery, not confusing generalizations.

Don't Stop At Descriptions

Pursue something deeper.

Don’t go to all the trouble of writing about your favorite scents unless you’re going to tell me why lavender reminds you of love or country air smells like home.

Don’t use powerful imagery describing how sad you were last Christmas unless you’re going to tell me about the person you miss.

Christian musician Andrew Peterson writes lyrics that are an excellent example of connecting descriptions to a deeper meaning.

A personal favorite of mine is Rejoice, where he begins by describing spring:

“And when the winter is over
The flowers climb through the snow
The willows weep and the clovers bloom.”

Alone, this is a beautiful depiction of spring. But he doesn't stop there:

“Then all at once, you hear a song
That’s stronger than the noise:
Rejoice.”

The stifling season of winter fading and blooming into the refreshment of spring is a powerful picture of rejoicing in Christ, and this is captured by taking something familiar and digging deeper into it.

Write What You Know

“For heaven’s sake, girl,” our tactless Mr. Carpenter told Emily; “don’t write what you can’t understand yourself.”

This may sound simple and obvious, but many poets fail to grasp it, especially at first. In my early days of poetry writing, I once tried to write about what deafness might feel like—even though I have never had a hearing problem in my life.

The result was flat and unconvincing, and I ended up scrapping the poem when I realized why.

In the last year, I experienced the death of an extended family member.

This kind of major event enabled me to be able to write about the ways in which life had changed.

I didn’t understand all the overwhelming emotions I had, but experiencing them gave me the depth that someone untouched by death could not sympathize with, and therefore could not write about on a personal level.

Don't Be Afraid To Be Honest

To create moving pieces, you need to be willing to be vulnerable.

Allow your thoughts to bleed onto the page; let your words pulse with human flaws.

To be human is to feel, and your readers won’t believe you’re being honest if you seem overly put-together.

Emotions were created by God, and they shouldn’t be hidden or locked away.

Magic is created when you write openly with no restraints.

The expression is relieving, and you feel less isolated in the words you offer.

Your soul seeps into your language, and the cadence of your poetry becomes the heartbeat of your words.

The more comfortable you are with your own thoughts, the more comfortable you will make your readers—and the more they will believe in magic of your words.

- Cindy