Poetry With Emotion

When writing poetry I always focus on the one thing that gives poetic verse its greatest appeal - the strength of emotion.

In order to captivate a reader's attention with poetry there must be the element of emotion. The reader must be able to relate in some way to what is being conveyed in the poem, whether it be from personal experience or an awareness of what someone close to them has gone through.

Because poetry is so personal in nature, often relating actual experiences of the writer, it can have a very profound impact on the reader. Each poem should have content that is in some way unique, a different viewpoint or angle to the story being told. A poem about a love lost can loose its appeal quickly unless there is somehow a different perspective on the situation being conveyed. Give the reader a bit of insight into the actual reasons behind the lost relationship and what feelings have been evoked by the parting of two loving souls, not just that "I've lost him forever and life will never be the same....".

I inject descriptive words or phrases that pack a powerful punch, that breath life into each line. My approach to bonding each stanza tightly together in a cohesive manner is to determine in advance a supportive idea or theme within each stanza and generally speaking I will pair my thoughts in two lines. I will begin that thought illustration on one line and support it by expanding upon that thought into the subsequent line.

I find that the end result of writing a poem is less pleasing if I attempt to pick a subject matter out of thin air. If I get any sense that I really don't feel motivated to write on a particular subject on a given day I simply steer clear of it, otherwise the end result is a writing that seems forced, contrived, and lacking in strength or emotion.

I find that as a writer I have to be my own worst critic. I review what I have written, sometimes over and over, to get a sense of what emotional response I experience from what I am reading. If all I feel is "well, that was so-so" then I know the piece needs editing. The one thing that I have learned about writing and how people respond to what they read in my work is that if I pound out a quick piece, or a multiple of quick writes, and throw them out there for the world to see, chances are that the product is not going to be very appealing and the reader will look elsewhere for more satisfying reading.

The importance of re-working one's writing until it is as good as it can be cannot be understated. If it just doesn't seem to gel in my own mind as a compelling read, I edit as necessary until I see true elements of value in the piece. If I get stuck on a particular write I simply save the work and put it aside for another look later when I feel more motivated or in tune to the piece and can better reflect on what direction the reader might enjoy seeing the piece take.

Nothing is more important than editing. Clean up any typos or grammarical discrepancies and tighten up any loose ends or awkward phrasology before that written piece goes out there to the reading public. By doing so I find that my readers become devoted and return often to see more.

To view my archive of published poetry please visit http://www.poetrypoem.com/apoetsplace .

Don MacIver
author, Journeys In Verse

Publishing Resources

Online publishing has opened up an enormous array of resources, many now without cost such as this blogger site, for anyone utilizing the internet who wishes to display or advertise their product or service. The most attractive aspects of online publishing and advertising is the speed with which one is able to get their information in front of the enormous internet community virtually instantaneously.


Search Engine Listing and Ranking Optimization

Search engines are a great starting point for the internet browser to find the resources they need, Google, Yahoo, ExactSeek, to name but a few. Maximizing search engine position plays an important role toward increased website traffic activity....the greater the visitor traffic to your website, especially return visitors, the greater your chances of selling a product or service.

There are a number of important actions that can be taken by the website owner to improve upon search engine ranking. These procedures are known as Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and are all the buzz at the present time. I have found SiteProNews.com to be a great resource for information helpful to that end. They offer a huge volume of information on all things relating to website creation, hosting, SEO, cool tools, links to related websites and their frequent newsletter is free at SiteProNews.


Exposure To Publishers

One of the most difficult aspects of writing today is getting noticed by well-known publishers. The emerging writer goes through an initial period of virtual obscurity and although the writer may have considerable presence with his or her reading audience and peers, a lot of work needs to be done in order to gain recognition in the publishing world.

Publishing a hard copy book involves a huge monitary commitment on the part of the publisher and as such they need to ascertain in advance that a writer's work is worthy of their time and money to undertake to publish a book and get it on the shelf. The cost for a relatively unknown author to have a publishing company publish their book in hard/soft cover versions can be prohibitive. I have been registered with WriteSight.com , a website that focuses on providing a free place on the internet for writers to post their bio, a number of feature samples of their writing works, and space to make their "sales pitch" about their book.

WriteSight.com is a venue for publishers to scrutinize the foresaid information posted by the writer and an opportunity for the publisher to make contact with the writer in order to offer a writing submission to their publication project in progress. This can include offers for freelance writing projects. This is a great opportunity for a writer, like myself, to gain valuable exposure to the publishing world, whether it be a book or magazine/ezine publisher or otherwise, and also to the vast general reading public who obtain the published works upon completion...all for free.

Initial writing submission invitations may offer only nominal or no compensation but if the writer's submission is accepted for publication this may well lead to future offers bearing greater compensation. In any event the opportunity for this exposure is the key focus for the new and emerging writer. Writesight.com


Writing Forums: Poetry

There is a vast resource of poetry writing forums on the internet today, ranging in size from small and intimate group sites up to the very large membership arena exceeding 35,000. Writers and readers can find these sites by search engine query using short keywords such as poetry sites; poetry forums; poetry groups etc.

Becoming a member of such forums or groups is another great way for the writer to establish recognition and a devoted readership following. The writer can also start up their own like-website. A wonderful poetry forum site that offers the writer free poetry submission in their numerous forums, blogging, and an individual poetry page archive to store one's poems is Poetrypom.com .

My own poetry website at Poetrypoem.com can be viewed at A Poet's Place . On the individual's own webpage, in this instance provided free, it is up to the writer to proof read/edit their own work before saving to their webpages and also to back up their work by saving their writing to the hard drive or disc from their own computer. On this type of website the copyright is usually reserved for the writer.

There is extensive information that is relevant to each of the various publishing venues given reference above, some of which will be addressed in future blogs here. Websites will provide guidelines and Terms of Service which will govern the use of the site and should be strictly adhered to in order to avoid conflict or outright banning from the site.


Self Publishing/Publishing On Demand

For the new and emerging writer who has not gained the type of exposure and stature necessary to attract the major publishers, online self publishing and print on demand publishing is a good starting point and yet another important tool for gaining that exposure. There are numerous online publishers who offer this service, including step-by-step book creation and publication software, book cover galleries, and a vehicle for presenting the book for the purchasing community, pricing criteria and royalty guidelines etc.

It should be noted that when using this type of free publishing service the writer is the one who does all the work, including the editing process prior to final publication of their book...thus the free service availability. It is a trial and error, painstaking process for the first-time user but the end result can be attractive and professional if thoroughly and carefully executed throughout the book creation process. The publisher produces the purchased book in the desired version format and handles the purchase transaction and shipping activity on behalf of the author, usually for a predetermined percentage of the royalty being withheld.

It is important to note here that the writer publishing through this type of venue should do so with no false expectations regarding book sales results. Depending on the degree of exposure the writer has leading up to the book self publication, and the quality of content the author has provided along the way, sales results will not likely be staggering. The emerging writer must remember that this approach to publishing should first and foremost be undertaken for any potential exposure the publication may generate.

One such website for this type of publication that I have personally utilized is Lulu.com . Lulu has a good reputation to date and is worth a look. It offers publishing in print, download and CD versions.

My book "Journeys In Verse" has been published at Lulu.com and can be previewed at my book storefront.


Create A Website

Another important undertaking for a writer is to create a website that can be used to showcase some of their original works and provide links to sites where their book or other published works can be viewed. This is a valuable tool for further establishing exposure and recognition. A website affords the writer the opportunity to gain credibility in the writing community and general reading audience. Steps should be taken to ensure that the writer's website is indexed in relevant directories and search engines. Free and paid advertising will be important to establish a traffic flow to the website.

My own website may be viewed at A Poet's View . It is an example of a free website where a limited number of features and webspace is offered, including page templates, that can be edited/updated as desired by the registered site owner. It is noteworthy that in conjunction with this website there are a number of important tools that can be set up to enhance the site visitor's experience ie. Guest Book; links to the author's various websites/forums etc.; links to other relevant websites (mutual linking or otherwise); webmail forms enabling the visitor to contact the author; survey forms; chat forums and much more.

Such free website hosting services usually offer an upgraded or premium version for those who wish to build upon the features and webspace available for their site. There are also many websites that offer professional website design and creation services on a fee basis for more professional or business type website application.


Ezines and Newsletters

These online publications can be set up for free or on an upgraded/premium basis and are geared toward paid subscriber type relationships where the ezine/newsletter owner/editor offers a periodic/regular publication. This type of paid resource offers broad flexibility in terms of features and in addition to the credibility and exposure that such publications provide, there is the added bonus of generating income for the publication owner. Internet browsers are increasingly inclined to pay for quality online resources of this nature.

I am currently in the process of creating my own newsletter and will announce its launch shortly. A link for those who wish to subscribe to my newsletter has now been provided on the main page of my website at
A Poet's View .


Don MacIver
Copyright 2005

author, "Journeys In Verse"
Copyright 2004
ISBN 1-4116-1340-6

Purpose In A Poet's Writing

I guess there are many reasons why a poet writes. First and foremost, anyone who writes, whether it be poetry, short stories, novels or other genre of writing, must undertake to write for the love of writing...period.

If a writer does not write for the passion of writing that passion will wane into non-existence. There has to be an internal mechanism that drives an author to continue to produce written material. Focus on the writing itself...the content of a written piece is critical to its success in gaining a reading audience. If there is no sense of value in what is read the reader will simply look elsewhere to satisfy their reading needs and desires.

All too often I have seen writers churn out material that is half-baked. In that instance it appears that it was more important to get the written material published in volume rather than true purpose and quality. In order to captivate a reader's attention there must be an element of unique and compelling content that will leave the reader feeling that they have had a worthwhile reading experience and a desire to return for more.

Poetry can fulfill many purposes for the writer and reader. For the author, poetry may be an outlet, a means of therapeutic release, a means to share their own life experiences with their readers. Perhaps the writer feels compelled to reach out to their audience to appeal to the reader about an issue that the author feels very strongly about.

Poetry is a deeply personal form of writing, and often reading, experience. In many instances the writer is relating a true accounting of their own personal experiences, feelings or opinions. This type of writing can have a powerful effect on the reader - this non-fiction, highly personal accounting laid out for all the world to see in published medium.

Because poetry has this quality of realism, this depth of emotional contact with the reader, it sets itself apart from all the other genres of writing. True, poetry is not for everyone. We all have our own tastes in reading, as in music, food, and other life interests, but poetry has gained considerable ground in recent times as a highly desireable form of written expression and reading experience.

We would be hard-pressed today to compare poets of the day to those infamous writers of long ago. The likes of Keats would perhaps cringe at the style of verse penned today. Poetry can be written in both classic or traditional form as well as current day styles that lend themselves to a more freestyle structure. Contempory poetry speaks of things current, life situations that exist today and can easily be identified with by today's reading audience.

There are many subjects common through the ages that poets draw upon for writing themes, subjects that are ageless and powerful, the content of which will be just as profound to the reader today as it will be twenty or thirty years hence and beyond. That is the beauty of poetry. Timeless themes include romance, friendships, personal conflict, nature, children, religion, death, and fantasy, just to name a few.

Having a diverse range of themes in one's writing portfolio gives an author a much broader audience and offers the reader a wide selection of topics to draw from depending on the reader's mood at the time they pick up the book. If they feel romantic they will head straight for the chapter on things romantic. Maybe sadness has plagued the reader in recent days because of a situation they are dealing with - so they look to read of things that mirror their emotions of the day...or perhaps a subject that will distract them from that situation ie something inspirational, uplifting, humorous.

In my writing I have sought to maintain that diversity in subject matter. Sure, there are themes that I seem to excell in but I still feel it is important to offer my readers a host of different themes to draw from with the expectation that my readers' experience with my poetry will only be enhanced by offering them more than just romance..or just fantasy..or just nature and the environment, etc.

Writing and reading poetry can have so many different purposes. Some seek inspiration, a better understanding of a life experience, an outlet or escape, a journey or exploration, sharing of emotions, and much more.

Feel like a good laught today..or perhaps shed a few tears? Then read a poem!

Please visit my website, A Poet's View

Preview My Book: "Journeys In Verse"



Don MacIver
copyright 2005