For Writers: Ten Ways Poetry Can Improve Your Prose
-
Writing poetry develops skills of concise wording (something we editors like!).
-
The writing (and reading) of poetry can sharpen your observation skills.
-
Because syntax matters in poetry, you will improve in your understanding of syntactic matters.
-
Figures of speech used in poetry teach you finer subtleties of word usage and connotations and make you a better wordsmith.
-
Poetic precision of words will sharpen your skill in choosing the most fitting, evocative, precise words for your prose.
-
The rhythms and rhymes of poetry tune your ear to hear fluctuations and patterns in the sense and sound of language.
-
Writing (or reading) a poem can provide a rejuvenating break from a long writing project. It may even break you out of writers block.
-
Writing a poem can help you distill a thought, discover a kernel of truth, and find your focus on a topic to develop more fully later, in prose.
-
A poem or short rhyme can add variety/spice/interest to a longer piece, when used in an organic way in a novel, memoir, blog post, even an expository piece of writing (and it looks good on the page).
-
You may possibly find your calling as a poet and discover that your poetry will reach your readers’ minds and hearts more effectively than 1,000s of prose words.
∼∼∼∼∼∼∼∼∼∼∼∼∼∼∼∼∼∼∼∼∼∼
This list first appeared as a guest post on Marlene Bagnull’s blog “Write His Answer” at:
https://writehisanswer.wordpress.com/2018/03/19/why-write-poetry/
Something that I was unconsciously aware of writing poems and all…but great to see it enlisted…always knew it helped me in some way or another… Here’s the reason behind by question… Thank you!!