Improve Your Writing's Emotional Impact With These 5 Steps

Unlocking Your Inner Poet

-photo credit: Yaraslau Saulevich

This image captures the essence of finding beauty in everyday life. Improving your writing's emotional impact is a skill that crosses genres, goes beyond form, and into those vulnerable pits most writer's are scared to expose. Its techniques have been studied and applied for thousands of years, but it's the poet who is the master. There are five steps poets take to create emotional impact on the reader. Transporting them quickly, using condensed form and concise language, into the poet's scene and activating all the senses of the reader. Learning these five steps: slow down and observe, notice details, embrace your emotions, practice practice practice, and getting feedback from at least three knowledgeable people, will deepen your understanding on how poets accomplish this is less lines and then apply it to your own writing.

Image Description: A close-up photograph of a white cat with a bushy black tail. The cat is sitting on a windowsill, looking out at a beautiful sunset. The sunlight is casting a warm glow on its fur, highlighting its elegant features. The cat's whiskers gently twitch as it takes in the breathtaking view. Its calm and serene expression reflects the peace and tranquility of the moment.

Imagine these scenes:

Immersed in warm gradience of the glowing pink sunset, tasting the salt, the spiking musk of beached seaweed, foam covers your feet, as you sink into smoothed spikes, whisps spray your face.

Bathing in the smells and humidity, the melodies and komorebi while walking through a forest. You're lathered in each scene, wanting to write it all down to remember, but have no idea the words to string together to capture the images. You have potential to unlock your inner poet, once you learn the subtle art of figurative language. Just like the cat in the image, simple mundane moments transform into illustrious visions by twisting your perspective. Here are some thoughts and tips to help you on your poetic journey. 1. Slow down and observe: The first step to unlocking your inner poet is to slow down and observe the world around you. Take a moment to close your eyes and engage all your senses. What different levels of sounds do you hear, loudest to quietest? What does the air smell like? Does it change when a car passes, or a child with a wet piece of candy? What about the dogs walking their parents? What does your skin on your arm feel? Is that different than what your face feels? How does the inside of your nose respond when you breathe? Does it burn from the exhaust of blaring furnaces? Are the tiny hairs turned to ice by your first inhale? Does it tickle to sneeze from the fresh cut grass mixed with gasoline? Open your mouth and inhale, what different tastes waft to you? through you? Does it give you a horrid or sweet aftertaste? Can you feel where you stand in relation to the objects around you? Does closing your eyes at full sunlight, full moonlight, make your head spin? Open your eyes, do you have to squint from the refracted light off the snowbanks? Do they need to adjust to the darkness? What did you see while your eyes were closed? By being present in the moment and paying attention to your surroundings, there is endless inspiration for your poetry. 2. Notice the details: Just like the cat in the image, pay attention to the small details that make a moment special. The vibrancy of the sunset, the way the light hits the leaves through the shadows, or the smell of raindrops and exposed one-hundred year old wood surrounded by crackling paint in a window frame. How close can you get before the cat in the window turns and responds to you instead of what's outside? Is the glass in the window old and beveling down? Is there a speck of dust stuck in between double panes? How does the window open? What does the outside air floating in feel like? Curtains or blinds? Color and thickness of the fabric, how much light seeps through them? Do the blinds lift with a string? Do you just lift them and they stay in place? Are there slats missing or bent? Who bent them? What were they trying to see? These details and more add depth and richness to your poetry, transporting readers to your scene

3. Embrace your emotions: Poetry is a powerful way to express your deepest, sometimes darkest emotions. This is what resonates with others. Allow yourself to be vulnerable and raw, embrace and affirm the validity of what you feel. Do not judge yourself, or allow anyone else to rent space in your head. Expose everything: joy, sadness, loneliness, the excitement of falling in love, the look in your partner's eyes when you make love, the coursing of alcohol through your veins, the fear of walking through the house in the dark while it settles with creeks, isolation, the pressure of your pen on your finger as you write it all as quickly as you can. Let your emotions guide your words. Use unique phrasing, never use cliches!, the thesaurus is your best friend! Use your voice to show your perspective and create poetry that resonates with others.

4. Practice, practice, practice: Like any skill, poetry takes practice. Set aside time each day to write, even if it's just for a few minutes. If you can't think of anything, or are too exhausted to free write, click open a newspaper, pick a random photo and describe what's happening. The New York Times has a huge list of photo prompts. Experiment with different styles, forms, and themes. Poets.org has a list of poetic forms and how to write them, with examples from other poets.

Don't be afraid to make mistakes or write something that doesn't feel perfect. One of my orchestra teachers always told us, "If you're going to make a mistake, make a loud one!" Don't worry about perfection, or writing for an audience. That all comes later. Just get these elements on paper. Don't put too much in or try to fit all your senses into each poem. It's ok if you write surface feelings at first. The more you practice, the more you'll be able to include more detail, vulnerable feelings. Use the same scene and write a version focused on one of your senses at a time. These different perspectives will open your mind to new possibilities and you will grow as a poet.

5. Seek feedback and guidance: There are many platforms that offer feedback from other poets. All require a membership, though most have a free plan option may give you less access to benefits or areas of the site reserved for only for paid members.

Facebook has millions of poetry related groups, be sure to read the guidelines for each group to see if you'll get the feedback you're looking for. Read the wall and comments left for posted poems, look for admin posts relaying the rules of the group. Scroll through the side groups' discussions. And keep in mind, do not post poems you'd like to be published in the future. Most book publishers and literary journals want first rights to everything in your collection. If you freely post poems on Facebook or other Social Media that you want to include in later works, the publisher will consider the platform you posted on as having first rights. Posting anywhere online is considered publication!

Join local or virtual writing groups and guilds. You can search MeetUp to find groups in your area, or virtual groups that share your focus or interests. Your states writing association is an excellent resource to find poetry open mics, featured publishers, contests, and focused writing courses or events. They will have a list of local in person groups, usually by city or county. Don't be afraid to expand search radius. I live in Southern Wisconsin and one of my Writing Guilds is in Rockford, Illinois, another is in Antioch, Illinois. It's a bit of a drive to get to them, but they offer value to me as a writer.

Poetic Paws provides feedback and guidance from others who share your passion for poetry. Sign up for workshopping sessions for groups of four members, lead by our experienced published poet. You'll be guided through the process of creating or finishing your collection through focused long-term and short-term actionable goals, accountability, developing a realistic writing routine, while learning critical poetry mechanics and techniques to improve your writing.

You'll find the writing mentor who will offer constructive criticism, without judgement, to help you refine your craft. Find a writing partner you can bounce ideas off of and network with other writers who share your objectives. Having a supportive community can inspire you and push you to new heights. We are the community support you're looking for. Remember, unlocking your inner poet is not about being the next Shakespeare or winning awards. It's about finding joy and fulfillment in expressing yourself through poetry. So, take a cue from the cat in the image below, find the tiniest moving speck, inhale it's beauty, appreciate it, and smile at it. And most importantly, let your inner poet shine.

Krimson Nikel