A Wattpad Poetry Guide

Be specific

"We are all human. We should all come together. We should acknowledge war. We should accept peace."

Billy... Who is we? Seriously? Do you mean to include yourself with who is reading? Why? You are the writer. You are not supposed to be on my side, I'm supposed to be on yours, or not. Context!

If you want me to be on your side then show me what you really mean!
If war is what you want to write about then put me in the war. Let me visualize the bunkers, let me smell the toxic fumes, let me come across a gruesome corpse like you are telling a story. Don't you think that will get me on your side? As a poet, you are the opposite of a preacher. You are a detailer of experiences that are a reflection of whatever it is you are writing.

Poets don't answer questions, they ask them.

Poets don't call people to action by asking them to join their cause, they do it through context. Context!

Being specific means stopping yourself from taking the easy route. Don't tell me "the girl had enough, she had to cut" Who is the girl? What put her to the point of cutting, and what is she cutting? Don't think skimming the surface of a serious issue is enough to make your poem truly stand out. I want to taste your blood. I want to have shivers in my spine when I read the details of how the speaker/poet came to the action of self mutilation. I want to know if it's anything like my story. I won't be specific about that here, read my poetry if you want to know all that!

Remember to be honest and specific, even if you have to put more of your self than you want into your writing, if it's hard, well, that just means you really need to do it.

Thanks for reading. I don't know how helpful this is, but still, do tell if you agree or disagree. Let me know what else you want!