Poetry has taken over my life in a way I could never anticipate. When I first started writing, I never thought that I would get into poetry, thinking that I didn't have the talent or the words for it. However, once I got comfortable writing poetry, and went BACK to writing prose after a long break, I realized that my "voice" had changed.
Writing poetry improved the way that I wrote prose, and here is why:
Poetry Promotes Imagery
Descriptive language has never been my forte. In poetry, however, imagery is a widely used tool, as so much has to be said in (what is usually) so few words. Imagery allows the reader to relate to the author, whether that is poetry or prose. I believe that when you write poetry, the imagery becomes unconscious, and that transfers into your everyday writing.
For prose, this is a great skill to have. Novels are full of descriptions. Readers need to be able to visualize where your characters are what is happening, body language, etc. Writing poetry can help you to unconsciously become more descriptive when you get to these scenes within your prose.
Poetry Promotes the Use of Concrete Words
Concrete words are important in poetry because you have to learn to get to the point. Concrete words are meant to describe things through our senses but with very direct descriptions.
For example, instead of saying "my cat is brown," a more concrete description would be "my cat is a skinny Siamese with brown fur." This phrase gives the reader more description of the cat in terms of color, type of cat, and the cat's body shape.
Concrete words/descriptions work great in prose as it eliminates a lot of fluff.
Poetry Trains the Ear
Although it doesn't always have to be, poems can have a specific meter or tempo to them. In poetry, the use of commas and line breaks is imperative, as they signify where the reader must pause and take a breath. Reading poetry out loud, and writing poetry can help with your writing rhythm.
Reading out loud in general helps you to navigate and correct clunky phrases, and with the fluidity of poetry, you can recognize these errors faster. Also, you will notice how poetry can be fluid without being uniform, which leads me to the next point.
Poetry Introduces New Rules
There are types of poetry that have rules, but one of the best things about poetry is that it can be written in a plethora of ways. Poetry allows the writer to break rules that they would usually follow when writing prose.
This can actually help with your prose. It may seem awkward to vary sentence lengths, but it can actually make your writing more dynamic. Sentences don't have to be lengthy. They can be abrupt, they can be long, they can be whatever you like, and this adds personality to your writing.
It's never too late to learn a new trick! Try out writing some poetry, and you may notice some important improvements in your writing style!
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