Poetic Asides

No matter what you write, a bit of poetic license can be a valuable asset to any writer's arsenal.

- ROBERT LEE BREWER

PERFECT PACING IN POETRY

OK, perfect pacing in poetry is a mirage. There's no such thing, but there are ways we can improve our pacing within our poems. While perfection is always a hazy illusion on the horizon, we can still take steps to improve our personal processes.

Opening Lines

Most poems are urgent compared to other genres of writing, because most are more concise, yet work to pack a literary punch. As such, many poems set the tone (and pacing) from the very first words and lines. There is no perfect way, but there are different approaches.

Some poems may address the reader directly to pull the reader into the poem. Such openings tend to quicken the pace, like a phone call from a loved one, with the reader trying to decipher what must be done or understood. Other poems may begin with a question or a provocative statement meant to trigger interest from the reader. In these instances, the reader is again prompted to quicken the pace to find the answer or to know what happens next.