What if My Poem is Bad?

All poets write bad poems.

Good poets write bad poems.

Great poets write bad poems.

Experienced, published poets write bad poems.

I sure do!

It’s ok to worry about writing a bad poem; that’s pretty normal! Just as long as it doesn’t stop you from writing. Work on saying what you are able to say with the tools you have.

You may ask, how can I TELL if my poem is bad? Well, you can’t always, but here are some tips:

1.) ALWAYS read your poems aloud. Edit where you stumble over words. Read it aloud repeatedly and see what is sounding weird.

2.) Read it aloud and imagine reading to a specific person/people. How does it feel? If you say “nervous,” that’s fine—it’s just a tool to help you listen to your work. If this one doesn’t work for you, it’s ok.

3.) Read widely, reading the poems you love AND poems you hate. The more you read, the more you will get a sense of what is successful and what is not successful.

4.) Do a three point check for CEG: cliché, extra words, and grammar. Cliché slips under the radar sometimes. Check for sneaky little clichés that you missed when writing. Cut all extra words. Wordiness makes a poem feel flabby. With grammar, you do not need to write in perfect English, but you do need to be clear and consistent.

5.) Take criticism. I know sometimes people get it wrong, or misunderstand. But any feedback is helpful. Often I hear writers respond to criticism by saying “that was intentional.” Something can be intentional and not work!

And finally… sometimes you have to take a leap of faith. Let go, say “damn the torpedoes” and write something. Poets write poems. Keep going!