Writing Poetry

I have recently read several Journal Entries, complaining and inquiring the fact as to why they don't receive many comments, and why only few seem to read the poems. There may be several factors as to why these things may apply to you.

1. Is your poetry worth reading?
I realize that the only way to get better in writing poetry is to keep writing it, but is it completely horrible, so that nobody can understand one word of it? Of course, people could still comment you, giving constructive criticism, but why should they bother? People don't care for poor poetry- they want the riches. They want meaning hidden in poetry.

2. Does your poetry come from your heart?
If your poems don't mean anything to you, they aren't going to mean anything to another person. Write about something you feel strongly about, but don't make it too obvious. Keep the meaning slightly hidden behind beautiful words. Mean your poetry- don't write what other people expect you to write.

3. How is your poetry portrayed?
Are your poems written in paragraph format? Or have you placed the words in a beautiful pattern, showing rhyme and rythm? The amount of people that will bother to read your poetry will depend on how you portray your ability to write poems. Align them so they paint a picture in the readers mind- don't make them feel as if they are reading a formal paragraph. Capture the mood of the reader, capture the mood of yourself at the time of producing the poem, and people will read your poetry.

To sum it all up:
The only way to improve in writing poetry is to keep writing. There is no crash course that tells you how to becomse a famous poet that makes millions of dollars. There simply isn't such a thing- if there was, everybody would be a poet, and poetry wouldn't be special anymore. Write about what's hidden in your heart, your deepest secret, your strongest emotion. Portray it in an entanglement of words, hiding its true meaning from the world- make your readers think about the words you have put down. Your poetry will speak to people, they just have to realize your true meanings behind the words.

If you ever feel confused about poetry in the future, go to For Poets--and Readers of Poetry -- it's an amazing site which further explores the meanings of poetry, and describes in various ways how to become a better writer of it.