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Being new to a site can be rather confusing. Here you will find the answers to common questions that are asked everyday. If you do have a question that is not addressed in any of these articles then, please, ask and someone will try to answer it when possible. This particular article (1 of 3) will guide you through the main links at the top of your page.

Let us start with a tour:
At the top of your screen you will see different links that can be helpful. The first link is title Poems & Quotes. Clicking on this link will simply take you to the front page giving you a chance to view:
1) The winners of our weekly poetry contest
2) Top rated recent poems
3) Recent articles about writing poetry
4) Newsletter

By clicking on the links provided in each section you will then be taken to that particular poem or article. If you fill in the information on the newsletter section, providing us with your email address, you will then start receiving a newsletter from Poems-and-Quotes.

The next link on the top of you screen is to allow you or a friend to register here at P-n-Q. Just simply click on the link marked register and then fill in the information required. An e-mail will then be sent to you that will allow you to activate your account so you can begin posting your own poems.

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\\ tags: Poetry

First off, let me start be explaining that Acrostic Poetry is where the first letter of each line spells a word, usually using the same words as in the title. Pretty straight forward, no rhyme scheme or syllable count is needed. There are several types of Acrostic poetry: Acrostic, Double Acrostic, Slant Acrostic, but as for now we’ll stick to the plain and simple Acrostic style.

Alright, now that you know what an Acrostic poem entitles, it is time to get started on writing one. The first thing you want to do is decide on a title, now I know a lot of you dread coming up with a title first, but for this style it is necessary. Once you have decided on a title you can set-up your poem. By set-up your poem I mean doing this… For example, if you choose the title, “Within My Heart” you would set-up your poem like this:

W
I
T
H
I
N

M
Y

H
E
A
R
T

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\\ tags: Poetry

To many people, literature in general is a large part of their life. I know that poetry, to me, is as functional in my body is my legs are… it is just another limb. To go through a writer’s block is as if someone amputated some physical aspect of you… except in this case it is an emotional aspect of your body. Writer’s block not only affects the literary capabilities of a person, but many times it also affects the mental, emotional, physical and even spiritual aspects of your life. Sometimes, talking from my particular experience, it even takes all motivation away. You become a zombie focused only on determining why you can’t write and pained by the wonderful opportunities that you are missing to record the past for the future to see. It’s a real painful experience. Anyone who goes through a writer’s block will, in most cases, not be the same when (maybe even if) they recover.

It seems to be a trend… a popular trend that makes everybody go crazy (although I’m wondering if prior crazy people go sane during writer’s blocks). There are many different opinions, many different proposed ways on how to deal; the main objective, it is safe to say, is to go back to the way things were… when writing was easy.

*What is Writer’s Block?
*Why do I have a writer’s block? (I.E.- When did it start? What caused it?)
*How do I get over my writer’s block? (Some Do’s and Don’ts)
*How long will it last? Is this permanent?
*Is it only me, or is it common?

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\\ tags: Poetry

metaphors-a comparison between two things, based on resemblance or similarity, without using “like” or “as

using the word “like” in a poem is a no-no, unless using it as a Simile, although there are times when we feel it can’t be help…Poets should be able to be descriptive with a vast imagination, therefore using metaphors…i,e. rain can be tears, doves can signify peace or love:

Titles-try to make them unique as possible, and remember the title doesn’t always have to be in the poem itself, sometimes even the title itself can be metaphoric to the poem

short, powerful writes or short formed writes-should be without “and”, “the” and definitely should never have more than one “I”. Ex;

I, for the sake of genuine love
would gladly relinguish my heart

^there are two ways to write this…the above or move the “I” down…The first one seems more appealing and poetic, while the second one seems less imaginative.

for the sake of genuine love
I would gladly relinguish my heart

Simile- A comparison using “like” or “as” Robert Frost was one of the few poets who could get away with using metaphors and simile in the same line…Ex; The clouds were low and hairy in the skies, like locks blown forward in the gleam of eyes. taken from “Once by the Pacific”

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In the midst of evolving into a poet one can get lost in the praise of others. It can be easy to soak up the excitement of fictitious words spoken by poets who merely want the same response from you. The key to being a true artist (of any kind) is to be drawn in because you love it. Being new to the game can seem like the world is upon one’s shoulders because you read the work of other poets and strive to be as good and even better than those you admire. The answer is not to be like someone else, not to be as good as or better than anyone else, the answer is individuality. Everyone has something to say, everyone has a story to tell and everyone wants to share it in their own way. When you tell yours use your own heart not your ego. If you write just to hear someone tell you how great you are then what are the words to you but a pile of meaningless vocabulary? The commentary of others should mean very little to you. You should NOT be here for the votes; you should NOT be here to be recognized for your work. You should be here because your heart is in poetry. You should be here because your love for art is life. You should be here because without poetry life would seem worthless…I know mine would. The poetry I create is the story of my being. My poetry is my heart striving not to be great and not to receive praise but to express ME. I write to heal the pieces of me that have been blessed and even hurt by the trials of life and love; the pieces of me that have been touched by angels upon our earth. I never once think twice of the eyes on the other side because that would alter my words. That would make my true feelings different from what’s in my heart and I could never jeopardize who I am to please anyone else…why would you?

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\\ tags: Poetic

Very often I read poems that appear to have been written straight from the heart with no thought given to metaphor, mental imagery or wordplay. These poems are generally not very good because they are so basic. On the other hand I’ve come across poems that are very clever in terms of how they are worded, they have secret meanings or complex metaphors, however they aren’t about anything that is important or emotionally engaging.

I think the best poems are a combination of well thought out use of words and strong emotional or mental subject matter. Rarely are these two mediums in perfect harmony. Usually a poem will have a leaning to wards one or the other, but I believe they both must be present for a poem to be of a high quality.

The best way I can show examples of this is to use my own work, were on a few occasions I have found what I believe to be this happy medium. I can then explain by example.

So firstly an example of a few lines from a poem that has not been very well thought out…

“the pain inside me is so strong
I can’t believe I was so wrong
It hurts and I cry
I never even got to say goodbye”

I wrote this just now in about 12 seconds, didn’t even think about it. You would be surprised how many people would praise this as a good piece of work, when in actual fact it’s garbage. There is no thought to it, no mystery and nothing clever. Now, one of my poems about missing someone you love.

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Let me start off by saying I think all poetry is beautiful, no matter how simple or complex. I wanted to post this to share the many types of poetry and to give some insight on some of the many types of poetry you may see on P&Q. I must say, free verse is always wonderful but, you might be surprised how challenging and unique formed poetry can be. Happy writing.

Types:

1. Villanelle
The villanelle, in my opinion, is one of the more difficult styles of poetry. A villanelle consists of 19 lines, including five tercets and a quatrain at the end. Each tercet is made up of three lines. The rhyme scheme for each tercet is aba. (the first and last have the same end rhyme, which just means the last word in each line rhymes) The concluding quatrain consists of four lines. The rhyme scheme is abab. Now, this is where it gets tricky. Two lines are repeated throughout the entire poem. -The first line of the last stanza is repeated as the last line in the second and fourth stanzas and also as the second-to-last line of the ending quatrain. -The third line of the first stanza is repeated as the last line of the third and fifth stanza and as the last line in the ending quatrain.

2.Diamante
A diamante is a seven line poem, shaped like a diamond. Line 1 consists of one word, a noun. Line 2 consists of two words, both adjectives, describing the first word. Line 3 consists of three words, all action verbs. (words ending with “ing”) Line 4 consists of four words, nouns, first two words relate to line 1 and the last two words relate to line 7. Line 5 consists of three words, action verbs. (words ending with “ing”) Line 6 consists of two words, adjectives, describing the last word. Line 7 consists of one word, a noun, which is a synonym or antonym to line 1.

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\\ tags: Poetry, Poetry Types

Ok. The number one thing I say to people in my comments in here is that I liked what they were writing about, but….I thought they could have been a little bit more creative in the way the put their thoughts across…not quite so blatant and simplistic..unless the content of the poem demanded such a style. And so to this essay, hopefully for you all, some handy hints as to how to do this.

I prefer to do things by example, so if you will allow Iâ��ll use my own poetry as a medium for my advice. Mainly because for the purposes of what Iâ��m trying to convey, it’s perfect in that I know all the changes that went into each line as I struggled with possibilities.

Right then, straight to it, lets look at two lines of poetry.

“thin ice is the tip of
such an iceberg Freud would stammer”

Now then, these two lines are a metaphorical condensement of these thoughts:

The state others see me in is only scratching the surface [the visible iceberg] of a much deeper set of feelings so powerful and intense, they would cause a psychologist to mince his words. Also Freud came up with the iceberg theory.”

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O You Want To Write An Ode

Ode: (ohd) 1. A lyric poem characterized by lofty feeling, elaborate form, and dignified or elevated style; a form of stately and elaborate lyrical verse. 2. A lyric poem usually marked by exaltation of feeling and style, varying length of line, and complexity of stanza forms. 3. A lyrical poem praising or glorifying a person, place, or thing.

________________________

The Ode is a very friendly form, in that its requirement is primarily focused not on the construction of the stanza but on the organization of stanzas in the poem, the requirement for these stanzas being little more than a personally constructed meter and rhyme scheme.

There are two types of odes based on the classical poets Pindar and Horace, respectively called the Pindaric and Horatian ode.

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Part 1: the separating or marking off punctuative items

Firstly, the comma. The comma is a very ubiquitious piece of punctuation these days; often found littered throughout text. The comma is the shortest - most paucitive - piece of punctuation. It is generally either used to separate similar items in a list, or is used as an aid within text to mark out points where a brief pause, to breath perhaps, may be useful. E.g.:

1. You’ll need the following things: a bill, a passport, a driver’s license…

2. He was 17, but it felt as though life had yet to begin.

Secondly, the semi colon. The semi colon is used to mark off items in a list which can be considered different - or dissimilar - and can also be used to mark off pieces of information which follow on from a previous piece, or are somehow similarly related. E.g.:

1. There are several types of organisms living within the area: various insects, including - but not limited to - hornets, various beetles and dragonflies; arachnids; rodents, including, field mice, rats, door mice…

2. You go one way; I’ll go the other.

or

It wasn’t the end; the end, it seemed, would never establish itself within our horizon.

ALSO, semi colons can be placed at the end of bullet points in a list, to mark off the end of one and separate each.

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