How to write a poem

Poet Michael Rosen

Poets have always written about things or events that have moved them.

Top author and poet Michael Rosen, says you should write about something that matters to you.

He says: "That does not mean it has to be something very serious or sad - it could be something very funny or very odd or a bit mysterious. As long as it matters to you."

Here are some other top tips:

Use your imagination. Add to what you know by making things up. How do you think Roald Dahl could write about living inside a peach, or William Gibson write about being in 'cyberspace', or Tolkien describe a hobbit or an orc? That's the power of a writer's imagination!

Write poem after poem. Often people feel their words have to flow and sound right as soon as they hit the page. If all writers did this nothing would ever get published.

Don't wait for the words and the lines to shape themselves perfectly in your head before you start writing. You can shape your ideas once they are on the paper. The important thing is to get started and keep going.

Think of yourself as a sculptor. You need a vision but you also need something to sculpt with. If you don't get something down on paper then you haven't got any raw materials to work with.

Use a dictionary and thesaurus. They help you make sure your writing is accurate and clear. They can also help spark your imagination - discovering a new word could be the beginning of a new stanza or poem.

Don't let your ideas get away. The best ideas can sneak up on you in the strangest places and at the most awkward times - on the toilet, in the bath, in dreams. Always carry something you can use to record your ideas - a notebook, a dictaphone, an envelope to hold scraps of paper.

Get feedback. Ask people to read your work and learn from their comments. Ask yourself: What can I do to improve my work?

For more top tips on creative writing, visit the Blast site by clicking on the link in the purple box at the top right hand corner of this page.