23 Tips to Inspire Writing
Keep the mind fertile and keep reading. Poems aren’t produced in glass chambers but in conversations with other people and other ideas. (Kendrick Loo, ATOM)
Don't underestimate the power of idleness. Especially for those with day jobs, etc. Take time to rest and just space out. Imagine fantasy scenarios with people you idolise and stories you enjoy. (Jocelyn Suarez, ATOM)
In the same vein, it might be good to keep a small notebook or google drive to jot down these thoughts throughout the day for future reference. (Felix Deng, zerosleep)
I find that doing some form of writing everyday exercises the literary muscle. Some days you could just have one image or phrase written down. It doesn’t matter what quantity or quality, as long as you have something. It could be a tweet. a list for grocery shopping. A conversation over Whatsapp or Telegram. A set of notes that end halfway because you spaced out in lecture. (Andy Winter, S@ber)
Consider your intent. In the early years, I wrote because people kept encouraging me to and I wanted their approval. Then I started writing because I wanted to understand oratory, how speech becomes poetic. Then it became a form of public diary-making. I wanted to inform and update people about my life while entertaining. Now that I have no idea why I write, I don’t. But I like to think that’s because I’m taking a really long time to gestate. Intention is a big motivator for how and why poems come out and if you’re having trouble (or conversely it’s becoming way too easy for it to come out), it’s good to touch base with yourself psychologically about where you’re at in life and what you need from your poetry. (Jennifer Anne Champion, ATOM)
Remain authentic to yourself and your principles, and try to avoid drafting poetry solely for shock value. (Elizabeth Fong, zerosleep)
Use poetry as a form of argument with an issue. Use poetry as a means of unwounding an issue for yourself through your own metaphors and images. Many major poetic works are poets negotiating issues through their observations and experiences. So start with an issue that bugs you the most and try to find a way of being. (Crispin Rodrigues, ATOM)
If you are receiving crit, remember that it's not personal. (Joshua Lim, S@ber)
It isn't a competition, and comparing yourself to someone else is useful only as much as it helps you understand your work and what you're working on. Everyone has their own pace and niche in the scene. Don't feel pressured if you're not where you want to be; just do your best and remember to enjoy things. (Jack Xi, S@ber)
The best way to learn is to have people read your work and let them tell you what works and what doesn't. Don't be too fixated on hashing out a full collection at once. There's nothing wrong with writing multiple standalone poems and submitting them one by one to journals or just letting your friends read them. Don't be afraid to solicit feedback when you do the latter. If anything, write with an open heart, and listen with an open mind. (Dustin Wong, ATOM)
Be critical of the crit you receive. If it helps you achieve your artistic vision then go ahead and use it. If it doesn't, then you don't have to do anything about it. (Elizabeth Fen Chen, ATOM)
It takes courage to post a poem publicly so be kind. Position your crit as a suggestion, not as a demand or definite statement of fact. (Ally, S@ber)
Give one good for every bad / constructive crit because writers (as all artists) can forget that the work isn’t just all need-for-improvement, it is also always the epitome of your skills / process / journey thus far. (Amber Lin, S@ber)
Identify what you want your poem to achieve, and read it to see which parts of it have not achieved that. (Carissa Cheow, S@ber)
Consider reading your poem out loud before editing. Sometimes you can hear syntax and disjointed rhythm that would otherwise be invisible if you see a poem on page. (Ally Chua, S@ber)
Don't be afraid to change up the form of the poem, if you feel that the current one doesn't work, or if a better one comes along. (Joshua Lim, S@ber)
Every word in the poem should serve a purpose. Whether it's a keyword, to add to the feel of the poem, for syntax – you should be able to justify every single word you put on the page. (Helps if poems gets too stream of consciousness style and needs to be cut down.) (Skylar Yap, zerosleep)
Be prepared to kill your babies. Sometimes a particular work of yours may be very precious to you because of its emotional context. But if for whatever reason you can’t make it work, or make it say what you want it to, or end up writing yourself into a corner, the best thing may be to rip it up and start over at a later date. (Don Shiau, zerosleep)
Play with tenses, as well as perspectives. Toggling between past and present tense in the same piece can give the poem a distinct flavour, a disoriented sense of time, or some other effect, depending on your intention. You might find a poem where your earlier drafts started from the first-person point of view in the past tense, might carry more emotional weight when presented from a second person perspective in the present tense. (Kok Wei Liang, zerosleep)
Some perspective from Michel Faber's introduction to his first poetry collection published in 2018: “Of Old Age, in Our Sleep” is a recent rewrite of a poem I wrote in the early years of working professionally as a nurse. The original 1984 version was more contrived... a 1996 overhaul was more concise... and the 2014 rewrite simpler still. (Joses Ho, ICNH)
Develop your own constraints for writing – what poetic forms and structure apply the best in your approach and experiment around with them! (Lune Loh, S@ber)
Get involved with reviewing other people’s work. You learn so much from analyzing well crafted collections and poems. Also, it’s a great networking opportunity! (Kendrick Loo, ATOM)
Attend poetry events! While you may be an introvert, you will definitely benefit from meeting other types of creatives. You may even be inspired by them! Making authentic real-life connections will not only get you into the literary scene, but may also provide you opportunities / connections in the future. Poets are generally very nice people! Especially the ones who are willing to speak to you. If you're interested, I recommend attending Spoke & Bird or Destination:Ink, two of Singapore's most friendly open mics. Yes, they're queer-friendly too! (Max Pasakorn, S@ber)