How to Write Lyric Poetry

The word "lyric" refers to the lyre, a stringed instrument used by ancient Greek poets to accompany their verse. The term "lyric poetry" generally refers to expressive poems that explore complex feelings or stories, often in musical language. In our media-saturated culture, "lyrics" are words (usually rhyming) that singers sing.

Things You'll Need

• A comfortable pen
• Unlined paper
• A story that must be told

Instructions

1. You can't write a good lyric poem about nothing. You need a story to tell. It can be a sequence of events, a transition from place to place or the growth of a feeling. If you end where you start, there has to be a reason for traveling in a circle.

2. Break your story into pieces representing separate events, stages of a journey or levels of awareness. These pieces don't have to be equal in size, although you may want them to end up that way if you care about the form and balance of your poem.

3. Put these story pieces in writing. Use unlined paper so you won't constrict your thoughts. If you change your mind, strike through the offending words instead of erasing. Maybe you'll need them again later.

4. As you jot down ideas, let broad summaries collide with gem-like details. Instead of forcing out carefully formed sentences, use free association, rhyme for rhyme's sake, and any mental shorthand that will express a concept or image in just a few pen strokes. Piles of random words often lead to poetry.

5. Most of your idea clusters will be the verses of your poem. But what's the point of it all? If the poem needs a chorus (another gift from the ancient Greeks), that's where you make the point. Let the chorus punctuate your story with broader statements about what it means. Maybe you'll repeat the same words each time the chorus comes around. Maybe you'll vary those words slightly or fit different ones into the same pattern.

6. As your lyric poem takes shape, ask yourself if it needs music. Maybe you started out with a specific piece of music in mind. If not, that's okay. If the words are singing their own song of beautifully turned language, stop here. Your work is done.

7. Ready to you set your lyric poem to music? Stir it all into the mix. Be aware that, as lyrics merge with music, the two elements might change each other. Don't be too rigid. Let it happen. It's part of the creative alchemy you so willingly embraced.

Tips & Warnings

• Even if your poem isn't autobiographical, make it personal. There should be some element that comes from deep in your own emotions or experiences. Otherwise, it's just a clever word game without a soul.

• You can stare at your page and scribble for hours, yet still feel stuck. Let the work find its own way out. Lyric poems or their music will often come to you in the middle of something else. Be ready to jot it down if it sneaks up on you.

• Don't get too locked into poetic form. The self-imposed challenge of form can be exhilarating and satisfying when it works. But form can also squelch feeling if you tie yourself in knots trying to make it fit.

• If you write with a pencil or a computer, don't erase. Reviewing your strike throughs later in the process can supply you with valuable pieces that you were wise enough to keep around.