How to Write an Epic Poem

Series Summary

Everybody loves a good story. But where do they come from? They don't just appear out of thin air. Good stories come from the brilliant and creative minds of storytellers. People who dedicate their lives to a craft of taking society away from the troubles that ail it. Writing a story takes time, patience and thick skin from all the potential rejections publishing companies send out. But a true writer never gives up and keeps the dream of having their story heard by the world. In this free video series, learn from a screenwriter what it takes to become a writer. Learn the many areas of writing including epic poems, song lyrics, annotated bibliographies and horror movie scripts. Receive information about how to publish a novel, create a comic book, write a novel and write a love story. Finally, discover methods for analyzing a short story, formatting a screenplay and writing a script.

Video Transcript

"Alright folks in this clip I'm going to walk you through the steps needed for you to write a poem. Not just any poem, an epic poem. First off let me say that writing poetry is not like writing any other type of writing, any type of creative writing whether it be novel, script, screenplay, stage-play. Poetry is a little bit more from the heart I guess you could say. It's supposed to be you conveying your thoughts and feelings onto the page and really anything goes. That means if you go to school and are a poetry or literature major and study all the famous poets you'll find that there are a lot of different technical ways to become a poet and to write poetry. But honestly at the end of the day it's really all about what you're feeling at that particular time. There aren't any rules per say, I mean all it really is is about laying your thought, feelings, desires, passion down on the page. To me it's the most raw, untamed form of writing that there is. And in, and in some regard anyone can do it with very minimal experience. But it definitely, definitely is obvious when someone has a way with words Someone's who's got that extra bit of talent that can express themselves in ways that most normal people can't. So in that regard it's a skill that cannot be taught. So it's kind of a bit of a, it's a conundrum. Definitely, you're either incredibly gifted with words and are able to pour yourself onto the page in ways that few people can or you're just a regular person who just wants to express themselves. They both can be equal powerful. So this is what I would personally suggest. Take a trip down to your local Barnes and Noble or Borders or local bookstore, Flea Market whatever and pick yourself up one of these. Your very own little binder. If you're interested in becoming a good poet the first thing you got to do is start laying down all your musings because poetry is really one of those in the moment, cease the inspiration type of expressions. So find yourself a little binder, one that's easy, portable that you can keep with you at all times. Maybe have a little spot for a pen just in case inspiration strikes at one of the odd moments while you're at the grocery store or having a picnic in the park and just start laying things down. Start laying down your ideas. It doesn't even have to have any structure or reason or rhyme. It needs to just be honest and truthful. That’s really where the best poetry comes from. A place of honesty. So when you find yourself in that moment where you just feel that need to lay your thought and feelings down on paper, that's when you want to break out one of these and actually do it. Just right then and there is when I find is best to lay down those thoughts and feelings, when the moment strikes. And then as far as writing an epic poem is concerned, I believe that is like crafting, fine-tuning a piece of art where you got to get the foundation for it early on. Maybe one of those random moments of inspiration but then you go over it again and again, and really view the words like a piece of music. The way a melody would flow from verse to bridge to chorus to as it crescendos up to the end. That's what a real epic poem ought to sound like. It's got to have pitch and timbre, and the words ought to move and flow. So really listen to the words. Like say them out loud is a good way to help you write an epic poem. Like hear yourself formulate the words and hear them spoken, and see how it really moves you in that regard. That my friends is how you write an epic poem."