Create Your Own Gothic Poem

Series Summary

Good writing is an important skill that can be used in a variety of media. Whether it's writing a meeting agenda, a toast or a magazine article, the ability to effectively communicate to a large audience stems from knowledge and execution of proper writing techniques. With such knowledge comes an understanding of the distinct differences in writing styles between creative writing, journalism, technical writing and informal writing. Gothic fiction is a genre of literature that combines elements of both horror and romance. In this free video series, a Gothic poet provides advice for writing Gothic poetry. Learn how to generate a topic, how to express feelings in poems and how to use a thesaurus. Write Gothic poems that are mired in dark emotions by following these creative writing tips.

Video Transcript

"Did you know that Edgar Allen Poe is considered to be the father of modern Gothic poetry? Hi, I am Robin Raven. I am an actress, writer, and poet here in Hollywood. Today I am going to teach you how to write a Gothic poem of your own. The first thing that you have to do is come up with a topic for your poem. Gothic poetry tends to dwell in sadness, heartbreak and inner turmoil. For instance, in Edgar Allen Poe's "Annabelle Lee," he laments the loss of the love of his life. Allow yourself to express the darkness in your soul when writing a Gothic poem. Outline the poem based on those feelings. Decide what you truly want to say. Create a beginning, middle, and an end to your poem. Your poetical choices should establish what you truly feel inside. Write about what you know to create a meaningful poem. So you want to put pen to paper and get out what you are truly feeling on the subject. Get your ideas stated clearly in front of you. Express even the darkest of feelings. If you have a fear of death, get it out there. People are going to relate to your honest truth no matter how dark it may be. Remember there are not any rules when it comes to writing Gothic poetry. You can be as free verse or as structured as you like. Simply put pen to paper and express your darkest emotions. And remember to use a thesaurus. If you say pain over and over again, it is going to grate on the nerves of the readers. Instead, get out the thesaurus and you will find all sorts of alternatives, such as pain, affliction, and agony. Conclude your poem with the truth. You do not want to insert some kind of fairytale happy ending into a Gothic poem. Although your own personal situation hopefully did or will have a happy ending, you do not want to make that part of the poem. It should end on a moment of dark emotion. Now you are done with the body of the poem, you want to go back and title it. The title should reflect what is most important to you about the poem. Again, my name is Robin Raven. I am an actress and writer here in Hollywood, and I am also a published poet. Good luck with your poem."