Creative writing - Mike Sanders 2014

Identifying common images and metaphors
The seamless book of poetry
Long-form genres

I established earlier in this book that people experience the world through their senses: what they see, hear, smell, etc. Poets seek to re-create the world with words. One way to do this is through the use of metaphor, which allows writers to make comparisons that leave lasting impressions with the reader. Metaphor poems become even more memorable when you create a vivid image appealing to the senses.

As defined in previous chapters, metaphor is a literary device in which the author makes a comparison. She states, for example, that hope is a bird, as Emily Dickinson does. Metaphors have the ability to make an abstract concept seem more concrete. With Dickinson’s, she uses the image of the bird to draw readers’ attention to abstract qualities of the abstract emotion, hope.

Metaphors also have the power to stir emotions, as Sylvia Plath does in describing her pregnant self as a “melon on two tendrils.” Clearly she felt the discomfort of pregnancy.

IDEAS AND INSPIRATION

Use metaphor to show readers the similarities between two seemingly disparate things.

The first step to writing poetry—or almost anything else that’s creative in nature—is brainstorming. Start with an idea, whether an emotion or another abstract noun such as identity, as Julio Noboa Polanco does in his poem “Identity.” Brainstorm ideas about the topic, writing descriptions and especially comparisons. Take any adjectives from the brainstorming activity, and think of other things that have those qualities. Consider, for instance, Polanco’s desire to be strong and free, thus, “I’d rather be a tall, ugly weed.” Come up with as many images as possible to describe your idea and then circle one that seems the most representative.

When imagery is employed, it makes your words more powerful. It not only creates a picture in the reader’s mind, but the description also seeks to invoke as many senses as possible. For example, in “Seashell,” James Berry talks about the “whispers” and “sighs” of the ocean, putting those sounds in the reader’s ear. Take the image that serves as the metaphor of your topic, and brainstorm sensory words to describe it. Think of as many descriptors as possible—not just adjectives, but whole phrases that describe your image. Polanco uses phrasing in describing a weed “wind-wavering above high, jagged rocks.”

While you’re brainstorming, your poem already begins to take shape. At the start, introduce the central metaphor, as Dickinson does with the bird as hope. Build on the image you introduce, adding the sensory words from your brainstorming.

When you’ve described your image fully, go back and evaluate your writing for poetics. Think about line breaks, ensuring the poem ends in a meaningful spot that reinforces the comparison. Consider every word and whether you can make the image more vivid with a different word choice. Read the poem aloud. Remember that ultimately you want your words to create an image for the metaphorical comparison in your poem.