poetic advice

78. Ink smells great. So do incense cedar pencils. Computer screens? Not so much. Chose your tools, but don't fetishize stationery.

poetic advice

132. Verse chorus verse. Verse chorus verse. Bridge! Verse. Chorus. Yawn.

poetic advice

63. Be observant.

poetic advice

15. All poems protest. But great poems profess.

poetic advice

10. "Poet" is a label you have to earn. You can't give it to yourself. Well, you can, but that's kind of like throwing yourself a surprise party: what's the point?

poetic advice

128. Read everything with an eye towards craft.

poetic advice

27. Nothing quickly sinks a poem like adverbs.