8 things I wish I knew
as a Year 8 poet
A common question I get asked by children and teachers alike is how old I was when I first got into poetry. It’s a tricky one, but I usually say the poem I made me a poet was a sparrow poem I wrote in Year 8. I shared this poem in my talk at TEDxUoA2022 (recording not available yet).
I’ve been spending a lot of time with budding New Zealand poets in primary and intermediate schools during my WAYMO Workshops. The focus of these workshops is to make poetry seem accessible and easy for everyone, no matter their age. There are a lot of misconceptions about what makes a person a poet, and I like to keep things simple.
I got to reflecting on how I stumbled into poetry, and how much I have picked up about the poetry world along the way. So here are 8 things I wish I knew as a Year 8 poet. I hope they are helpful, or at least interesting, whether you are a budding primary school poet or an adult poet looking to get started.
1. Surround yourself with the right people
This is the most important of all. I have been fortunate to have so many people support my poetry journey, especially my English teachers when I was starting out. By sharing my little scribblings with the class or other teachers, they gave a shy Year 8 the confidence that yes, maybe her poetry could go somewhere. It was thanks to them that I kept writing, experimenting, and sharing. Now that I’m older, my poetry journey has been boosted by my supportive friends, fellow poets, and particularly by the amazing Joel Connolly at the Blackbird Foundation.
However, there has been the occasional critical person. I have been told that the time I spend writing poems could be used to do something more “useful,” that “no one actually reads my poems,” and even that I’m too young to write “meaningful” poetry.
Now, constructive criticism is helpful, even vital, for those in creative careers (and just in general). However, the context is important. Are you getting feedback on specific aspects of specific poems, giving you something you could actually work on? Is it from people who read and/or write poetry themselves? Have they spent time actually reading your work, or just skim read one of your poems?
Be aware that when a poet has just started out, even appropriately constructive feedback on their writing can sometimes be a blow to your confidence.
So, be mindful of the people you share with when you are starting out, and surround yourself with people who will be positive and supportive. People who will help you grow as a poet. They don’t all have to be poets, they just have to understand how much poetry means to you.
And if you do encounter people who are unsupportive of your hard work, do not let them put you down. You, and they, have no idea where poetry could take you in the future if you stick to it. I certainly didn’t.
Be proud of your identity as a poet. The words you write are unique to you. If you do not write them down, that is one less poem for the world to enjoy. And that, in my opinion, would be a crime.
2. Learn more about poetry
Whew, that first point was pretty long. They get shorter from here.
It can be helpful to learn more about poetry while you are getting started, so that you are aware of all the possibilities. I learnt a bit about the different poetic eras, styles, and language features at school, but most of my knowledge comes from my own Googling.
It’s easy to find websites that give a short summary of common poetic forms, or ones that go into more detail such as the types of sonnet and types of ode. (Or you could read my blog post about Writing Odes in the 21st Century).
3. Read others’ work
The number one piece of advice given to budding writers is to read widely, and the same applies to poets! There are so many options: Google, Instagram, Youtube (for spoken word poetry) or physical poetry books.
Personally, I love physical books because I can underline impactful phrases, asterisk my favourite poems, even scribble my own interpretation in the margins. If you buy a second hand poetry book, you might even be lucky enough to get “Half Blood Prince” style annotations from the previous owner!
My advice to the Year 8 me would be to read even more than I did, and read a wider range of poets and eras.
4. Experiment, experiment, experiment
This ties in with the previous point. It is so much fun to experiment when you are writing poetry. This doesn’t have to be limited to when you are first starting out — just think of how many visual artists completely change their style even once they are established artists.
Play around with different topics, poetic forms, lengths, and so on. Don’t get too tied down to one type of poetry too early. You’ll eventually create your own unique poetic trademark – for me, it’s become the use of rhyme, sing-song metre, and a general air of positivity.
Another thing to experiment with is the method of writing itself. Write some drafts on paper, and write others directly on a digital document such as Word or Notes. You might find using one or the other makes a drastic difference to how your poetry comes out. I use a bit of both, depending on the poem.
5. Enter (free) competitions
I have written an entire blog post of poetry competition tips, but my advice to a young poet (or my year 8 self) would be to just go for it. Entering a poetry competition gives you a buzz. It can make you feel like you’re taking poetry seriously, and it gives you something to work towards.
However, I recommend you steer away from competitions that have an entry fee, even if you are more established in your poetry. Read the post for more explanation on why!
6. Meet other poets
This is different to the first section. I’m not talking about sharing here, but just meeting other poets.
Being around other poets is one of the best things a beginning poet can spend their time on. This might be a poetry club at your school or university, or an online poetry group. Hearing other people talk about poetry with as much passion as yourself is often enough to overcome writer’s block, or double the energy you put into your current piece of work.
Fellow poets might also tell you about exciting opportunities, events, and competitions. The poetry community is very welcoming and generally not competitive. What’s not to love?
7. Keep writing!
This should seem obvious, but I might as well put it down. Keep writing, even if it feels like it isn’t going anywhere. You never know which poem is going to be “the one.”
Keep writing poetry, and let it bring you happiness. That’s all it takes to be a poet!
8. Save all your old poems
There are definitely some old writing books of mine from school floating in the ether. I really wish I had done a better job of keeping track of them all. Not only is it nostalgic to look back at where you have come from, you might find something you can rework into an even better piece!
So, those are my 8 things I wish I knew as a Year 8 poet. I hope you found them interesting!
What sort of things do you wish you had known when you started writing? Let me know in the comments below!