Writing a Poem

Writing a poem is always an interesting process for me. I have to start with a though, it could be a concept to write about, a line I like, or something that happened, just something to spark my mind. Then from my starting point I either jump off and spit it out or write a couple lines and get stuck. The one factor that affects me the most I think is my mood. I have to be in a certain mind set to write a poem or else it just won’t seem to come out. I think that is in the nature of writing poetry. For me it is something that is very intertwined with emotion so that it just can’t be rendered from thin air. It must come from within me. Writing a poem also takes a very deep level of thought and involvement. You can’t just casually spit out the lines of a poem; each word requires thought and consideration. My FYP was The Expression and Psychology of Creativity and we learned about the concept of “flow”. Experiencing flow is like “being in the zone”; you are just on top of your game. A person can experience flow when they are engaging in an activity that is difficult enough to pose a challenge, but easy enough so as the person does not become frustrated. I think a good poet writing a poem experiences flow. I think this concept of flow is what makes writing a poem for me such a natural task or dragged out struggle.