April is National Poetry Month. So why should that matter to fiction writers? Because poetry is the marriage of words and ideas, blending the two together to create something greater than the sum of their parts—which is exactly the same thing fiction does.
Personally, I believe reading poetry (and, if you choose, writing the occasional poem, no matter how awful you think it may be) can help fiction writers hear language in new ways, play joyfully and unabashedly with words, and explore rhythms, metaphor, nuance, symbols, and imagery.
In essence, when we fiction writers spend time reading or writing poetry, it’s like we’re visiting a foreign country on a free holiday. This foreign country uses the same language we do for its bricks and mortar but puts them together in interesting new ways. Sometimes those new creations feel exotic. Sometimes they feel achingly familiar. But when our fiction writing leaves us rolling along in our well-worn ruts, reading and writing poetry can break us out of those ruts and open our eyes, hearts, ears, and minds to fresh paths.
Another benefit to my fiction writing that I’ve found in reading poetry is the idea of layers. Poetry, like all writing, is often composed of layers—an emotional layer, a visual layer, a literal layer, a metaphorical layer, a tactile layer, a musical/aural layer, etc. Sometimes the magic of poetry is that you can tease apart those layers and marvel at how it accomplishes so much using so few words.
Good prose has the same layers. But sometimes it’s easier to see the layers in a poem than in prose. And other times you don’t give a damn about the layers, and you connect with it on just one of those levels, and it takes your breath away. That, I think, is where it all matters.
If you’re interested in reading more poetry but aren’t sure where to start, here are a few places to try:
- @Joseph_Fasano_ on X-Twitter is a stunning poet and he hosts a Daily Poetry Thread on X-Twitter. His poems are incredibly moving, lyrical, and accessible.
- The Slowdown Show is a daily 5-minute podcast where the host reads a poem and then discusses it
- For poem-a-day emails, check out:
Happy National Poetry Month!
[Photo by Trust “Tru” Katsande on Unsplash]
