My Love of Poetry is Not Gone, part 2 of 3

Guest Post on Writing Poetry By Ruchi Acharya

Publisher’s note: As part of the Parisian Phoenix mission, we publish unique voices and diverse perspectives in print and online. So, this week, we will explore poetry with Indian author Ruchi Acharya. This is part two of three, where Ruchi offers two lessons on how to approach writing poetry.

LESSON ONE: CONTROL YOUR MIND

The first step to eliminate the inner voice that says, “I am not a good poet,” is to indulge control over every thought occurring in your subconscious mind. As a writer, naturally you have an incredible energy reserve in your heart that is simple waiting to be tapped. You don’t need a college degree to become a poet laureate. Your self-doubts on your writing skills are your biggest enemy. Unknowingly to sustain in this commercialized world writers are chasing after deadlines and cash prizes forgetting the true essence of poetry. By being hard on yourself and self-criticizing your work negatively is responsible for disempowering your pursuit towards excellence. To become an extra-ordinary poet, you need to learn to become a “hopefulist” first. Control your thoughts and learn to channel your emotions such as grief, anger, frustration, happiness, love, kindness, and helplessness. The day when you’ll learn to run your thoughts like an almighty poet is the day when you’ll achieve personal mastery in art of poetry.

LESSON TWO: SET YOUR PRIORITIES STRAIGHT

Our mind and body need a constant reminder to prioritize our dreams above all. When you intensify your energy toward a single purpose, a dormant force you were never aware of kicks in. That’s what is going to make you genius in the field of creative writing. Stop wasting your precious time on mobile phones or indicting ‘It-feels-good’ principle.

It-feels-good principle is basically the process of becoming a sloth by enjoying sleeping or eating too much, among other useless activities. Making a plethora of excuses and deviating yourself by prioritizing things that won’t add toward achieving your goals is a complete waste of time. There’s nobody to blame. It’s all on you. You’ll end up becoming super unproductive for the whole day and ultimately losing motivation. Henceforth, it is vital to keep your motivational spirit on check. You can visit historical places or listen to other people’s stories to gain inspiration. Personally, I love it. Often spend time in nature away from the hustle and bustle of the city.

Always set gentle reminders for yourself from time to time. Why do you love writing poems? What poetry means in your life? You can visit to places where you’ve harvested the best of your poems or read your old works from time to time and see how gradually you’ve improved. Be proud of yourself that you’re among those responsible writers who have the tendencies to change the world. A writer is a character rich with self-integrity, a brave-hearted soul, and an avid curator.