Read a range of poetry from different writers

We all have a favourite poet or two. My favourite contemporary poets are John Hegley, Tony Walsh and Paul Eccentric. I also enjoy reading Larkin and Blake. Each of  these poets has inspired me, and pushed my writing on in one way or another.

If I just continued reading these poets though, my inspiration would probably wane, and my writing would stagnate. I therefore try to discover different writers on a regular basis. I studied English Literature at University, so I am well-versed in the works of Coleridge, Byron, Wordsworth, Keats etc. I therefore try to complement their works by reading as many contemporary poets as possible, and not always the well known.

Sometimes I find it uplifting to read works from new poets who have won, or been highly placed, in poetry competitions. Their works can move your own writing in a different direction, and give you fresh impetus to develop your writing further. If you analyse the poems you may find they do not fit into what you consider to be traditional poetic forms. This is a good thing though, as it shows how much poetry is evolving. Good poetry will always be able to stir the emotions, make you think, and be structured in some thoughtful way - but this does not mean it needs to conform with the way poetry was written in the 1600s, 1800s or even the 1980s.

If you are serious about being a good poet, and developing your writing further, it is imperative that you read as widely as possible.

www.georgestanworth.com

Sample Poems From 'Your Sax Is On Fire'

Sample poems from 'Your Sax Is On Fire'

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SPEED-DATING

We met.

You wept.
I left


I'M NOT GORDON RAMSAY YOU KNOW

A 'Custard Cream'
was not your dream
meal for a first date.

You called me mean,
but if I'd been -
I'd have cooked an 'After Eight!'


MOTHER'S PRIDE

Beer belly clouds
lop over the horizon,
wearing the landscape like jeans.

Fog thickening,
like arteries,
devours hope -
consuming memories.

The diabetic sky
collapses
in relief,
and wets itself.

www.georgestanworth.com

Tips for Writing Better Poetry

Hi. My name is not Michael Caine. My name is George Stanworth, and I am a published poet based in Hertfordshire, England.

Here are some of my tips for writing better poetry:-

1.                      Read a range of poetry from contemporary poets and classical poets.
2.                      Read different genres of poetry.
3.                      Write from experience. Be true to yourself.
4.                      Don't just write at one time of day or in one location.
5.                      Carry a dictaphone with you, or a pen and paper, at all times.
6.                      Come up with fresh metaphors and new ways of expressing universal ideas.
7.                      Take some time to come up with fresh rhymes.
8.                      Join a local writing group. Don't be afraid of criticism
9.                      Enrol onto a writing course if you can afford it.
10.                      Rewrite. Rewrite. Rewrite.  

Best wishes,
www.GeorgeStanworth.com

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Oh I Wish I Was A Fishfinger - How to write surreal poems

Happy Clock Toast!

I love fishfingers. Not in a romantic way, but in a platonic way. I keep many of them as pets. They don't do much but they seem to be happy. (They would have told me if they weren't.)

A year before I was born I wrote a poem called 'Oh I Wish I Was A FishFinger With Breadcrumbs In My Hair' based on Sandi Thom's classic song 'Lola'.

I performed it around London, and at the Edinburgh Festival, to triumphant heckling.

Here are some of my tips for writing a successful surreal poem:-

            1. Make sure it is a poem that you are writing and not a Technical document. (Many people
                make this mistake.)

            2. Don't write the poem using ice-cream as it may melt and the words don't seem to make
                any sense once they are melted.

            3. Do not write the poem using invisible ink.

            4. If you can time travel to get the assistance of a past poet, make sure you add them as a
                contact on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn

            5. Rhyme or Non-Rhyme? My suggestion. Throw some custard in the air and if it lands
                yellow side up rhyme your poem (or conversely don't rhyme it - the decision is yours)

            6. Make sure your poetic influences are not newsreaders or blocks of concrete.

            7. A wise man once said a man can walk on carpet but a carpet can't walk on man. Wise
                words indeed.

            8. Make sure you include references to FishFingers in your poetry.

Door Knocking Frozen Food

A knock on the door was a pleasant surprise
until I saw who it was, and out popped my eyes,
for there on a chair was a frozen fishfinger
doing an impression of its favourite singer.

"Start spreading the news" is what it then sang.
It danced and it jigged, but I wasn't a fan -
so I went inside and got out the pepper,
and ate it up - but didn't feel better.


www.GeorgeStanworth.com