Poetry: Tools & Techniques

by John C. Goodman

Want to improve your craft? Then this is a good place to start. Poems do not simply happen, they are made – Tools & Techniques shows how to make them. In plain, straight-forward language, this practical guide introduces the devices and techniques used by successful poets. Tools & Techniques is a starting point for writers to find their own direction rather than a definitive textbook on how to write in the proper and approved manner. Tools & Techniques investigates the structure of language and how it conveys meaning – and from that shows how to create and use a poetic, a philosophy of language, to shape and inform your writing. The book encourages poets to explore the limits of language and discover how to make language speak beyond itself – to make language say what it was not designed to say, to express the inexpressible. Tools & Techniques provides an introduction to the basic elements of poetry – metaphor, imagery, punctuation, syntax, rhythm, etc. – the actual techniques and devices that go into making a poem, right down to the nuts and bolts structural parts of language – the conjunctions, prepositions, articles, etc. – and shows how they affect poetic language. Whether you are a beginning poet or an experienced writer, Tools & Techniques will help you improve your craft.

Genres: Poetry, Writing, Nonfiction

142 pages, Paperback

First published October 5, 2011

Reviews

[Gerri Leen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a poet. I am even a published poet. In multiple genres, by multiple publishers. But, when faced with a heavy-handed edit of a poem and wanting to react appropriately to it, I realized that I have been, up to now, a mostly instinctive poet. I have no formal training, and if I've had any success at this it was as much due to the luck of being a natural writer as knowing what the hell I was doing. I needed to add some intent. So I sought out some books on Amazon and to my surprise, a large number of them were not available in Kindle format. This one was and for a good price with good reviews, so I picked it up.

Unfortunately, it had barely a page on what I really wanted to know about, which was punctuating poetry. For that I knock it down a star. I truly think more time could have been given to that subject. And yes, I know that essentially poetry has no rules when it comes to punctuation, but it would be good to see what the normal options are within that Wild West grammar world. That said, I did find an excellent look at it online, so if, like me, you are looking for info on punctuation, go here: http://lamonaca.deviantart.com/art/Pu... (there is a link to Part Two at the bottom of the article).

What this book did give me was a better grounding in poetry in general--but in a theoretical way, not so much in a "these are the different types of poems" way, which is another reason it didn't get five stars. It wasn't all theory, though. It told me some things to look for as I revise my own poems, and that is useful, because I think I probably do some of those things.

It was a fast, easy, well-written read. Definitely geared for the poet and maybe those who love poetry, but not for the general reading audience.

[Arianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

By far one of the most useful books I've read this year.

[جاسم كلمد · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Everything in the poem must have a purpose, it must be there for a reason".


"Always remember that you are not writing just for yourself, you are writing for an audience".

[Tandava Graham · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book, with a dull cover and a dull title, looks completely generic, but I did find it useful. Rather than going through all the usual stuff about meter, form, rhyme schemes, etc., it assumes (for simplicity) that we're just talking about free verse and then just focuses on language. Each chapter is very short, really just introducing a topic, but giving you food for thought and some quick examples. A couple of "demo" poem fragments are used throughout and rewritten in dozens of ways to illustrate the effects of different choices, so it's a great way to get some inspiration if you have a lot of revising to do.

I think it would have benefited from more, fully-quoted example poems illustrating some of the different points mentioned. But apparently the author didn't want to deal with royalties or anything, because he basically sticks to just telling us to look them up ourselves. He even has blatant rewrites of some famous poems just so he can use them as examples without actually using them, which feels a little insulting. (See, for example, "Old Brown Shoes," which is basically Williams' "Red Wheelbarrow" with the nouns and adjectives swapped for new ones.) But oh well.

It also encourages you throughout to consider your "poetic," which basically works out to a constant reminder to make conscious, deliberate choices about everything in your poem. Which is a good reminder.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm using this for a group I lead. Fabulous. It centers around becoming aware of one's own poetics and how the poetics of a writer influences (or should influence) editing. I'm fascinated how poetics (often unaware) influences reading (and judging).

[Gerry LaFemina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite some errors in this book (Robert Frost's poem is "Mending Wall" not "Wall Mending"), it's a terrific primer for young poets--inexpensive, clear, simple, brief. Thoroughly NOT overwhelming, I'm willing to give it a shot in my Intro Poetry Workshop.

[Lyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

The information was a good refresher for me and gave me some different insights into approaching poetry.

[Stephanie Swanbeck · Rating 3 out of 5]

Will finish some other time.