Young Writers Society

My poetry tends to be dark and depressing. Happy poetry doesn't tend to be as effective for me (check out my poetry month thread if you need proof!). Now, however, I'm pretty happy. I've said anything gloomy that I need to say and, for the moment, I have nothing else to say. I feel weird without poetry and know how hard it is to get back into the habit of it once you've let it slide, so I want to get back into it, maybe take it in a new direction.

Has anyone else had an experience where they've come to the end of the road with a certain theme which your poetry usually revolved around? How did you alter your poetry to fit your evolution as an individual at various different stages of life?

Find more angst. Take too many classes, join too many clubs, know too many people and stress yourself out as much as possible until you reach that dark place again and then write.

In all seriousness, though! I just make myself write a few lines a day, no matter how bad it is. Sooner or later, I stumble upon a line or two I like, and I work from there until I find a grove again.

My happiest poems are characterised by an incessant need for rhyming. Most of the time I write about a struggle towards a goal- a need to keep on trying to achieve your dreams no matter what. As of yet, I don't think that period in my life is over.

Hmm. Thoughtful stuff here. Go and ask someone who is depressed how they are. You will A. Feel a lot worse and B. Have a lot to write about.

Best wishes,

Eimear

Poetry is about expression, and trying to express exactly what it is you feel. Maybe you could try a hand at something happy. Even if you're not very good at it now, practice makes perfect, right? You could try to channel your energies into something new, take it slow, and see if you like it.

I find it very hard to write something from a perspective that I don't have at the moment. If I feel bad, then I can't write happy things, and when I'm happy, I don't like to ruin it by writing something dark. You could try to keep writing until you get into a dark mood again, certainly, but trying to ride a cheerful wave is also an option.

Jas, Jas, Jas.... whatever shall I do with you? I'd love you to write something positive, something glorious but then, you are ever so good at the negative poetry....

If you really can't write positive, then write from another Narrator's perspective. Research poverty or think about war and I'm sure you'll be able to write something.

Use your imagination rather than your current life experience. Think of Tori if that helps, or even Suz

I've had the exact same experience. For a long time, I was writing dark poems, then I just stopped writing. Got out of the habit of it and still haven't really got it back. But that's OK, because everyone has the ability to write and you've already done it once, so can get back there again. Now that I'm generally a more optimistic person than before, my poetry has become fairly chipper!

I think kitty15 gave you great advice with the imagining. If you feel like writing something sad, watch something harrowing (the news is normally quite depressing) or listen to songs that always make you emotional. Write your poetry from the different points of view of all the characters you're watching and listening to. Try to make your reader feel what you felt when you heard the story or lyrics and there's your poetry.

I write all the time...sometimes I'm more prolific in certain moods (love, particularly unrequited love, makes for the largest quantities of poetry rotting on my hard drive), but if you make an effort to write all the time, you'll learn to write poetry while you're happy, sad, frustrated, disgusted, in love, etc.

The angst is gone?
My dark shadows are suddenly fleeting
fleeing my sunrise
my dearest friends
gone to run away
like vampires
from the piercing light!

I guess,
I ought to find
a nice corner
away from the day
and write
depressing poetry
in the shadows of my heart...

***

Open a bold new age! Depressing poetry does not always equal good poetry!

Maybe you'll need a break before you sit down and start writing again, to absorb these emotions. I've found that poetry that is described as angsty tends to be younger writers. We all have been through it. In my opinion, the shift from angsty to happy is a step toward maturity (though some people don't get over it!) From here, even when you do feel sad, the sadness with have even more depth because you will contrast it with this happiness. It is all a cycle, happy and sad, they are different sides of the same coin. You will find that these experiences, happy or sad, will enrich your life and therefore deepen your writing.

I just saw a nice quote regarding the topic:

An experience can't be happy, eternally. We are bipolar beings. When there's happiness, there's automatically sorrow. If we were purely happy all the time, it would get so damn monotonous we'd wish for some sorrow or problem to overcome, just for the sake of a challenge." ~ Richard Rose