Poetic Connections for All Levels

"To have great poets there must be great audiences too." - Walt Whitman

You have to see poetry as the hallmark of your writing. You have to see your poetry as the cornerstone of your writing career. If not, who else will?

The poet needs to see himself or herself as a professional. If not, no one else will take the poet seriously. Everyone will see the poet as drunken bard who seeks to be heard and begs to be respected as a person. That usually turns into a pity party of would-be poets who cast blame upon poorly-informed readers and temperamental editors. Those are not professionals.

The professional poet develops his or her craft and career over time. Such a poet views the work as a means to reach others with a prolific voice for the times. Such a poet exercises more determination and tenacity than patience. It is by outlining and drafting an attack plan that allows such a poet to coordinate everything from poetry readings and book signings along a career path towards success.

A professional poet approaches the business of writing with a multi-leveled viewpoint. The professional sets targets and objectives with a big picture in mind. They have a vision of what success looks like to them.

Blogging is a great mechanism for promoting one's poetry. You cannot beat the beauty of establishing an online audience. The blog can serve as a vital tool for spreading your poetic message. However, you need to post with a purpose.

Your blog posts cannot simply be lackluster traipses into the unknown. You need to be able to focus on what you are posting. Grab your audience's attention and hold it tightly with captivating words that describe the poetic adventure that you have to offer and tells the story of what went into the poetry that you create. Let people see what you have to offer and how pleasing your poetic words can be to eye, even on a computer screen.

Think out your posts ahead of time. Plan them out. Put them in some form of order that your audience can follow over a period of time. Think in segments of the calendar. If you do a daily blog, then you should consider a weekly or monthly theme. You may want to do something seasonal through your poems and postings. Have a purpose to what you post. Give your audience a sense of your poetic flavor through your blog posts.

Poets need other poets.

Let that sink in. Let it saturate into your mind. Let your entire being absorb such a statement.

Poets need other poets. Poets need feedback on their poetry. Poets need to hear about the experiences of other poets. Poets need to hear about the struggles of other poets. Poets need to tell the stories of success and struggle to other poets. Poets need to share with other poets.

Poets need to be vulnerable. They need to voice their concerns and challenges as poets seeking to be professionals. Poets have to dare to share. They have to share openly and honestly, making a difference in how others perceive the poet's life.

Critique one another. Join a critique circle. Get involved and engaged with other poets. Share with one another.

Counsel one another. Speak freely about what you have experienced. Share about how your poetry has been received by family, friends and others.

Spend some time getting feedback. Spend some time with other writers and seeing what it takes to get published. See what others are writing. See how they are developing their own craft. Look into increasing your skills. Find your voice. Develop your style. Work with others on becoming a better writer, a better poet, a better professional.