Poetry Genius Weekly Newsletter
Newsletter 3
Hi all
Welcome to our Newsletter, Poetry Genius, where each week we consider all things poetry, with discussion, tips and references. Feel free to contact me if there is anything in particular you would like included.
Let’s talk about the problem of getting your articles boosted in Medium.com:
Getting boosted on Medium isn’t easy, some writers never get boosted and only a few manage this on a regular basis. It’s even harder with Poetry or Micropoetry writing
Since joining Medium, I have had at least 2 of my poems boosted every month (March so far, 3 boosted in 2 days). I’ll discuss this, and examine what makes these poems attractive to the people on Medium who decide what gets boosted, and why maybe your poems don’t.
Form
The type of poetry you write affects your chance of a boost. For many people, rhyming poetry seems old fashioned and dated, and although this is not the case if the format is carried out avoiding cliches and lacking in all the nuances available to the rhyming poet.
That being said, sadly I don’t see many rhyming poems among the boosted in any month. The forms best received and most often boosted are Free Verse and Prose Poetry. The difference between these forms was discussed in Poetry Genius Newsletter 2.
Format
I see so many poems from newer members presented on Medium as just a block of double-spaced lines. Single-spacing between lines is a must for all articles — keep double for paragraph spacing.
Line breaks are important, that is where you end one line, especially mid sentence. This looks unprofessional if not done properly.
Content and Structure
So many free verse poems I see on Medium appear as merely long lists of phrases stitched together, with little or no focus or thread. They seem to ramble on with no discernable start, middle or finale. Always make your first stanza your best have a strong ending and a middle that links start and finish.
Subject Matter
Unfortunately, if you want your poetry boosted, you have to write about the subjects that are popular with readers, and although you will see lots of advice going around that says “write about the things you know”, this doesn’t often get you boosted unless your poem is about stuff that readers like. In saying that, if you are skilled at poetry, then the subject matter can be less important.
Here’s a tip:
People generally write about Love, Sadness, Loss, Relationships, Darkness etc, and these can all be popular, but try combining these, say Love with Loss, Darkness with Humour, Relationships with Darkness … you get the idea.
Here is a list of some recent poems that I have had boosted. Note the subject matter, and have a look at them on Medium to see how they are set out, the format, line breaks etc. If the publication you submit your poem to specialise in prose or poetry, they will judge your offering based not only on your words, but also on how they are presented.
Here are my recent boosters and the subject matter:
The Revelations of Ravens — Dark
With the Waning of the Moon — Loss
A Kind of Celebration — Loss
Kinship — Loss
The Number of The Beast — Dark
Solitary Man — Mind/Self
Coming Home To Kinlochewe — Nature
Songs of A Nomad Flute, And Crying Ospreys — Nature
The Darkest Mind — Mental health
The Beauty Of Urban Decay — Environment
Shaping Each Other- Relationships
Here is this week’s top tip for writing compelling free verse poetry:
Reveal through suggestion: Free verse allows you to be oblique, hinting at meanings through symbols and letting the white space do work, rather than stating things overtly.
Free verse poetry allows writers to move away from strict rhyme schemes and metrical patterns. This freedom opens up opportunities for more oblique and suggestive language. Rather than explicitly stating meanings directly, free verse enables poets to hint at deeper themes, emotions, and interpretations through the use of symbols, imagery, and the choice of what is left unsaid.
The white space in free verse (the line breaks, stanza spacing, and purposeful absences) can carry weight and meaning itself. Judicious use of space around words and lines creates pauses, emphasis, and cadences that underscore what is being intimated rather than overtly declared.
For example, short lines fragmented by white space can slow the reading down and create a sense of tension or profundity around carefully chosen words and images. Long lines that unspool fluidly across the page can produce a dreamlike, flowing effect that draws the reader into the rhythm and subtext.
Overall, free verse celebrates poetry’s capacity for ambiguity, nuance, and indirection. Concrete meanings emerge through the interplay of language, form, and symbolic gestures toward larger truths. The poet guides the reader’s interpretation through deft suggestions planted amidst the white spaces of the page.
Explicit statements have their place, but revealing through allusion and implication is a powerful tool of the free verse poet.
Next week, I’ll look more closely at a boosted poem and go through the bits that make it boosting material.
Regards
Tom
