When reading a great book you will always come across a few lines or paragraphs that will make you pause for a moment, they will make you laugh, cry, gasp, look inwardly at yourself, and say ‘wow’. These parts of the book are often quoted again and again by other readers in book reviews and on websites like goodreads. These quotable sections are often what will turn a good book into a great book for the reader. However, different books and authors will resonate with different readers, so what some will consider a great book, others may not, but that’s just life, everyone is different.
Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion is one such book that stood out to me. I found significant meaning in many of the sentences and paragraphs. Somehow the words that Marion and his editors have chosen seem almost poetical to me with many different meanings.
“In my mind I am eloquent; I can climb intricate scaffolds of words to reach the highest cathedral ceilings and paint my thoughts. But when I open my mouth, everything collapses.”
― Warm Bodies.
It is not an easy thing to do. When I’m writing I struggle to construct sentences that I think will have a lasting impact on the reader, and I think many authors struggle with this too. It’s got me thinking about how I can improve my writing and the words I put together. Many authors, past and present, write both poetry and novels. Thomas Hardy, Dylan Thomas, Sylvia Path and Iris Murdoch to name a few. One of my all time favourite poems is ‘The Voice’ by Thomas Hardy, but as a non-poet, writing a full length poem can be as daunting as trying to write a full length novel.
To start with, I suggest reading poetry. There are all sorts of poems out there from short Haiku’s to lengthy epic poems and everything in-between. Haiku’s are great if you’re short on time, and if you’re considering writing poems, they are a great place to start. The traditional Haiku is made up of 3 lines with a syllable count of 5, 7, 5. This isn’t a strict rule though, it’s more of a guideline. Trying to creating a memorable poem with only a few lines and syllables, forces you to think carefully about your words and how you are using them. As you get used to writing Haiku’s you may then find it easier to construct longer poems, and if you’re writing novels, it should help you to create beautiful sentences.
Whether you’re an author, aspiring author, or maybe just hope to write a book one day, you should definitely have a go at reading and writing poetry.