Finally, here is a tip many poets use when they start writing.
Set a timer for five minutes. The rules are simple: you have to write for the full five minutes without stopping once—your pen must not leave the page (or your fingers should not stop moving across the keys!). The idea is that quite soon we want to stop, but by carrying on, you begin to reach thoughts and ideas that you wouldn’t have otherwise—whether it’s because it involves hard emotional work or because you have not had time to think about it. But many poets feel this is where the important stuff is. Often this writing comes out as a section of (reflective) prose that yields lines or words which are the beginnings of your next poem…
So you’ve written a poem… now what?
Well, we at Manchester Poetry Library would love to read it and perhaps, if people feel confident, publish some of the poems on our blog. Send us your writing to poetrylibrary@mmu.ac.uk with the subject header ‘Exploring Health and Social Care through Poetry’.
You can also share your poems on Twitter using the hashtag #WWWAN but make sure to tag the Manchester Writing School (@McrWritingSchl). We have also launched the WWWAN public archive. We accept any poem about the current situation, and at the moment, the goal is simply to gather the record of these experiences. Click here to submit your poem.
You can also follow us on Twitter @MCRPoetryLib and Instagram @mcrpoetrylibrary. Make sure to sign up for our newsletter here.