How to become an experimental poet

Wheelsong Books has published a new book. This one is not a poetry collection, but is a guide to experimental poetry. Consider it a companion to consult on your journey to becoming a better writer. For member of Invisible Poets, Wheelsong Poetry, Pure Poetry and Safe Haven, all copies can be purchased at half price (Amazon price) by emailing wheelsong6@gmail.com.

About the book

Creative Deviance: How to Become an Experimental Poet is an interactive textbook that empowers aspiring poets to break free from tradition and embrace the art of creative risk. Blending theory with hands-on practice, this guide explores the techniques, history, and philosophy behind experimental poetry, from dismantling conventional forms to crafting hybrid works that blur the lines between genres. Packed with prompts, insights, and more than 50 practical exercises, Creative Deviance offers tools to unlock your unique voice and push the boundaries of what poetry can achieve. Whether you’re a seasoned writer or just beginning your poetic journey, this book is your blueprint for innovation and self-discovery. Read more at this link.

About the author

Steve Wheeler says he has never really fit in anywhere. He wears it as a badge of honour. He is a performance poet and creative deviant and loves to experiment with all forms of art. A former academic psychologist and lecturer, Steve now spends a lot of his time creating his own versions of music, poetry and many other strange things.

At 16 years, he attended Hereford College of Art where he studied fine arts, graphic design and photography. The latter led him into a career in learning technology, and ultimately a position as Associate Professor in Education at a large British university. He holds a Research degree in philosophy, a Bachelor degree in psychology, a Masters degree in research methods, and two Teacher certificates.

He lives in the Ocean City of Plymouth, on the beautiful southwest coast of England. During his career he has authored a multitude of academic texts and more than a dozen poetry books. Steve is founder of Invisible Poets, one of the fastest growing and most innovative poetry groups on the Web. He is has been a composer member of the Performing Rights Society since 1984, and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts in 2013.

A sample from the book 

Experimental poetry should be viewed as more than just a slightly oddball pursuit; the methods contained within experimental poetry can become vital tools for honing your writing skills. Further, it may even make your poetry stand out from the crowd. As we will see in this book, challenging traditional structures and conventions, experimental poetry encourages writers to think outside the box, bolstering their creativity and helping them to innovate their craft.

One of the key benefits of engaging with experimental poetry is the development of linguistic agility. Writing in unconventional forms—whether through fragmented syntax, nonlinear narratives, or abstract imagery—pushes writers to explore a vast range of expressive potential. Furthermore, experimentation with sound, rhythm, tempo and visual arrangement helps poets to learn how they can manipulate tone, mood, and meaning in a number of nuanced ways.

Furthermore, experimental poetry cultivates a deeper understanding of form and structure by requiring writers to invent or subvert them. Through this process, poets become more aware of the implicit rules that govern conventional writing and gain confidence to break them with purpose. This freedom opens the door to new styles, genres, and modes of storytelling.

Experimentation also increases a poet’s appetite for taking risks. By embracing uncertainty and stepping out into unfamiliar territory, poets learn to approach their craft with greater boldness and curiosity. The lessons learnt from failed experiments and crumpled sheets of paper under the desk can often be as valuable as those you gain from successful ones. Failure can foster resilience and flexibility. You should never fear it.

Steve Wheeler

Finding Your True Poetic Voice and Why it’s Crucial to Experiment With It

 

Hello growing poets! Have you ever read poetry from another artist and said to yourself “I wish I could write like that”? Have you ever struggled to find unique approaches or “ technical specialties” to further broaden the uniqueness of your work of art? In this blog, I will discuss a few ways to help ensure consistent originality in your work no matter what form you decide to use (including freestyle). 

1. (Explore Unfamiliar Themes)

Try challenging yourself to write about topics outside your comfort zone. Delving into new themes can spark creativity and lead to unique perspectives, ideas that help distinguish your voice. It’s overall crucial to experiment to find a solid foundation for your body of work. 

2. (Engage in Free-writing)

This is another handy technique used in multiple different ways, but a notorious way is to set a timer for ten minutes and write without stopping. (You can do this without a timer.) This stream-of-consciousness approach can at times unlock hidden thoughts and feelings, revealing aspects of your voice that may not surface through structured writing. Although not always an effective approach, when it is, I find people really make impactful work. I compare this to being a musician; sometimes the songs you create the quickest and with the least thought end up having the most soul. Something to definitely ponder on. 

3. (Create a Personal Lexicon)  

Do you ever come across a word that you don’t know what it means in a poem? Does this at times make you lost at the inner poem’s meaning? Have you ever read a poem so well written that you understood what a word meant because of the context of its placement even without knowing the definition? I find vocabulary to be essential in adding originality and flavor both to your works. A recommendation to utilize this would be to develop a list of words, phrases, or images that resonate deeply with you. What I used to do is write a word down I’d come across not knowing the meaning and then writing the definition until the word becomes memorized. Incorporate these into your poetry to create a signature style that will majorly reflect your individuality. A thesis can be a handy friend for this aspect as well. 

4. (Experiment with Sound, Rhythm, and Counting Syllables.)

   

Play with the musicality of your words through Alliteration(Repetition of initial consonant sounds)

Assonance (Repetition of vowels sounds within words.)

Also, try counting syllables (Units of sound in a word.)

Always seek new creative ways to enhance your poem’s flow. This exploration of sound can lead to a distinctive flow that enhances your originality and poetic voice.

5. (Reflect on What Resonates With You)

   

Identify poets or works that inspire you and analyze what draws you to them. By understanding your influences, you can consciously weave elements into your own style while ensuring it remains distinctly yours. For example, look at poems that resonate with you and try to pinpoint why that particular poem resonates with you? Was it a part of the rhythm? Poetic devices or implied techniques? 

6: (Never Slave To a Poetic Form or Rhyme)

Sometimes using structured approaches, forms and techniques can be fun and effective but also breaking the rules can at times be more effective. Have you ever read a poem and felt a word was placed only because of its rhythm even though it adds nothing to the construct of the piece of art? This is often called force rhymes and most of us have done it prior at one point or another. When in this rut find and focus on a word that benefits your poem and adds more value to it as a whole than just the rhythm. Oftentimes, in my own work I do this and I’ve found that you can use a word that has nothing to do with the rhythm and if effectively used not only can it add value to the poem as a whole but also can maintain the flow of the poem just as effective as a rhyming word. 

I use all of these methods in my own writing and I would encourage you to experiment with these handy topics and techniques. If applied correctly and effortfully I can GUARANTEE these will help you not only improve the originality of your work but you will also find your poetic “voice” as well as finding your footing in this vast poetic world. 

By: Brandon Adam Haven 

Photo from: Brandon Adam Haven