I just want to write music and poetry.

[Nervous Rex]

1) Start Writing. Just get started. Don't worry if it's terrible - it will be. But if you don't go through the terrible, you'll never get to the good.

2) Compare and Learn. Read a lot of other stuff - the stuff you like and are impressed by. Learn what they do. Look for patterns and techniques. See what they have that you don't. Then try them out yourself. Study a lot of different authors, not just one. If you just copy one person's style, you're going to wind up as a "tribute band" and won't have your own unique identity.

3) Take Classes. Formal classes are a fast way to boost your skill. They show all the problems and techniques that others have worked out before you. Taking a class is so much faster than figuring it out yourself.

4) Accept criticism. Be willing to change, willing to hear people say bad stuff about your work, because the goal isn't to force people to accept your work right now - the goal is to make your work better.

5) Keep it up. Push through the thousands of hours that it takes to become an expert in something. Keep your end goal in mind. Occasionally, take a break and compare your first work to your current work so you can see how far you've come. Then look forward again and get back to work.

 

[D'Andre]

I've always been a good technical writer, and I can write very clear and well-worded emails and reports. I would say I've got an above average vocabulary.

Imagination when it comes to creative writing, poetry, and lyrics has NEVER come easily to me.... or even remotely accessible. I could make up a rough story line, but I can't find a way to fill in the details and embellish and make it exciting to read.

Similarly, when I go to write music and poetry about my feelings (I've got tons of those), I cannot even begin. I write so plainly. There is a hole in my heart, I miss you, I'm tired of trying... all things that I mean, but I cannot find a way to make them sound poetic.

I've listened to so many songs that I wish I wrote.

I don't even know how I can improve this. Is my difficulty in writing this way due to autism?

I'm an aspiring songwriter. Here's what I do:
I open GARAGEBAND, make 2 voice tracks, set a metronome/beat and record line by line between both tracks( in case one overlaps). Sometimes with prewritten often on the fly. Hope that helps

 

[Wolfnox]

Learning to critique effectively hones technical writing, it also helps with diplomatic communication, and teaches one how to be objective when delivering ciritque be it good, bad, or a mixed bag. The key is to keep it focused on the work itself, never the author.

@Wolfy Smurf

Put down the rhyme down until you read the instructions on how to use it. (Seriously not a tool that should be considered until more basic elements jive.) Bad rhyme is the number one most common call on novice poetry writers.

It warps structure, is usually forced, and generally serves no workable purpose except to resistrict flow and language trying to fit word A into slot Q. If a poem is propped up by bad rhyme, chances are that is all the structure there. Poke it too hard and the whole piece comes down.

Rhythm, enjambment, word choice, (which does extend to NOT dumping the thesaurus on the page and overwriting), imagery, these are all basics that need to be worked with before rhyme. For those with musical inclinations and skill, rhythm is a very good place to start.

Practice and instruction. Along with reading examples. Truth be told I rarely rhyme. Occasionally it seems to flow. Connect. Into verse.

 

[Darkkin]

Practice and instruction. Along with reading examples. Truth be told I rarely rhyme. Occasionally it seems to flow. Connect. Into verse.

Sometimes it works sometimes it does. I don't rhyme all the time, but in certain pieces I do like having structure. Spoons and Stars, and Fate of Potato are structured verse, but do not rhyme. Other pieces in the storylines do.

 

[Wolfnox]

Sometimes it works sometimes it does. I don't rhyme all the time, but in certain pieces I do like having structure. Spoons and Stars, and Fate of Potato are structured verse, but do not rhyme. Other pieces in the storylines do.

Doggy. Doggy. What is thy time. Doggy. Doggy. What is thy rhyme? Speak in verse or in time. Doggy. Doggy. What is thy rhyme?

Kinda like that for me. Syncs up.

 

[Darkkin]

Doggy. Doggy. What is thy time. Doggy. Doggy. What is thy rhyme? Speak in verse or in time. Doggy. Doggy. What is thy rhyme?

Kinda like that for me. Syncs up.

Archaic language, unless thou art a bard, doth make one sound mildly afflicted by the lunar call.

If you want to rhyme effectively, take a look at a rhyming dictionary. I use both printed and online versions, and some of the stuff they recommend can really get you thinking outside the box. And there are also different types of rhyme.

True
Eye
Slant
Suffix
Half
Conjugated

At it's most basic:

Quatrain with a single rhyme in 2, 4.

Something a Friend of C. Robin Said

Now there is a something,
a mere four letters long-
An immortal of verse,
of great story and song.

To spell is not to know;
this is something more.
As a bear once observed,
it is felt in one's core.

Most important thing about writing. Write what you like to read. Not really sure what to read? Dig in and read until you find something you like.

 

[Wolfnox]

Archaic language, unless thou art a bard, doth make one sound mildly afflicted by the lunar call.

If you want to rhyme effectively, take a look at a rhyming dictionary. I use both printed and online versions, and some of the stuff they recommend can really get you thinking outside the box. And there are also different types of rhyme.

True
Eye
Slant
Suffix
Half
Conjugated

At it's most basic:

Quatrain with a single rhyme in 2, 4.

Something a Friend of C. Robin Said

Now there is a something,
a mere four letters long-
An immortal of verse,
of great story and song.

To spell is not to know;
this is something more.
As a bear once observed,
it is felt in one's core.

Most important thing about writing. Write what you like to read. Not really sure what to read? Dig in and read until you find something you like.

Fair.
I did add some rough Shakespeare to a story I was writing. And yes you should write what you like. Motivation is important.

 

[Fino]

What should I study? It feels like something that should come naturally, but I could definitely be wrong about that. Like when you learn physics, you learn the laws, and the formulas. I can do that. But what are the laws and formulas for creative writing?

I'm not entirely sure, because I've only taken two creative writing courses. They mainly consisted of a lot of writing, a lot of critiquing, and a lot of reading. But you can earn a degree in creative writing, so there must be more to study than what I listed. Practicing various genres, grammar, vocabulary, maybe.

 

[D'Andre]

Practice and instruction. Along with reading examples. Truth be told I rarely rhyme. Occasionally it seems to flow. Connect. Into verse.

Yeah some of the best songs out there don't rhyme.

 

[Darkkin]

Yeah some of the best songs out there don't rhyme.

Rhyme was developed as a means of aiding rote memorization when oral traditions were the primary means of communication and storytelling. Print wasn't even mildly doable on a decent scale until 1439. Before that illuminated manuscripts were the primary format of literature in western Europe. Moor held Spain, Baghdad, India, and China were lightyears ahead, until...Baghdad was sacked by the mongols. Its public libraries were decimated. So many manuscripts were tossed into the Tigris that it is said the waters ran black with the ink.

Thusly, oral traditions were more readily available and waterproof.

 

[Yeshuasdaughter]

Go on Reedsy.com . You can publish short stories and poems there. They even have a contest every week to win $250 I think.