16 Uncommon Poetic Devices To Level Up Your Writing
The most common forms of poetic devices are metaphor, imagery, alliteration, etc. But!
There’s a whole other set of poetic devices that emerge when you use these common forms in alignment with your voice.
Think of it as a sort of poetic alchemy. An example of this is by utilizing imagery, tone and mood, you create atmosphere.
These terms don’t get talked about enough, because they’re often not seen as actual poetic devices. They tend to be used to explain a poet’s work, to express the feel of a poem itself.
But by not seeing them as tools, poets miss out on amplifying their strengths once they discover them.
Using the example before of atmosphere, if a poet knows their poems tend to have a rich experience of the landscape where the poem is taking place, they can use atmosphere as a device to amplify their writing and be more intentional with their poetic strengths.
This is how we take these terms and make them devices to further our skill.
So what are these poetic devices?
Let’s dive in!
Invitation
Invites the reader to do something or explore, ask something about themself or the world.
Twist
When a poem has a certain tone and then switches to a completely different tone. Or, the poem is talking about one thing, only to turn into something else. Example: a love poem that starts out sweet and romantic, then has a twist halfway through where the audience discovers the woman is actually a jealous side chick.
Reveal
When the concept / point of a poem is revealed in the poem. Often used with extended metaphor.
Proelium
Latin for battle. A poem uses epic language to give the tone of tension, making the subjects used in the poem feel epic / monumental.
Convergence
Bringing warmth and life to cold / distant language. Often used to bring emotion and life to scientific words.
Exploration
Inner dialog exploring the self.
Vulnerability
Allowing hard truths and experiences to be known, not shying away from the moment.
Urgency
Sense of importance, needs to be addressed now, often used with invitation and calls to action.
Empathy
Often used with poetic license to describe other people, subjects. This device also allows the audience to feel safe in heavy themes.
Atmospheric
Used to build the scene, bring the moment the poet is capturing into the senses by using tone, mood and imagery.
Factual
Starting off a poem with facts to lead the audience in. Used in structuring a poem.
Intimacy
When a poem zooms into a specific moment or subject. Often gives the sense to the audience that this is special and a gift, as if they are a fly on the wall, getting a peek into what happened.
Visceral
The use of raw and rough language. Often displays violence, lots of verbs, and subject matter tends to be things associated with danger.
Alchemy
Taking two subjects or words and combining them to equal something else. Often used to set up a punch line in a poem. Example: “I pass my resentment through my fist, call me a pacifist”)
Dissection
Taking one concept/word and breaking it up into multiple concepts. Often used with extended metaphor. Example: Using a flower to represent growth, weakness, beauty and entrapment all in one poem.
Resonance
How you know the poem is done, if it has resonance. It feels complete, and rings out like a bell.
Where in your work do these devices exist? Once you pinpoint them, you can get a better understanding of your poetic statement to explain your work and be more intentional in your writing.
Knowing these also has a huge benefit for where your poems are to live!
If your work is centered around invitation, you may want to look at a series of workshops around your poems that lead people to make some powerful mind shifts and self discoveries.
These devices can play a part in strategy for what makes sense for you and your work when it comes to opportunities and building revenue.
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