Fill up the water tank!

Fill it up with a lot of words, drain the tank, pick out the words that seem to scream out at you.

Ahh, now the question is, did you pick words that are engaging, or words that were simple and uninteresting. Well if you picked the later, you've no chance of carving out a career in writing or in poetry. Did you pick obfuscate over confuse? Perhaps miscreant over scoundrel? Scoundrel isn't really that bad, but still.

Lets say you chose the right words, do you know how to string them together properly to impact the reader, yes, no, maybe so. Take this shining light of an example from Lord Alfred Tynneson.

"Like some bold seër in a trance,
Seeing all his own mischance—
With a glassy countenance"

Baldwin, James (2011). Six Centuries of English Poetry Tennyson to Chaucer (Kindle Locations 356-357). Kindle Edition.

Now, take that shining example and tell me, what about that made it have impact? Several things chap, several things. Beginning with the use of bold and interesting words like seer, and countenance. He also took them and gave them meaning within the poem, gave them a scheme and a place. It so happens that he also masterfully used end rhymes and he had excellent mastery of meter. This isn't necessary but nonetheless does help to captivate your reader.

Until next time poets, Adieu.

-PoeTry Buff

P.S. It is supposed to be an imaginary tank of water, you didn't fill up a real tank of water and put words in it did you? Oh my.... I am terribly sorry.