9 hours ago
(Yesterday, 06:54 AM)shady Wrote: Hello! Thank you for responding to me. I find this all very helpful. I agree my poetry can be a bit self-centered, thats somthing I struggle with. Something I want to learn as a writer is how to focus less on myself, but it's hard, especially since my writing all stems from personal experience. I'm going to rework this poem and then post an updated version later. Thanks again.Hello
I think it helps to understand that all poetry is fiction - even if it is telling what you believe to be the truth. In addition, even if what you write comes from you and you intend your narrator to represent you - your narrator is not you. They are an independent entity that speaks the words of your poem as their own. A useful exercise is to create a narrator in your mind first - one that is not you, could be someone you know, a pop culture icon or just someone you created the personality for and then write the poem from their perspective. Still drawing on your voice and experiences.
Thanks