by Gerard Coulombe

Created on: June 12, 2009

"Tips for Writing Poetry at Helium" and "Tips on How to Write Poetry for Helium.com or Other Online Poetry Magazines" are similar enough to each other to think of them as the same task.

Both require knowing something about writing poetry. At the very least, a reading of poems on an assigned topic chosen by Helium is not only a good starting point for beginners at writing poetry but also the best starting point for those who wish to hone their craft. What you see and read will reveal something about who the poets are and where their minds are, have been or where they tend to go. It's an interesting exercise for the reader, one that does not require knowing a great deal about poetry or anything at all about the poet.

The poem does the speaking and will speak sentences if not volumes about the poet's interests, maturity, and use of language, symbol and point of view.

The other reason for reading Helium poets and poetry is to learn something about where Helium itself is on the subject of poetry. Since there appears to be no overall editor-in-chief of the poetry venue to give the section shape, then one must rely on the triage done by raters, readers, and possible users of the poetry collection under different titles. The method makes anyone who wishes to attempt a poem on any given topic a contributor to a little online poetry "journal."

There was at one time a little poetry journal called, Poets On. The editor chose the topic for every issue. For occasional little poetry magazines, the poet wrote, met the deadline, waited to hear that his submission had either been received or received and rejected and then wait several months before learning which of the four or five poems maximum submitted had been accepted for publication which would come some time after that with a promise of payment in copies of the magazine. But work for Helium is posted in seconds and a full reading of one's poem can soon follow. Then the poet lives or dies with the judgment and the entire vicissitudes of those who rate one's poem.

There are all types of poems. And there are all manner of books or monographs on how to write poetry, and there are as many definitive introductions to poetry, and how to write it, as there are schools of thought on how to write within that school. Also the summer writing workshop industry has its indispensable professional workshops for amateurs led by proven established poets who lecture and read your stuff and their stuff and conference

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