How to write poetry on Red Bubble Category Writing
Danny Nolan
Great tips for new players

As you may have noticed all types have a go at expressing themselves on Red Bubble.

The Photographers, illustrators, Tee Shirt designers even the casual observers all like to contribute a verse or too. This guide is to help those who wish to (but haven’t yet got the confidence) publish their poetic thoughts.

Lesson One:

Never think that you have to make sense or rhyme.

Poetry has always in its nature been vague. Lots of history’s greatest poems are incomprehensible.
Read anything by Milton, TS Elliot or even Chaucer and you’ll understand.

Most literature has a basic principal. Start, Middle, End.

With poetry there is a more artistic licence it’s more like: Start, Forget street directory, Get lost, Abandon car and hitch home.
So if you forget what you started, don’t worry, most people reading won’t know either.

Which bring us to our Lesson Two:

Most poetry is usually by default accepted as personal , either describing personal events or conveying the deepest emotions of the author. Which basically means no one is going have a clue what you are writing about. So the reader will automatically feel sympathy.
Both the previous rules present problems for the average reader. Not everyone (read as NOBODY) wants to read some syrupy whiney clump of words and then feel embarrassed because they made a comment about your dead cat and you were writing about the time your boyfriend slept with your sister!

This is why Lesson Three is so important in relation to Red Bubble

Lesson Three:
Always start with a short note before the poem starts explaining vaguely what your verse is about. This way the reader won’t feel foolish and will be able to comment on your journal because one the can pretend to feel empathy or pretend they understand what you are talking about.
Lesson Four:
Back to style. Never use one word when twelve will do.

Example:

Don’t Use: I hate you.
Use: In the deepest crevices of my total being
I cannot claw out the blackness,
the distaste,
the utter contempt I feel for you.
Another example:
Don’t use: I licked a lollipop
Use: My tongue
Twirled in and around
The buds all tickling
My mind unsound
To the luscious likes
That I had found.

Lesson Five :
Over express and /or describe everything refer Lesson Four

Lesson Six:

Emphasis. Simple rules to convey a feeling or secret thought.

Example:

Your Aim- Projecting whispering, quiet , a thought.
I whispered I love you
(but only for your money)

Example:
Your Aim- expressing shouting , loud, anger

I screamed your name to the wind
GIVE ME BACK MY TROUSERS

Lesson Seven:

If you are young—pepper everything with random swear words to convey any emotion
Example:

Mum and Dad
They hate me bad
Fuck!
All I did was take the car
and stack while pissed
shit!
How am I supposed to learn
If I don’t make mistakes
Bastards

Lesson Eight:

Do not ever inject comedy, parody or humour in your work.
No one will get it.