Value, which refers to the relative lightness or darkness of a color, is the second layer of composition. Usually, line dominates over value, color, and texture in composition, but the power of value contrasts can sometimes mean value is the dominant layer.

In an open form, which is characteristic of 17th-century painting, the style “everywhere points out beyond itself and purposely looks limitless”, in contrast to the self-contained entity of a closed form, in which everything is “pointing everywhere back to itself” (Wölfflin 1950, 124). …

Balancing a composition involves arranging both positive elements and negative space in such a way that no one area of the design overpowers other areas. Everything works together and fits together in a seamless whole. The individual parts contribute to their sum but don’t try to become the sum.

“Open form” means sculptures that are not solid masses but which literally have openings in them, or in which lines and planes often replace solid volumes or enclosing surfaces; thus the open (negative) space of a sculpture becomes a major component of the work.

John Agard’s Checking Out Me History is an example of an open form poem but one that still has a shape and structure. It is divided into stanzas – poetic paragraphs – and includes some rhyme and rhythm but not in a regular pattern. If we look at the opening stanza we can see this.

Personification is a poetic device where animals, plants or even inanimate objects, are given human qualities – resulting in a poem full of imagery and description.

A poem’s opening line represents the first time a reader has the chance to see your writing style or absorb your poem’s subject matter. Here are some great tips to help nudge you in the direction of writing the perfect opening line for your poem: Consider your form.

How to Write Open-Form Poetry

1. Economy. Cram as much energy as possible into each word.
2. Grammar and syntax.
3. Parts of speech.
4. Rhythms.
5. The physical lengths (the number syllables and the actual length) of the lines you use.
6. The length (in time) it takes to read each line aloud.
7. Line endings.

Closed form poems are written in specific patterns, using meter, line length, and line groupings called stanzas. Open form poems, often still referred to as “free verse” poems, do not use regular rhythmic patterns (i.e., metric feet), are usually unrhymed, have varying line lengths, and have no set line groupings.

Reading poetry is a rite of passage for American schoolchildren, but writing poetry of your own is a challenge. As with any form of creative writing, poetry writing can be hard work—but it can also be enormously gratifying. With the right approach, you can easily start writing poems of your own.

Poetry is a skill that cannot be forged. You either have it or don’t. Poets are fascinating because of their natural flow of words and rhymes; they have a talent which is innate and effortless. Poets are fascinating because of their natural flow of words and rhymes; they have a talent which is innate and effortless.

Poetry is difficult because it consists of the serious compression of information in very few words. One must know the structure, form and literary devices to fully appreciate the work. Poetry is difficult to interpret because it consists of the serious compression of information in very few words.

11 Rules for Writing Good Poetry

1. Read a lot of poetry. If you want to write poetry, start by reading poetry.
2. Listen to live poetry recitations.
3. Start small.
4. Don’t obsess over your first line.
5. Embrace tools.
6. Enhance the poetic form with literary devices.
7. Try telling a story with your poem.
8. Express big ideas.

Poetry suffers from an image problem. When confronting students about their fears, I often get a sense they think of poetry as far ‘too clever’ and the risk of misunderstanding, of ‘getting it wrong’, is too high. They also complain of feeling disconnected from the poetry they have encountered so far.