just a tip giving start for those who seem less than enthusiastic. great tips from Kenn Nesbitt from his site, poetry4kids.com. check it out! I just wanted to share the info with my kids in a friendlier way with this

1. Writing Poetry Tips provided by poet Kenn Nesbitt

2. Don’t worry, PRACTICE! What if you fail? What if you can’t? What if someone tells you you’re no good? The only way to fail is to not write anything at all! Example- If you want to be a runner but the first mile you run takes 20 minutes, you don’t give up, you keep practicing to get faster!

3. Hardest Part?? “I think the hardest part of writing poetry is sitting down and starting. ..Michael Crichton, best selling author, refer(ed) to this as “putting butt to chair.” ” Remember, don’t criticize yourself either, it’s all just practice!

4. Editing! It’s important! Spelling, punctuation, etc… BUT “Wait until you are done writing!” Don’t spend time correcting or searching for perfect word on your first draft! Push through, write more! “blah blah” or ___ Example – Sculptor carving from wood

5. Two groups of poetry Free Verse Doesn’t need rhyme, # of lines, patterns, etc Structured Three we focus on: Limerick, Haiku, Cinquain

6. Go over the characteristics

7. Let’s try this first! Write two rhyming lines about this picture.