Never underestimate yourself, what you write and how you feel are the only thing that matters.

And NEVER base the greatness of your pieces on the likes that you get and on how many followers you have.

Just write for yourself not for the benefit of others.

And just like everyone says here, those who are on the top 100 are just as great as those who are at the bottom. ( newbies for that matter )

HAPPY WRITING!!!

*hugs*

When writing good poetry, please, consider the following:

•Never let poetry scare you because it is all about rhymes.

—This is not true poetry uses free verse as well; let your poetry be as free as your ideas and pen.

•Try to avoid cliches. Cliches such as roses are red and violets are blue are so overused.

— They are unhealthy to any poet just as sugar in our diets; let your poetry be about subjects no one has ever talked about or describe something as people have not seen it yet.

•Let your poetry have a heart.

—Good poetry always, ALWAYS, has to have heart and passion. Let your heart be the guide and your brain the writer.

•Make your poetry be long and fruitful.

—Always try to set a goal to yourself about how far you are going to write. Make this a habit, and you'll find yourself writing essays about love and the human condition. If your poems are meant to be short please re-read the previous suggestion.

•Don't know what to write?

—Write about any moment, any feeling, rain, clouds, the girl or boy sitting next to you, their actions, your crush, the beauty of someone, beauty itself, the universe, your vision of the world. Poetry is about anything not just lovers and love.

•Listen to music when planning to write.

—When writing something new, listen to soothing music. I listen to Bear's Den, Deep Forest, Classical music, etc.

•When writing good poetry it doesn't have to be in a poem's format; it can be a paragraph or just as this format, a poem about how to write good poetry.

•Be yourself, get inspired by others.

DA 2015

I would say first and foremost that you should carry with you one of those pocket size notebooks and a pen. Carry it with you everywhere you go. Scribble down feelings you get from your days. Ideas will often drop into focus from out of nowhere, jot them down or you will forget them.

Enjoy what you write about, it should be a fun thing, if it stops being fun, stop writing, take a break and do something else, you can always come back to it later.

Write about what you know and what you feel deep inside - that's where the emotion comes from. Unless of course you're writing science fiction or fantasy.

Read often. Experience gained from reading other writers work is an invaluable source of guidance on writing your own pieces.

Don't believe the hype. Sometimes folk will excitedly comment on what you write, enjoy it all, but take it with a pinch of salt and keep your feet on the ground.

Be prepared for writing stints that can go on for hours upon hours, and the turmoil you will feel when no one likes it. It happens. No problem when it does, learn from it and be patient. It will happen often.

Be honest with yourself about finished pieces of work. Be critical of it and correct even the tiniest of errors. Use a dictionary and a good thesaurus to keep your words and phrases crisp and correctly spelt.

Finally, don't over complicate your sentences (something I am guilty of on occasion), try and keep things flowing in an easy style that makes reading a cinch.

But, above all else, have fun.

@Lsu11 told me something once that literally had me posting almost everything I wrote instead of always deleting it.

"Remember that you write for yourself- not for anybody else and as long as you're happy with your piece, that's all that matters."

If you haven't checked her out, go right now. She's a wonderful poet and an even better person. (Chances are though, she's already found you. She's good at that.)

As advice from me, I say write from your heart. Bleed on the page, cut yourself with your words if you have to. The raw stuff is the best and it feels a hell of a lot better after getting it all out.

Every day

go out of

your way

to do

something

that bucks

your usual

routine.

It will make

you run on

a full tank.

It will make

you burn.

Write what you want, don't sit there and think "what do other people want to read", rather, think "what do I feel inside that's urging to come out and make itself manifest on the page". Write what you feel, not what you want; and trust me, there IS a difference at times.

- Michael Hall

For Readers:

While “hearts” are certainly nice, I’d like to know why you like something: Did it strike a cord? Make you laugh? Cry? Cringe? Was there a particular turn of phrase that made your boat float?

So while you’re soaking up lots of good content, don’t forget to comment.

For Writers:

Let your hair down, (or if you don’t have hair, fly your freak flag). I consider this a very safe and friendly environment. Here is where I create things that don’t really have a place on my blog or podcast. I can explore a different side to my usual style (like being daring and doin’ some swearing). It feels more liberating than taking your bra off at the end of a very long day.

Do whatever you want!

Seriously! We love to see things that go against the norm. Go crazy! Write the same word 500 times or write one word and nothing more. Plus, comment and like lots of things! The more you get involved the more people will get involved with you! I adore the people here, they're incredibly supportive and sweet and kind. There's absolutely nothing to be afraid of here. Welcome to Prose! Keep writing!

Keep your fingers flying over the keyboard,

Keep your mind busy at work,

Never doubt your words and writing,

Write down every quirk.

Read other people's posts,

Don't just expect them to read your own,

Prose is so you can write AND read,

Just writing, you can do alone.

But Prose is not a lonely place,

Even if you think it so,

Don't compare yourself to other writers,

Be yourself, you'll know just where to go.