5 Tips for Writing Acrostic Poetry

Acrostic poetry is a fun and simple type of poetry which will allow you to experiment with different writing techniques and formatting as well as practicing honing in on one particular subject and then expanding upon it. Take a look at these examples of acrostic poetry.
 

  1. Basics: Before you begin writing an acrostic poem, you need to understand the basics of this type of poem. In an acrostic poem, the first letter of each line creates a word when read from top to bottom. This makes the acrostic poem a way for you to write about a big idea in only a few words. It's a way that is very fun to write and interesting to read, since you will focus not only on what the words mean, but how they are placed.
  2. Vertical: Since the whole purpose of acrostic poems is to make a word or short sentence out of the first letter of each line, a good starting point can be to write your subject down vertically, so that when you begin writing your poem, it is easy to remember which letters of the subject need to be used, and figure out how to make the whole poem flow so that it is coherent.
  3. Capitalization: In acrostic poems, the first letter of each line is usually capitalized -- the start of a new sentence -- because it is easier for the reader to keep track of the subject of the poem this way, and it also adds to the visual presentation of the poem. 
  4. Subject: The subjects that acrostic poems can be about are as limitless as any other piece of writing. The difference is that the subject should be able to be summed up in one word or short phrase that you write vertically. Often, poets make themselves or people close to them the subjects of acrostic poetry, because each letter of a person’s name can be used to start a description of a trait they possess.
  5. Power Poetry: have fun while writing your acrostic poem, and then post it to Power Poetry.org to share with your community.

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