How Poetry Can Elevate Fantasy Writing

Have you ever been stuck on a draft of a fantasy story? Maybe you experienced writer’s block or lost momentum when constructing a fictional world for your characters.

I have grappled with writer’s block on many drafts, and I have often waited for a muse who seemed to ignore my desperate pleas for inspiration! To overcome such challenges, I have found that reading and writing poetry help in the following ways. 

1. Literary devices: Poets include allusions (indirect references to someone or something widely known) and metaphors (comparisons without “as” or “like”) to add layers of meaning. Fantasy writers can use allusions to tap into cultural memories to deepen understanding of their characters and themes. Likewise, fantasy writers can use metaphors to develop dynamic, round characters and build complex themes.

2. Worldbuilding: Poets employ different kinds of imagery (auditory, gustatory, olfactory, tactile, and visual) to create sensory experiences. By using vivid sensory details, fantasy writers can make their imaginary worlds consistent and immersive.

3. Pacing: Poets consider enjambment (the continuation of a thought from one line to the next) and end-stopped lines (lines that end with punctuation marks). By studying how poets determine reflective pacing, fantasy writers can consider when to end scenes and chapters so that readers can process events without losing interest.

4. Concision: Poets carefully select every word to maximize emotional impact and to amplify musicality. With concision, fantasy writers can increase engagement and propel plot lines, keeping readers flipping pages.

Many successful authors have written fantasy stories and poems. In addition to writing novels, Lewis Carroll, J.R.R. Tolkien, and Ursula K. Le Guin composed memorable poems.

In fact, Carroll, the author of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, weighed in on the age-old debate about innate talent versus training. The Latin proverb “Poeta nascitur, non fit” translates to “A poet is born, not made.” Carroll satirized this adage with his poem “Poeta Fit, Non Nascitur” (A Poet Is Made, Not Born). First published in 1869, the poem provides an amusing guide on how to become a poet. While literary scholars have debated the poem’s message, it is clear that it has provoked thoughtful discussions about what it takes to be a poet or any other type of writer.

After reading Carroll’s poem years ago, I realized that I am a writer who needs training. Since then, I have read actively and widely, from classic fantasy epics to modern poems. So, if you are like me and sometimes need a creative boost while drafting a fantasy story, you may want to enjoy the magical experience of a poem or pen one.