How Do You Write a Poem?

[@jenvcampbell]

Hello, folks! I've been wanting to film a video like this for a while. I hope you enjoy it. Let me know your thoughts! xx

[@1982ciwan]

omg this was so helpful! I've never seen anyone sharing themselves writing in the moment! So unique. I'm really trying to get into poetry and am watching channels like Adam Gary Poetry and Dimitri Reyes Poet, and this was so helpful too! Thank you for sharing! x

[@marren573]

I like when Jen dissects poems. Reading between the lines is a learning and fun experience. Using words such as snow, winter, blazing gave me a rush of scenery.

[@jenvcampbell]

Thank you x

[@BohoBookworm]

YES thank you so much for this. I dabble in poetry but this is so helpful.

[@1982ciwan]

Same! I'm trying to get into it a lot more but struggling with where to start. KZbin is my saviour. Have you watched any Adam Gary Poetry or Dimitri Reyes Poet videos?! x

[@mollyaitken4399]

Jen this was so beautiful. Thanks so much for sharing this. Initially I thought it was about losing a child and I also thought of the snow child but I didn't think of IVF. Stunning. It really moved me.

[@jenvcampbell]

I’m glad you liked it. Thank you, Molly xx

[@virginiaarcher9442]

Just rewatching this and finding it brilliant once again, Jen. Thank you. Beautiful poem

[@NadineTouzet]

I’ve always found poetry daunting. I love your approach, how you make it come alive and accessible.

[@jenvcampbell]

❤️ xx

[@MatthewSciarappa]

I bet Lola writes the best poems ❤️

[@jenvcampbell]

She’s currently writing an opera about foxes and sausages x

[@MatthewSciarappa]

Jen Campbell I’ll be at previews!

[@j.o.4080]

I think this is brilliant. At first, I thought it was going to be more so about a child with their family watching the snow child outside and longing for that freedom and peace. But the story of the five stages of IVF was really beautiful. Also reminded me of the five stages of grief which I believe is really fitting as the longing and pre-emptive grieving feels true here, especially with watching the squirrel get all of his nuts while they watch a child they're not able to have. I am much more of a messy first drafter but your process intrigues me. Makes me want to go revise revise revise.

[@twentyplumed]

Two things I love about this - how decisive you are with your first drafts, deleting and editing as you go. And how you sat down and dedicated a solid 3-4 hours to writing a poem. I'm always squeezing them in around other things, which is silly, because I often have good stretches of time for poetry, but end up not prioritising it. Anyway - today I sat down at my computer and wrote a prose poem about space and trees, inspired by this video👍😘

[@jenvcampbell]

Excellent news! x

[@Tango13Collen]

Thank you so much for sharing this poetic journey. You've explained your process beautifully and personally. I'd love to see you do this again at some point!!

[@rimbluebooks]

As much as I watch you talk abt poetry I grew to appreciate it more and I've started to read more of it. I'm glad and thankful that u have shared this video with us coz I was trying to refine my poetry writing ❤😊 thank you

[@jenvcampbell]

You’re welcome, and thank you x

[@doesitmatter13]

I have just submitted my poems to a magazine for the first time! Thanks for all the advice and the confidence you gave me with your videos x

[@jenvcampbell]

Good luck! x

[@Michellesvintagelibrary]

This was really helpful. It’s not often that you get to actually see the writing process. I would love to see more writers doing this. Thanks for posting this. Your channel always inspires me and I learn so much.

[@CarinaZacharias]

I'm loving this so much, I can't even tell you. Such an intriguing insight in your writing process. I have to admit, I sometimes feel very intimidated by reading poetry. But this is very helpful at making it seem more ... tangible I guess. Thank you!

[@jenvcampbell]

I’m so glad, Carina! Thanks for watching xx

[@jelina5892]

thank you for the insights. Strangely enough I write the title of my poem first to serve as type of theme or prompt then when editing I'll sometimes change it to suit the whole poem. Mostly it serves as a placeholder for the type of image or mood I want to convey

[@xxblissxx8540]

I writing a poem for school, I’m honestly TERRIBLE but this is helping a bit, tysm for this

[@glassplay]

terrific! thoughtful! Thank you.

[@a.c.kearns924]

Very instructive Jen, thank you!

[@jenvcampbell]

You're welcome!

[@hellokitten2]

Thank I need this for my class

[@JennieJohnston]

I enjoyed watching the lines of the poem move and shift with the music. It is a joy to watch an artist at work, the poem is wonderful.

[@jenvcampbell]

Thank you, Jennie. x

[@kgv.photos]

I love this type of video! I am currently in an intro to poetry class and seeing the writing process in this video was very inspiring and helpful

[@PolarBear-rc4ks]

OMG THIS IS WHAT I NEEDED!!! I'm doing a project on illustrating poems and i dont know how to write one thank you thank you thank you so much!!!

[@nonono6537]

What a lovely poem! And such a fascinating process ☺

[@surrendersweet]

I loved this video! That poem was beautiful. I love how you just have an image & build a poem around it.

[@mohamadkebbewar6827]

Great video, thank you! I’d love to see more writing based vlogs. I find poems to be frozen moments in history so whenever I find something inspiring I jot it down in my phone or on my notebook. It usually takes about four drafts to get it where it needs to be.

[@kathrynrossati-barron6351]

Really insightful and intriguing to see poetry crafted in such a different way to my own method of 'fast' drafting and then revising.

[@jenvcampbell]

Thanks, Kathryn. We all work in different ways; it's fun to compare :) xx

[@tzaph67]

I’ve only just discovered your channel. This was amazing, thank you! Am waiting with baited breath for you he next video (will be checking out older ones!)

[@rachaellundy-davis7957]

Love your bare bones writing! I immediately thought of a runaway or possibly a kidnapped child. There's a sense of both loss and longing in each scenario, so it had the same feel to me.

[@jenvcampbell]

Thank you for sharing your reading, Rachael x

[@barindergosal821]

First I didn't know how to write a poem now I do THX

[@KyraThomsen]

Great video, Jen :) So fascinating to see the word choices and symbolism behind them, the depth of meaning behind them. Thanks also for answering my Instagram question about the significance of the colour white! The link to hospitals, cleanliness, blankness, newness - it works perfectly. My poetry process is fairly similar in that I edit as I go as well, except that I prefer to write poetry by hand (but fiction on the computer). I recently made a video dissecting how I wrote a poem, and found that I tend to start with one image or symbol and connect the lines with links, almost like free association, but connecting back in on the original idea or theme (kind of like drawing a flower, but with writing). Anyway - thanks for making this video and sharing your process and beautiful poetry x

[@jenvcampbell]

Thanks for sharing your process, Kyra x

[@swoonscapades]

It's so interesting that you mention that an idea snowballing and how you only have a /feeling/ of it because that's similar to how I describe my novel ideas to someone as well! When asked about my writing process, I tell people that my ideas are often me just having a general "sense" (a "feeling" as you said) of what my book's "essence" is rather than me having any specific ideas or plots, and that I don't actually know what that book is going to end up being or even where its going to lead me until I actually get in there and begin writing it. Because even when i have a general outline to help me focus, stories and characters tend to have a mind of their own, so i never actually know where it'll go. People generally think it's weird and don't get what i mean by that, so it was a pleasant surprise to hear someone else describe it quite similarly! I love when writers dissect their work and process, so I'm enjoying all the videos like this that you've posted. Especially since I'm not a poet and I tend to be intimidated by poetry so the insight has been amazing so far and this video even more so I bet, since we'll be witnessing you constructing a poem and I'm excited! Anyways, I'm only 2 minutes into the video though, so off i go back to watching. 💖

[@jenvcampbell]

Thank you for sharing your creative process, Jessica x

[@lindedessoy1197]

Wow Jen! This was so beautiful and interesting. Thank you so much.

[@literaryliekki8341]

I remember seeing manatees at a zoo and a board stating that they were most likely what sailors had seen when they came up with mermaids, and I remember that fact sticking with me, because the manatees did not ask for this, it was the sailors who projected this luring predator onto them, blaming their desire on these unknowing creatures. It culminated in me writing a poem about rape culture, my own history with assault and a specific case of sexual assault that recently happened in my country: a diabetic woman passed out from insulin deficiency at a party and was raped by two men, and at the trial the judge let the perpetrators go because "she did not say no", because, y'know, she was UNCONSCIOUS. After an appeal a higher court fortunately repealed this and they were fined and sent to jail, but it still infuriates me that that woman had to go through that first trial with that garbage judge.

[@rosielove6431]

I loved this video ♥️ this poem really spoke to me...my favourite line 'the whole world is a blizzard'. The words and the way it stands on its own made me think about the 'silence' of snow and how when it is so cold you hold your breath. The line also made me think about having an ultrasound, all the static and fuzz on the screen, the noisy silence as you wait to see baby's outline appear and know if everything is ok....or not.on an even more personal note for me, when I was pregnant with my first I was told at a very early early scan that it was a molar pregnancy. They describe the look of the ultrasound as a 'snowstorm'. Thankfully they were wrong and I have a strong willed 4 year old who likes her hair wild 😊xxx

[@alishalegrand6139]

I do both I write via iPad so electronically first then I do a bunch of editing and all of that stuff and then I hand write

[@goldenangele7913]

Thank you

[@alishalegrand6139]

Sometimes I’ll write the poem first and then put the title after I read the poem a couple times and then I realize OK this is what it should be titled but most of the time I put I have the title first generally in my head and then after that it goes from the title to the body which is the poem itself

[@aprilgarcia954]

I really enjoyed getting to watch your creative process. I tend to start a poem on paper with a pencil and then either while I'm still crafting the poem (or sometimes when I'm done) I move to the PC and do my editing. Like you, I'm constantly editing as I'm still creating. I can't help it. Even while I'm typing it up on the PC I'm usually jotting it back down on the paper, especially when I have conflicting ideas about wording/lines/or stanzas. I will write them down in each form side-by-side and type each up to see how I feel about them. Unfortunately, I can't tell you what I thought the poem was about as you were writing it because everything was moving so fast I couldn't keep up. Instead I was just watching the process itself without paying attention to the words. Once you were done, however, I was confused by the title given the image you said you had in your head before starting. So I was very happy to hear your analysis of the meaning. IVF is not something I've had to deal with so I'm not familiar with the process and wouldn't have understood the metaphors on my own. Hearing your explanation of the metaphors and how they relate to IVF made things very clear for me and I found those to be very creative. I especially liked the image created by the lines "The snowboy's eyes are / kingfishers. Blazing countries / we would love to visit." Again, I needed your analysis to understand that otherwise I would have had to Google what "kingfishers" meant.

[@jenniferbrown6427]

I am not into poetry at all but I recently watched you annotate The Bees and I found it really interesting and I am now hungry to learn more. I actually saw the title of this poem on your instagram before watching so I can't comment on what I thought before the title was revealed, as I already knew it. I interpreted the poem as though the couple themselves were inside the snowglobe and the snowboy was a representation of society looking in and asking 'when you will you do what is expected of you and bear children.'

[@jenvcampbell]

Ah, yes, that was a bit of a spoiler, sorry, ha! Thank you for sharing your reading of it, Jennifer. x

[@mayan-k65]

wow i loved this video! never stop making videos about poetry, please :)

[@jenvcampbell]

Thank you, Maya. I certainly intend to make many more xx

[@reveparti]

Hello Jen:-> I found this poem simply beautiful. I particularly enjoyed discovering it because it deals with themes I have had in my mind recently, so it really resonated with me and almost felt familiar. I also want to say the way you filmed this video made it very interesting to watch, and it gives us readers more insight into your world and how your mind works when you're writing. I believe it helps us have a better understanding of your poetry in general and others things that your imagination brings to life! it was so lovely to experience.♥ Hope you are well, Emma

[@jenvcampbell]

Thank you, Emma. I'm glad you enjoyed it. x

[@Creating.in.hibernation]

Existing and not existing could also relate to the argument of when a person becomes a person. In the womb, when they're born, the argument about abortion. I REALLY love the way you explain your thought process, line by line and word by word. I honestly need to find time for some of your workshops when I'm in the right head space xx

[@michellewdcosta]

Thank you for doing this

[@jenvcampbell]

You're welcome!

[@abidahasnain2638]

Amazingly beautiful poem ! •Can you teach me everything about creating a poem please...

[@jenvcampbell]

www.jen-campbell.co.uk/writing-workshops

[@abidahasnain2638]

Thank you

[@alial-tai1866]

Please, I have emotions but I don't know how to arrangement each line in the poem ,can you help me , please?

[@abesapien9930]

Don't start with your emotions. Find something outside yourself that interests or facinates you. Your feelings will reveal themselves enough.

[@Midnight1i1y]

I love the idea of poetry, but I've never really taken the dive into it because I've always felt... I don't know, maybe like it's wasted on me, that I can't appreciate it as much as someone else could and can't see past the top notes of the writing. I couldn't see what you were writing because the text was too small on my screen but I really liked how it all came together. I think I need to check out more of your videos, I'm sure there are recommendations for where I can start my poetry exploration out there.

[@jenvcampbell]

Were you watching on your phone? If you watch on a computer the text should be big enough :) and indeed I do have a video on where to start with reading poetry. You can find it here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/m4fGpKODe8iiea8 x

[@Midnight1i1y]

@@jenvcampbell Yes I was! I'll go back and watch through again but I'm worried my perception will be coloured now I know exactly what it's about. And thank you! I've followed you for a while but I don't get a whole lot of time to just watch, so I knew you'd have something that would help. I'm going to pick up Sarah Kay's collection first I think, I remember that Ted talk and the imagery of painting the night sky on the back of her hands has clung to me ever since.

[@whymeditationbymarleneschnoor]

Wauw - I love this

[@jenvcampbell]

I’m glad ☺️ thanks, Marlene x

[@elizabethreads0312]

Before the title I really thought it was about the dichotomy of having the basic necessities of life but no being happy. And seeing people that don’t have those necessities such as being homeless and not doing anything to change their situation.

[@jenvcampbell]

Thank you for sharing your reading :) x

[@laquitabrockington4301]

hey i'm new to this channle.

[@EricDeVaughnn]

I kept pausing and unpausing, trying to keep up with every edit. I write the same way, editing as I go. Still, fascinating to watch someone else's process.

[@jenvcampbell]

Thanks, Eric! All the best with your writing. x

[@paacheecoo97]

I honestly thought it was about global warming ahahah I thought the boy represented the future generations and the lines saying "He might be mythic. Or prophetic." were a representation of both the possibility of future generations never existing (hence mythic) but also of younger generations prophesising the end of the world. Then the "Did anyone see him arrive?" would be the couple (the older generations) wondering where the hell all of this concern over global warming came. "Blazing countries we would like to visit" - most countries people dream of visiting are very warm and are only getting warmer with climate change (perhaps to the point of blazing up). "The whole world is a blizzard" - extreme weather around the world. "We refuse to talk of snow babies incubating in fables. How their fingerprints are the scattered names of endangered species" - the future (mythic) generations won't leave a mark (fingerprint) on this world because the world will end before they have the possibility to do it and, so, their (possible) names are the same as the names of the endangered species of the present (both will cease to exist). "Instead we dip our palms in icing sugar and press our mouths to the window" - the older generations ignoring the warnings and just "fooling around".

[@jenvcampbell]

Thanks for sharing your reading, Pedro! How lovely! x

[@fromyourheadtoyoursoul8785]

Great video ☝️ ☝️ thanks for all the tips miss supermodel check out some of my poems if you get a chance

[@bijaykantdubey6055]

History of the States, The United States of America, Who came from where, Who settled where And how, None knows it the history Of the land, native Americas, Just keeps about saying colonial history Of settlement and domicile.

[@Klaudiator1]

kingfishers reminded me of the legend of the fisher king. wikipedia tells me this legend also has implications of sterility/infertility! whaaaaat?

[@jenvcampbell]

I'm going to go ahead and claim I meant that all along 😂

[@Klaudiator1]

@@jenvcampbell by the way, great video :)

[@jenvcampbell]

Thank you x

[@swghosh]

There is always something new to learn from your videos. I really enjoyed your writing process and explanations. Hope to more videos on poetry.