When we find a genre we love, it’s very tempting to dig deep into that style and forget everything else!. However, as Lyat Melese (US) demonstrates, branching out to different forms of writing can only strengthen your mastery of your preferred genre: her experience writing for school newspapers helped her refine the powerful poetic style that won her first place in our Poetry & Spoken Word Competition. “I write for student newspapers where my writing has to be direct and the word count matters,” she says. “Over time, my writing style developed in writing poetry too: each word is chosen carefully and added only if it adds significant depth or meaning to my poem.”
Below, Lyat gives us a peek into her writing process and inspiration and offers tips for young writers in finding their own poetic voice!
What was your process for writing this poem, from first burst of inspiration to final draft?
I keep a notebook where I jot down any ideas or strong emotions I feel at different moments. I look back on my notes later and write about the stories that inspired or affected me the most. The most important and difficult part of the writing process is to start. Once the first word is on the page, the rest flows easily. I often write a whole poem in one sitting without looking back and edit only once it is complete.
Guest Judge Amina Atiq praised your poem for speaking “to many migrant journeys across the world” while serving “as a reminder that migrant journeys all look different.” How did you capture both the universal migrant experience as well as the personal?
I based my poem on my and my family’s experience, using that story to question the price that migrants have to pay and whether the goal of the journey was ultimately reached. While the story is personal to me, many immigrant journeys share the same emotions of uncertainty and newness that my poem describes.
How did you pack so much vivid imagery and emotion into such a beautifully spare poem?
I read and write very often and this has helped me find a writing style that works for me. I write for student newspapers where my writing has to be direct and the word count matters. Over time, my writing style developed so that each word in my piece is chosen carefully and added only if it adds significant depth or meaning to my poem.
What tips do you have for other young writers for developing and finding their distinct poetic voice?
Write everything down. It might seem tempting to try to judge your ideas or to choose the “best” ideas before writing, but you don’t know what you might come up with until you write it. Practice is important. Just keep writing and sharing your ideas and you will develop your distinct poetic voice.
