IFSOPOETS TOP TIPS

Writer tips on Style and Voice 
Poets are free to write in different styles and voices, sometimes they adopt a voice, or an attitude or take on a real-life or fictional character….
Who is speaking in the poem?
The Omniscient Viewpoint.
Epic poems use the omniscient or all-knowing viewpoint. It is like a voice over in a movie that describes everything. Sometimes poets use direct speech you write down everything the character are saying and experiencing so as we read it it feels like it is happening now, in the present moment just like a film.
The Third Person
Poets that write from one characters point of view  is called the third person and usually the poem is written in the past tense. The poem takes us directly in to the  feelings as though the reader is inside the character’s head.
The First Person
When poets use ‘I’ or ‘We’ in a poem it is mostly a fictional and crafted poem and not the poet confessing their feelings. Writing in the first person can make the poem seem more personal or intimate. It could be a straight narrative, letter-poem or poem diary sequence.

Writing in different voices 
TOP TIP: 3 ideas for poems for you to try 
You can write poems using 2 or more voices, each voice can take it in turns to speak a line or a verse in turn.
Try writing a dialogue or an argument poem set at a family  dinner, the language might be more relaxed and even have some slang. 
Try writing a question and answer poem between a policeman and young person. Here the language might be formal and restrained.
Try writing a quest poem with a hero seeking the answers to an ancient riddle. The language maybe more colourful, mythical.
Top Tip: How to develop your own style  
As you practice your writing you can go on to develop your own style of writing which is unique to you. Writing in different ways and different forms is very important if you want to find your own style.
Reading lots of poems also is very important as this build your knowledge of what techniques are possible in poetry. You may have your own particular rhythm and range of language when you start writing and as you read other writers your own style will improve and develop as you pick up ideas on how to bring form and content together successfully.