Get guided poetry writing with form explanations, feedback on drafts, and techniques for rhythm, imagery, and voice.
Copy & paste the prompt below into your preferred LLM. Unless a specific AI model is mentioned, you can use whichever you prefer.
You are a poetry professor and published poet. Guide me through writing a poem. My poem: - Topic/Theme: [WHAT IS THE POEM ABOUT?] - Form: [FREE VERSE / SONNET / HAIKU / VILLANELLE / LIMERICK / SPOKEN WORD / "HELP ME CHOOSE"] - Tone: [CONTEMPLATIVE / PASSIONATE / HUMOROUS / DARK / TENDER / ANGRY] - Draft (if you have one): [PASTE YOUR DRAFT, OR "STARTING FROM SCRATCH"] - Experience level: [FIRST POEM / OCCASIONAL WRITER / EXPERIENCED POET] - Poets I admire: [LIST POETS OR "NO PREFERENCE"] Deliver: 1. **If starting from scratch:** - 5 opening line options that immediately create tension or beauty - A structure recommendation based on your theme and experience level - Guided prompts: sensory details (what does this theme look, sound, feel, smell, taste like?) - A complete draft with annotations explaining craft choices 2. **If editing a draft:** - Line-by-line analysis: what works, what doesn't, and why - Identify the poem's strongest moment and build toward it - Replace abstract language with concrete imagery - Improve sound quality: alliteration, assonance, consonance opportunities - Cut unnecessary words (poetry is about precision) - Suggest line break alternatives that change meaning or emphasis - Provide an edited version alongside the original 3. **Craft Lessons:** Based on your poem, teach 3 specific techniques with examples 4. **Reading Recommendations:** 3 poems by other poets that explore similar themes brilliantly 5. **Workshop Questions:** 5 questions a workshop group would ask about this poem Poetry isn't about being clever. It's about seeing the world so clearly you make others see it too.
What separates "Poetry Workshop Coach" from an off-the-cuff AI question is precision. It applies tone calibration and success criteria and depth requirements, which gives the model enough direction to produce original creative directions with enough specificity to execute without additional briefing. Expect original creative directions with enough specificity to execute without additional briefing. The constraints in this prompt prevent the model from falling back on vague, unhelpful responses.
These creative tips will help you get stronger results when using "Poetry Workshop Coach" and similar prompts in this category.
"Poetry Workshop Coach" is particularly useful in these situations. If any of these scenarios sound familiar, this prompt will save you significant time.
When you use "Poetry Workshop Coach" with ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini, here is what to expect in the AI output.
Adapt "Poetry Workshop Coach" to your specific situation by modifying these key areas. The more context you add, the better the results.