| 1. |
Never say anything in a poem that you wouldn't say in a bar. |
| 2. |
If you can't be profound be vague. |
| 3. |
Learn the difference between poetry and hebephrenia. |
| 4. |
The McNeilley Rule:Cut off the last line! This will make your poem better!
(If this doesn't work, keep cutting off the last line.) |
| 5. |
Sloganeering is about what you said and how you said it.
Poetry is about how you avoided saying it. |
| 6. |
Poetry lies between synonyms. |
| 7. |
The difference between self-expression and communication is poetry. |
| 8. |
If you can't spell a word don't use it. |
| 9. |
Bad poetry haunts the writer.
Good poetry haunts the reader. |
| 10. |
Don't express. Evoke. |
| 11. |
Technique is the difference between a good story and a good poem. |
| 12. |
The trick isn't to avoid being understood.
The trick is to be understood too quickly. |
| 13. |
If it doesn't sound like poetry to a Lower Slobovian it isn't. |
| 14. |
Every modern poem must contain at least one em dash abuse. |