Lewis Kenny, Performance poet, Singer/Songwriter and founder of Inter-Varsity Slam shares tips on creating a spoken word piece for the Drugs.ie 'Let's Talk About Drugs' National Youth Media Awards Competition.
1) A good spoken word piece is like a good story, it should have a beginning, a middle and an end. Whether it’s a personal experience or a piece of fiction, a good story is what will draw in your reader/listener. Instead of telling us directly how drugs affect people and society, tell us how drugs have affected you or someone you know. Introduce us to a character, set the scene and subtly make your point through narration. Have a friend read your work and guess what the theme of your poem is. Was it enjoyable? Could they follow your story? Was the theme of your work clear?
2) Make it conversational Like any good story, it’s all about how you tell it. If you find yourself struggling to start your work, try using conversation starts like “I remember years ago…” or “Let me take you back…”. This can really draw in a reader as it can feel like the writer is right in front of them talking to them directly. You can also try adding in other common conversational phrases like “You know what I mean?” or “Cuz wait’n I’ll tell you this...”. This give a reader a sense of familiarity and involvement in the poem, which will make them engage more with your work
3) Rhythm And Rhyme The poem you compose is meant to keep your audience captivated and entertained. To do this, make sure audible aestheticism is threaded throughout your piece. Something that always helps me is reading the poem back over and over to better understand where and where not to use certain poetic tools. Rhyme is something that is great when used appropriately. My best advice is don't chase your rhymes. In other words, get your poem and your message down first, rather than just writing words that rhyme and assuming they will fit into your story.
4) Keep it simple With spoken word pieces, they are meant to be heard and not read. When you perform a poem people can’t re-hear or re-read your poem so you gotta keep it simple and take it slow. Complex verse form is wasted here. Double entendre, toying with homophones and other word play will be lost. The audience has to get it on the first go or they won’t get it at all. Don't get too deep. Be personal and authentic
5) Performance This is performance poetry. Spoken word by its nature is part theatrical performance and part monologue, so keep this in mind when writing a spoken word piece. Use emotion in your voice, develop a poetic voice and using some acting techniques. It can turn a good poem into a great spoken word piece.
Source: Lewis Kenny, 20/03/18
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