Poetry as a Doorway into Writing Confidence

When people tell me they want to write but don’t know where to begin, I often guide them to poetry. This isn't because I think everyone should become a poet, but because a poem is a bite-sized, manageable doorway into writing.

A poem doesn’t demand twenty pages (or even two, if you don't want). It just asks for a moment of attention. A single image. A rhythm that feels innately right. It's a small container, where writers can experiment freely. Change a word, shift a line break, play with sound, then see how it feels. You may be able to revise a whole poem in one sitting, something that isn’t always possible with prose.

That’s why I use poetry in my work as a writing confidence coach. It creates a safe space where fear is way less likely to take over. The same skills that make a poem work, clarity, rhythm, metaphor, and detail, carry naturally into every other kind of writing. Once a person learns to be brave inside a poem, they can bring that same courage into memoir, creative nonfiction, essays, fiction, and even academic assignments and business correspondences.

Writing a poem is not an end point. It’s a beginning. And for many writers, it’s the first time they realize: "Wait, I can do this."