How to write a successful poem for your Instagram

Make it short and sweet!

Well, not too sweet because it might sound too sappy.

And not too short, because then you’ll be accused of not trying enough.

Okay maybe make it a bit longer, and try to be a bit more vulnerable too.

Well, no, now it’s kind of too long and you’ve lost your reader’s retention.

And you’re being too vulnerable don’t you think? Back to oversharing on the internet. Your comments are filled with “I hope you're okay”, and your friends are messaging you asking if you’ve ever thought of seeing someone for those feelings you’re having.

What about being relatable or writing about trending topics!

…. What? Why’d you stop writing? Okay fine I get it, so you’re not very good at relating to others. That’s probably why you turned to writing to start with. But did you try trending topics? No, because your uncle who drinks too much follows you and you’re not ready for the war to be had in the comments section. It’s not that you don’t want to get political, you just are twenty years old and are afraid of strangers threatening you and your family? I mean I guess that’s valid.

Hm, well how about you just write for the sake of writing and don’t heavily edit yourself, just really go for it!

Okay so you did just that. And maybe that felt great for you, but as you happen to reread it now that it’s up you're realizing the abundance of typos… and is that a fragment? Is it really a fragment? I mean… this is poetry… I know we’re more lenient on the rules here, but that sentence doesn’t really seem right… is it? Maybe it’s the flow, or maybe you should have rearranged a few stanzas. You know what you’re right- ugh maybe take it down after all.

Or I could leave it up.

What? But aren’t you worried about what other people are thinking about your writing? What if it’s not good enough? Maybe it is too long, or too serious, and maybe others will never be able to relate?

But have you ever considered that if your only intent while writing is to be successful you might never find success at all? By constantly placing limitations on yourself and expectations of what your art should be you will lose your authenticity. There are so many people writing to be successful, and there are already so many people that already are. But you know what there’s not out there? You. There is only one you, so get wild! Experiment with styles, and scare off the too niche. Let your audience be made of people who genuinely like and support what you create, and not what you let on to be.