Have you got your entry in yet for the PBS & Mslexia Poetry & Pamphlet Competitions? There's still time to get writing before the 14th September. We're very excited to share some top tips from last year's winner of the Women's Poetry Competition, Helen Mort, to get you started!
Helen Mort's PoeTips #2
1. Find the authors whose work makes you really excited about what literature can do. Read them until you can't read any more.
2. When other writers talk about their 'routine', don't let it make you anxious: everyone likes to work differently and what suits one person might not suit another. Some poets thrive on making themselves write every day, others like to wait for ideas and images to arrive. Only you can find the 'right' approach for you.
3. Don't try to second-guess what editors or judges are looking for. Write the pieces that you feel you need to write.
Helen Mort was born in Sheffield. Her first collection 'Division Street' won the Fenton Aldeburgh Prize. Her collection 'No Map Could Show Them' (Chatto & Windus) is a PBS Recommendation. She blogs at 'Freefall'.
PBS Members can order No Map Could Show Them by Helen Mort with 25% off here.