How to Write a Haiku: Start with a moment that feels special (recent or remembered). Brainstorm a list of words & phrases that trigger that feeling. Then arrange some of them into lines. Choose words and order lines for greatest impact. Prioritize meaning over syllable count. Share with someone or post somewhere. 😊
One good way to learn to write haiku is reading lots of them and pondering each one in turn. What touches you about your favorites? Clever wordplay? Insight? Nature? Stirring of emotion? Fresh perspective? Call to be present? After answering that question, try writing that way yourself.
Try keeping it real. Even if you're responding to a prompt, try letting it trigger a real memory. If your base is something specific that really happened, your poem might be more powerful than wordplay alone. Try describing the moment in present tense as if it is happening here and now so the reader feels it, too.
To make a haiku better, try taking out some words. Keep words that have a reason to be there, that clarify your meaning or are essential to paint the picture you want to convey. Consider whether you might replace a word with one that would make more impact.
Don't be afraid to write bad haiku. If what you write reminds you of a haiku moment, you can always revise it later. Basho, a revered haiku master, sometimes wrote and retained multiple versions of one poem. You can, too.
Try present tense. If you have a special memory to share through your haiku, try using present tense verbs to bring the reader along with you. Feeling like it’s happening here & now is usually more impactful than reading a description of a past event or scene.
Leave something unsaid. A common guideline is for haiku to be completed in the mind of the reader. Something is left unsaid so the reader has to make a leap of imagination. Simply not naming the emotion would make some haiku more impactful. Why not try that with one of yours and see how you like it?
Aim to capture a real moment. You may get a poem that’s meaningful, which is rewarding regardless of popularity. Recently I posted one of my haiku that didn’t get a lot of Likes, but one reader described it as a “perfect capture,” which is a high haiku compliment.
Is there a place you go to find peace? Maybe in nature or a church? This cabin where I sit is such a place. Folks say they feel calmer even as they arrive. If you capture the feel of your place in a haiku, you can visit there any time you please and take folks with you.
One test of an effective haiku is to ask, “Does it take you there?” Do the words transport readers to a time and place to share a haiku moment? What readers feel may vary depending on the memories they bring to it, but if someone is touched by your poem, it’s a success.
Short on inspiration? Enrich your life and your haiku by mining your senses. What are you seeing or have you seen lately? Hearing? How about senses less often appealed to in haiku, like smell and taste? What’s in season where you are? If you’re brave, try touch or kinetic sensation.
How perfect is your haiku? Try a different word here or there, rephrasing, or changing the order of the lines. Did you gain or lose meaning in revising? Aim for that assemblage of words that triggers the feeling you mean to convey—all that’s needed is there, nothing more.
Resist summing up. Powerful haiku leave something unsaid. The reader enjoys making a leap to full understanding; it’s like getting a joke. When you’re revising, try leaving a little mystery or adding an unexpected twist in place of that summary. See how you like it. Is your poem stronger or weaker with the change?