Thank goodness for poetry, an art that, in its essence, challenges the constraints of grammar and stoic syntax. Poetry is a pedant’s perennial nightmare; in casting a spotlight on the magic of language, we take to imaginations that we can’t fathom otherwise.

Poetry has the power to access a writer’s literary imaginations, and it is a form that should be harnessed whether or not they are a poet.

Here are a few ways poetry can improve your writing.

It allows you to be more meticulous about word choice.

That poetry is a fluid art does not make it any easier to write. Sometimes, it’s even more difficult to construct a poem than to pen a short story or essay. A poet has to string their words together to evoke an emotional response in a reader. The placement of each word of paramount importance.

This is a skill that other writers should use as well. Putting thought into every word that goes on the page makes a more compelling experience for the reader.

It improves your visual imagery.

So much of the world’s greatest poetry is about something simple rendered in a magnificent way. Where does the beauty lie? In an author’s pen, one might say. The vivacity of poetry is in the way the writer’s imagery draws you into the world.

Using the principles of poetry will allow you to write descriptions that are less stoic and give the reader insights into the emotions that guide the scene.

It challenges your conceptions of language.

Poetry allows you to explore language in a way that no other form can. There’s scope for all sorts of language games: wordplay, experimental usage of slang, and defying rules of grammar, among others.

In writing poetry, you step away from established notions of language to set yourself on a path of finding your voice.