Getting Started
Study poetry from every era. If you don't know Keats from Kerouac, you're not going to be a successful poet. Try to learn about the different periods and movements in poetry, from the Romantic era to the Beats, as well as contemporary poetry being written by people who are still alive. If you're going to write poetry in the 21st century, you need to read other poets living in the 21st century. Poetry anthologies are good ways of learning about different poets you might want to read more of. Norton anthologies are full of historical poetry, while each year the "Best American" series publishes a selection of great poems published over the course of the last year. Getting a basic Norton and a recent "Best American" would be a great way to have literally hundreds of great poets at your fingertips. Online, the Poetry Foundation is a great database of poetry both old and new, featuring the monthly magazine "Poetry" in full on the website. Brand new poetry for free? You gotta.
Write constantly. A successful poet is one who is constantly engaged with poetry, reading, writing, and revising their work. Successful poets don't wait until "inspiration" strikes to write a poem, they get to work at their desk, computer, or journal, treating the writing of a poem as the work that it is. Like a successful businessman heads to the store and a successful doctor heads to the office each day, the successful poet heads to the poem. Many successful poets write early in the morning, while other night-owls find it more effective to stay up late and madly dash out their wild verses. Whatever works for you is appropriate, but it's important to develop a writing routine and stick to it. You don't need to write every day, necessarily, but learn what routine will allow you to produce the most good poetry.
Keep a poetry image journal. Carry it everywhere you go, so that if you come up with a poem or idea, you can jot it down. You don't have to write a full poem every time you sit down to write, as many successful poets build their poems like sculptures, by collaging together little fragments of lines, images, and found language from their image journals. Keep an ear out for weird turns of phrase and nice bits of language that might sneak into your poems. May poets keep a portfolio or journal of all the poems they're currently working on, to have them in a convenient place for gradually editing and finalizing.
Kill your darlings. A successful poet revises their work. Aggressively. A poem isn't finished just because you typed it up and printed it out, or because it rhymes, or because you like it. An effective poem moves a reader outside of yourself, and communicates. An effective poem is difficult to write, and will only come with great effort and careful revision. Invest in a good craft book and read lots of poetry, finding out what you like and learning from the tricks of the masters. Let poems sit in the drawer for a few weeks, or even months before you return to them with fresh eyes and reevaluate them. In the meantime, keep writing new poems, and keep reading poems you like. Kim Addonizio's "Ordinary Genius" is a wonderful and practical craft book that makes the writing of poetry a daily exercise, and it's full of tips and tricks that'll help you write the poems you want to write.
Share your work with good poets and accept criticism gracefully. Some people will like your poetry, others won't. Don't dwell on what the haters say, but take advice graciously and continue writing and revising your work constantly. Learn everything you can from people who know more than you.
Learning the Trade
Study forms. A successful poet needs to learn about traditional poetic forms and be comfortable writing within strict guidelines as well as free-verse. Can you write a couple lines in iambic tetrameter if the poem calls for it? What about a villanelle? Studying traditional forms will make you a better reader and a better writer.
Consider studying poetry formally. Many schools, community centers, and libraries offer after-school poetry workshops as an extra-curricular activity for reasonable prices, where you can read others' work, study poetry, and participate in a poetry workshop. In a workshop, you'll all share new work and critique everyone's work in a welcoming environment. It can be a great way to improve drastically, both by getting an experienced teacher and other poets' feedback. At the college level, studying poetry is a fundamental part of any creative writing program, and most English departments offer a wide variety of poetry courses that a successful poet would be foolish not to pursue.
Research venues that will publish your work. It's a sad truth: more poetry is published every successive year, and less of it is read by the average reader. There are literally hundreds of high-quality literary magazines publishing poets like you, people who engage with poems, love reading them, and want their voice to be heard. Book prizes are also common, for a small reading fee. If you've got enough poems to put a book together, try entering your manuscript and seeing what happens. You might even win some money.
Figure out how you're going to make money. Walt Whitman worked as an ambulance driver and a nurse while he wrote his classic American poems, while Frank O'Hara worked at an art museum and wrote poems on his lunch break. Many poets seek careers in academic fields, while others become musicians, truck drivers, or parents. Whatever you do, keep writing your poems, and take your art seriously.
"Read your poems to a construction worker on his lunch break." Amiri Baraka, mid-century American Poet and performer, famously offered the advice that poets should read their poems to construction workers on their lunch break, and that if they didn't get beaten over the head, they might actually have something. It's good advice. There's a lot of noise in the world, and your rhyming poem about a bird on your windowsill might have a hard time cutting through the noise. A successful poet finds some way to do just that.
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