Read

If writing is sending one’s voice out into the open, then it would make sense to hear other voices and participate in the wider conversation. This includes reading work that is similar to yours, whether thematically or linguistically, as well as work that is on the opposite end of the spectrum and everything in between. If you mainly write to observe, try reading those who approach writing as activism. If writing is cathartic for you, consider it from the angle of academic or conceptual experiment. Seeing how others tackle similar subjects differently has been particularly instructive; I have had to confront and challenge my pre-conceived preferences on multiple occasions. I normally spend an hour reading before any writing – it gets me ‘in the zone’.

Reflect

Think about what you want to say, before worrying over how to say it. The point of a poem should be self-evident. I feel that the best poems make us assess or experience the world a tad differently after reading. The sparkly things we take for truth are not and can never be the only truths.

Regurgitate

How does your poem sound when verbalised? Where should the caesurae be, where must the line break? What about the facts, poems or quotes you’ve committed to memory? These may be precursors or springboards to new poems, by virtue of being so embedded within your consciousness. After all, it is the oral tradition which gave birth to poetry.

Rescue

There will be a hinterland of poems that you don’t feel proud enough to share. Incomplete poems. Bad poems. Some unsalvageable to the bone. Don’t destroy them. Leave them be (e.g. jailed in an incriminating folder entitled ‘NEEDS EDITING’ on my desktop) but exercise your visitation rights from time to time, whether alone or with a trusted reader. There may be lines or images that you will want to try welding to new poems. All material is neutral until we are ready to make use of it.

Rest

Take weeks off. Let the writer’s block dissipate at its own irresponsible pace. Don’t listen to advice (I’m in no position to give it). Have fun without regard for any instrumental purpose. Do everything apart from write. Write.

Jerrold Yam is a Singaporean lawyer based in London and the author of three poetry collections: Intruder (Ethos Books), Scattered Vertebrae (Math Paper Press) and Chasing Curtained Suns (Math Paper Press). His poems have appeared or are forthcoming in Ambit, Magma, The London Magazine, Oxford Poetry, Prairie Schooner, Wasafiri, Washington Square Review and The Straits Times. He was recently shortlisted in The London Magazine’s Poetry Prize 2024. He has been a featured author at the Ledbury Poetry Festival, London Book Fair, Poetry Festival Singapore and Singapore Writers Festival. His poems, which are included in the Singapore-Cambridge GCE A-Level and O-Level syllabi, have been translated into Mandarin and Spanish.

We are delighted to host four writers in virtual residence, with support from the National Arts Council of Singapore. Joyce Chua, Marylyn Tan, Lisabelle Tay and Jerrold Yam will be in virtual residence from June to December 2024.

More about National Centre for Writing residencies →