Named as winner in the Happiful Poetry Prize 2025, Val Ormrod opens up about her writing process

‘Breathing Free’ by Val Ormrod was named as the winner in the Happiful Poetry Prize 2025. Here, Val talks about how loss inspired the poem that impressed our judges and how writing groups have helped along the way.

What drew you to enter the Happiful Poetry Prize?

I came across the competition online by chance and was drawn to the theme. I wanted to present something positive and uplifting, especially as so much in the world at the moment is not.

Could you tell us a little about the poem you submitted?

I first wrote the poem during the pandemic, towards the end of second lockdown, while thinking about all the old and vulnerable people who were afraid to leave their homes because of the virus. The old person I envisaged in my poem was an amalgam of two people – my aunt in her 90s who lives alone, and my father, whom I looked after for the last six years of his life after he developed dementia. He died many years before the pandemic, but he always loved to go out in the car, and I imagined how happy it would have made him to be taken for a drive through the forest (we live in the beautiful Forest of Dean) and how much he would have enjoyed the fish & chips!

When writing poetry, where do you find your inspiration?

I’m usually drawn to things I feel passionately about, often in reaction to stories in the news, or things I read about elsewhere. I belong to three poetry groups, each one meeting monthly and with a different theme. I find this focuses the mind, and even if I’m not immediately inspired, the fact I need to have something ready for the meeting ensures I work on it, and it keeps me writing! 

I believe a poem needs a purpose, not just meandering around a topic. 

I enter competitions for the same reason. Often, I end up surprising myself by writing about a subject I’ve never considered before – sometimes successfully, sometimes not so well, but in the latter case I put it to one side and may come back to work on it again later. I also get inspiration through discussions around my colleagues’ poems and by reading lots of poetry, both classic and contemporary. I find the poets.org site useful for this, as you're sent a new poem to your inbox every day.

How do you approach writing a new poem?

I usually start by jotting down all the different topics I could use to write a poem connected to the theme. What would be the purpose of it? I believe a poem needs a purpose, not just meandering around a topic. 

Then I let ideas mull around in my head for a few days, as I find the creative mind incredible at producing ideas even when you are not specifically focusing on the topic. 

Next, I may start doodling words or phrases that come to mind, occasionally even when drifting off to sleep or in the middle of the night, so it’s useful to keep a pen and pad by the bed. Sometimes an opening line will come to me to start the flow, or sometimes, a final line to work towards. At other times I might just start writing and have no idea where it’s going until I get part-way through.

It’s usually better to say less, and leave gaps for interpretation, than to say too much.

Once I have a first draft, I go through it line by line, making changes, substituting words and tightening it by eliminating any redundant words. I may decide the first line is not needed, or even the first verse – and the same for the final line or lines. It’s usually better to say less, and leave gaps for interpretation, than to say too much. 

It’s interesting to note how, after a while, the format seems to present itself too, as the way a poem is set out on the page can enhance its power or detract from it. Form poems like sonnets, villanelle, or haiku suit some subjects and may help, by providing a framework to write within, but they can also be restrictive. Free verse allows you to express your words fully, but it’s still useful to read your work aloud, as rhythm and musicality can also be important to make the words memorable. 

I always leave a poem to marinate for a few days after I think it’s finished, as inevitably, you find things you want to change when you revisit it. It’s possible to do too much word crafting though, and lose the original impetus, so it’s useful to keep first drafts to refer back to if needed.

My poetry group workshops are invaluable too, for giving constructive feedback, which helps to improve our poetry. Studying other people’s poems to give feedback can be as useful as receiving it.

What advice would you give to aspiring poets?

  • Write about what you care deeply about. I think the most important quality of a poem is to make the reader feel. And you need to feel it yourself for the poem to have this effect.
  • Avoid telling the reader how to feel though. It’s better to try to write in such a way that your words will linger in the reader’s head after they have read the poem, so they think about how it makes them feel. Perhaps make the reader work by asking questions, directly or indirectly.  
  • Use all the senses – sight, sound, smell, taste, feel – and imagery to bring poems to life.
  • Use adverbs sparingly or not at all – use strong verbs instead.
  • Read lots of poetry, especially contemporary, to get a flavour of the sort of things modern poets engage with, and the different styles you might want to use.
  • Join a poetry group, invite feedback, and consider comments with an open mind, whether you agree with them or not! Honest feedback (providing it’s well-meant) makes us better writers in the long run. Opinions will vary so don’t let it put you off. Different themes will resonate more with some people than others, and some will praise what others think should be cut. In the end, it’s your poem, so you can decide to act on suggestions or not.

Finally, edit your work with your head, not your heart and accept that you will sometimes write turkeys! Not everything you write can be a masterpiece. But keep practising. Your poetry-writing muscles will become stronger with use.

Read Val's poem, and others from 2025, here.