Do You Make These Mistakes in Poetry?

What are the common “mistakes” we all have made when learning to write poems? I’ve culled this list from my own experiences, what I’ve observed as a teacher and reader of poetry and what I’ve heard other poets discuss.

1. Using the title “Untitled” at all or more than once.
2. Writing a poem about an Edward Hopper painting.
3. Making ridiculous grammar errors.
4. Sending out work to magazines before it’s ready. (Yikes.)
5. Combining #3 and #4 and making ridiculous errors in work we’ve sent out.
6. Copying a “great” poet too closely.
7. Relying too much on the criticism of other people.
8. Stressing out too much about not writing.
9. Claiming we have no time to write (and getting out of practice).
10. Using any of the following words too often: dawn, moon, white, flesh, crimson, dusk, dark, darkness, black.

Just curious…Have you made any of these mistakes? Do you have others to add? List them in the comments below. You can also post them to your own blog with a link to mine, and I’ll provide a link to your post.