: Consider poetic techniques. Read the poem several times, considering only one poetic technique at a time. For example, free verse and formal poems use line breaks. Read the poem, Tips for Writing the AP Lit Poetry Essay. 1. Focus on the process. Writing is a process, just like literary analysis. Think less about finding the right answer or discovering the correct meaning of the poem, because most of the time there isn't one. Read our tips to learn how to write a literary analysis essay perfectly and get the best grade: 1. Read carefully. Choose a comfortable place to read: this is where no one will disturb you and noise will not interrupt the process. Only in this case you will notice the most important details.