Horace's text on the art of poetry is intended as practical guide directed at the sons of his friend Lucius Calpurnius Piso. Written in hexameter, it is essentially a poem about how to best write poetry.

The text is divided into advice on fourteen topics central to poetry; Horace frames his advice in the form of witty maxims. These include the poet's relation to tradition, the importance of unity in composition, characterization, and the role of instruction in poetry, among others.

Horace's section "How to be a good poet" (lines 295-332) is indicative of his method. He begins with self deprecation, comparing himself to a grindstone "that sharpens steel, but does none of the cutting," then offers his central advice, which is that wisdom is "the source and fount of excellent writing," meaning that the poet should "take life / And real behavior" as the examples for his characters. Such writing is more successful than "verses without content, melodious nonsense."