Writing Poetry

Before you can write poetry, an understanding of the basic poetic makeup is vital.

Stanzas - paragraph of poetry

1. Couplet - two line stanza
2. Triplet - three line
3. Quatrain - four line
4. Quintet - five line
5. Sestet - six line
6. Septet - seven line
7. Octave - eight line

Stanza Types:

• Heroic couplet - two successive rhyming verses completing a thought
• Terza Rima - three line stanza with interwoven rhyme scheme iambic pentameter
• Limerick - five lines, anapestic A A B B A   
• Ballad stanza - four lines, rhyme scheme of A B C B
• Royal Rime - seven lines in iambic pentameter A B A B B C C
• Ottava Rima - Italian stanza, iambic pentameter A B A B A B C C
• Spenserian stanza - nine lines, eight in iambic penta, one “alexandrine” a line of iambic hexameter A B A B B C B C C
• Sonnet- fourteen line stanza form in iambic pentameter
• Italian or Petrarchan - fourteen line; A B B A A B B A C D E C D E (CD CD CD)
• Shakespearean - fourteen line quatrains and a couplet A B A B C D C D E F E F G G
          
  
  Rhythm is another element of poetry that merits exploration.  It is the cadence of the words that strengthens a poem’s hold on sound and sense.
  
  Meter - the pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables established in a line of poetry.  The stressed syllable is also known as the accented syllable, like in the word “Dou-ble” the first syllable gets the emphasis.
  
  Foot - A foot is unit of meter.  A foot consists of one stressed and one or more unstressed syllables. 
  
  Basic types of metrical feet are:
• iambic foot - unstressed, stressed (EX:  be-low, de-light)
• trochaic foot - stressed, unstressed  (EX:  ne-ver, hap-py)
• anapestic foot - unstressed, unstressed, stressed  (EX:  in-ter-twine)
• dactylic foot - stressed, unstressed, unstressed  (EX:  mur-mur-ing)   
• spondaic foot - stressed, stressed (EX:  heartbreak, childhood)
• pyrrhic foot - unstressed, unstressed (this is extremely rare, and usually interspersed in other lines of poetry)
  
  Metric feet are then broken into types of lines, depending on how many feet are in each line.  Iambic pentameter is the most commonly used form in the English language.
• monometer - one foot line
• dimeter - two foot line
• trimeter - three foot line
• tetrameter- four foot line
• pentameter - five foot line
• hexameter - six foot line
• heptameter - seven foot line
• octometer - eight foot line
• (after this, lines are referred to as “nine foot line,” “ten foot line,” and so on.)
  
  Poems can usually be divided into three classifications, narrative, lyric and dramatic.

    Narrative: a story told in verse form

• epic - a long poem relating deeds of a great heroic character.  Example: Beowulf
• metrical romance - adventures of romantic poetry.  Example: Faerie Queen
• metrical tale - when a narrative poem is told in first person. Example: The Lady of Shallot
• ballad - originally meant to be sung, written in quatrains, usually incorporates a refrain, or repeated chorus.
• folk ballad - anonymous creation passed orally through generations
• literary ballad - written deliberately in the form of a folk ballad

    Lyric: meant to be sung or recited to music.  Lyric poems enable poets to express feelings and personal emotions.

• elegy - formal poem of lamentation, usually about a death, or the symbolic passage of mankind.
• ode - serious, long poem which uses elevated language and elaborate structure.
• sonnet - set apart by distinct form, commonly about love. 
• complaint - poem where poet laments of the loss of love, or unrequited affections.

    Dramatic:  when the characters of the poem speak and move before us

• opera - poetry set to music, dialogue is usually sung
• musical comedy - popular entertainment.  Example: Once Upon A Mattress, Guys and Dolls
• dramatic monologue - single character speaking to a silent audience. Example: My Last Duchess, by Robert Browning 
• dramatic dialogue - conversation shared in poetic format

The keys to writing good poetry

• Avoid trite language.  Clichés like “red as a rose” should be avoided, but fresh metaphors are welcomed.  Cut out heavy language, or overused phrases, like “my one and only” or “I feel dead inside.”
• Don’t invert the sentence to achieve rhyme.  Be cautious of using words simply because they rhyme with a word you’d like to use, the meaning and the tone may be damaged.  Let the rhyme pattern suffer, or simplify rather than substitute or rearrange structure.
• Leave archaic speech to Shakespeare.  Lovely as words like “nevermore” and “quoth” can lend gothic gloom to a poem, but are much better suited to an era passed, Poe used them with eloquence, but in modern day poetry, they are more cluttering than cunning.
• Rather than stating a sentimental or emotional feeling, attempt to convey the sensory experience by defining the events that resulted in sentimentality.  Include details to portray grief or sorrow, by letting the reader feel through your words, the meaning will reverberate and take on realistic proportions that may have otherwise been lost.
• Honesty is the best policy.  The danger of poetry is the lure of baring too much, but the more truthful and sincere the words, the more blatant and striking the theme. Never write a poem regarding something you don’t’ personally believe, instead lay aside barriers and let poetry cleanse your conscience.
• Remember to let your poetry mirror your true self and the reader will see into your heart and grasp the meaning.