The Balladry Awards

Third Tip For Writing Poetry!

Any question? Feel free to ask. I'm open to any question.

TIP:

Tip #3 Pick A Form.

Are you going to wing it, and let a structure form on its own? Or are you going to use a traditional form, like a Shakespearean sonnet, that has a very specific structure? 

The form you choose will have a pretty significant effect on your poem. For instance, sonnets (which traditionally include a little surprising shift in direction about halfway through called a volta) work really well in telling short stories or conveying memories. But a free verse poem may be better suited for telling a more involved story. 

I've listed fifteen (15) different forms of poems below. You can decide to learn and apply them in your poetry writing. Although, I'm not totally sure about the last one.

|1| Blank verse. Blank verse is poetry written with a precise meter—almost always iambic pentameter—that does not rhyme.

|2| Rhymed poetry. In contrast to blank verse, rhymed poems rhyme by definition, although their scheme varies. 

|3| Free verse. Free verse poetry is poetry that lacks a consistent rhyme scheme, metrical pattern, or musical form. 

|4| Epics. An epic poem is a lengthy, narrative work of poetry. These long poems typically detail extraordinary feats and adventures of characters from a distant past. 

|5| Narrative poetry. Similar to an epic, a narrative poem tells a story.

|6| Haiku. A haiku is a three-line poetic form originating in Japan. The first line has five syllables, the second line has seven syllables, and the third line again has five syllables.

|7| Pastoral poetry. A pastoral poem is one that concerns the natural world, rural life, and landscapes.

|8| Sonnet. A sonnet is a 14 line poem, typically (but not exclusively) concerning the topic of love. Sonnets contain internal rhymes within their 14 lines; the exact rhyme scheme depends on the style of a sonnet. 

|9| Elegies. An elegy is a poem that reflects upon death or loss. Traditionally, it contains themes of mourning, loss, and reflection. However, it can also explore themes of redemption and consolation.

|10| Ode. Much like an elegy, an ode is a tribute to its subject, although the subject need not be dead—or even sentient, as in John Keats’ “Ode on a Grecian Urn”. 

|11| Limerick. A limerick is a five-line poem that consists of a single stanza, an AABBA rhyme scheme, and whose subject is a short, pithy tale or description.

|12| Lyric poetry. Lyric poetry refers to the broad category of poetry that concerns feelings and emotion. This distinguishes it from two other poetic categories: epic and dramatic.

|13| Ballad. A ballad (or ballade) is a form of narrative verse that can be either poetic or musical. It typically follows a pattern of rhymed quatrains.

|14| Villanelle. A nineteen-line poem consisting of five tercets and a quatrain, with a highly specified internal rhyme scheme. Originally a variation on a pastoral, the villanelle has evolved to describe obsessions and other intense subject matters.

|15| Soliloquy. A soliloquy is a monologue in which a character speaks to him or herself, expressing inner thoughts that an audience might not otherwise know. Soliloquies are not definitionally poems, although they often can be—most famously in the plays of William Shakespeare.

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I hope this helps. The next one will be up tomorrow. I'm not giving out the title this time. It's a surprise.

| The Balladry Awards |

~ Bube.The.Writer