Be a Better Writer--FREE VERSE #1
Posted: Sat Sep 27, 2014 10:46 am
I’ve cobbled together this definition of free verse from several different sources, so any mistakes in it are entirely my own:
Free verse—poetry that lacks a specific pattern of rhyme or meter. It may also play loosely with the rules of capitalization, punctuation, and length of lines and stanzas. However, free verse must include poetic techniques that differentiate it from prose: the poet uses repetition, imagery, creative syntax, alliteration and the like for their effect on the poem and on the reader.
Here’s another way of stating the most important part of that definition:
It’s not a free verse poem
if it’s just prose
arranged artfully
Something has to make it poem-like.
I could take
any random paragraph
and write it out in long lines like this one
and short ones
like that
but it wouldn’t be free verse. Not at all.
Free verse poets,
even more than “traditional” poets,
must be aware
of the impact of each
individual
word.
I’ll qualify all of this by freely admitting that I’m not an expert on free verse. I’ve only attempted to write it twice for the Challenge, and each time I agonized over every word. I guess, in a way, free verse is like modern art to me—I don’t really know how to describe it or define it, but I know the good stuff when I see it. So in this week more than any other so far, I’m counting on those of you who write good free verse to chime in and help me out.
That being said, here are some frequent problems that I see in free verse entries:
1. As mentioned above, there may be little other than line arrangement to differentiate it from prose.
2. It may be too abstract or difficult to understand. It’s certainly part of the art form to fool around with creative word order and sentence structure—but some free verse poets just make the reader work way too hard. Frustrated readers are likely to just give up and move on.
3. Similarly, creative punctuation—or lack of punctuation altogether—may lead to mis-read words or phrases. It’s fine to play with punctuation, but try to read your poem with a new reader’s eye, and see if there are any confusing spots that could be clarified by a dash or a comma.
Here are a few things that the free verse poet should consider:
1. Free verse uses far less “end stopped” lines, and far more enjambment. That is punctuation (or even an unpunctuated pause) is not necessary at the end of each line. Rather, end each line when the thought or image expressed in it is satisfactory to you.
2. Since you’re not (usually) using rhymes, use other devices that deal with the sounds of words, and use them purposefully. If your poem is about something harsh, use the alliteration of guttural sounds. If it has a gentler tone, some soft whispering “s” or “w” sounds can help to convey your message.
3. Use figurative language: metaphors, similes, personification, symbolism and the like. If the theme of your poem is an abstract concept, present it to your readers figuratively.
4. Sometimes free verse consists of just the depiction of a memory or an image. Use strong nouns and verbs and wisely chosen modifiers to convey that image to your reader.
5. Free verse poetry can have a structure. You can include meter and even rhyme in ways that best serve your message.
Let me finally say that there are a LOT of people who seem to feel that if it doesn’t have a precise rhyme and meter, it’s not really poetry. I don’t suppose I’ll change your mind with one short lesson in free verse, but if you’re one of those traditionalists, I’d encourage you to read some excellent examples of free verse with an open mind.
And if you’re a poet who specializes in rhymed and metered poetry, I urge you to attempt a free verse poem. At best, you may discover a new way to express yourself…at the very least, you may gain an understanding of the difficulties of writing well in that form.
I wrote this poem seven years ago, based on Psalm 132:2, a verse that has particular significance to me. When I look at it now, I’m very unsatisfied with it, and I’d do an awful lot of it differently.
Homework: Write a short free verse poem, or link to one that you’ve written. Tell us what poetic elements you put in there, and why.
OR critique the poem of mine that I linked to above, based on this lesson or your own knowledge of free verse. Be brutal; I can take it. I’m not particularly fond of this poem.
Questions: (Answer as many or as few as you wish)
1. At times, there’s almost a palpable animosity between “traditional” poetry and free verse. (“That’s not poetry!”) Why do some people resist learning to appreciate free verse?
2. Free verse hasn’t typically done as well in the Challenge as rhymed and metered poetry. Why do you suppose that is?
3. What would make a poet choose free verse over traditional poetry? What would make a poet choose traditional poetry over free verse? Are there some “moods” or “tones” that are better expressed in one form over the other?
[Jim McWhinnie, if you’re here, I’d love your comments and suggestions. I admire your free verse more than I can say.]
Free verse—poetry that lacks a specific pattern of rhyme or meter. It may also play loosely with the rules of capitalization, punctuation, and length of lines and stanzas. However, free verse must include poetic techniques that differentiate it from prose: the poet uses repetition, imagery, creative syntax, alliteration and the like for their effect on the poem and on the reader.
Here’s another way of stating the most important part of that definition:
It’s not a free verse poem
if it’s just prose
arranged artfully
Something has to make it poem-like.
I could take
any random paragraph
and write it out in long lines like this one
and short ones
like that
but it wouldn’t be free verse. Not at all.
Free verse poets,
even more than “traditional” poets,
must be aware
of the impact of each
individual
word.
I’ll qualify all of this by freely admitting that I’m not an expert on free verse. I’ve only attempted to write it twice for the Challenge, and each time I agonized over every word. I guess, in a way, free verse is like modern art to me—I don’t really know how to describe it or define it, but I know the good stuff when I see it. So in this week more than any other so far, I’m counting on those of you who write good free verse to chime in and help me out.
That being said, here are some frequent problems that I see in free verse entries:
1. As mentioned above, there may be little other than line arrangement to differentiate it from prose.
2. It may be too abstract or difficult to understand. It’s certainly part of the art form to fool around with creative word order and sentence structure—but some free verse poets just make the reader work way too hard. Frustrated readers are likely to just give up and move on.
3. Similarly, creative punctuation—or lack of punctuation altogether—may lead to mis-read words or phrases. It’s fine to play with punctuation, but try to read your poem with a new reader’s eye, and see if there are any confusing spots that could be clarified by a dash or a comma.
Here are a few things that the free verse poet should consider:
1. Free verse uses far less “end stopped” lines, and far more enjambment. That is punctuation (or even an unpunctuated pause) is not necessary at the end of each line. Rather, end each line when the thought or image expressed in it is satisfactory to you.
2. Since you’re not (usually) using rhymes, use other devices that deal with the sounds of words, and use them purposefully. If your poem is about something harsh, use the alliteration of guttural sounds. If it has a gentler tone, some soft whispering “s” or “w” sounds can help to convey your message.
3. Use figurative language: metaphors, similes, personification, symbolism and the like. If the theme of your poem is an abstract concept, present it to your readers figuratively.
4. Sometimes free verse consists of just the depiction of a memory or an image. Use strong nouns and verbs and wisely chosen modifiers to convey that image to your reader.
5. Free verse poetry can have a structure. You can include meter and even rhyme in ways that best serve your message.
Let me finally say that there are a LOT of people who seem to feel that if it doesn’t have a precise rhyme and meter, it’s not really poetry. I don’t suppose I’ll change your mind with one short lesson in free verse, but if you’re one of those traditionalists, I’d encourage you to read some excellent examples of free verse with an open mind.
And if you’re a poet who specializes in rhymed and metered poetry, I urge you to attempt a free verse poem. At best, you may discover a new way to express yourself…at the very least, you may gain an understanding of the difficulties of writing well in that form.
I wrote this poem seven years ago, based on Psalm 132:2, a verse that has particular significance to me. When I look at it now, I’m very unsatisfied with it, and I’d do an awful lot of it differently.
Homework: Write a short free verse poem, or link to one that you’ve written. Tell us what poetic elements you put in there, and why.
OR critique the poem of mine that I linked to above, based on this lesson or your own knowledge of free verse. Be brutal; I can take it. I’m not particularly fond of this poem.
Questions: (Answer as many or as few as you wish)
1. At times, there’s almost a palpable animosity between “traditional” poetry and free verse. (“That’s not poetry!”) Why do some people resist learning to appreciate free verse?
2. Free verse hasn’t typically done as well in the Challenge as rhymed and metered poetry. Why do you suppose that is?
3. What would make a poet choose free verse over traditional poetry? What would make a poet choose traditional poetry over free verse? Are there some “moods” or “tones” that are better expressed in one form over the other?
[Jim McWhinnie, if you’re here, I’d love your comments and suggestions. I admire your free verse more than I can say.]