Jan's New Writing Lessons--FREE VERSE POETRY, #2
Posted: Mon Jul 29, 2013 8:09 am
Some beginning poets think that writing free verse poetry is easier than writing rhymed and metered poetry. After all, it’s free—the poet doesn’t have to be restrained by finding a word to rhyme with sacrifice that also works in the poem, and she also doesn’t have to make sure the word has three syllables with the emphasis on the first one, in order to fit the meter of the poem.
In reality, the free verse poet has a more difficult task. She has to make every word in the poem work, and to master several poetic skills that perhaps are not quite as important in structured poems. I’ll cover some of those skills briefly here, but those of you who are working on writing excellent free verse will want to research them more thoroughly. Each of these terms could easily be a whole lesson in itself; this lesson will only be an overview.
1. Free verse poets often disregard rules of punctuation, capitalization, and sentence length that would apply to structured poetry or prose. That’s why it’s called free. However—please be aware that simply arranging prose into lines of varying lengths, without punctuation, does not make for a free verse poem (although this is characteristic of many “poems” I’ve read).
my cat
jumps on my lap
purring
and kneading my thighs
with her paws
That might look like a free verse poem, but there’s really nothing poetic about it. It’s a start—but it needs a lot of work before it could be considered poetry. Here’s a test for your free verse: try rewriting it in paragraph form with punctuation and capitalization, as if you had written prose. If you can easily do this, then perhaps you need to work on some of the skills that follow.
2. Good free verse poetry needs some figurative language. I can only cover a few of these in this lesson—and certainly you don’t want to pack your poem with dozens of metaphors and allusions. Pick a few, though, and work them into your poem.
a. Metaphor—comparison between two dissimilar things. My cat kneads bread dough in my lap. My chubby legs are being compared to bread dough.
b. Simile—comparison that uses ‘like’ or ‘as.’ Her purring, like the vibrations of a silenced cell phone…
c. Onomatopoeia—words that represent sounds. She watches at the window, chirruping at the haughty robins
d. Personification—attributing human attributes to inanimate objects. She springs to the waiting windowsill.
3. You’ll also want to try your hand at using some of these devices, which deal with the sounds of the letters in the words that you choose.
a. Alliteration—words with the same beginning sounds. I used some alliteration in ‘d’, above—waiting windowsill. The alliteration in your poem should not make it sound like a tongue twister, and the alliterative words need not be right next to each other. Sophie pads on silent paws…
b. Consonance—words that share consonant sounds, but not necessarily at the beginning. the arch of her back, the twitch of her tail
c. Assonance—words with the same vowel sounds, but not necessarily rhyming words. With subtle nudges, she invites me to rub her tummy
4. Miscellaneous poetry tools that don’t really fit into the above categories include (but are not limited to) the following:
a. Repetition—of significant words or phrases. I love you, she says with a worshipful look. I care nothing for you. Give me a moment; I love you. I care nothing.
b. Imagery—words or phrases that appeal to any of the senses (not just the sense of sight). She stretches in a dancing beam of sunlight
c. Symbolism—something tangible which represents an intangible concept. …the mouse head she left on the top porch step
d. Altered syntax—ordering words in a way that would seem odd or unexpected if you were writing prose. Under the bed she hides…
These are just a few of the items that the free verse poet should keep in her poetic repertoire. And again, not every free verse poem should include each of these tricks—choose the ones that best serve the purpose of the poem. One that is intended to convey to the reader a sense of the peacefulness of a mountain like might include imagery, a metaphor, perhaps the alliteration of some ‘s’ sounds to suggest the waves on the beach. A poem with spiritual meanings might include repetition, symbolism, simile. The point is that a free verse poem should be substantially different from prose in more than just the obvious visual difference of line length and mechanics. The words should be chosen and arranged carefully, for maximum effect.
A few final things about free verse poetry: it’s fine to also use rhyme and meter. Again, every word counts; and if a rhymed word or a bit of iambic pentameter enhance the feel of a particular line, please use them.
And a free verse poem should not be too abstract or so strangely written that it is a struggle for the reader to decipher its meaning.
HOMEWORK (you may post this here, or just do this for your own benefit):
Choose 2 or 3 of the terms above and find examples of them, either in your own poetry or in someone else’s work. OR…
Try your hand at writing fresh examples of 2 or 3 of the poetic terms. OR…
Write a free verse poem about my cat, using a few of the examples above and your own original touches. OR…
If you post your homework as a response to this post, I’ll read it and give you some feedback. In addition, feel free to ask me a question, or add something I’ve left out, or suggest a topic for a future class.
In reality, the free verse poet has a more difficult task. She has to make every word in the poem work, and to master several poetic skills that perhaps are not quite as important in structured poems. I’ll cover some of those skills briefly here, but those of you who are working on writing excellent free verse will want to research them more thoroughly. Each of these terms could easily be a whole lesson in itself; this lesson will only be an overview.
1. Free verse poets often disregard rules of punctuation, capitalization, and sentence length that would apply to structured poetry or prose. That’s why it’s called free. However—please be aware that simply arranging prose into lines of varying lengths, without punctuation, does not make for a free verse poem (although this is characteristic of many “poems” I’ve read).
my cat
jumps on my lap
purring
and kneading my thighs
with her paws
That might look like a free verse poem, but there’s really nothing poetic about it. It’s a start—but it needs a lot of work before it could be considered poetry. Here’s a test for your free verse: try rewriting it in paragraph form with punctuation and capitalization, as if you had written prose. If you can easily do this, then perhaps you need to work on some of the skills that follow.
2. Good free verse poetry needs some figurative language. I can only cover a few of these in this lesson—and certainly you don’t want to pack your poem with dozens of metaphors and allusions. Pick a few, though, and work them into your poem.
a. Metaphor—comparison between two dissimilar things. My cat kneads bread dough in my lap. My chubby legs are being compared to bread dough.
b. Simile—comparison that uses ‘like’ or ‘as.’ Her purring, like the vibrations of a silenced cell phone…
c. Onomatopoeia—words that represent sounds. She watches at the window, chirruping at the haughty robins
d. Personification—attributing human attributes to inanimate objects. She springs to the waiting windowsill.
3. You’ll also want to try your hand at using some of these devices, which deal with the sounds of the letters in the words that you choose.
a. Alliteration—words with the same beginning sounds. I used some alliteration in ‘d’, above—waiting windowsill. The alliteration in your poem should not make it sound like a tongue twister, and the alliterative words need not be right next to each other. Sophie pads on silent paws…
b. Consonance—words that share consonant sounds, but not necessarily at the beginning. the arch of her back, the twitch of her tail
c. Assonance—words with the same vowel sounds, but not necessarily rhyming words. With subtle nudges, she invites me to rub her tummy
4. Miscellaneous poetry tools that don’t really fit into the above categories include (but are not limited to) the following:
a. Repetition—of significant words or phrases. I love you, she says with a worshipful look. I care nothing for you. Give me a moment; I love you. I care nothing.
b. Imagery—words or phrases that appeal to any of the senses (not just the sense of sight). She stretches in a dancing beam of sunlight
c. Symbolism—something tangible which represents an intangible concept. …the mouse head she left on the top porch step
d. Altered syntax—ordering words in a way that would seem odd or unexpected if you were writing prose. Under the bed she hides…
These are just a few of the items that the free verse poet should keep in her poetic repertoire. And again, not every free verse poem should include each of these tricks—choose the ones that best serve the purpose of the poem. One that is intended to convey to the reader a sense of the peacefulness of a mountain like might include imagery, a metaphor, perhaps the alliteration of some ‘s’ sounds to suggest the waves on the beach. A poem with spiritual meanings might include repetition, symbolism, simile. The point is that a free verse poem should be substantially different from prose in more than just the obvious visual difference of line length and mechanics. The words should be chosen and arranged carefully, for maximum effect.
A few final things about free verse poetry: it’s fine to also use rhyme and meter. Again, every word counts; and if a rhymed word or a bit of iambic pentameter enhance the feel of a particular line, please use them.
And a free verse poem should not be too abstract or so strangely written that it is a struggle for the reader to decipher its meaning.
HOMEWORK (you may post this here, or just do this for your own benefit):
Choose 2 or 3 of the terms above and find examples of them, either in your own poetry or in someone else’s work. OR…
Try your hand at writing fresh examples of 2 or 3 of the poetic terms. OR…
Write a free verse poem about my cat, using a few of the examples above and your own original touches. OR…
If you post your homework as a response to this post, I’ll read it and give you some feedback. In addition, feel free to ask me a question, or add something I’ve left out, or suggest a topic for a future class.