Some Specifics of Writing Poetry

Writing poetry is not as difficult as it often seems. It is also addictive, as you find inspiration in many places. Have you heard a lot about Free Verse? It is believed to be the most practiced form used today. It is important, however, that you first understand the rhythm and meter of poetry from its inception.

When we speak, the rhythm of our words helps us not to sound like monotones or robots.

This rhythm results from stressed and unstressed syllables. The stressed syllables are Accented, and the unstressed syllables are Unaccented. As we read or scan poetry, the Accented syllables are designated 'Tum,' and the Unaccented syllables are designated as 'ta.' Words of one syllable can be either accented or unaccented, depending on their importance in a line of poetry.

One-syllable words are sometimes treated as accented syllables, and some are treated as unaccented words. This depends on the importance of the words. Some important, accented words are as follows:

moon, star, life, God, love, home, soul

Unaccented words with one syllable usually include the following:

for, now, and, a, an, so, to, the, by, in,

Words with multi-syllables will be accented on the syllable or syllables according to its pronunciation. Some two-syllable words accented on the first syllable are shown below.

excuse, before, receive, alter, begin, party, trouble

Accents can fall anywhere in a word, which depends on how it is pronounced. Usage of the word will determine this. Examples of how accents may fall on various syllables are shown below:

1. element - accent on first syllable

2. angelic - accent on second syllable

3. cemetery - accent on third syllable

4. parliamentarian - accent on fourth syllable

METER

Meter is described as words written in an order, or way, that a specific rhythm is regular. Let's just write a normal sentence and see if it has a metrical pattern:

Example: The snow begins to fill the road and drive.

Since we are noting accented syllables by TUM, and unaccented syllables by ta, the rhythm would be:

ta TUM, ta TUM, ta TUM, ta TUM, ta TUM

Further, each 'ta TUM' has two syllables and is called an iamb. Remember, the accent goes on the second syllable in this case. The sentence has five iambs, and is written in what is called Iambic Pentameter. This is the most used meter in poetry. I will discuss it in further detail in a later writing.

In this case, one iamb is also called one foot of poetry. The arrangement of the feet is what gives the meter.

There are two kinds of meter:

Rising Meter:

The unaccented syllables come first, and the accented syllables follow.

Falling Meter:

The accented syllables come first, and the unaccented syllables follow.

Rising meter is more natural for, and used more often, in the English language than falling meter. Among the types of rising meter are the following:

a. Iambic Foot - Two syllables accented on first - Example - 'extend.'

b. Dactylic Foot - Three syllables, accented on first: Example - 'at a glance.'

The following are falling meter:

a. Trochaic Foot - Two syllables accented on first: Example -'saddened.'

b. Dactylic Foot - Three syllables accented on first: Example - 'acrobat.'

Meters that do not rise or fall:

A Pyrrhic Foot, two syllables both unaccented: Example - 'out of.'

A spondaic Foot - Two syllables both accented: Example - 'brown-haired.'

These two kinds of feet occur only occasionally.

The six types of feet we have discussed are as follows:

1. Iambic (ta TUM

2. Anapestic (ta ta TUM)

3. Trochaic (TUM ta)

4. Dactylic (TUM ta ta)

5. Pyrrhic (ta ta)

6. Spondaic (TUM TUM)

When we use these various types of feet in lines of various lengths, each has its own specific name:

Monometer - One foot in a line

Dimeter - Two feet in a line

Trimeter - Three feet in a line

Tetrameter - Four feet in a line

Pentameter - Five feet in a line

Hexameter - Six feet in a line

Heptameter - Seven feet in a line

Octameter - Eight feet in a line

The material here is a lot to digest, so just try writing poetry and see how it goes. There will be more later.

Sources:

Personal Experience