Spotlight on Poetry series: Introduction

Today I’d like to talk about form poetry. Or more specifically, a new Writing Tips series that I’ll be starting about form poetry. The difference between form poetry and free verse is that form poetry has specific rules that need to be followed whereas free verse does not follow the established rules. Different forms of poetry have different requirements based around rhyme scheme, number of syllables, number of lines, how many lines per stanza, etc.

Over the course of the next few weeks, I’d like to put the spotlight on eight different styles of poems. Included will be: Ode, Sonnet, Haiku, Limerick, Sapphic, Kyrielle, Rondeau, and Villanelle. I’ll discuss a brief history of each of those poem styles, give their structure and rhyme patterns, share one of my personally written examples of each style, and guide you in writing your own poem in that style.

If you have any interest in writing poetry, or if you just want to read about some of the different types, stay tuned! Part 1 will be coming out sometime this weekend.