101 Creative Writing Exercises (Adventures in Writing) by Melissa Donovan

Author:Melissa Donovan
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: writing reference
Publisher: Melissa Donovan
Published: 2012-02-04T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 7

Form Poetry

Working within a framework

7.1 Couplets and Quatrains

Poetry may not be the most widely read or published form of writing these days, but it’s probably the most widely written.

Despite the lack of enthusiasm for the form among readers and publishers, poetry still has a traditional place in our culture. You’ll hear poetry read at most significant events, such as weddings, funerals, graduation ceremonies, and presidential inaugurations. Poetry is the foundation for most children’s books, and it’s so closely related to songwriting that in many cases, it’s hard to tell the difference between a poem and a song lyric.

Couplets and quatrains are two of the most basic building blocks of poetry.

Couplets

A couplet is a pair of lines in a poem. The lines usually rhyme and have the same meter or syllable count. Contemporary couplets may not rhyme; some of them use a pause or white space where a rhyme would occur.

Couplets can be used in a number of ways. Some poems are simply a couplet. Other poems are composed of a series of couplets. Stanzas can end with a couplet, or an entire poem can end with a couplet.

Quatrains

A quatrain is either a four-line stanza within a poem or a poem that consists of four lines. Many modern song lyrics are composed of quatrains.

A quatrain may contain one or two couplets. The nursery rhyme “Humpty Dumpty” is a quatrain of two couplets:

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,

Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.

All the king’s horses and all the king’s men Couldn’t put Humpty together again.

The Exercise

This is a three-part exercise. First, write a couplet (two rhyming lines with the same meter or number of syllables). Then, write a quatrain (it doesn’t have to include meter or rhymes). Finally, write a quatrain that consists of two couplets.

Tips: Keep your language and subject matter simple. Aim for catchy language and vivid imagery.

Variations: Mix it up—write a poem that consists of a couplet followed by a quatrain and then another couplet. Try using couplets and quatrains to write a song lyric.

Applications: Couplets and quatrains have an infinite number of practical applications for a writer. Couplets are ideal for writing a children’s story, because kids gravitate to simple language and rhythmic rhymes. You can also use couplets and quatrains in songwriting and greeting-card poetry.

7.2 Iambic Pentameter

If you chat long enough with a poet, eventually this term is sure to pop up in the conversation. Iambic pentameter is, historically, the most common metrical line used both in poetic verse and in verse dramas.

An iamb is a type of meter (in poetry we call it a foot, which is a unit of poetic measurement). It is an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable: da DUM. Words that are iambs include the following: conCERN, eVOLVE, aMEND, eLUDE, toDAY.

A pentameter is five units (or five feet).

Therefore, iambic pentameter is a line of verse that is five iambs:

da DUM da DUM da DUM da DUM da DUM

Iambic pentameter can be used throughout an entire poem or just in certain lines or stanzas.

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