In these blogs focussing on sonnets, I have been encouraging you to try writing one for yourself. If you’ve already done that, what’s next? Just how good is that sonnet you’ve laboured over? Do not leave it unseen in a pile of papers or unread on your smartphone. Release it into the wild wide world … Continue reading The Promise of Magic
Metaphor
Diction – Part Two
La création de poesie attire ceux qui adorent le langage. Writing poetry attracts those who find great interest in meanings, the look of words, their sounds and sometimes long and twisty history. Whatever I say about techniques in this second part of my blog about diction in poetry, do not forget that first and foremost, … Continue reading Diction – Part Two
The Fourteenth Line
One of my recent blogs Attention! has covered the importance of first lines in seizing your reader’s attention, now I’d like to consider the last lines. Having set the reader’s expectations, you now must provide a pay-off. The last line, words or couplet should ensure a satisfying end to your work. They may carry real … Continue reading The Fourteenth Line
Attention!
“Oi”, the dock worker stopped me, “where’s my money?”, his breath frosting out on “money” and stood solid before me in his grease-stained AC/DC T-shirt. This could be the first line of a thriller. It helps establish a setting without telling. It hooks the attention of the reader. Something that that may be difficult for … Continue reading Attention!
The Volta
A sonnet may juxtapose two contrasting ideas to generate interest or emotion. Where can you place this join? Right at the end might work, like a punch line in a joke, a big reveal. Shakespeare did this to such an extent the trick was named after him. In this blog, let’s look at where else … Continue reading The Volta
