A sonnet is an echo chamber of sounds, a closed form, allowing sound patterns to form consciously, or otherwise, in the reader’s mind. Rhyming is part of that sound-patterning, and rhymes can appear either at the end, the beginning or inside each line. Rhymes at the end of each line have characterised sonnets for centuries; … Continue reading Rhyming Sonnets
Poem
Sonnet or Not? – The fourteen-line Rondel
The sonnet form in poetry is characterized through several key features: it has a Turn or Volta, a rhyme scheme, regular line length often using pentameter, stanza breaks, and have fourteen lines. Right? Or only partly correct? Over centuries of use of this form, there have been many variants of the form tried by poets … Continue reading Sonnet or Not? – The fourteen-line Rondel
Giving Feedback on Poetry
“What an amazing poem!” The appreciation of poetry is subjective. Where one reader may say what a great poem it is, another stares blankly. What is longlisted in one competition may be a winner in another. A poem should speak to the heart and the mind, but everyone has had different life experiences that make … Continue reading Giving Feedback on Poetry
Arts and Crafts
“Dear Editor, I am writing to you from the pier at Brighton with the rough wind tugging at the sheets of this letter. Just a moment ago, I hurled a small brass key into the waves. It seals forever the desk drawer in my study holding all my works. Thus, I regret to inform you … Continue reading Arts and Crafts
Enclosing Rhymes
Previously, I laid some of the groundwork to discussing the rhyming structures in sonnets. To some, that will make this an interesting article. To others, they may have some recent paintwork that they’d prefer to watch dry instead. This month I’m going to cover some of the details, so stand by for some terminology. Some … Continue reading Enclosing Rhymes
