Amaryllis Media Creative Development, Writing Best Practices

Stop Telling Stories! Wait, what?

via Wonder Our Managing Editor, Dusty Grein, often uses the analogy that a book should play like a movie in the reader's mind. It's the author's job to make sure that movie plays through and the reader forgets they're looking at words on a page. To enthrall our readers to the point they can't put our … Continue reading Stop Telling Stories! Wait, what?

Dusty Grein, ACP How to Write Classical Poetry

Exploring Classical Poetry — Part 2

Sonnets are most often associated with Shakespeare, who popularized the art form, but they were actually first created in Italy over 300 years before the Bard’s birth. There are many forms, from the Italian to the Elizabethan, but most of these differences are in the matter of rhyming patterns. Before we examine the structure and examples, let’s review some terms. iamb: a two syllable patterned poetic foot consisting of a soft syllable, followed by a hard one (dee-DUM).  Iambs are used to create iambic meters. pentameter: a metric line count for poetry that contains five poetic feet. In the case of iambic pentameters, this results in ten syllables. quatrains: stanzas consisting of four metered lines triplets: stanzas consisting of three metered lines couplets: stanzas consisting of two metered lines patterns: rhyming sequences, looking at the final syllable(s) in each line of poetry, and assigning them a letter value to show matching rhymes.

Dusty Grein, ACP How to Write Classical Poetry

Exploring Classical Poetry — Part 1

Most of us enjoy poetry in one form or another. I am going to attempt to lay out the basics of writing classical-style poetry in English, using standard poetry terms and references. This discussion will focus on rhyming, metered poems. Who am I? I am a novelist, yet the world of classical poetry has always fascinated me. My journey as an author, and I daresay a poet, is one that I hope never to complete. If you are interested in learning about classical poetry styles, methods, and patterns, then join me and let’s explore. I might have to hold your hand as we go since some of the terms we will use are intimidating (until you learn the simple meanings of them) and they scared me for a long time. Please keep in mind that the natural flow of poetic pronunciation and patterns will be influenced by your diction, and sometimes even your accent. This exploration will be done using the diction that comes naturally to me. I am from the Pacific Northwest in the United States, and I speak with no dialect or discernible accent (at least not to me).