Tuesday, October 1, 2013

A Note About Lines

In poetry, we don't just break a line wherever we want to, unless we are only writing free verse. Free verse allows us to write in any pattern or structure we would like, but we should know enough to make informed choices about the length of our lines.

Short lines, for example, can make a poem go faster.
Long lines, on the other hand, slow down a poem.

Thus, I can control the speed at which a reader reads my work by adjusting the length of a line.

Sometimes we want to break our poem into stanzas or create a rhythm for our poem (just like in music). Creating patterns based on syllables (beats), a poet can make their poem more musical, allowing it to flow better.

Information about Rhythm, Meter, and Scansion can be found here. And another one, just in case you need more explanation: Meter in Poetry and Verse. Read the chapter by Mary Oliver on "The Line", "Some Given Forms", and "Verse that is Free".

HOMEWORK: Read and save your iamb, trochee, spondee, dactyl, anapest example sheets.

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About this course!

This course stresses understanding the characteristics & techniques in the literary genres of fiction, poetry, and dramatic writing. This course will continue to build on students’ reading and writing skills begun in previous creative writing classes. Readings and discussions of works by major writers in the field will be examined as inspiration and models of fine writing. This educational blog is designed for the use of the students at the School of the Arts in Rochester, NY.