More questions about poetry.

[Lara]

Are there rules to writing poetry and do you think those rules need to be followed? I used to write alot of poetry when I was a teenager, or what I thought was poetry anyway. It was a comforting form of expression for me. I am interested in exploring poetry again, but not sure where to begin.

Cheers,
Lara

[amuse]

I think those rules need to be followed - yes, they do exist. There are actually quite a bunch of them. I think the only one we never learned in school was sound: if it doesn't read well, don't keep it. (But I had to learn that on my own.) If you're going to break the rules, you need to know the foundation first. Picasso had classical training. In other words, I also think it's important to be able to break the rules. But not in sonnets, for example. Some things are carved in stone, and there's no getting around that.

[the ring]

rules can thwart.

be inventive.

[Shea]

A couple poetic rules that I love are those of alliteration and repetition. They enforce what amuse said of lines sounding good. I've really learned to appreciate alliteration for english poetry lately since studying Old English. My sig is the first 11 lines of Beowulf, and though they were a pain to memorize, they're a lot were a lot of fun to say because it sounds so good even if I have no idea what I'm saying. But they don't rhyme. English didn't start rhyming (I think) until the Norman Conquest and we started incorporating French in our language. (Sorry, I'm really interested in this class.)

I like repetition because of the song like quality it gives to poems. It makes those powerful lines stand out instead of being lost in a sea of other lines.

[amuse]

Are there any writer's groups in your area? Community or full-length college courses? Sometimes these are offered on nights and weekends. Do you wake up/fall asleep with words or phrases that insist you write them down; if so, do you?
Those are just a few of the tools out there to help you decide what you do/don't like, discover your own voice.