Ta dit anteckningsblock och sätt dig vid en intressant fördelaktig plats. Titta framför dig och försök återge det så exakt som du kan. Kolla detaljer. Låt bilderna själva tala.
Läs tidningsartiklar, se bilder, konstverk och inspireras. Släpp loss och gå in i bilden.
Skriv om helvetet, de saker som skrämmer dig. Var detaljerad.
Smaka på orden, rimma på de ord som du skrivit om du kört fast.
Skriv upp några ord, som har anknytning till varandra och inspireras. Hämta ord i Saol, lexikon etc.
Undvik klichéer eller liva upp dem, liva upp talesätt som t ex "bättre en fågel i handen än tio i skogen": Bättre tio tjurar i hagen än en i porslinsbutiken.
Försök att förena koncentration med tankspriddhet.
Träna på liknelser.
Ta en skriven dikt av någon annan och skriv nya rader, som är baserade på eller förslagna av orginalet.
När du läser en dikt av någon annan, så reflektera över den gnista någon rad i dkten ger. Det kan bli startskottet till ett eget verk.
Testa med olika radbrytningar. Det kan påverka innehållet i dikten.
Översätt en dikt på annat språk.
[Uppdaterad 071028]
En dikt ska sluta sig, och samtidigt peka bortom sig själv.
Titlar ska inte signalera för mycket. Hellre antydningar än titlar som välter dikten.
Det är inte allt som ska synliggöras, för när hemligheten försvinner sätter genom-skådligheten och det endimensionella in.
En bra dikt har en inneboende karaktär som påkallar läsarens rörlighet och hela tiden styr mot större förståelse.
En estetisk händelse är det när dikten förnyar sig för varje läsning.
Diktens nu är både oändligt ögonblick och ett avgränsat moment.
Dikten lever inte endast av ord, men också av tystnad.
Att vara diktare kräver en viss upproriskhet.
Orden måste vara fullvärdiga. De måste ha möjlighet att ta tag i varandra.
Först när språket uppnår karaktär av material låter det sig formas.
Poesi bygger på språkets bildkraft, musikalitet och suggestiva valörer, men minst lika mycket på sitt speciella sätt att betyda, sin semantik. Poesins betydelsetäthet är ett försök att öppna för mångfalden.
Det vardagliga sättet att hantera språk måste brytas ned, för att det ska bli poesi. Olika element skiljes från varandra på ett sådant sätt att något nytt kan byggas upp. Det som faller isär är gamla betydelser.
Ska diktaren förvandla sig till ord, måste språket drivas utöver den gräns, där dagligt bruk kommer till korta.
Orden i poesin måste ingå i komplexa relationer, där musikaliska och akustiska fenomen är exakt ekvivalenta med de semantiska valörerna.
Det är endast den enskilda bilden som är utslagsgivande, mycket hänger på hur bilderna inbördes uppträder i dikten. Bilderna måste balanseras ibland i en sårbar och ömtålig dans. Infaller bilderna för tätt mister de sin vikt, och pekar de i olika riktningar upphäver de varandra istället för att belysa varandra. Verket ska ”gå ut. Bilderna kan bilda komplexa inbördes relationer, men de ska tala inbördes.
Poesi ska på en gång vara uttryck för tanke, känsla och dessutom rymma en filosofisk, existentiell dimension.
Ett mod att gå sina egna vägar är en väsentlig förutsättning för att växa.
Det är kroppen som registrerar att en rest finns, att det med varje dikt följer något som inte är sagt.
Dikter är bärare av musik. Ord rullar ut ljud. Inte minst rytmen kännetecknar poesins väsen. Det är rytmen som framför allt suggererar, det är den som är den framdrivande kraften. Att lyssna sig fram till diktens musik.
Till och med det enskilda ordet i en dikt har en blind fläck kallad tystnad. Dikten talar, lyssnar och tiger. På en gång. Om en dikt inte ska kvävas av sitt eget oväsen, måste den förhålla sig till stillheten. Den stillheten ska höras i en dikt.
En skärpt medvetenhet behövs.
Sinnlighet fast på distans, måste till.
Att sjunka ned i ett tranceartat och frånvarande tillstånd är en förutsättning för att kunna fyllas, att släppa taget är en betingelse för att kunna hålla fast något.
Adressaten bör vara okänd.
Skriften måste ha ett inbyggt motstånd. Det betingar språnget, och åstadkommer att dikten får spänst, rörlighet och når fram till ny insikt. En dikt som skildrar snö måste ha en annor-lunda, mer dämpad konstruktion.
Ämnet kan vara tidlös, men utformningen och struktureringsprincipen måste vara samtida.
Den estetik som till en början upplevs som provocerande och annorlunda kommer förr eller senare att absorberas. Den riskerar rentav att sluta som trivialitet.
I strömmen av bilder måste de enskilda belysa varandra.
Estetik är till för att dikten inte ska gå under i kaos eller konturlöshet.
Orden måste gripa in i varandra och förbinda sig med varandra för att få kraft.
De rytmiska formerna i fri vers måste utgöra en helhet. En dikts andedräkt måste korrespondera med det den talar om. Å andra sidan ska dikten inte bara vara välljud. Det måste finnas brott som håller fast läsaren. Och överrumplar.
Varje dikt måste inkarnera sin egen hemlighet.
Om dikten vill skönhet, får den inte postulera skönheten, men kritisera sig fram till den.
Diktens uppgift är inte att imitera naturen, men manifestera sig originellt och nyskapande i förhållande till den.
Ju angelägnare stoffet upplevs, desto mer nödvändigt är det att skapa distans.
Att man tänker vertikalt.
Varje dikt handlar om ett personligt överskridande. Temperaturen måste först sjunka, men sedan kan man ge sig i kast med en värderande läsning av ett annat slag, dvs redigering och kritik.
Aldrig mista sin ödmjukhet.
Diktens transcendentala ögonblick är hopp.
Litterär teori
När läsaren känner igen sig i en berättelse, nås en högre upplevelsepunkt.
Poeten strukturerar inte verkligheten, utan sina poetiska verk.
Läsarens upplevelse av dikten är inte kunskap, utan utlopp för känslor.
Kalibrera sin poesi mot det minsta.
Bildernas kompositionella sammanhang spelar en avgörande roll för hela diktens mening.
När läsaren känner igen sig i en berättelse, nås en högre upplevelsepunkt. Poeten strukturerar inte verkligheten, utan sina poetiska verk. Läsarens upplevelse av dikten är inte kunskap, utan utlopp för känslor. Martinssons kalibrerar sin poesi mot det minsta. Bildernas kompositionella sammanhang spelar en avgörande roll för hela diktens mening./[Uppdaterad 071028]/
Gör en personteckning av karaktärer när du ska skriva en längre berättelse:
Utseende
Hårfärg kroppsbyggnad händer, fötter särskilda kännetecken(handikapp) ålder röst kläder skor svagheter starka sidor egenskaper(dolda talanger) osv.
Omgivning
Yrke klasstillhörighet bostadsförhållanden andliga intressen(religion) familjeförhållanden förhållanden till bokens övriga personer vilja självuppfattning(vad och hur hon äter?) kärlek(känslor överhuvudtaget) sexualitet komplex ambitioner smak(hur ser hennes sängtäcke ut, hennes fönsterkarm) socialt och politiskt engagemang är hon sig själv nog är hon nyfiken på andra odlar hon rosor eller män på sin fritid osv.
Titta på folk på gatan och se efter om de liknar dina personer - liksom i tidningar och tidskrifter. Rita ev. också gator, hus och områden du skriver i din bok.
Sinnesbeskrivningar
Skriv om en situation där lukten spelar en viktig roll spelar en viktig roll. Beskriv först och främst lukten.
(5 min)
Fortsätt på samma historia, nu med ljud som det viktigaste i texten.
(5 min)
Gå vidare med historien, nu med smak som det viktigaste i texten.
(5 min)
Sluta historien med en känselhistoria, något man märker på huden eller med händerna.
(5 min)
Beskriv något du känner till väl, men igen av de andra gör. Beskriv det så att de andra kan föreställa sig det och ser hur det ser ut.
(5 min)
Skriv om den kvällen när du klippte håret.
(10 min eller mer)
Skriv ditt eget avsnitt av Matador!(eller Dallas eller Varuhuset eller Falcon Crest). Din egen version av en allmänt känd historia.
(10 min eller mer)
Kan man köpa natten?
(10 min eller mer)
Varför gömmer du dig?
(10 min eller mer)
Skriv en dikt om den Fula Ankungen.
(5 min)
Skriv en dikt om "Det finns en tid".
(5 min)
Skriv en dikt utifrån en av dina korta arbetstexter som gör sig bättre som dikt.
(5 min)
Skriv en dikt om en avgörande händelse i en människas liv. Den yttre ramen är en promenad.
(5 min)
Skriv en dikt, där sista raden på ett avgörande sätt belyser de föregående raderna.
(5 min)
Skriv en dikt om tedrickning som i verkligheten handlar om döden.
(5 min)
Skriv en dikt där du använder en bild av förälskelse(en sjukdom, en riktig chock)så detaljerat som möjligt.
(5 min)
Förläng sedan gärna övningarna tidsmässigt.
Jag i dikten är inte jag, författaren.
Upptäck hur de fem sinnena kan göra allting levande.
Substantiven är de mest laddade orden i språket, så var varsam när du använder dem. Specificera substantiven, skriv stuga eller bungalow istället för hus, koltramp istället för båt, västanvinden istället för vinden. Var så konkret som möjligt.
En avdelning substantiv bör poeter se upp med är abstrakta substantiv såsom evighet, kärlek, längtan, hat, mod etc. Om du ska ge det abstrakta en innebörd mät det med hjälp av det konkreta.
Markera sådant som är snyggt, bra formulerat, viktigt för stämningen, och använd dessa utdrag.
Spara alla dessa skrivövningar!
***
Fri vers är konsten att börja på en ny rad.
Fri vers kräver täthet, varje fras måste vara den absolut rätta, varje gång man börjar på en ny rad måste det vara på rätta stället. Det är anspråksfullt att placera en ordgrupp eller rentav bara ett ord ensamt på en rad. Fria versen saknar genomgående en metrisk puls. Då måste ordet ha en ordentlig laddning!
Varje versrad har samma vikt, varav följer att varje rad måste vara bärare av eget, väsentligt innehåll.
Huvudregeln för versindelning är att versradens slut sammanfaller med slutet på en sats eller
fras, varefter det följer en paus. Denna huvudregel gäller all poesi, inte bara den fria versen.
Ibland kan poeten börja på en ny rad på ett sätt som inte stämmer överens med huvudregeln, och då skapar han en möjlighet att påverka läsaren i speciell riktning.
En av de viktigaste egenskaperna hos den fria versformen: möjligheten att framhålla vissa ord genom att de får inleda - eller avsluta - versraden.
För att hitta rytmen och definiera diktens versschema ska man skandera, dvs läser upp den högt. Om man läser inför publik kan man styra skanderingen genom att endast skandera viktiga ord.
"En rent lyrisk text går inte att återberätta. I den goda lyriska texten kan inte ett ord bytas ut. Orden och ordens kombinationer är i en lyrisk text oupplösligt förknippade med textens djupare innebörd. Rytmen stödjer innehållet i texten, ja, man kan till och med påstå att texten är sitt innehåll, snarare en berättelse om det. Ringa in textens egenart genom att tala om vad dikten handlar om, hur den är gjord och vad den gör för intryck på oss. Lyrik koncentrerar bilder eller intryck i samma bildplan och därigenom överför stämnings-, idé- eller känslokomplex. Drömmar, tankar och känslor tar sig uttryck i symboler som är sammansatta av detaljer ur den yttre verkligheten. Lyrik snarare uttrycker än den beskriver. ...åskådliggjord i språket och inte återgiven av språket. Innehållet ska sätta sin prägel på det lyriska språket. Rytmen är viktig för helhetsintrycket. Att dikter är dåliga beror nog i det flesta fall på att känslan bakom dem inte är hållbar - det är uttrycket för känslan som inte håller. Det är kombinationerna av ord som bär fram idéerna, upplevelserna eller känslorna. Ha känsla för språkets rytm."
Vi har kunnat konstaterat att lyrikens ljudmässiga egenskaper ofta är framträdande och i vissa extremfall försvinner den språkliga, verbala aspekten nästan helt. Dess språk är så pass "öppet" och tvetydigt, så det blir subjektivt associerande när vi tolkar lyrik.
Titeln på dikten är ofta mycket viktig.
Den typiska lyriska dikten är en koncentrerad text med fokusering på det språkliga uttrycket. Den har någon sorts regelbundenhet. En struktur där man kan ana ett sammanhang och ett mönster, som skapas av olika sorters upprepning. Lyrikens upprepningar präglas ofta av variationer medan musiken gärna repeterar sina egna fraser tämligen exakt.
En dikt kan förvandlas till en bild: en metafor som för samman två fenomen genom att lyfta fram en likhet.
En mycket stark regelbundenhet, t ex upprepningar, är av stor vikt för diktens sluteffekt. Vissa lyriska dikter repeterar inte bara strofens form utan också dess innehåll exempelvis i början och slutet av dikten.
Vad kan skapa större ordning än det exakta upprepandet? De blir till ord med vars hjälp man kan sjunka ner i ett meditativt tillstånd.
Det är viktigt att betona att ord inte behöver upprepas bokstavligt för att det ska vara rimligt att tala om upprepningar. Ett av lyrikens viktigaste verkningsmedel är att upprepa med betydelsediger variation.
Inom versläran är "vers" detsamma som "versrad" eller "rad". Strof är en radgrupp.
Om flera satser eller rader som följer efter varandra inleds med samma ord kallas det för anafor. Den anaforiska upprepningen förstärker skillnaderna mellan "motsatserna" samtidigt som man som läsare försöker finna en väg att upphäva kontrasterna; att se likheter i skillnaderna.
Diktens form och struktur har en avgörande betydelse för dess innehåll.
RYTM
Metriken är ett område som förenar musiken och språket. Men tonvikten är avgörande för all lyrik, inte bara den med faktiska förbindelser med musik.
Hittar man ingen rytm så är det svårt att hitta någon mening i dikten. Det är således viktigt, och naturligt, att försöka finna rätt "andning" i språket.
Rytmen är den faktiska växlingen mellan stark, svagt eller icke betonade stavelser, metern är den regelbundenhet i versen som man efter en stunds läsning kan ana sig till. Metern kan beskrivas som ett bakomliggande mönster i versen som finns där bara indirekt.
För att lyssna sig till metern kan man skandera, dvs tvinga fram ett så regelbundet betoningsmönster som möjligt.
En förutsättning för att finna rytmen är att man, om det inte är frågan om fri vers, först finner metern.
När en t ex ett jambiskt mönster bryts, blir resultatet att vi lägger märke som ingår i detta brott lite extra. Därmed förstärks diktens varning till oss läsare. Formen blir till innehåll.
Alltför precis rytm riskerar i längden att bli monoton.
Trokéer och daktyler är naturligt nog väl ägnade att paras ihop, och det bör väl även gälla för jamber och anapester.
En cesur är ett litet rytmiskt avbrott, en mycket kort paus mitt i en versrad. Cesurer lämna plats för både andhämtning och eftertanke och leder i allmänhet till att ordet eller orden före cesuren får en extra betoning, som är lämpliga i t ex romantiska dikter där "Jag" ska betonas.
Enjambement innebär att ett helt ben (jambe är franskans ord för ben), inte en versfot, sträcker sig från ett radslut till näst rads inledning, och därmed blir versen rörlig - den "står inte stilla".
EUFONI
Eufoni betyder välljud och det används för att beteckna lyrikens klangaspekter, dvs rim och allitteration. Att klangen skapar mening kallas för fonologi.
Dessa ljud dvs fonem som upprepas från ett ord till nästa är definitivt ett rim. Ett ljud som repeteras först efter tio rader är definitivt inte ett rim.
Allitteration uppstår när i första hand konsonanterna upprepas i närliggande ord, i allmänhet i ordens början och vara betonade. Även vokaler kan allitterera. I sådana fall ska vokalerna fortfarande befinna sig i ordets eller åtminstone stavelsens början och vara betonade - men för att vokaler ska rimma på detta sätt ska de vara olika! Så har de vise bestämt. Om vokaler är olika kallas det för assonans och omges av konsonanter som bara repeteras bara ungefärligen.
Författaren kan utnyttja rim och allitteration för att förstärka uppmärksamheten på dessa ord istället för att planlöst rimma och allitterera. Upprepningar av ord i dikten visar att det ordet har stor betydelse för tolkningen.
Assonanser med konsonanter finns, men är inte så vanligt. I så fall rör det sig om olika vokaler som inte befinner sig i ordens början och följs av identiska konsonanter. Trist - bröst är ett sådant rim.
Fullrimmet rimmar från och med en betonad vokal och ordet eller raden ut.
BILDSPRÅK
Det finns fyra varianter av bildspråk: metaforen bygger på likhet medan ironi är skillnad eller rent av oförenlighet. Med metonymi avses bildspråk som är en närhetsrelation och en synekdoke är ett uttryck som låter delen stå för helheten, som t ex isället för att säga "nice car" säger "nice set of wheels".
Dessa fyra sorters bildspråk är inte åtskilda med vattentäta skott.
När en liknelse går över gränserna mellan olika sinnesområden kallar man det för sinnesanalogi.
Besjälning är när konkreta ting tillskrivs mänskliga egenskaper.
Personifikation är när abstrakta fenomen tillskrivs mänskliga egenskaper.
Lite besvärligare kan det vara med fenomenet allegori. En tavla som rymmer personifikationer, dvs avbildar människor som representerar vissa egenskaper eller begrepp, sägs vara en allegori. Allegori beskrivs av retoriker helt enkelt som en utdragen metafor.
Ironi har med skillnad och oförenlighet att göra.
Parodi är det när det förlöjligas genom förvrängningar eller överdrifter.
Symbolik är konventionellt, vilket innebär att en symbols betydelse är "överenskommen" som t ex i vår kultur att den röda rosen är en symbol för kärleken.
Antites och paradox har att göra med hur bilder och tankar struktureras, sätts i relation till varandra. Antites består av två motsatta eller starkt kontrasterande ord, formuleringar, begrepp, bilder eller föreställningar som ställs bredvid varandra. Ex: grönskan står mot den vita och kalla snön; någon framträder för diktjagets blick var hon än befinner sig; munnens och analöppningens läppar jämförs.
En paradox är en "skenbar" självmotsägelse, dvs en orimlighet som vid närmare eftertanke säger något väsentligt om verkligheten. Paradoxen är således alltid ett resultat av en tolkning. Ett ex. ur en av Petrarcas dikter:
"Är det ej kärlek, vad är det jag känner?
Om det är kärlek, säg då vad den är!
Ett gott, som så torterar och förtär?
Ett ont, som med så ljuvlig låga bränner?"
om en paradox koncentrerade i ett eller några få ord benämns den oxymoron, t ex "bitterljuv kärlek".
Det viktiga med bildspråket är dess fascinationskraft; dess förmåga att få oss att se världen, verkligheten och oss själva med nya ögon. Bildspråket får oss att tänka med känslorna och känna med tankarna.
Den enskilda dikten undflyr alltid de mer exakta analyserna eftersom dess språk är levande. Diktens betydelse uppstår alltid på nytt, och i något annorlunda skepnad, i varje enskild läsning.
LYRIKTOLKNING
En av anledningarna till att det inte finns några givna regler för hur man analyserar och tolkar lyrik är att lyrikanalysen aldrig är ett självändamål.
Textens mening är alltid ett resultat av texten och läsaren.
Konstens främsta grepp är främmandegöringen, vilket innebär att verkligheten skapas på nytt inför betraktarens ögon. Detta gäller naturligtvis även inom lyriken.
Några av de viktigaste punkterna inom lyriktolkning:
Sam Albanienssons förklaring av "Vad är poesi?":
Och så finns det en metrik i den. Kan du se den? Känner du någon takt när du läser den? Det här är oerhört viktigt om man ska kunna skriva dikter.
Lyriken är inte en nödvändighet i en dikt. En dikt kan vara helt episk eller dramatisk, utan ett enda lyriskt inslag, men ändå en dikt.
Dikt och lyrik är inte samma sak. Att jämföra dikter och lyrik med varandra är som att jämföra bakelser och socker. Sockret är en ingrediens i bakelsen. Dikten är en bakelse. Lyriken är socker. Man kan också ha bakelser utan socker. Om vi säger att epiken är salt, så kan vi ha bakelser som smakar salt. Alltså episka dikter. Antikens berättelser är episka dikter. De innehåller också socker, men i huvudsak är de berättande.
Det måste inte finnas något bildspråk i lyriken. Lyriken bestäms av Hur den funkar på läsaren!
Epik, lyrik och dramatik är skönlitteraturens, alltså den litterära konstens (fast du tror säkert att ordet konst endast bör användas för tavlor), grundläggande genrer, eller essenser, om jag nu ska kunna köra med matlagning i "populärvetenskapligt" syfte.
Epiken är berättande. Den är återgivande eller gestaltande. Den är alltså narrativ. Med den kan man tala om för andra vad som har hänt.
Lyriken är manipulativ. Den är känsloframkallande eller känsloförmedlande. Den är alltså (själsligt) aberrativ. Med den kan man få andra att "se" och "tro" "saker" och sånt.
Dramatiken är spelbar. Den är algoritmisk eller instruerande. Den är alltså aktivt simulativ. Med den kan man tala om för skådespelare vad de ska säga och hur de ska göra när de ska lura en åskådare att för en stund tro att de är några andra.
Dessa ord har inte alltid betecknat begreppen ovan. Förr i tiden stod de för andra saker (som de fortfarande betecknar), men numera, sedan dessa tre begrepp har kristalliserats, står de också för dessa tre saker. Vi pratar alltså om begrepp, och inte om ord. Ord och begrepp är inte heller samma sak. Orden kan man lära sig genom att slå upp ordlistor. Begreppen lär man sig genom att Studera Sakerna Bakom.
Prosa är att skriva fritt. Som när man pratar.
Poesi är att skriva med form. Som när man sjunger.
Prosa är noveller och "prosadikter" och sånt. Poesi är dikter!
Även en barnramsa är poesi.
Poesi och prosa är alltså formsaker. Ej innehållssaker!
För att du ska förstå det här, ska du tänka på att det finns episk, lyrisk och dramatisk prosa, liksom att det finns episk, lyrisk och dramatisk poesi. Eller att man kan skriva episka texter i form av prosa eller i form av poesi, precis som man kan skriva lyriska texter i form av prosa och i form av poesi. Även drama kan skrivas som prosa eller som poesi. Shakespeares dramatik är poesi, för den är skriven i form av dikter!
Tänk på att det knappt finns några skönlitterära texter som endast är episka, eller endast är lyriska eller endast är dramatiska; för alla dessa tre inslag är i regel inbakade i den skönlitterära konstens handling och artefakter. En episk text kan sägas vara narrativ i första hand, men så gott som alla episka texter (i regel) Också verkar manipulativt på (sina bestämda, predisponerade) läsare; och därför är de också lyriska -- mer eller mindre. Dessutom så kan man göra en film eller en föreställning av allting, så det finns knappt någon skönlitterär text som inte är dramatisk. Samma sak med texter som i första hand kan sägas vara lyriska. De är inte endast manipulativa, för de är oftast Också berättande, alltså episka --- och spelbara, alltså dramatiska. Tänk på att man alltid kan gå upp på scen och uppträda med en lyrisk text!
De där tre genrerna är alltså essenser som den skönlitterära konstens deg består av. Degen är alltså innehållet.
Formen däremot är en annan sak. Det är mycket enkelt där:
a) en viss bundenhet utöver själva språket -- alltså form -- alltså dikt
b) ingen bundenhet utöver själva språket -- alltså ingen form -- alltså prosa.
***
Rytmen i en dikt styr andningen, och andningen reglerar de känslosignaler som kroppen sänder till hjärnan.
Det finns två slag av rytm i poesi, takt eller meter och fri vers.
Skandering är att läsa upp dem högt med ungefär lika stark betoning på alla de stavelser som här utmärks med accenttecken: Kung Ka´rl de u´nge hjä´lte, / han sto´d i rö´k och da´mm". Skandering används när man inte riktigt kan hitta fram till metern. En fast kombination av en betonad stavelse föregången eller åtföljd av en eller flera obetonade kallas för versfot eller meter.
Om man låter rytmen styra läsningen når man lättare fram till diktens mening. Man kan variera betoningen i texten tills man får diktens upplevelse att stämma.
I praktiken innehåller huvuddelen av all svensk poesi i bunden form inte mer än fyra sorters versfötter, varav endast två kan förekomma i en och samma versmått.
Man skiljer på olika versfötter. En versfot består av en betonad och en eller flera obetonade stavelser. De vanligaste versfötterna är:
jamb
Anapest
: två obetonade och en betonad stavelse ex: festival, internet, analys, anapeststigande peon
Dessa tre versfötter ingår i stigande vers, där varje versrad inleds med obetonad stavelse:
Troké
: en betonad och en obetonad ex: hela, Erik, ruta skrives: S s (obs ordet "troké" är en jamb)Daktyl
: en betonad och två obetonade ex: blommorna, staterna, drivorna, flickornafallande peon
: en betonad och tre obetonade ex: sopptallrikarDessa tre versfötter ingår i fallande vers, där varje versrad inleds med betonad stavelse
Dessutom:
Spondé
: två betonade ex: tvåtakt, livboj, nötbrun, vitlök skrives: S SStikisk
innebär att versraderna följer på varandra omedelbart. Iliaden och Odysséen är exempel på verk med stikisk vers(dvs utan regelbunden strofindelning).Metrik
är den lära eller vetenskap som beskriver versens beståndsdelar. Metriken utvecklades således redan under antiken. Den antika versen är ursprungligen oskiljaktig från musiken. Ingen idag vet hur den tidens musik lät, men många tror att framförandet något påminde om hur moderna "rap"-texter presenteras. I klassisk grekiska och latin skilde man på långa och korta stavelser. I de moderna europeiska språken talar man i stället om betonade och obetonade stavelser.Metriken ingår ofta i en poetik, som behandlar reglerna för diktkonsten och omfattar grammatik, retorik, stilistik och metrik.
Rim
förekommer vanligen i slutet av versraden. Man skiljer mellan: enstaviga eller manliga ex: man-kan, klok-bok, tak-sakVERSMÅTT
De vanligaste versmåtten i den västerländska litteraturen är:
Alexandrin: sextaktig jambisk vers, oftast stikisk med omväxlande manliga och kvinnliga rim. Uppkallad efter ett fornfranskt epos (berättande dikt) om Alexander den store. Används av Molière:
Aha, ni ärans man, med era satans funder!
För alla frestelser, hur lätt ni dukar under!
(Tartuffe akt IV, scen VII, Orgon)
Blankvers
: femtaktig orimmad jambisk vers, som användes av framförallt Shakespeare:Elegiskt distikon
kombinerar den fulla hexameterraden med en pentameter där tredje och sjätte versfoten är enstavig. Stagnelius använde versmåttet i många av sina elegier (sorgedikter) som i Till Natten:|
- È È |
- È È |
- | È È |
- È È |
- È È |
- È | |
|
Vän! I för- |
ödelsens |
stund, när ditt |
inre av |
mörker be- |
-täckes, |
|
- ÈÈ |
- È |
- | |
- ÈÈ |
- È È |
- | |
|
när i ett |
avgrunds- |
-djup |
minne och |
aning för- |
-gå, |
Femrading består förstås av fem rader. De ska se ut på följande sätt:
Rad 1 består av ett enda ord, ordet för det dikten ska handla om.
Rad 2 består av två ord som är beskrivande.
Rad 3 består av tre ord som anger handling.
Rad 4 består av fyra ord som förmedlar en känsla.
Rad 5 är antingen en upprepning av rad 1 eller en synonym.
Fornyrdislag
: varje rad rymmer två betoningar antalet obetonade stavelser växlar. Allitteration förekommer (bokstavsrim) och binder ihop raderna. Völuspá är skrivet på detta versmått:Hexameter
: sextaktig fallande vers där sista foten bör vara en troké eller spondé. De fem föregående är daktyler eller spondéer. Cesur - en liten paus rekommenderas i tredje eller fjärde versfoten.Haiku har 17 stavelser fördelade på tre rader (5 + 7 + 5). Den har ofta inslag från naturen.
Limerick är en stad på Irland men också ett versmått. Dikten har fem rader. Rad 1, 2 och 5 har tre betonade stavelser och rad 3 och 4 har två. Första raden slutar med ett ortnamn och andra och femte raden rimmar på detta ortnamn, medan tredje och fjärde raden rimmar på varandra. Limerickar är ofta nonsensverser med ett överraskande slut.
Ljodaháttr
: som fornyrdislag, men med verserna 3 och 4 respektive 7 och 8 hopslagna till rader som allittererar inom sig. Havamal är skrivet så:Ottave rime
: femtaktig jambisk strof i åtta rader rimställning a b a b a b c c. Den uppkom under renässansen i Italien användes ofta under romantiken som av Tegnér i Mjältsjukan:Pentameter liknar hexameter. Namnet kommer för de grekiska orden för fem (penta) och mått eller versfot (metron). Det är en hexameterrad med en så kallad katalex, en ofullständig versfot, i tredje och sjätte versfoten. Efter de ofullständiga fötterna sätts cesurer (rytmiskt avbrott vid vissa ordslut i en rad). Versmåttet används aldrig ensamt.
Sedoka har 38 stavelser fördelade på sex rader (5 + 7 + 7 + 5 + 7 + 7).
Sonett
är en sträng versform. Versraden är femtaktig jambisk, radantalet fjorton.Tanka har 31 stavelser fördelade på fem rader ( 5 + 7 + 5 + 7 + 7).
Terzin
är femtaktig jambisk vers. Treradiga strofer med rimflätning uppfunnet av Dante:***********************************************************************************************************************
THE POEM
A poem often starts in a feeling, and a picture is a powerful way to display that feeling. I recommend that you find the most suitable picture for the feeling you want to write about and then try to describe that feeling in short sentences. Try not to use the same words over and over again. Find new ones that fit in. WARNING! If you want to write rhyming poetry you must be extra careful, so that you do not use words you do not want just because of the rhyme.
Poetry is a free form of writing. You are not bound by any rules. Feel free to get rid of all stops and capital letters. I only use capital letters to show where the poem begins. If you want to you can write a poem just using adjectives. EVERYTHING IS POSSIBLE!
DON'T GIVE UP if you think you have failed. DON'T THROW POEMS AWAY as you might use some of the lines in other poems in the future. DON'T HOLD BACK. Write everything you want. When you feel surer of yourself that is the time for being more selective.
WORKING ON THE POEM
Ask someone to read the poem for you or use a tape recorder. This enables new views of the poem.
Put the poem away for some time. When you look at it again you might have some new fresh ideas.
Try to learn your poem by heart. The parts you can't remember often needs work.
Draw a picture of your poem. Are there missing parts?
Put = after every line. Try to come up with new lines that say the same.
Write down the best lines on a new paper and write a new poem.
Change words that seem "used" and find fresh words.
Ask yourself: Is this really a poem? Sometimes the poem might be better as a short story.
Read the poem for a friend so your language becomes more natural.
You can also give your poems to friends so that they can give some comments.
PIP Tip - Structure in Poetry
The structure of your poem will rely on elements like sound and imagery. The meter or pattern you select is important and will determine the rhythm of your work. You should select these details with care, making sure that your chosen course of direction will flow with the content you want to bring to life.
Although structure is the foundation of your poem, content will be its' heart. The content that you choose will impact your reader more with how you say it, then on what you actually say. You might select content that describes an item or a person. You might want to tell a story or present a personal view on an issue close to your heart.
Whatever your subject, it is important that the content is something that you care about ...something that has a place in your emotions. That does not mean it has to be sad or life changing. But it must be you! Because whatever is in your heart will come to life on paper. Whatever is simply in your head will bore your audience. Go to your heart for content.
Trevor Blake
Editor
"(1) Concise. I want to have the feeling that every word of the poem is necessary, that no word or phrase is there just for padding or to make the meter come out properly. When I encounter an adjective, I don't want to feel that it might have been omitted if its noun were more carefully selected. Nor do I want to feel that an adverb has been stuck in to brace a poorly chosen verb. When the poem is finished I want it to stop. I don't want it to summarise or to explain itself. I am furious at a poem that tells me what conclusions I ought to have about it, or a poem that tells me how I ought to live.
"(2) Unique. I want to know for sure as soon as I begin a poem that I have never seen another one quite like it.
"(3) Competent. After the first few phrases, I am giving myself to a poem that I am reading--almost as I might give myself to a lover. I want wonderful things to happen, but I want to be safe to let the poem work me over. If the diction or grammar or spelling of the poem is clumsy or stupid or careless, I don't want to risk the nerve, the intelligence, or even the time to read it through.
"(4) Filled with adventure. At every point in the poem I want a sense of excitement about what must be coming next. If I try to guess what is coming next, I want to be proven wrong. And I want being proven wrong to be a pleasant experience: I want to be delighted that the poem has done its next thing better than I would have done it. I want to be exploring energetically in a new town on a new planet.
"(5) A potential for discovery. I want the sense that I am doing my exploring without a guide or a map, so that everything I find is a surprise--and so that I feel I have found it by myself. I want no sign saying "THIS WAY TO THE NEXT WONDER!" If there is something wonderful in this place I want to feel delight and take pride in having found it for myself, and in being able to recognise it. The very worst thing I can imagine is to find something interesting and, while I'm reverberating with it, have somebody come along and tell me what's good about it. I like to think I'm in this new place because I can manage for myself.
"(7) A continuing surprise. If a poem has kept me surprised and delighted from start to finish, I like the poem. As an editor I'll publish it; as a reader I'll return to it. It is in the very nature of surprise and delight that nobody can tell anybody how to do it. I think most poets try to learn how to perform the task of surprising and delighting themselves as they write their poems, and when they succeed they are surprised and delighted to discover that they may have written a good poem."
Do your words gallop, ripple, slide, drone, stagger, flow, or chant? These are all rhythmic considerations and will be caused by the metrical form you have chosen. There is always a metrical element, even in free verse or open forms.
Copyright 1998 Don J Carlson
WHAT IS YOUR POEM'S ATTITUDE?
Does your poem, on the other hand wail, whimper, scream, chant, preach, pray, or curse? If so, you are dealing with the tone of the poem, the attitude of the speaker. The poem seems to give a mood of joy and play? The poem tries to compel you to identify with the feelings of the speaker and think his thoughts? Does the poem urge the reader to feel the concept of faith? What is the effect of the stopping and leaping forward motion of the meter? Do the words mean what the rhythm means or do they contrast with the form? Does the meter seem more compelling than the meaning of the words?
Is the attitude expressed by the poem one of bullying, whimpering, cheering, praising, bewailing, teasing, or joking? Is the poem sincere or persuasive, calm or excited, happy or horrified? Does it seem sinister, cheerful, or indifferent? Does the poem ridicule or endorse what it tells about?
Examine the poem for its language. Is it the language of a child, a minister, a college professor, a scientist, a cynic? What is the attitude toward the reader. Does it unite the readers or divide them? Is it condescending or simpering toward the reader? Does it revere or ennoble the reader?
Does it ask help, accuse, glorify one segment of society and blame another? Is it a romantic or political poem? Does it set ages or races against each other? Is it an injurious or a healing poetry? Does it seek resolution or conflict and confrontation?
A TOOL FOR ANALYSING POEMS
Use the following tool to analyse your own poems or those of others. After you have analysed, do not take your results too seriously. It is possible to be too analytical about poetry. Every poet has themes, preferences, and aversions that show up in the poetry. If you discover yours, don't be embarrassed, but just be aware. Your themes are part of your unique character. If you really see a problem with your limitations, you might begin to broaden your outlook and write on new topics. On the other hand, don't be afraid of analysing too much. A close look at any poet's writing can reveal hidden value that is easily overlooked with a too-quick reading.
Here are ten questions and lists of suggested answers. Take a poem and check off the words from the list that apply to it. This will help you understand what the poet has set out to accomplish with the poem.
Your unique character. If you really see a problem with your limitations, you might begin to broaden your outlook and write on new topics. On the other hand, don't be afraid of analysing too much. A close look at any poet's writing can reveal hidden value that is easily overlooked with a too-quick reading.
Here are ten questions and lists of suggested answers. Take a poem and check off the words from the list that apply to it. This will help you understand what the poet has set out to accomplish with the poem.
Who is speaking?
Read the poem carefully and give some thought to whose voice is presented in the poem. A child, minister, professor, scientist, labourer, artist, businessperson, romantic, pragmatist, cynic, cowboy, man, woman, young person, old person, knowledgeable, impressionable, controlled, identified with the poet?
Who is the target of the speaker?
Who does the poem assume you, the reader, are? A parent, child, teacher, boss, friend, enemy, problem solver, receptive reader, musing dreamer?
What are the words about?
Resolution, love, battle, agreement, excitement, gaining followers, revolt?
What are the underlying meanings?
Good poems often have layers of meaning. Loving, fighting, soothing, dreaming, remembering, pontificating?
What is the attitude of the speaker?
Considering, musing, bullying, whimpering, encouraging, praising, lamenting?
How does the poem engage the reader?
Persuasive, calm, teasing, joking (at whose expense) excited, happy, horrified, sincere, ridiculing, endorsing, dividing, uniting, condescending, reverent, ennobling, helpful, accusing, glorifying, consoling, healing, injuring?
What is the mood of the poem?
Sinister, indifferent, drudgery, playful, cheerful, remote, elated, angry, depressing, empty?
How does the speaker manage expression?
Overstated, obvious, hidden, subtle, ironic, implied?
Is there an intrusive element?
Wail, whimper, scream, preach, pray, curse?
What is the rhythm that moves the reader through?
Gallop, flow, ripple, slide, drone, stagger, chant, lurch, drag?
BUILD YOUR OWN CHECKLIST
You can take this list and add words of your own to cover other ranges of possibilities in poems. Add topics and words under the topics. The topics and words will express your own scope and range of intellect, emotion, and expressive tools. Making yourself such a list is helpful in analysing poetry. Many of these words may have technical names that you will find in textbooks.
1. Plan. Ask yourself:
How much time is available? Opening lines can be dashed off in minutes but completion may take days or weeks. Be cautious, and aim perhaps for 5-10 lines in an evening. Don't wait for the muse, but write what you can when you can. Odd phrases and lines are at least something to work from, and more inspiring than a blank page.
When you write letters or tell stories, do you usually start from a newspaper article you've read, an anecdote told or overheard, something witnessed, a general reflection? Start a poem in the way you're most comfortable with.
What sort of poem had you in mind? A story, a comment, a tribute, a protest, an elegy, a character study, a memorial? Skim through contemporary examples to start yourself off.
About the issues involved. Imagine the poem were a newspaper article: what points would you make, with what evidence and resounding arguments? Got it together? Go on then: let yourself go. Something will emerge.
2. Make sure the subject's important to you. Death of a friend or family member, rites of passage, the bitter sweetness of first love, one of life's turning points, old transgressions, a childhood incident, injustices, unacknowledged fears... Use a mask of the second or third person if the content is too personal or painful.
3. Give yourself up to reverie. Go for a walk, lie on the sofa and close your eyes, go to bed, cut out the surrounding world. Jot down the things that come you, in whatever order or confusion. Put the scribblings away for the present, and only open the folder hours or weeks later to see what you've got. You'll be amazed at what's inside you.
4. Free the imagination. Try:
Automatic writing. Say 5 minutes at a stretch, continuously, never stopping. Go through the material when you've collected in ten pages or so, and circle anything interesting.
Get a friend to say words at random. Write down the first response that comes to you. Build a poem around three of the words.
Open a diary or journal (yours or someone else's) and jot down the first incident on three successive pages. Make a poem of these.
Describe, as closely as you can, some recurring dream or nightmare. Reverse the sequence, and then make a poem.
5. Work through metaphors. Take four lines of any contemporary poem. Identify the metaphors. Then use a thesaurus to find alternatives for the metaphors. Then repeat with the alternatives, finding words even further removed from the originals. Think deeply on three or so of the more interesting words, and see if can draft a poem incorporating them.
6. Write a pastiche. Take a stanza of something well known and rewrite it so that a) the idiom is entirely different, b) the lines end with nonsense rhymes, c) the piece is ruined with the smallest possible change, d) the piece looks completely fresh and contemporary.
7. Take the last line of one of your poems (which needn't be good). Carry on from there, ignoring entirely what you drafted before.
8. Repeat some of these exercises on material swopped with a fellow student or poet.
Consider performance poetry, possibly the least organised of genres. Even the casual impromptu piece grows out of the occasion and expectations of the audience.
Points to Bear in Mind
1. Remember that style simply provides the means: it does not guarantee success. Rearranging undistinguished prose in short lines will not thereby create poetry. Nor will making it rhyme or scan. Of anything announcing itself as poetry a good deal is expected, and failures are the more ludicrous. You must employ the devices of whatever style you chose to create something that cannot be so fully said in prose.
2. In choosing a style, be guided by what the better lines suggest.
3. Write drafts in both free and strict forms. The skills are different but interact.
4. Research how recognised poets have handled your theme.
Suggestions
1. Vocabularies not only reflect interests and fashions, but must be broadly effective in a contemporary setting.
2. Words never possess wholly transparent meanings, but in the more affective poetry their latent associations, multiple meanings, textural suggestions and rhythmic power are naturally given freer rein.
3. The touchstone is always the intended audience. "Word too familiar, or too remote, defeat the purpose of a poet," said Johnson, and that observation remains true, as much for traditionalists writing inside a poetic tradition as for others trying to kindle poetry out of naked experience.
4. Place your poems alongside others in magazines or anthologies in which you'd like to be included. If they don't fit, one reason may be your word choice.
5. Perform your poems in workshops and readings. Pay attention to the reception and to comments afterwards.
6. If in doubt, err on the side of everyday usage, even if it means spoiling the odd line.
Suggestions
Consider using imagery to:
1. Externalise thought.
2. Create mood and atmosphere.
3. Give continuity by recurring leitmotifs.
4. Develop plot or increase dramatic effect by abrupt changes in imagery.
5. Exploit the etymology of words to subtly revive their original meanings.
Recommendations
1. Don't mix metaphors too wantonly. Shakespeare did, but fashions change.
2. Find images that are new-struck, resonant and apposite.
3. Avoid imagery altogether rather than employ cliché.
4. Imagery constructs a world: make sure that world is real and vibrant with contemporary issues.
Suggestions
Experiment. Weigh up the pros and cons.
Traditional metre and stanza shaping confer certain advantages, and certain disadvantages. They:
1. Please the reader by their display of skill, their variety within order, their continuity with the admired literature of the past.
2. Help the actual writing of the poem, either by invoking words from the unconscious, or by pushing the poem into new areas to escape the limitations of the form.
3. Provide a sense of completeness impossible in free verse. The author knows when the last word clicks into place.
4. Enforce dignity, emotional power and density of meaning.
5. Are more memorable.
The difficulties are equally apparent. Strict forms are:
1. Taxing to write, requiring inordinate amounts of time, plus literary skills not given to everyone.
2. Much more likely to go wrong and expose the blundering incompetence of their author.
3. Inappropriate to the throwaway nature of much of contemporary life.
4. More difficult to place in the better literary magazines.
Word Warm-Ups just as you would stretch before you go running, you need to warm up before you start writing poetry. Here are some of my favourite exercises to help you stretch your mind:
Here are a few tips for you to follow that have always helped me with my writing. I recommend that you try them!
By now, you should have a first draft of your poem, which means you're ready to begin revising. To me, rewriting is the most important part of writing because nothing ever comes out right the very first time. Here are some guidelines I find helpful when I begin revising my own poetry:
There is nothing more aggravating in poetry than a phrase like "what we have is true love." How vague can you get? First of all, this phrase is cliché (which I've already discussed) but secondly, it contains two of the most complicated words in the English language: "truth" and "love".
Instead of saying "I love my wife," say "the walls in our room turn into themselves when you walk in."
The power of poetry comes from the ability to defy logic. Use a metaphor and tell us that your girlfriend is the sky.
A poem really needs to be read twice, but if you choose to use sound devices, interesting rhythms, rhyme, or alternating metre, then you'll make it much easier for us.
1. EXPRESS YOUR EXPERIENCES, NOT YOUR OPINIONS
The content of poetry comes second to style and the "meaning" of a poem is even less important.
Be influenced. Experiment with line-breaks, prose-style, broken metre, s & m fantasies (how did that get in there?) and whatever other devices you see used by your favourite poets.
3. AVOID CLICHÉ
6. TRY NOT TO CENSOR YOURSELF
***
If you don't know where you're going, how can you get there?
You need to know what you are trying to accomplish before you begin any project. Writing a poem is no exception.
Before you begin, ask yourself what you want your poem to "do." Do you want your poem to describe an event in your life, protest a social injustice, or describe the beauty of nature? Once your know the goal of your poem, you can conform your writing to that goal. Take each main element in your poem and make it serve the main purpose of the poem.
Stephen Minot defines a cliché as: "A metaphor or simile that has become so familiar from overuse that the vehicle ... no longer contributes any meaning whatever to the tenor. It provides neither the vividness of a fresh metaphor nor the strength of a single unmodified word....The word is also used to describe overused but nonmetaphorical expressions such as 'tried and true' and 'each and every'" (Three Genres: The Writing of Poetry, Fiction and Drama, 405).
Cliché
also describes other overused literary elements. "Familiar plot patterns and stock characters are clichés on a big scale" (Minot 148). Clichés can be overused themes, character types, or plots. For example, the "Lone Ranger" cowboy is a cliché because it has been used so many times that people no longer find it original.A work full of clichés is like a plate of old food: unappetizing.
Clichés work against original communication. People value creative talent. They want to see work that rises above the norm. When they see a work without clichés, they know the writer has worked his or her tail off, doing whatever it takes to be original. When they see a work full to the brim with clichés, they feel that the writer is not showing them anything above the ordinary. (In case you hadn't noticed, this paragraph is chock full of clichés... I'll bet you were bored to tears.)
Clichés dull meaning. Because clichéd writing sounds so familiar, people can complete finish whole lines without even reading them. If they don't bother to read your poem, they certainly won't stop to think about it. If they do not stop to think about your poem, they will never encounter the deeper meanings that mark the work of an accomplished poet.
I will take the cliché "as busy as a bee" and show how you can express the same idea without cliché.
Try it! Take a cliché and use these steps to improve it. You may even end up with a line you feel is good enough to put in a poem!
Sentimentality is "dominated by a blunt appeal to the emotions of pity and love.... Popular subjects are puppies, grandparents, and young lovers" (Minot 416). "When readers have the feeling that emotions like rage or indignation have been pushed artificially for their own sake, they will not take the poem seriously" (132).
Minot says that the problem with sentimentality is that it detracts from the literary quality of your work (416). If your poetry is mushy or teary-eyed, your readers may openly rebel against your effort to invoke emotional response in them. If that happens, they will stop thinking about the issues you want to raise, and will instead spend their energy trying to control their own gag reflex.
"BE A PAINTER IN WORDS," says UWEC English professor Emerita, poet, and songwriter Peg Lauber. She says poetry should stimulate six senses:
Lauber advises her students to produce fresh, striking images ("imaginative"). Be a camera. Make the reader be there with the poet/speaker/narrator.
Use metaphor and simile to bring imagery and concrete words into your writing.
Metaphor
A metaphor is a statement that pretends one thing is really something else:
Example:"The lead singer is an elusive salamander."
This phrase does not mean that the lead singer is literally a salamander. Rather, it takes an abstract characteristic of a salamander (elusiveness) and projects it onto the person. By using metaphor to describe the lead singer, the poet creates a much more vivid picture of him/her than if the poet had simply said "The lead singer's voice is hard to pick out."
Simile
A simile is a statement where you say one object is similar to another object. Similes use the words "like" or "as."
Example:"He was curious as a caterpillar" or "He was curious, like a caterpillar"
This phrase takes one quality of a caterpillar and projects it onto a person. It is an easy way to attach concrete images to feelings and character traits that might usually be described with abstract words.
Note: A simile is not automatically any more or less "poetic" than a metaphor. You don't suddenly produce better poems if you replace all your similes with metaphors, or vice versa. The point to remember is that comparison, inference, and suggestion are all important tools of poetry; similes and metaphors are tools that will help in those areas.
Concrete words
describe things that people experience with their senses.A person can see orange, feel warm, or hear a cat.
Poets use concrete words help the reader get a "picture" of what the poem is talking about. When the reader has a "picture" of what the poem is talking about, he/she can better understand what the poet is talking about.
Abstract words
refer to concepts or feelings."Liberty" is a concept, "happy" is a feeling, and no one can agree on whether "love" is a feeling, a concept or an action.
A person can't see, touch, or taste any of these things. As a result, when used in poetry, these words might simply fly over the reader's head, without triggering any sensory response. Further, "liberty," "happy," and "love" can mean different things to different people. Therefore, if the poet uses such a word, the reader may take a different meaning from it than the poet intended.
To avoid problems caused by using abstract words, use concrete words.
Example:
"She felt happy."This line uses the abstract word "happy." To improve this line, change the abstract word to a concrete image. One way to achieve this is to think of an object or a scene that evokes feelings of happiness to represent the happy feeling.
Improvement:
"Her smile spread like red tint on ripening tomatoes."This line uses two concrete images: a smile and a ripening tomato. Describing the smile shows the reader something about happiness, rather than simply coming right out and naming the emotion. Also, the symbolism of the tomato further reinforces the happy feelings. Red is frequently associated with love; ripening is a positive natural process; food is further associated with being satisfied.
Poetry always has a theme. Theme is not just a topic, but an idea with an opinion.
Theme = Idea + Opinion
Topic:
"The Vietnam War"This is not a theme. It is only a subject. It is just an event. There are no ideas, opinions, or statements about life or of wisdom contained in this sentence
Theme:
"History shows that despite our claims to be peace-loving, unfortunately each person secretly dreams of gaining glory through conflict."This is a theme. It is not just an event, but a statement about an event. It shows what the poet thinks about the event. The poet strives to show the reader his/her theme during the entire poem, making use of literary techniques.
Poets' strength is the ability to see what other people sees everyday in a new way. You don't have to be special or a literary genius to write good poems--all you have to do is take an ordinary object, place, person, or idea, and come up with a new perception of it.
Example:
People ride the bus everyday.Poets' Interpretation:
A poet looks at the people on the bus and imagines scenes from their lives. A poet sees a sixty-year old woman and imagines a grandmother who runs marathons. A poet sees a two-year old boy and imagines him painting with ruby nail polish on the toilet seat, and his mother struggling to not respond in anger.Take the ordinary and turn it on its head. (The word "subvert" literally means "turn upside down".)
Rhyme and meter (the pattern of stressed and unstressed words) can be dangerous if used the wrong way. Remember sing-song nursery rhymes? If you choose a rhyme scheme that makes your poem sound sing-song, it will detract from the quality of your poem.
I recommend that beginning poets stick to free verse. It is hard enough to compose a poem without dealing with the intricacies of rhyme and meter. (Note: see Jerz's response to this point, in "Poetry is For the Ear.")
If you feel ready to create a rhymed poem, refer to chapters 6-10 of Stephen Minot's book Three Genres: The Writing of Poetry, Fiction, and Drama. 6th ed., for more help.
1. USE FIGURES OF SPEECH AND SOUND DEVICES OFTEN
The power of poetry comes from the ability to defy logic. Use a metaphor and tell us that your girlfriend is the sky.
Suggestions
View the poem as a straightforward piece of prose, and ask yourself:
1. Was the piece worth writing? Did it have something important to say? Would people really want to know?
2. Is it effectively presented? Would you pick it up and continue reading if the piece appeared in a local magazine?
3. What exactly are you aiming to achieve? If you don't know, consider rewriting until you do.
4. Do you understand your audience, and is that reflected in the literary techniques employed, in the syntax, choice of words and tone of the piece?
5. Have you done your homework like any conscientious journalist - arguments fairly presented, facts researched, engagingly presented from the reader's point of view?
Discussion
Metre is a systematic regularity in rhythm. It creates and organises content, giving emphasis to words or elements that would otherwise escape attention - the tighter the metre, the more expressive can be small departures from the norm. Metre gives dignity and memorability, conveys tempo, mood, the subtle shifts in evidence, passion and persuasion beyond what is possible in prose. In the hands of great master like Shakespeare, metre provides grace, energy, elevation, expressiveness and a convincing approximation to everyday speech.
Metre is not diametrically opposed to free verse. Many contemporary poets write both, or served an apprenticeship in strict forms before creating something closer to their needs. Nonetheless, in the absence of this ability to highlight and compound meaning, free verse is often driven to expand in other directions. It prizes a convincing exactness of idiomatic expression - the line seems exactly right in the circumstances: appropriate, authentic and sincere. It operates closely with syntax. It adopts a challenging layout on the page where line and syntax are rearranged to evade or exploit the usual expectations.
Are you all warmed up? Then you're ready to write your own poem. If you want, you can choose one of the poem-starters below. You can use it to get going, and add as many stanzas of your own as you like.
Poem 1
When I awoke one morning,
A stork was on my head. I asked, "What are you doing there?"
It looked at me and said . . .
Hint: If you wish, you may substitute any one-syllable bird, bug, or mammal for the stork. You may also change the word was to "sat," "stood," "snoozed," "perched," or any other verb you think is appropriate. You'll probably wind up with a very different poem if there's a mouse on your head instead of a moose.
Poem 2
Almost every afternoon,
I eat pickles with a spoon.
Every evening right at six,
I eat pickles stacked on bricks.
Hint: You can have a lot of fun writing about other ways to eat pickles. You can also use jellybeans, bananas, or potato chips instead of pickles - and explain the different ways that you eat them. It's up to you.
But how does one begin the challenge of writing poetry?
To begin with, there are as many forms of poetry as there are writers who create it. Some forms, such as free verse or light verse, are still hugely popular with many readers. Other forms, such as sonnets or blank verse, have faded somewhat in popularity, but are still worth studying and creating. In short, poetry should never be limited to what is current or popular, but what is most effective for the particular effect a poet wishes to have on his audience. Before starting to write poetry, you should develop a true appreciation for all the forms it has taken over the centuries. Once you have a strong foundation, then you can consider which forms are the most appealing for your particular voice.
If you decide to write formal poetry, you will need to understand two basic concepts of scansion.
One concerns rhyme patterns and the other concerns meter. Most poems written before Whitman have established rhyming patterns that define their form. When scanning for rhyme patterns, we commonly place a letter to represent the end word of each line. The first line ends in A, then the next line is B and so on. Once a word rhymes with a previous end word, however, the letter is repeated. So if a four line poem has two lines that rhyme with each other, then two that rhyme with each other in a different way, we would call the rhyme pattern AABB. If the third line does not rhyme with the others, we would add a C to the mix. A very common pattern in poetry, especially folk songs, is ABCB. Once you have identified the individual line rhyme patterns, you can then apply certain rules of form. Sonnets, for example, can have a set rhyme pattern of ABABABAB CDE CDE or end with a two line couplet that is separate. Villanelles, a French form, have strict rhyming schemes along with a repetition of the end lines in each stanza.
You can research all of the different forms of traditional poetry for a better understanding of the rhyme scheme.
The other concern with formal poetry writing is meter. Each line within a formal poem contains a set number of beats, usually two or three syllables. Words are chosen carefully to ensure adherence to the form. These 'beats' have various stresses and accents. One of the most commonly used meters in formal poetry is called 'Iambic pentameter'. The individual beats consist of a short and a strong pulse. You can hear this beat in words such as 'arrest, domain, forsooth'. The accent is on the second syllable. When five of these patterns are repeated in the same line, we call it "pentameter", from the Greek word for 'five'. Other meters may be quadrameter(4) or sestameter(6) or octameter (8).
For quick reference, here are some common names for the individual beat patterns found in formal poetry:
Trochaic: Accent is on the first syllable of a two-beat foot. TOUCHdown, PROmise, TURtle.
Iambic: Accent is on the second syllable of a two-beat foot. arREST, doMAIN, forSOOTH.
Dactylic: Accent is on the first of a three-beat foot. Much like a waltz beat. HAMburger, CELLular, MONitor.
Anapestic: Accent is on the third of a three-beat foot. gasoLINE, 'to the FRONT!'
Spondaic: two unaccented beats. grapefruit, heartbreak, cold feet.
The sad reality is that most formal styles of poetry have fallen out of favor with modern audiences, so the main focus of this mini-lesson will be on free verse poetry. The three things you should keep in mind about formal poetry are
A)There are a lot of rules concerning rhyme and style.
B) The best formal poems are the ones that followed these rules precisely.
C)You are probably going to break every single one of these rules in your own writing efforts. Walt Whitman honestly felt that the restrictiveness of the classic poetry form was a hindrance to his expression.
So how do you create a good free verse poem yourself? Here are some pointers:
1. All good poems start with good inspiration. What is motivating you to create a poem? Is it Love? Nature? Loss? Seventh grade English Assignment? Whatever the inspiration for your poem, be prepared to dig under the surface for the best material. You are not REALLY writing about your wife or your day spent in the woods or your favorite teacher. You are actually writing about how all of these things affected you, or how you would like a reader OUT THERE somewhere to interpret your feelings. We already know what a train looks like- you must use heightened language to put the reader on the train, with its whistles and noise and rhythms and everything. Poetry that stops at the surface is usually not all that impressive. Choose imagery and specific phrases that place the reader at a designated spot at a designated time. One of the great things about modern freeverse is the freedom to combine words in non-linear ways. "Lungfuls of bread", "Metal of hunger". Each of these seemingly inappropriate phrases conjures up clear imagery in the reader's mind. Find your inspiration and be prepared to do a lot of digging and self-examination.
2. Once you've found the subject, you need a framework. Some would-be poets believe that freeverse poetry is completely unstructured. The truth is that good freeverse poetry has an underlying structure, even if it appears buried or haphazardly constructed. In the same way that formal poetry depended on rhythm and rhyme for its power, freeverse poetry depends on tension and release. You may hear the term 'tightness' in relation to modern poetry. This refers to the relative compactness of individual lines or stanzas. This can be very difficult to explain, but consider the Pledge of Allegiance for example. You don't simply blurt out the entire pledge in one burst. It has a distinct pattern of short bursts and pauses. Certain words get additional power from this arrangement, such as 'allegiance', 'indivisible', 'liberty'. Your poem should also find this invisible pulse for maximum impact. Find the words that carry the weight of the poem and give them a stronger position by breaking them off from the previous statements. A line that runs from margin to margin has very little tension by the end. This may be fine for more lyrical poems, but if you're trying to express anger or other strong emotion you need to break your lines into short bites. Here's an example of how 'tightening' can improve the power of your poem.
Consider this line first:
As the trees danced around me, I saw leaves fall like helpless soldiers./
Fairly evocative, but it reads like any other prose line about the joys of Fall. Here's the same line again, arranged a little more poetically.
As the trees
danced
around me,
I saw leaves fall
like helpless
soldiers.
Not exactly Tennyson, but the idea should be clear. The lines now have some tension behind them, which helps the reader feel a subliminal 'something' that controls the speed of the reading and puts better emphasis on the more evocative words. This is what poets and critics mean by 'tightening'. Whenever you reach the first editing or rewriting stage, you will spend a lot of time working on this very concept.
3. Decide on your intended mood for better control of the language. Once you've examined your topic thoroughly and have hung up some words on the framework, you need to concentrate on tone and mood. This is strictly up to your own interpretation of the subject. A poem about birds and butterflies does not have to be light in tone, nor does a poem about death need to be serious and somber. Without a defined tone, poems tend to drift all over the emotional spectrum of the reader. Once you've decided the tone and mood of the piece, choose only those words and phrases that enhance that particular mood. A poet's best friend can be a good thesaurus. You may find that a certain tone does not sustain the entire piece, so be prepared to change the angle of attack.
4. Get as much feedback as you can before beginning any rewrites. Reading poetry is a collaborative process between author and reader. Find out all you can about the reader's reaction to the work as it stands before doing any major editing. This is not always the most pleasant part of creating poetry, because you are opening yourself up to a gamut of criticisms and opinions, some of which can be non-constructive or mean spirited. One should never shy completely away from this process, however, because the benefits of good feedback should still outweigh the sting of negative reception. Online poetry workshops are excellent places to post work that you want critiqued. Your family members and trusted friends should also be able to provide some valuable insight into the relative strengths and weaknesses of your piece. Sometimes writers will store freshly-written poems away for a while, in order to gain a more objective perspective when they finally do start editing.
5. If you want to write better poetry yourself, read everything you can by established poets. Poetry is truly a craft that has been handed down from generation to generation. If you want to learn how to improve your own craft, study at the feet of the masters. Not only should you be familiar with those who have gone before, but you should also see what is being published currently.
You should be able to find at least one published poet who uses your particular style. The idea is to EMULATE, not imitate. Be aware of following trends and fads in the poetry world, because poetry is very cyclical in nature- what may not be in vogue now might be the rage next year. For exercise, try some of the formal poetry styles. Japanese forms such as haiku and tanka have also become very popular in recent years, although you should become familiar with the established rules before trying these deceptively simple forms.
In general, writing poetry is a matter of compressing language to what is most essential. Limit the number of articles and other fillers. Use adjectives sparingly, because overuse can become jarring to the reader. When in doubt, cut it out. Poetry is not chopped prose, so try to avoid 'telling' a story as much as showing the reader just enough information for the story to solidify in his or her mind. A lot of poetry is very subjective and emotional by nature- do not fear using stronger language or more intense imagery in order to get your point across to the reader. What will ultimately sell your poem is a strong 'voice'- that point of view that separates your work from anyone else's. A strong voice doesn't arrive overnight, but it should be your ultimate goal when writing your own poetry.
Written by Michael Pollick
First of all, in order to write with imagery, you must visualize the subject of your poem. If it is a poem about a tree, see the tree. You must also write down what you feel about the tree. Don't leave out any detail. What do the leaves smell like? If the poem is about a blazing fire, watch the flames flicker.
Watch the blossoms in the garden open up, breathing the air. See the orange flames lapping at the candle's wick. Can you hear the crackle of the fire burning in the fireplace? The blossom can cry, shedding the petals. The fire can voice its fury with a cackle.
Poetry must set the scene. Your reader must be able to step into the poem. They must be there with you, so you must describe it. In your head, watch the story unfold. Watch the tender rose blossom. Does it have dew sprinkled over it? What color is it? Is the color symbolic to the theme of your poem? Where is the light shining? Where is the shadow? Ask yourself what does the shadow symbolize.
You must convey all of these things to your readers. Let's look around. Is there a bird flying near the garden? What I am trying to tell you is this. Leave reality for a moment. That garden is your reality. Close your eyes, and become part of it. Sniff the air. Touch the petals. Watch and write.
A poet is a dreamer. Daydreaming is necessary to make your stories and poems take on a life. When I am absorbed in my writing, I close my eyes or sometimes I just stare blankly into space. Poets are very eccentric creatures at times. I have learned to embrace my eccentricities, and you will too. Brainstorming allows the mind to breathe free. You should write down almost everything about the subject of your poem that comes to mind.
Poetry is a coded message really. You must be careful not to use too many pronouns when writing your poetry. Try to let the poem speak to the reader without too many pronouns like he, she, and you getting in the way. Of course you may use pronouns, but try to use them sparingly.
If you want to add rhyme to a poem, you should be very careful to not allow the rhyme to cover your message or even change it. So many poets change the meaning for the sake of rhyme. You must let the words come, and try not to substitute words that rhyme for better word choices. Some poets use a rhyming dictionary to help them. Other writers just use a good Thesaurus.
1. After you come up with an idea for a story or poem, remember to close your eyes and visualize it.
2. Watch, smell, and feel the story as it unfolds.
3. Give life to the objects in your poem by personifying them.
4. Daydream
5. When you get an idea, write it down no matter where you happen to be. Write at length, brainstorming the topic when you get more time.
Written by Katherine West
An example of a form of rhyme is one that rhymes the first with the last sentence. For instance Just the touch of your hand, makes me feel your trust. You've always longed for my understanding, and I gave it to you freely. Will you always want to be with me? I have always wondered if what you're really feeling is lust. In this example you will see that trust and lust rhyme and that they are the end of the first and last sentences.
Good imagery shows the reader something in such a way as he/she had not considered it before. To say "my heart withered like a dying rose" offers nothing new to readers of poetry. The poet must place himself among the readers and, thus, allowed them a place in the poem with a comfortable, clear view.
Saying "I love you more than words can express," is neither unique nor is it our own. The images must jump off the page, fresh and original and offer the readers just the detailing needed to participate and truly experience the poem.
Finding the balance between the poet's personal needs and the reader's expectations is a task everyone who has ever written poetry had faced. There is no "formula" for crafting the perfect poem, so we must be diligent in studying to know this art and having the desire to write our best poetry, even when that means taking a step back and allowing it to grow on others.
Poetry Tips
By TIM B. BELLOWS
First, use crunchy verbs and nouns! Concrete, vivid, interesting, even outrageous verbs and nouns. Writing with spice means gently emphasizing these kinds of words. (Verbs like swagger, twist, glide, peck, parachute! And nouns like stove, root, staircase, shovel, funnel. These put physical motion and strong pictures into the writing-and attract readers, convincing them that your description and concepts are real.
Second, learn structures, the forms others have used to contain a message. But keep a simple approach. In your notes, in margins, in taverns, in your self-talk, describe the forms of poems and stories you meet. Note how a poem's couplets are used, how stanzas are arranged (and how build-up, climax, and resolution relate in great stories). Which one of these fits the mood best?:
She's that same way now
in me she's all long brave
arms and legs but all they
speak is roundness as if she's
a harbor in a body
and across from the docks it
has the windows of business
near the water it has
dance hall lamps strung on wires
and up the shoreline it
has mud banks with prickly
flowers violet flowers
of no name that I know
She's that same way now
in me she's all long brave
arms and legs but all they
speak is roundness as if she's
a harbor in a body
and across from the docks it
as the windows of business
near the water it has
dance hall lamps strung on wires
and up the shoreline it
has mud banks with prickly
flowers violet flowers
of no name that I know
And how do poets handle line length and the number of stresses per line? Observe! Put in your study time! What does Amy Tan say about this? And Faulkner? Eudora Welty? Take a course or two. You'll come to invent structures for yourself the way Mozart did in his music: he knew the classical forms, but continually played with them. This is mastery.
Woven through all these is the third-crucial--law of creative work: write your truth from the heart, or, as Robert Bly put it, from the center of yourself. A key to bringing this off comes with listening--in effortless effort--to daily sounds and the refined sounds that arise within you. As you do this, you become receptive; you cease to put out mind chatter; you accept what the Universe, the "wholeness of things" can give you. Yeats, one of the great world poets, had a few words about opening the hearing and heart: "The only business of the head in the world is to bow a ceaseless obeisance to the heart." (Collected Letters, vol. 1, ed. by John Kelly, 1986). Then the writing falls into line: we practice economy of words, avoid mental tricks like over-elaborate descriptions and long strands of ideas. We even let the sounds of the words form the way they should. We stand aside and let our eternal selves write. This is our "ceaseless obeisance to the heart."
In fact the Chinese poet Chin calls poetry "a sudden cry from the heart. . . " (from Liu's The Art of Chinese Poetry, page 74). There's no figuring it out in the mental sense, because writing draws together too many factors in a single moment: the writer's inner attitude, the reader's attitude, the sound of the words (they call to each other), their connotations, the "crunchiness" (or "mushiness") of the nouns, the denotations, the connotations, and the swish (or droop) in every verb. So give it to the heart, and let the mind tag along later to tweak the verbs and nouns, to buttress the form.
And so it is: dynamic, out-of-the-ordinary verbs and nouns; tough-minded yet relaxed study of forms; and writing from the center, the heart of yourself.
ROLLING UP SLEEVES BY THE DICTIONARY
Look over these lines I pulled from my Webster's, struck by their beauty and primary quality. (Can you guess what word they help define?) * feathers, silk, papier-mâché....
* a frame or sticks of ivory, wood folded and opened at will....
* a small vane... a sail
* to keep the large sails of a windmill always at right angles to the wind....
* the velocity of light machinery....
The word is fan, and this kind of pure, physical writing can be neatly folded into a poem. If it's exactly right! When you add vitality and daring to such words, the winds of insight pick up! Try to expand the above dictionary discovery into a poem. Add your own concretions, verbs of motion, and high spirits. Look over these other gems from the dictionary. Try massaging these into a poem, or scout around for your own sequence:
QUINTESSENCE
The fifth or last and highest substance in ancient and medieval philosophy above fire, air, water, and earth that permeates nature and is the constituent matter of the celestial bodies.
What could you add here to make this a poem? How would you break the lines?
When you discover a germ of truth anywhere, take it into your awareness and make it even greater. Take the spirit of the moment and go. Be calm. Be reckless.
Tips from a near-fantast poet about how to clarify a confused poem-in-progress, how to discover that golden thread of unity that must run through any strong writing.
ONE: Try a favorite move of mine: make the poem into a paragraph. Yes!, dissolve the line breaks and look only at the sense of the words as they travel along. Look at their delicate-or awkward--breaks with sense. Their sound associations. Their pure impact apart from the rhythm and look of the lines.
If nothing else, this is a way to re-view the words, in a new, clear light. Then you can--with a fresh eye--recast it into lines, always cutting fat and gristle away, always watching for opportunities to drop an abstract noun or sleepy verb and splice in a prime cut of concrete noun or a verb that's a good dancer.
Take a doubtful poem of yours and cast it into paragraph form. As an example, look over what I did with this piece:
he wears a hat in the two-room cabin wide fire hovers through legs balls guts heart along his ribs up and out the hair tips out the eyes out of the low thump as he rolls cut wood into the woodstove
she hears the squeak and clank of that door reads the lines and color of his iris fine as stars and hair-thin stripes pointing to the middle waterway of sight taking on all available light
the two of them are whirls in rivers up their spines it is all travel it is all late night dreams drifting up free of the covers and made for evening silence that stops by with its stream of unidentified singers this is certain and they don't know or say how the ever-present destination is starless quiet its light shedding meaning a warm hand pressing the one cabin wall with first light
Let's see how my process makes its changes as I work the piece into lines and change it as needed:
he wears a hat in the two-room cabin
wide fire hovers up through legs
balls
guts
heart
along the ribs
up and out tips of hair
out the eyes out
dull thumps as he
rolls cut wood into the stove
she hears squeak and clang of that door
liquid sound she
reads the line and color in his iris
the hair-thin stripes point
to the middle waterway
star of seeing takes on all available light
this man and woman being a form that coils
in rivers up their spines and it is all
travel dreams that arrive when three o'clock
tips over and they
drift up out of covers roof clouds
they sift
to evening silence where they
leave the door open watch the black birch
and let in streams of unidentified singers
and say nothing of the ever-present destination
starless quiet axis and center for arcs of light
for the warm hand
pressing the cabin wall
first light wide fire
hovers up his legs
he wears a hat in the two-room cabin
TWO: A related technique for focusing a wandering poem: I cast it into a new style. This allows me to see it in a cleaner light. For example I might set it up with no caps and no punctuation and use the & symbol instead of and.
Or I could set it down in couplets, or use dropped lines, or just split it in half. Thus, a whole new attitude.
With these kinds of moves I get to re-view the delicate logic and illogic that a poem rides on. It works!
Then I might re-cast the piece in the original form, but with a sharper view of what it's really trying to be. As I re-cast and re-view, I'm sure to adjust the wording in healthy ways. It strikes me that we have to give the poem and ourselves great flexibility and freedom, being willing to play with it, to stumble on that special shape that the current of meaning wants to take on, working from a healthy, relaxed state.
THREE: I divide troubled, tangled poems into sections--to find the clear gems trapped in those drunken, wandering words! By letting the piece become what it wants, I'm bound to bring it into the light. Maybe it's trying to be a series of short poems. Or maybe there is only one five-line gem in the whole mess!
I have to have the guts to say, "This series only has two lean poems in it. As for the rest. . .off to the ash heap."
If I'm in the mood I'll save the potent lines in a "HOT LINES" file in the laptop. Rummaging through this file can yield miracles if I have the right energy going. Here are a few choice bits I pulled out of poems that crashed and burned up in their own confusion:
"Like my death
I remember so well"
"Fires
set by summer lightening."
"Words that press pools of light
against your eye."
Something like the dictionary technique, this grabbing up of a stranded but lively phrase can be just the new spin a poem needs.
FOUR: This solution can be tricky--I might get through a fiery poem and realize that it doesn't carry a unified mood or message. It just follows itself through adventurous twists and turns, but they aren't directed. The last lines spill out on the floor with no relation to the beginning--or to the middle for that matter, even though it's all very entertaining and full of special language.
At these times I might write--on an old envelope?--a summary of the central meaning in the words. Or a stab at a meaning. Then I alter the glob of words in question to work them toward that unity, a progression from dark to light, or whatever wholeness is showing itself. Usually I need to know the underlying message in the work--or it won't fly. Let your poem teach you its message, and sacrifice a few minutes to write it down.
FIVE: You can rescue a poem if you write notes to yourself about the attitude of the speaker, the tone of voice. I just scratched this out concerning a piece called "Driving into Heaven": "Actually it's quite a flip, happy attitude...surprised, amused, joyful, experienced...expecting anything. Not worried about outcomes..."
This gave me confidence and awareness of how the poem should move, the level of diction, and even the kind of conclusion it could come to. So write your characterizing notes to yourself and discover what tone your poem is striving for!