Rhythm and Meter in English Poetry Rhythm and Meter in English Poetry English poetry employs five basic rhythms of varying stressed (/) and unstressed (x) syllables. The meters are iambs, trochees, spondees, anapests and dactyls. In this document the stressed syllables are marked in boldface type rather than the tradition al "/" and "x." The meters with two-syllable feet are IAMBIC (x /) : That time of year thou mayst in me behold TROCHAIC (/ x): Tell me not in mournful numbersSPONDAIC (/ /): Break, break, break/ On thy cold gray stones, O Sea! Adam Had'em. Here are some more serious examples of the various meters. iambic pentameter (5 iambs, 10 syllables) That time | of year | thou mayst | in me | behold trochaic tetrameter (4 trochees, 8 syllables) Tell me | not in | mournful | numbers anapestic trimeter (3 anapests, 9 syllables) And the sound | of a voice | that is still dactylic hexameter (6 dactyls, 17 syllables; a trochee replaces the last dactyl) This is the | forest pri | meval, the | murmuring | pine and the | hemlocks
Writers forum - J K Rowlings Writing Process | authonomy writing community From this site Planning This is by far the most underrated of the steps in the writing process. And in the final wash up it is absolutely the most important. It was 1990 and Jo Rowling was on a train between Manchester and London. But did she go home and immediately begin scribbling a story with these characters? Would you attempt to build a house without plans? When you are writing, you are just writing. JK Rowling planned the Harry Potter series for five years before she put pen to paper on the first book She wrote the entire first book, and felt as though she were “carving it out of this mass of notes”. This is the best possible place for you to be in when you are writing a novel. Jo Rowling said she felt she “had to do right by the book”. Jo Rowling rewrote the opening chapter of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone a total of 15 times. Writing and rewriting are separate processes. And who knows? Suzanne Harrison
Internet Resources - Writers Resources - Writing Links & Writers Links for Writers Unsorted [/writers] James Patrick Kelly - Murder Your Darlings - "When time comes to make that final revision, however, you must harden your heart, sharpen the ax and murder your darlings." Greda Vaso - Determining the Readability of a Book - includes formulas for Gunning's Fog Index, Flesch Formula, Powers Sumner Kearl L. Kip Wheeler - Literary Terms and Definitions L. Style - Grammar - Errors in English [/writers]American Heritage - Book of English Usage - free download Band-Aid AP StylebookPaul Brians - Common Errors in EnglishCJ Cherryh - Writerisms and other Sins The Chicago Manual of Style FAQ Gary N.
Ono no Komachi Very little is known about this Japanese poetess, and most of it is legendary. She lived around 850 C.E. (b. 834?) What is certain about her, however, is that she was a major poet. I have sometimes commented on certain poems because the variations in translation are bewildering --- often changing the meaning of the original completely. KKS:1030 (Miscellaneous Forms) On such a night as this When no moon lights your way to me, I wake, my passion blazing, My breast a fire raging, exploding flame While within me my heart chars. KKS:113, OHI:9 (Spring) The flowers withered Their color faded away While meaninglessly I spent my days in the world And the long rains were falling. KKS:797 (Love) A thing which fades With no outward sign Is the flower Of the heart of man In this world! KKS:658 (Love) Though I visit him Ceaselessly In my dreams, The sum of all those meetings Is less than a single waking glimpse. KKS:656 (Love) KKS:623, IM:25 (Love) KKS:1104, IM:115 (Names of Things) KKS:552, IM:142 (Love)
Writers Workshop | Plot and Structure Our Quick Guide on writing plots that grip the reader In these days of the 3-for-2 tables and Tesco Book Clubs, fiction has taken a step forwards into the past. These days, plot matters. No fiction will be taken on by agents - no matter how brilliantly written, how edgily contemporary, how weighty in subject matter - unless it has a strong story line. We've seen stunning work rejected for this reason. See also our More About Plotting guide ... and do watch out for the video below. The oldies are still the goodies Plotting hasn’t changed since Aristotle. 1) The protagonist must have a clear central motivation. 2) The protagonist’s goal (which derives from that motivation) has to be determined as early as possible into the novel. 3) The jeopardy must increase. 4) Every scene and every chapter must keep the protagonist off-balance - things may get better for him/her, o r worse, but they need to be constantly changing. 5) Don’t spend time away from the story. 7) Control your characters.
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The Adroit Journal Submission Manager - Poetry (HIGH SCHOOL AND COLLEGE) What is it? As a way of maintaining and extending our deep-rooted commitment to emerging writers, The Adroit Journal’s Summer Mentorship Program aims to pair experienced Adroit editors and staff with high school students (as of the 2013-2014 academic year) interested in learning more about the creative writing processes of drafting, redrafting and editing. The program is free to all, and will cater to the literary genres of poetry and prose (short story, creative nonfiction, etc.). The aim of the mentorship program is not formalized instruction, but rather an individualized, flexible, and often informal correspondence. It is our hope that mentees will feel comfortable sharing work at their own leisure with their Adroit mentors and, ultimately, with each other. Applicants should possess firm work ethic and some familiarity with the writing and workshop process, and should be comfortable with receiving (and, to some extent, giving) commentary and critique. How do I apply?
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