To analyze any piece of text, paste it in a single line. Then you can view the meter. Many assume blank verse is just ten-syllable lines with no rhyme. But as simple as that sounds, that’s not very practical. Simply counting syllables has the potential to makes your lines robotic and rigid. No one would […]

It is a short form with an apparently straightforward appearance on paper. It consist of eight lines of verse in triolet. Knowing how to find rhymes may lead you to believe this will be an easy form to learn. Yet, as with all mechanical forms, there needs to be precision. Get this wrong and your […]

Something about the secret word-in-a-poem thing is delightful. You weave every line carefuly, so it flows naturaly, and secretly forms a name or word. And then you reveal it to another person, who doesn’t see a thing. It happens more times than you’d guess. It is not because you’re a bad writer… Well, not always. […]

Perhaps the first hurdle for poets trying to master this type of verse is that it seems like a no-brainer on paper: You tap out three lines, count the number of syllables, and think you’ve got the hang of haiku. In English, however, counting isn’t always quite as easy than tapping along with a metronome. […]