How to Write a Sonnet

I would like to start my blog with this particular lesson, even though it is not the most pressing need of the English-writing public. It is, however, very dear to my heart and not a common practice these days.

Another reason I would like to tackle this subject is that it is not really very difficult, although it has that connection to the most impressive of English poets, William Shakespeare. It is just a recipe that anyone can follow and feel a sense of satisfaction with the results, whether comical or serious. I have taught this lesson to fifth graders, so anyone older than eleven should be able to grasp it quickly enough!

First of all, this particular kind of English sonnet (and there are others, but I won’t go into them here) is made of fourteen lines: Three quatrains and a rhyming couplet at the end. The rhyming pattern is as follows: ABAB, CDCD, EFEF, GG. In other words, the first and third lines rhyme with each other, the second and fourth lines with each other, and so on, with the last two lines rhyming.

Next, the sonnet is written in iambic pentameter, that is, ten syllables per line with the emphasis on the backbeat, or even-numbered syllables. Let’s look at these two things separately. Ten syllables per line is an easy formula to follow. I tend to count the syllables on my fingers (drumming them out on the table with one hand), but I’ve also gotten so used to the pattern, that I can often come up with ten syllables without even counting.

The second thing is the backbeat. You want to place your words so that the emphasis is on the even-numbered syllables. da DAH da DAH da DAH da DAH da DAH. For example, with the word “repeat,” the emphasis is on the second syllable, so that word could be placed at the first, third, fifth, seventh, or ninth syllable location in the line, so that the “-peat” comes on an even syllable. When we read a sonnet out loud, we don’t actually put a heavy emphasis on the backbeat; that would sound awkward, but if the pattern is followed, the lines will flow more naturally. I sometimes have to rearrange the placement of a verb or preposition to a less conventional place, in order to preserve the backbeat rhythm. That’s poetic license!

There is also supposed to be a kind of story arc to the poem, growing from the first quatrain to the third and then finding resolution in the last couplet. I only read about this after having written sonnets for years, but I found that there is a natural tendency to follow this pattern anyway, so I had been sort of doing it all along. You can decide for yourself how strict you want to be about it, since great art doesn’t always follow any rules.

Now, let’s get to some concrete examples, and then you can try it yourself. I usually have some particular subject in mind, some theme I want to explore, but not necessarily many specific words I must use. I have also found inspiration in all kinds of places (junk e-mails, for instance). I just start with any ten-syllable line:

It’s difficult to know where to begin

Then I think of a second line, trying to build on the same idea:

For who among you knows just how to start?

Now I have to think of a line where the last word rhymes with “-in.” Sometimes I make a list along the side of my page (I usually write with a fountain pen and then type the final product later). So we have in, win, sin, thin, fin, gin, skin, akin, spin, etc. I write down all the possibilities, even the absurd ones. They sometimes jar me into some new idea. If I’ve chosen a word that is extremely difficult to rhyme (the rhymes for “mom” only seem to be “bomb” and “aplomb,” for example), then I will tweak my first line to give myself a better ending sound.

I would like to mention that Shakespeare himself didn’t always make a fuss about having exactly matching rhymes in his sonnets. He didn’t have the blogosphere or even any English professors to bust his chops about it, but I think his focus was more on creative imagery and juxtaposition of fine ideas, rather than strict rules for rhyming. I think you should find what works for you and be consistent about it.

But if your English teachers you would win

Now find a rhyme for “-art.”

Try to inject your poetry with heart.

And there’s your first quatrain:

It’s difficult to know where to begin

For who among you knows just how to start?

But if your English teachers you would win

Try to inject your poetry with heart.

I would also like to point out that I try to choose very different sounding words for my even and odd lines, different vowel sounds at least. “Begin” and “start” have a short “i” and r-controlled “a,” respectively, so they don’t sound at all similar, making a greater contrast.

You also have an example there of a problem with the backbeat. “try TO inJECT your POeTRY with HEART.” That “to” shouldn’t really be the emphasized word, but I would have to rewrite the line completely to get the same sentiment without putting “to” on an even syllable. So, you have to decide how awkward it sounds to you, whether you want to rewrite it or not. Sometimes I have just left those constructions alone, if I liked the line enough not to want to hack it to pieces. In this case, the “to” isn’t that noticeable when the line is read naturally.

Like all my writing, I reread what I have written frequently as I go along, but this is especially important in a sonnet. First of all, you want the sounds to be harmonious, since this is a poem! And, you only have 14 lines in which to get to the point of whatever you’re trying to say. You want to make sure you haven’t wasted lines on blather instead of the substance of your message.

I put a space between each quatrain, although Shakespeare did not (or his publishers didn’t). I find the white space makes things easier to read. What Will and I both do, however, is to indent the rhyming couplet at the end. I guess it puts a finishing touch on the thing, and I like the look of it.

Two more things to mention: Word usage and punctuation. I tend not to use much punctuation in my poems for some reason, although I am a tyrant about it in my prose. Marks at the ends of lines, especially, seem to clutter up the place if there are too many of them, so sometimes I leave them off altogether, hoping that my readers will be able to figure out where to pause and/or breathe. So, I will leave that up to you. The purpose of punctuation is to make your writing clearly understood. You can choose what works in your poems.

As for word usage, I try to avoid using the same distinctive words more than once in a poem, unless I am using repetition for a particular effect. High-frequency words, of course, need to be used over and over (helping verbs, pronouns, prepositions, articles, and such), but that won’t be noticeable. Get a thesaurus and try to find different ways to say the same thing, if you need to. This is another reason to keep proofreading as you’re writing; you’ll catch any repetitions you have made.

I have jokingly titled my collection of poems “Harmony & Strife” because I’ve used those words so often in my sonnets, although not more than once per poem, of course. They just seem to be common themes on which I muse. You may find you have your own catch phrases that come up.

Here is an example of a completed sonnet I wrote about writing:

The Power of Poetry

Could words take on a life all of their own

What many stories they would have to tell.

Each mystery of life that they have known

Continues to exist though poets fell.

The ink upon the page or lighted screen

Attempts to paint a picture in my head,

A vision of a world no one has seen

But instantly imagines once it’s read.

What power to create a lasting mark

Upon the world that will the future reach.

What starts out as a lone, creative spark

Might many coming generations teach.

Once from my pen these varied phrases flow,

I have no more control o’er where they go.

May 30, 2010 (Copyright Tara T. Thiesmeyer, all rights reserved)