Structure

• Line: basic unit of a poem

• Stanza: equivalent of a paragraph • Quatrain: 4 lines / stanza• Couplet: 2 lines/stanza•Free verse

• Caesura: punctuation falls not at the end of a line

Techniques

• Enjambment •Also known as a line-cut• May cut through a sentence• Creates context and focus on a word

• Semantics• Play with words and their connotations/denotations

Common Errors• Vague Poetry

•Use specific examples•Avoid the over-abstract

• Using Clichés•Say things in your own words

• Forced Rhymes•Be concerned with rhythm, not rhyme

Next Lesson: Short Story

In the next lesson, we learn how to write short stories.