Hello, dear Word Weavers –
I hope you are surviving the cold or the heat, whichever you are having at the moment. (Nights here are very cold.)
Meanwhile, you may have noticed that we haven’t been offering you much in the way of poetic forms as prompts. We haven’t wanted to be unfair to the ‘Storytellers’ here, as in our group title, which seems to imply prose writers.
However I’m re-thinking that.
a) We can tell stories in verse too, and often do.
b) Most of what people share here tends to be poetry anyway.
c) The prompts are always optional. If someone wishes to regale us with a prose piece – or some free verse – when we're asking for a formal poem, that will be perfectly fine. (You may also twist or subvert any prompt. They are meant to inspire you, not restrict you.)
d) The occasional formal prompt doesn’t mean that’s the only kind we’re ever going offer.
e) Although I love free verse, I also like to play with form sometimes, and I’m betting I’m not the only one. In fact, I know I’m not. Some of you consistently work in form in response to our prompts. (Smiling at you especially, songwriter Nick.)
This week I offer you a range of well-known forms to choose from.
Your (optional) prompt this week is to write a limerick, a ballad, or a sonnet – or to write on the subject of formality without necessarily doing so in formal verse (or even any kind of verse). If you choose to write a sonnet, the particular kind is up to you (Shakespearian, Petrarchian, Clarian, Curtal, American ...) but please do let us know.
I'm expecting you'll be quite familiar with all these forms, but if you would like to refresh your memory, look here:
Requirements: One post per person; 369 words maximum (excluding title and notes); on prompt or not / verse or prose / new or old; post to your blog and add the url for that particular post to the Mister Linky below; please read what others share and leave some encouraging feedback.
You are also very welcome to leave comments here for the admin team, if you wish to or need to. E.g. let us know how you feel about being asked to write formal poems.
Oh dear, my treasured book of Border Ballads doesn't look very treasured, does it?
But you must understand I have had it since 1956.
Bonus: After I'd finished this post (or so I thought) this link turned up in my facebook feed. It leads to two amazing sonnets, masterfully translated from Spanish by one of my fb friends. Not that I know Spanish, but the English is a treat to read – a revelation of what can be done with the sonnet form. Since we are looking at sonnets today, among other things, I couldn't resist sharing them with you. (There are several other wonderful poems there too, by other people, which have nothing at all to do with any of this, but are very much worth a read. Enjoy!)
Next week: We will invite you to find inspiration
in the following quote: “Don’t be afraid to start over. This time you’re not
starting from scratch, you’re starting from experience.”
