How to Write a Villanelle

There are different poetic forms and styles that you can write in. One of them is a villanelle.

What is a Villanelle?

A villanelle is a poetic form may hold some similarities to a sonnet, but it is much more difficult to master, and may be confusing when learning this poetic form for the first time.

A villanelle is usually written in iambic pentameter though trimeter and tetrameter have also been used. It is comprised of six stanzas – the first five of which are made up of three lines, while the last is made up of four lines.

Breakdown of a Villanelle

The first and third lines (refrains) of the first stanza are repeated throughout the poem in the five stanzas. But they are not just repeated any which way. The first refrain is repeated in last line of the 2nd and 4th stanzas, while the second refrain is repeated in the last line of the 3rd and 5th stanzas. In the sixth stanza the two refrains are together again, except that now they make up the last two lines of the poem, with the first refrain being in line 3 and the second refrain being in line 4.

Rhyme Scheme of a Villanelle

A villanelle has a rhyme scheme that needs to be followed. In the first five stanzas the first and third lines must have the same rhyme, while the second line has its own rhyme throughout each of the first five stanzas. In the last stanza the second line has the same rhyme as the second line of the other five stanzas, while lines 1, 3, and 4 have the same rhyme as the first and third lines of the other stanzas.

Breakdown of a Villanelle by Stanza, Line, and Rhyme Scheme

Here is a simpler breakdown of the villanelle structure:

Stanza 1:

Line 1 (Refrain1) – rhyme a1
Line 2 – rhyme b
Line 3 (Refrain 2) – rhyme a2

Stanza 2:

Line 1 – rhyme a
Line 2 – rhyme b
Line 3 (Refrain 1) – rhyme a1

Stanza 3:

Line 1 – rhyme a
Line 2 – rhyme b
Line 3 (Refrain 2) – rhyme a2

Stanza 4:
Line 1 – rhyme a
Line 2 – rhyme b
Line 3 (Refrain 1) – rhyme a1

Stanza 5:

Line 1 – rhyme a
Line 2 – rhyme b
Line 3 (Refrain 2) – rhyme a2

Stanza 6:

Line 1 – rhyme a
Line 2 – rhyme b
Line 3 (Refrain 1) – rhyme a1
Line 4 (Refrain 2) – rhyme a 2

A Sample Villanelle

Here is a sample poem of a villanelle. I wrote it for my poetry class years ago and it is my first and only villanelle. Perhaps reading it will make it even clearer as to how this poetic form is structured and needs to be written.

“SPRING”

Spring has awakened and opened its wings.
Streets once blanketed with snow are now bare.
The birds’ sweet echoing melody rings.

Naked branches are covered with seedlings.
Green grass slowly peeks, scent wafts in midair.
Spring has awakened and opened its wings.

The cool breeze sifts and serenity lingers,
The threads of music serenade the air.
The birds’ sweet echoing melody rings.

Burning sun warms bodies and hearts’ cravings,
From winter that has left us in despair.
Spring has awakened and opened its wings.

On shores, waves smash against the rocks like springs.
The boats, whose bells ring in the morning air.
The birds’ sweet echoing melody rings.

Flowers’ rich aroma crafts us greetings,
For months to come and savor this affair.
Spring has awakened and opened its wings.
The birds’ sweet echoing melody rings.

How to Write a Shakespearean Sonnet

Writing poetry is easy when you don't have to follow any rules, structures, patterns, rhyme schemes, etc. But when you tackle writing a traditional form of poetry such as a Shakespearean sonnet it becomes more of a challenge, especially when you start out on this creative endeavor for the very first time.

There are different types of sonnets that exist out there: Shakespearean (English), Spenserian, Petrarchan (Italian), Occitan, Urdu sonnet and others. Each is slightly different than the other though there are similarities between them all. All the sonnets use iambic pentameter and have some kind of a rhyme scheme that needs to be followed. They also have the same number of lines - fourteen.

What is iambic pentameter?

Iambic pentameter is a measure of a line in a traditional verse poem. It describes the rhythm of that particular line that is created by the words you write. The rhythm is measured in syllables, which are referred to as "feet". In iambic pentameter there are five of these "feet" in each line of the poem and each "foot" consists of an unstressed syllable and a stressed syllable.

It's not that easy to understand this the first time around but it gets easier as you write more and more poetry in iambic pentameter.

To make things a bit easier you can think of each line in an iambic pentameter poem sounding like this: DA-DUM, DA-DUM, DA-DUM, DA-DUM, DA-DUM. When you write your lines read them in the DA-DUM style and if your line has five DA-DUMs that means your line is written in iambic pentameter.

How to Write a Shakespearean Sonnet?

Before you write a Shakespearean sonnet you have to become familiar with its structure and form.

A Shakespearean sonnet uses iambic pentameter. It consists of fourteen lines and follows a specific rhyme scheme. The first twelve lines in a Shakespearean sonnet have a rhyme scheme where every other line rhymes - abab, cdcd...etc. The last two lines are a couplet and therefore rhyme with each other - gg.

Line 1 - rhyme a
Line 2 - rhyme b
Line 3 - rhyme a
Line 4 - rhyme b
Line 5 - rhyme c
Line 6 - rhyme d
Line 7 - rhyme c
Line 8 - rhyme d
Line 9 - rhyme e
Line 10 - rhyme f
Line 11 - rhyme e
Line 12 - rhyme f
Line 13 - rhyme g
Line 14 - rhyme g

Now if your first four lines have a rhyme scheme of abab doesn't mean that you can't use that rhyme sound in other lines of the poem. Just make sure that every other line rhymes, with the exception of the last two lines that have their own rhyme scheme. Of course, if your poem started with a first rhyme sound of cat for example doesn't mean you can't use that same sound in the last two lines of the poem. You can... But you don't have to! Doing all this however may not classify your poem as a full Shakespearean sonnet .But I think there is nothing wrong with that as there are many variations of a sonnet.

An example of a Shakespearean Sonnet

Below is a Shakespearean sonnet that I wrote for my poetry class back when I was in college. It may not be the best sonnet I could have written but it will help you to better visualize and understand how to write a Shakespearean Sonnet.

"Photos" 

A sea of photos scrambled on the floor,
Pieces of life once lived in distant past.
Flashing before my eyes an open door,
It’s like a movie that is being cast
About me when I was only a child,
Going to camp, wandering through the forest,
Picking mushrooms and berries, free and wild,
Running, in flight my body will not rest.
The tape has STOPPED, and now this life is gone.
Wish I could PAUSE it and just press REWIND.
Life’s full of work, no time to have much fun.
Can’t fall asleep with nightmares so unkind.
Glad the photos are in my possession.
They’re a memory of past expression.

How to Write an Acrostic Poem

Before you find out how to write an acrostic poem let's take a look at what it is.

What is an Acrostic Poem?

An acrostic poem is a poem with a hidden word, phrase, or name spelled out by either letters, syllables, or words in each line of them poem.

The most common variation of this poem is when the first letter or first syllable of the first word of each line in the poem, or the first word itself, spells out a word, a phrase, or a name. There are other variations of this poetic style however.

 

Variations of an Acrostic Poem

Here are the variations of an acrostic poem:

1. Have last letter, last syllable, or last word of each line spell something out.

2. Have a combination of first and last letter, syllable or word spell something out.

3. Have the first letter of a middle word in each line spell something out.

4. Have the middle word of each line spell something out.

5. Have something spelled out diagonally. For example, start from the first letter of the first word in the first line followed by the first letter of the second word in the second line followed by the first letter of the third word in the third line, and so on...

Line 1 - Word 1 - First letter

Line 2 - Word 2 - First letter

Line 3 - Word 3 - First letter

....

Line n - Word n - First letter

6. Have a variation of the format described in 4th bullet but instead of the first letter make it the first word.

Line 1 - Word 1

Line 2 - Word 2

Line 3 - Word 3

....

Line n - Word n

7. There are many more variations you can create here. Get as creative and as complex as you'd like.

 

How to Write an Acrostic Poem

Writing an acrostic poem is simple but can be a challenge. The easiest acrostic poem to write is one where the first letter of each line spells something out - be it a word, a phrase, or a name.

When writing this easiest type of acrostic poem simply first write out the word, phrase, or name by having each letter on its own line and making it bold. Then write your poem so that each line begins with the letters you have laid out on the page.

For example: if you were to write a poem that will spell out the word APPLE you will first write each letter of the word APPLE on its own line, in bold:

A
P
P
L
E

And then you will write your poem so that the first word of the first line starts with the letter A, the first word of the second line with the letter P ... and the first word of the fifth line with the letter E.

Now you can also have the word APPLE spelled out by last letter of each line, by the first letter of a middle word in each line, or diagonally.

Look at the picture below for better understanding.

Tips on Writing an Acrostic Poem

When writing an acrostic poem, no matter what variation it is, it is better to first spell out that word, phrase, or name and bold it before you start writing the poem. This will ensure that you will not make a mistake and leave out a letter or letters from whatever it is you want to spell out. And you will be able to check yourself once the poem is finished because each required letter will be in bold and easily found.

Also, when writing an acrostic poem it is better to have the poem be about that specific word, phrase, or name that you are spelling out. Of course you don't have to do that, if you don't want to.

Having said that, you can use an acrostic poem to write a hidden message that you only want certain people to know. In that case, you may decide not to bold the letters that spell out that special message and ask those certain people to figure out the message you want to relay to them.

An example of an Acrostic Poem

“ACROSTIC POEM”

(2005)

Across

Countries

Running

Over

Spheres

This

Inspiring

Concept

Penetrates

Our

Emotional

Minds

An example of an Acrostic Poem

“LIFE JOURNEY”

(Spring 2005)

Listen to the song

Inside your playful heart

Find nothing wrong

Enjoy life from the start


Journey to a place

Of beauty and of peace

Unlock your jailed face

Release yourself to bliss

Never let bad take over

Even when it’s near

You can make it sober

So make it disappear

An acrostic poem is a fun and creative poem that can also challenge your brain when you decide to spell something out in a complicated way.

If you haven't tried writing this type of poem I urge you to give it a try. You will enjoy this poetic form and will grow to love it over time, if not right away.

If you find yourself struggling with writing your first acrostic, don't worry and most importantly don't give up and surrender. It gets easier with time. The more acrostics you write the better at it you'll get...