A Limerick is a 5 line poem. The end of Line 1,2 and 5 will rhyme, while line 3 and 4 rhyme. The end sounds of lines 1,2,5 are different to that of lines 3,4.
Example:
There was once a man from Calcutta
Who never enjoyed eating butter
He would cover his bread
With jam instead
And throw the butter in the gutter!
Limerick writing is an art, but does require a structured approach when planning the words that rhyme, and the number of syllables in each sentence.
There are many types of limericks. Some are serious and more difficult to write, while the humorous ones are more fun and easier to produce. I would suggest that a novice limerick writer start by writing funny limericks, because of the variety, and it makes it fun, interesting and challenging.
The non-fiction limericks are more challenging, and require more language skills to structure the sentences and find rhyming words. I spent a year writing news limericks on a daily basis.
An example of this type of limerick is:
A wreck off Brazil has confirmed the worst
Flight 447 went down headfirst
while in Aus the virus is dire
and Britain's Brown is under fire
refugees in Kenya suffer hunger and thirst!
The most important thing about a limerick, apart from the rhyming of the words, is the ease at which the tongue can cope with the sentence structure. The limerick should "roll" from one line to the next, and the reader should only have to read the limerick once to enjoy the fluency of the rhyme.
*Now the good news!
It is possible to write limericks without an extensive understanding of the language you choose to write in. Only dictionaries and rhyming word websites are available to provide you with many choices of words to use in your limerick composition, so producing a "quick" limerick should be attainable to most.
*How good is your limerick writing?
- A good measure for your writing skills is to ask your friends, relatives, and colleagues to review your writing skills. Also ask people you don't know very well as they will probably give you a more objective opinion than the people that you are familiar with.
- Publish your limericks on a website or blog and ask for opinions.
OR SIMPLY KEEP YOUR LIMERICKS TO YOURSELF AND ENJOY ESCAPING THE PRESSURES OF THE WORLD AND ENTER INTO THE WORLD OF LIMERICK WRITING!
GOOD LUCK!
Peter Finlayson.
Author of 3 limerick ebooks.
You can learn more about Peter Finlayson and his limerick writing by visiting my website and blog.
http://sites.google.com/site/peteslimericks
http://limericksgalore.blogspot.com/
email: peter.finlayson@telkomsa.net