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What I do when I don't know the form of a poem - Deborah Guenther Beachboard's Blog

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What I do when I don't know the form of a poem

Blog Posted:2/24/2018 7:27:00 PM

I tend to write poems in free verse. When I am submitting a poem and stumped as to what form my poem may be, I go farther down the list of forms and choose verse, which may lead the reader to believe I actually know what I am doing. I believe all poems quallify as verse!

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Debbie
Guzzi

Date: 2/25/2018 4:05:00 PM

Start by TRYING to write 1 verse in each form in the directory. No rush. And as you go along you will learn the different types of structure and the name of that form. [this is what I did ;)] Light & Love

Deborah Guenther Beachboard
Date: 2/25/2018 5:04:00 PM

That is an excellent idea.

Debbie
Guzzi

Date: 2/25/2018 4:03:00 PM

Something that really helped me grow as a poet was the form directory we have here. For years I asked my sister a high school English teacher "what KIND of poetry am I writing?" I was NOT given an answer, she didn't understand what I was asking "it's poetry" she said. I didn't know enough to ask what kind of FORM am I writing in.

Gregory Richard
Barden

Date: 2/25/2018 10:42:00 AM

I hope this helps - drop a note anytime and say hi! Blessings!

Gregory Richard
Barden

Date: 2/25/2018 10:42:00 AM

I'm rather new to this poet thing and Poetry Soup and still learning forms, so I was in the same boat not long ago ... I sometimes ask others, ask in the forums, or, if you still don't know after exhausting your options, (or until you find out), there are generalizations listed under "Forms" like "Verse", "Rhyme", and even "I Don't Know" ... someone will usually speak up if you've labeled wrong or ask - really VERY kind folks here, and such a wonderful site! When I first came just over a year ago, I listed everything either rhyme or free verse, and people would let me know if I was being too general, but I was also being correct in the "technical" sense, just very general.

Line
Gauthier

Date: 2/25/2018 10:01:00 AM

Hi DebbySue, I started off the same way. Especially initially when I was only 14. A few months ago, I looked through my old poems and rolled my eyes quite a bit realizing a high percent was about puppy love. But then I discovered that there are a lot of short poetry forms and I could condense my poems by keeping the best parts. It is worth exploring the different forms you will see some are very "easy". Best of luck with your poetry in the future...

My Past Blog Posts


Are you serious about haiku? Date Posted: 4/17/2018 8:21:00 PM
Epigram contest finalized Date Posted: 4/16/2018 12:30:00 PM
Apologies Date Posted: 4/13/2018 2:50:00 PM
It's a Shorty contest has been finalized Date Posted: 4/3/2018 1:52:00 PM
Fantasy Contest has been finalized Date Posted: 4/1/2018 12:11:00 PM
Science Fiction Poetry Contest Finalized Date Posted: 3/24/2018 6:12:00 AM
Speculative Poetry Date Posted: 3/4/2018 10:38:00 PM
Book Recommendation: The Haiku Handbook Date Posted: 3/2/2018 6:23:00 PM
Online Recommendation: Tiny Words & Other Small Poems Date Posted: 3/2/2018 12:23:00 PM
Haiku Contest Finalized Date Posted: 3/1/2018 3:22:00 PM
Haiku: Traditional vs Modern Date Posted: 2/28/2018 3:15:00 PM
What I do when I don't know the form of a poem Date Posted: 2/24/2018 7:27:00 PM
I recommend you read the poetry by this Poetry Soup poet Date Posted: 2/14/2018 2:16:00 AM
The KIMO Date Posted: 2/12/2018 3:40:00 PM

My Recent Poems

Date Posted	PoemTitle	Form	Categories
4/16/2018	Light Pollution	Haiku	childhood,
4/16/2018	Connections	Sijo	lost love,,western,
4/16/2018	Suicide Note	Free verse	assonance,death,
4/4/2018	The Morning Dew	Monoku	nature,
4/1/2018	Assurance	Verse	easter,
3/25/2018	From Cimmerian Woods	Verse	my child,mystery,myth,myt
3/19/2018	Ocean Waves	Haiku	nature,
3/18/2018	A Gong Sounds	Haiku	nature,
3/14/2018	On Being Alone	Free verse	love,
3/14/2018	Stonehenge	Haiku	nature,
3/14/2018	Landscaped Yard	Haiku	nature,
3/14/2018	Manicured Lawn	Haiku	nature,
3/7/2018	Blue	Verse	death,
3/6/2018	A Finger of Sunshine	Haiku	nature,
3/5/2018	Cures	Verse	humorous,
3/5/2018	Freedom	Verse	life,
3/5/2018	Five Generations	Free verse	family,old,
3/5/2018	Spring Rain	Haiku	nature,
3/4/2018	The Prism	Free verse	5th grade,math,memory,
3/4/2018	Journey	Free verse	journey,
3/4/2018	The Flirt	Verse	moon,nature,romance,roman
3/3/2018	The Colonists	Free verse	future,
3/3/2018	Full of Clouds	Monoku	nature,
3/3/2018	Retirement Homes	Haiku	nature,
3/3/2018	Cumulus Cloud	Haiku	nature,
3/3/2018	Soaking It Up	Haiku	nature,
3/3/2018	Requiem	Free verse	loss,
3/2/2018	Sudden Sun Break	Haiku	nature,
3/2/2018	Between the Tick and the Tock	Verse	time,
3/2/2018	Where the Condemned House	Haiku	nature,
3/2/2018	Writing Haiku	Haiku	writing,
3/1/2018	Hope Paints Another Sunrise	Sijo	hope,
3/1/2018	A Photo Not Thrown Away	Free verse	memory,
2/28/2018	Trapped In Limbo	Verse	time,
2/27/2018	Full Moon	Haiku	nature,
2/26/2018	Snowfall	Haiku	winter,
2/26/2018	Heartsickness	Free verse	depression,
2/26/2018	Intervals	Rhyme	spring,
2/26/2018	Winter Afternoon	Haiku	winter,
2/25/2018	It Isn'T Easy	tristich	love,
2/25/2018	Goldfinch	Cinquain	nature,
2/25/2018	A Flash of Light	Ghazal	humanity,
2/25/2018	We Keep Looking	tristich	introspection,
2/24/2018	In a Churchyard	Haiku	nature,
2/24/2018	Honeybee	Free verse	nature,
2/24/2018	Heartpains	Free verse	passion,
2/21/2018	Soulmate	Kimo	lonely,silence,sometimes,
2/16/2018	Fear	Cinquain	night,
2/15/2018	Summer Sunset	Rhyme	nostalgia,
2/13/2018	Tuesday Is Murder	Light Verse	scary,
2/13/2018	Dreams	Ghazal	dream,
2/12/2018	Puzzled	Senryu	mystery,
2/12/2018	The Truth Is Written	Verse	betrayal,day,
2/12/2018	You Were In My Dreams Last Night	Free verse	lost love,
2/8/2018	Waiting	Free verse	passion,
2/7/2018	Of You	Monoku	passion,
2/6/2018	Days Ending	Monoku	age,death,faith,imaginati

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