How to write a sonnet

Sonnet studies
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While you may not be the next Shakespeare, that doesn't mean you can't write a great sonnet. An exacting and rhythmical poem, the sonnet has a long tradition behind it, with many great poets crafting their own sonnets. Discover the joy of writing your own sonnets by following these steps.

Steps

1. Understand the purpose of a sonnet. A sonnet is really a poem that expresses a single, complete thought, idea, or sentiment. A sonnet must consist of 14 lines, usually in iambic pentameter (see below), with rhymes arranged according to one of certain definite rhyme schemes .
2. Learn the basic definitions. Before tackling the sonnet, you'll need to understand the meaning of some of the elements of a sonnet. They are:
   • Iambic: An "iamb " is a variety of the rhythmic unit called a foot. It has a single unstressed syllable and a single stressed syllable.
   • Pentameter : This refers to the need to repeat the iamb five times.
   • Quatrains : Four lines of a stanza or poem.
   • Rhyming couplet : This is two lines together that rhyme.
3. Choose your style of sonnet. The two most common kind of sonnets are the Petrarchan sonnet and the Shakespearean (English) sonnet. In a sonnet, there are set placements for the quatrains within the total of 14 lines. The sonnet must follow a standard rhyme scheme:
   • The Petrarchan sonnet consists of two quatrains (eight lines or the octave), followed by a closing minor group of six lines (the sestet). The rhyme scheme is: ABBA ABBA CDE CDE. The letters represent a rhyme, meaning that a's should rhyme with a's and b's should rhyme with b's.
   • The Shakespearean style is three quatrains followed by a couplet: ABAB CDCD EFEF GG. In The Art of Shakespeare's Sonnets, Helen Vendler describes it as Q1, Q2, Q3, and C. The couplet at the end is usually a very strong rhyme to end it off. This is called a heroic couplet, (a rhyming couplet in iambic pentameter). The quatrains often represent three different stages in the development of an idea (or argument), while the couplet sums up the essential premise of the poem.
4. Understand the rhyme patterns. In order to write the sonnet, you'll need a good grasp of how to rhyme according to the standard rhyme scheme you've chosen. Each letter (A or B, for example) stands for the ending sound of the line. So, the ABAB code means that the first line and the third line rhyme (A with A) and the second line rhymes with the fourth line (B with B). CCCC would be a code for four lines which all rhyme with each other. Let's use Sonnet 18 as an example, Shall I Compare Thee To a Summer's Day:Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? A
   Thou art more lovely and more temperate; B
   Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, A
   And summer's lease hath all too short a date; B
   Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines, C
   And often is his gold complexion dimm'd; D
   And every fair from fair sometime declines, C
   

   By chance or nature's changing course untrimm'd; D
   But thy eternal summer shall not fade, E
   Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow'st; F
   Nor shall Death brag thou wander'st in his shade, E
   When in eternal lines to time thou grow'st: F
   So long as men can breathe or eyes can see, G
   So long lives this, and this gives life to thee. G

5. Use iambic pentameter. Getting used to this style of writing takes practice, so don't feel bad if you have a hard time at first. It is where every other syllable is stressed, so that each line ends with a strong rhythm. There are also ten syllables in each line, five of which have emphasis (pentameter). The ninth line of the sonnet usually has a turn or a change of tone (called the volta).
6. Create the argument. Not only do you need to get the crafting of the rhyme and rhythm right but there is also a requirement that your sonnet "builds up" and presents a type of argument that is resolved by the end. To use the example of a Shakesperean sonnet, here is what is involved:
   • Quatrain 1: Express the main theme and the main metaphor .
   • Quatrain 2: Expand both; be imaginative, provide an example perhaps.
   • Quatrain 3: Add a twist or a conflict (peripeteia) which will often begin with "but", often from the ninth line.
   • Write a Couplet: Resolve the theme and leave the reader with a new way of looking at things, or a "discovery".
7. Use methods to help you. When writing a sonnet, there are some techniques you can use to help your planning and <a href="http://www.wikihow.com/Write-Well" title="Write Well">writing</a>:
   • On a piece of paper draw a straight line. Divide it into five even portions. Each of those portions can then be filled with one stressed, one unstressed syllable until you reach the end of the line. You should find this gives you 10 syllables in iambic pentameter.
   • Continue this process all the way down the sonnet (it will work for both Italian and Shakespearean styles).
   • Whenever you're trying to use a word or concept that upsets the syllables, use a thesaurus to find a word that will work better.
8. Keep writing and stay flexible in your attempts. It will probably take you a few drafts to be happy with your sonnet, but don't get discouraged. This style of writing is tight, precise, and very expressive with few words; and with practice, this tends to be a lot of fun for the poet. Keep the thesaurus by your side and you'll be fine. And you don't need to feel that it is necessary to stay within the strict patterns of Shakespearean and Petrarchan sonnet styles; <a href="http://www.wikihow.com/Category:Poetry" title="Category:Poetry">poetry</a> is a fluid art form, so feel free to alter the rhyme scheme or shape of a sonnet to suit your vision. For example, "Sonnet 145" was in tetrameter. And it's always the prerogative of the <a href="http://www.wikihow.com/Be-a-Poet" title="Be a Poet">poet</a> to push things to new boundaries.
   • Read other poets' sonnets for examples and inspiration. Many poets have written in this style, including <a href="http://www.wikihow.com/Read-Shakespeare-for-Beginners" title="Read Shakespeare for Beginners">Shakespeare</a>, Elizabeth Barret Browning, William Wordsworth, John Milton, P. B. Shelley, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Edna St. Vincent Millay, Pablo Neruda, and more. Many of the sonnets will be available online for you to read on screen.

Tips

• Try reading every other syllable louder and harder; it makes it much easier to write a sonnet.
• If you can't think of something to write about, don't give up. Look around you, see if anything that you are looking at can spark an idea. You can find poetry in anything!
• You may have trouble at first but you can achieve this if you try. Try to find a prompt and then start to brainstorm first. Remember that Shakespeare's sonnets were not the first, so don't feel constrained by his influence.

Things You'll Need

• Classic sonnets for learning from
• Writing materials or computer
• Dictionary
• Thesaurus

See also

• How to Write a Poem
• How to Write a Haiku Poem
• How to Write a Love Poem
• How to Write a Sonnet Like Shakespeare
• How to Write a Caesar Epitaph Sonnet
• Sonnet studies

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