How to write rhyming verse

by George J. Dance

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Rhyming verse is poetry written in meter, with end rhyme (rhymes at the ends of lines).

Why rhymed verse?

Why write rhymed verse? There is no need to. Blank verse (metered verse without rhymes) has been around since the days of Shakespeare and Milton, and free verse (poetry without meter or rhyme) for over 100 years. On the other hand, most modern English and European poetry has traditionally used end-rhyming, and many poets still use it; while many readers have a belief that real poetry must have end rhymes.

There is a reason for that. Of all the sonic devices poets use to link words and thoughts together (assonance, consonance, alliteration), rhyme is the strongest (except, of course, for repetition). Meanwhile, the end-words tend to get the most attention in lines of poetry. Having the end-words rhyme, then, is a powerful sonic effect, probably the most powerful effect in a poet's toolbox.

Here are a few steps that might help you believe that there's an easier way to write a rhyming poem.

Steps

1. Decide on what your poem is going to be about, and what you want to say. as with any poem.
2. Write a first draft, without rhymes. A rhymed poem should have everything – sense and order, imagery, strong words, powerful sounds – that any poem has: rhyming is not an excuse to omit any of that. Rhyming just gives you one more thing to worry about. Yet it's hard to concentrate on all those other things while worrying about rhyme, too. So, don't: get those other things in place, first, and worry about the rhymes later.
3. Decide what your rhyme scheme is; your unrhymed first draft will help you in that respect. For example, a sonnet has 14 lines, so if your poem is close to that in length - say, 12 to 16 lins - then a sonnet may be what you want to write. On the other hand, if your draft is under 10 lines, or over 20, there is no sense trying to turn that into a sonnet: doing so means either padding, or cutting some of what you want to say.
4. Pick out your strongest lines; that is, those you like the best, which express what you want to say most perfectly. Leave those alone, and try to reshape other lines to rhyme with those.
5. If you get stuck for a particular end-rhyme, first go through the alphabet taking the end of the word and changing the first letter(s). (Example: fate rhymes with ate, bait, crate, date, elate, gate, hate, etc.)
6. Don't be afraid to change your poem's wording by rewriting or rearranging lines. (Not your strongest lines, of course; build the poem around them.)

Tips

1. Become familiar with the different verse forms, and learn the rhyming schemes they call for. The easiest rhyme schemes to use are those that call for rhyming the fewest words. The most enjoyable way to do that is to read verse. (Reading poetry is also a good way to learn new rhymes).
2. Start by using the forms with the easiest rhyme schemes. One of the easiest is couplets, in which every pair of lines rhymes (rhyme scheme A-A-B-B). Another easy one is [[Ballad stanza]ballad meter]], in which only half the lines (the even-numbered ones) have rhymes (A-B-C-B). This 8-line poem written in ballad meter, for example, uses just 2 end rhymes (plus one internal rhyme:

Winter Love

Most anyone could fall in love
    When spring is in the breeze,
When sun bakes down, and pungent sap
    Pours through the veins and trees;

But love that lasts through freezing blasts
     Is rare beyond a price.
How beautiful when love endures
     Preserved by snow and ice.

— Copyright George J. Dance - all rights reserved

1. Starting with simple, short (one- or two-syllable) words makes for easier rhyming. It also makes lines that rhyme longer words (when you find those) stand out more.
2. Feel free to use a rhyming dictionary. A list of online rhyming dictionaries (websites, internet versions of books, and downloadable applications) appears at the end of this article. 
3. It can be also be helpful to have a thesaurus with you. Then, if you have two good lines with end-words that just don't rhyme, a thesaurus may give you different words with the same meaning but which also fit into your rhyme scheme. Most online rhyming dictionary websites offer a thesaurus option). 
4. You can make any two lines rhyme by changing either the first or the second line's end-word(s), or both. You can change any end-word(s) either by changing the line's word order, or by substituting some new end-word(s) for the existing one(s).
5. Wherever possible, keep your strongest lines as is, and rewrite the weaker lines to rhyme with them.
6. Build your rhymes backwards: This is probably the most important tip I can give you. A common beginner's error is to follow a strong line with a weaker one that's been rewritten to rhyme with it. That puts the attention on the weaker line, which is what you do not want. Always try to put the weaker line first, and make your stronger line the following one. Here's one of the best examples I know, from a song lyric by Neil Peart of Rush:

You can choose a ready guide in some celestial voice;
If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice.
You can choose from phantom fears and kindness that can kill.
I will choose a path that's clear; I will choose freewill.

— Copyright Neil Peart - all rights reserved

Notice how the rhyme scheme is fairly elaborate, with both an end-rhyme and an internal rhyme in each couplet. Yet, because the strongest, most natural line (the one highlighted in bold) follows the one that was written to rhyme with it, each couplet reads naturally and powerfully. (If that is not readily apparent, then: Reverse the first and seconds line in each couplet, and read it that way).

1. Your poem may require several drafts; it is certain to require at least two. So if you have to write a rhyming poem for a deadline – from school to publication – then start early. Writing rhymed verse is definitely not something to put off until the last minute

Warnings

1. Avoid "forced rhymes". There are lot of different types of forced rhymes; but they all come down to one thing: The poet has sacrificed something else in the poem &ndash sense, logical order, normal speech patterns – for the sake of the rhyme. Even following a strong line with a weaker one, just for the sake of a rhyme, can open you to the charge of "forced rhyming". The best way to avoid that is to build your rhymes backwards (see above).
2. Constantly pay attention to meter. An easy trap to fall into is to rhyme a line of one length with that of a different length, just to keep natural speech order while gaining a rhyme. Resist the temptation to do that. The norm in verse, even with stanzas that mix up different line lengths, is that rhyming lines have the same number of feet. Rhymed lines of different lengths can give your poem a comic effect; an effect some poets, such as Ogden Nash, deliberately exploit. Unless your goal is to write comic verse, do not do that.
3. Do not get angry or stressed if you're having a hard time. Take a break to clear your mind – have a glass of water, a cigarette, or a spliff; play a game, watch a TV program, or read a poem – and then start again. If you get completely stuck, then put the draft away for another day. Even when you are not consciously thinking about your poem, part of your mind will be working on it – and many times a solution will pop into your head, as if out of the blue.

Things You'll Need

• writing material - pen and paper, or computer with word processing app
• time
• an open mind
• a peaceful place, with no distractions
• concentration and inspirationspiration

See also

• How to Write a Poem
• How to Write a Love Poem
• Writing metered verse

External links

Online rhyming dictionaries

• Alcor Software rhyming dictionaries in English, Latin, Spanish, French, German, and 15 other languages.
• A Compact Rhyming Dictionary. London: Routledge, 191?; New York: Dutton, 191?.
• The Complete Rhyming Dictionary, and Poet's Craft Book edited by Clement Wood (1888-1950). Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1936.
• Rhymebrain – Rhyme any word, even made up ones
• RhymeIt
• Rhymer
• RhymeZone
• The Rhyming Dictionary of the English Language by J. Walker (1732-1807) revised by J. Longmuir (1803-1883). London: Routledge, 1904; New York: Dutton, 1904.
• What rhymes with?
• WikiRhymer
• WriteExpress Online Rhyming Dictionary for poetry or songwriting.

Downloadable rhyming dictionaries

• McGill Rhyming Dictionary and VersePerfect 2.0 (app)
• Poet and Know It! free rhyming dictionary (app).

This is a signed article by User:George Dance. It may be edited for spelling errors or typos, but not for substantive content except by its author. If you have created a user name and verified your identity, provided you have set forth your credentials on your user page, you can add comments to the bottom of this article as peer review.