Writing with Rhymes

Since we’ve talked about rhymes before, you can find previous posts on the subject by typing “rhyme” or other key word in the Search box. Today, though, I’m thinking about the ongoing popularity of rhyming poems and what might be helpful in writing poems that rhyme. 

• Pick rhymes with ample word choices that echo the sound. For example, "care" has many options such as "bare," "dare," "fare," "hair," "lair," "mare," "pair," "rare," "share," "spare," "stare," "there," "ware," and"where."
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• Make sure the rhymes have the same rhythm, stressing the same syllable in both words. i.e. "AsPARaGUS" has the same syllabic emphasis as "don't DARE to FUSS," which might work in a humorous poem.
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• Whenever possible, use rhyming nouns you can picture or verbs that move those pictures along. 
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• Use strong rhymes at the end of lines to add emphasis to the overall poem. 
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• Avoid rhyming words that show no picture or movement. For instance, don’t end lines with identifiers such as “an” or “the.” Also avoid prepositions such as “of” for end-line rhymes. 
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• Like other words in a poem, rhymes must contribute something. For example, they can add drama, humor, or imagery, along with their interesting sounds. 
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• Read your work aloud and listen for its musicality. You can amplify the sound by looking for words within each line that have synonyms with similar consonants as the rhymes. 
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• Repeating vowels sounds can be effective, too, and is usually more subtle. 
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• Consider using a rhyming dictionary to get you over hard spots. Or test every letter of the alphabet with the main rhyming sound. Say, for instance, you end a line with the word “able.” Going through the alphabet gives you “cable,” “fable,” “label,” “Mabel” (maybe for a humorous poem or limerick), “stable,” and “table.” 
  
  

If you have questions about rhyming or other aspects of poetry, feel free to ask in the Comment section below, and, Lord willing, I'll respond in an upcoming post. Also, be sure to Subscribe so you don’t miss responses and other info you might want to know to improve the quality of your poems. 

Until next time…. 

 

 Mary Harwell Sayler

Placing rhymes

In traditional verse, rhymes usually take place at the end of a line and are, therefore, called end-rhyme in end-line rhyme position.  Poets use that pattern so often, we assume end-rhyme appeals to poetry readers too, but, despite its popularity, it does have its drawbacks. 

One problem can be a jingle-jangle effect that’s especially jarring when lines come to an abrupt halt. In light forms, such as limericks or other humorous verse, jingles can be effective, but in serious verse, heavy end-line rhymes can ruin a tone or mood.

 

To soften the jingle-jangle jolt of rhymes, try these techniques:

 

• Build up an echo, internally within the lines, by choosing words with similar vowel sounds.

 

• Let "liquids" flow in the consonants you select – for instance, rhymes containing l, m, n, r. (If you say those letters aloud, you'll hear their flow.)

 

• Drop the syllabic stress at the end of lines by using rhymes that have a down-beat or a last syllable without any emphasis.

 

• Try alliteration within the lines to soften the end-line rhyming sounds.

 

• Use enjambment.

 

For more on enjambment, see the previous post, “Enjambment and rhyme placement tone down jangling rhymes.”

 

For more on alliteration, see "Using Alliteration for Sound Echoes and for Fun."

For other aspects of poetry, type the word you want into the box that says "Search this blog" at the top right of the page. 

©2021, Mary Harwell Sayler, from her book, A Poet’s Guide to Writing Poetry

 

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