Sonnet format
You can break the meter, but meter breaks should relate to some important event or idea in the sonnet this technique gives attention to that point in the sonnet.
Consider monosyllabic words, which can be accented or unaccented, depending on their position in the phrase. Edit the lines later to put them in iambic pentameter. To start, write what comes out naturally, focusing on the rhyme scheme. Read some sonnets first to get an idea of the meter and the musical nature of the rhythm. Using iambic pentameter without it sounding forced can be difficult. Sonnets also tend to state a problem, question, argument or observation, and the latter half or end of the poem brings clarification or a counterargument to the initial statement. Many traditional sonnets are about love and nature you can follow this traditional approach or write about any idea you have. Getting the IdeaĬonsider the subject matter of your poem and stick to one concept. You can even choose to make up your own rhyme scheme while maintaining a 14-line poem. The Spenserian sonnet uses quatrains and a couplet, but it follows the scheme ABAB BCBC CDCD EE. A Shakespearean sonnet uses the rhyme scheme ABAB CDCD EFEF GG. The Petrarchan sonnet follows a rhyme scheme of ABBAABBA - where all "A" lines and all "B" lines rhyme with each other - for the octave and CDECDE or CDCDCD for the sestet, where matching letters stand for rhymes at the last word in each line. Since the sonnet is a relatively strict type of poem to write, you should first decide what kind of sonnet you want to write.