#//first time writing internal character monologue that’s similar to my own monologue! hopefully it’s not incoherent

[rashzangoose]

//

Words enclosed in ‘’ are internal dialogue!

‘Right then. Play it cool. You and the little guy were injured in the woods.’ Thought one voice in Jester’s head.

‘Gee thanks I was going to play it abnormally but you saved me!.’ Replied Jester dryly. Honestly, his brain could be such a nuisance.

Jester approached the front desk of the Pokémon center, holding the Rowlet in his arms. The nurse looked concerned, as she probably should be, at the appearance of both the man and the Rowlet in front of him.

“Hey there. Sorry about the dirt I tracked in, I’ve been wandering lost through a forest for a bit.” Jester played it as cool as someone covered in grime could. She had a worried expression.

“Right then, is that your Rowlet?”

‘Of course she would ask about this… what do we do?’

‘What we do is answer normally jackass. Can you pipe down?’

“No. We ran into each other out there, I’ve been helping it out.”

“Ah okay. Do you want to head to the bathroom to freshen up while I give it a look over?” The Nurse was using a customer service voice now. She seemed over the weirdness that was his appearance.

“That would be great, thanks.” He went to put the Rowlet down, but it started freaking out. Jester frowned as it clumsily flew up to his shoulder the instant he placed it on the ground. The nurse laughed a little.

“Oh well. Guess it can wait.” He attempted to look unbothered, and shrugged. Cap poked its head out from his hair to see what the issue was, and the nurse laughed more.

“Right! Follow me then.” Jester sighed and walked behind her. The two of them went into a patient  room, and the nurse left to go get supplies. The Rowlet calmed down a bit once she had left. Jester looked around for something to clean himself off with, but found nothing. A few minutes later there was a knock on the door.

“Coming in!” She walked into the room, an Audino followed behind her. They both held towels, first aid kits, and water. Jester started cleaning himself off as the nurse busied herself with the little owl. The Rowlet struggled a little at first before letting itself be cleaned and cared for.

Jester got himself mostly cleaned, but left a section of cloth tied to his leg untouched. As he went to sit down, the Audino’s feelers brushed against his leg. Its eyes widened, which the nurse noticed.

“Hm? Is something wrong Audrey?” It pointed at his leg.

‘shit.’

‘Shit!’

‘SHIT!’ All three voices yelled in unison.

“Oh! Is your leg injured sir?” She was a lot calmer than her Audino.

“Yeah it’s fine. Nothing I can’t handle.” He went to sit down, which prompted the Audino to run over and start trying to remove the cloth.

“Hey- OW! Quit it! I’m fine!” Jester squirmed in his seat. The nurse and the Rowlet were both watching closely as the cloth was dropped.

A bloody bullet hole was embedded in Jester’s calf. He tried to keep control of his breathing as everyone else in the room rightfully began to freak out.

“Is- are you okay?! Do you need to go to the hospital?” The nurse approached to examine the wound, which caused Jester to shrink back into his seat.

‘Ouhhhh, we’re in it now! There’s no way we explain this away…’ pouted one voice.

‘Can you SHUT UP!? I can’t THINK over all your WAILING!’ For just a second, a battle of emotion played out on his face. No one but the Audino noticed.

“No-no I don’t need to go to a hospital. I’ve been cleaning it and stuff, really it’s no issue.”

“Sir it’s my job to care for patients. I promise you I won’t bite! Please let me help you.”

Jester practically growled in frustration. But he did let her examine and clean the wound. Everyone was silent for a few minutes.

“… so… how did you get shot?”

“What are you, a cop?”

‘Jester! There’s no reason to be so aggressive!’

“…sorry. Just. On edge is all.” They sat in silence. At least, physically they did. Internally, Jester was yelling in frustration.

‘Are you FUCKING KIDDING ME. How the HELL AM I SUPPOSED TO EXPLAIN WHAT HAPPENED WITHOUT INSTANTLY GETTING THE POLICE CALLED ON ME??’ Jester mentally kicked over a trash can.

‘M-maybe we can confess? Tell her what’s been going on? Maybe she’ll sympathize with us? But why should she? We’re horrible! Horrible person!’ Cried an emotional voice.

‘Or. We could just lie to her.’ Said a quiet voice.

‘Fine. Give me a second to think of something convincing.’ Jester mumbled. The nurse glanced up at him.

“Sorry. I didn’t want to say anything before, but I got shot defending the little Rowlet. I got lost a few days afterwards, been trying to find my way out of that jungle and this was the first building I spotted.” It was… convincing enough to him. The Audino narrowed its eyes, but the nurse bought the story.

“Oh you poor things! Let Audrey clean you up, I’ll call the police.” He stiffened.

“No! I mean, no. Please don’t. I’d rather not get involved at all. I’m fine, didn’t get hit anywhere major. The Rowlet is fine now that they’re here. That’s all I need.”

‘She’s GOING TO CALL THEM!???’

‘SHUT UP!’

The nurse hesitated for a few seconds before sighing.

“Right. Okay. I’ll get you both fixed up then.”

“Thanks doc.”

[twopoppies]

hey gina, I have a fic rec question-- so I just read let me down slowly by rearviewdreamer, do you know of any similar fics that deal with harry or louis struggling to open up to each other emotionally? hopefully that makes sense !! thanks :)

Hi darling. Sorry to have taken so long with this one. It’s not a particularly easy request to answer. However....I’m going to try and recommend some I think fit the bill!

Danger I Can’t Hide by CelticSky (E, 227K) This one’s got all the tension and drama you’d expect of a World War II story—life and death high stakes, friends and lovers unexpectedly torn apart, battles and heroism, plus the added stakes of classism and homophobia—then add a slow burn, high risk, scorching love affair spanning years. If you want a story that’s complex and fantastically researched, plus lovers to root for, read it. It’s long. But I couldn’t put it down.

Make Your Words A Weapon by @helloamhere (E, 36K) I love everything this author writes. This one just really hit me hard for whatever reason. Maybe it’s the way they explore Louis’ anxiety and coping mechanisms and pain and the way he pushes people away and protects himself, but also wants someone to push back just a bit and love him despite all of that. And the way Harry is the perfect foil for all of it, while also feeling like a fully developed character himself. Yeah, it’s probably all of that. Plus soul marks!

Lollipop by Speechless​ (E, 5K WIP) This is chapter 1 of 2, but it’s such a good short story as it is, it’s worth a read even before the second part is done IMO. The writing is really sparse, in the best kind of way and I loved the vibe of Harry and Louis’ interactions. 

all my love was down on a frozen ground by navigator (E, 16K) This is an old one that I didn’t have bookmarked for some reason. But it’s a favorite and I love everything this author wrote. This is one of those quiet, soft fics with a bit of angst and a lot of internal monologue and gentle conversations. I don’t know, there’s something so gentle about it.  

So much stays unknown till the time comes by becka (E, 5K) Another old one by another author I really like. A short time travel fic that is both sad and sexy. It’s got a bit of an open ending, but you still get the sense everything is going to work out. It’s just a touching little fic (read tags, there’s some internalized homophobia in this one). 

violence of my own touch by 25postcards (14hrflight) (E, 5K) I just found this fic recently, and was so moved by the way this author portrayed both Harry and Louis — the exhaustion, the confusion, the sadness, but also the deep love and need for each other. 

Snips & Snails by aimmyarrowshigh (M, 2K) A beautiful little bit of prose poetry that’s both tender and heart wrenching at the same time.

Forever, Uninterrupted by sparkk (E, 9K) Sexy and emotional (yes, I teared up a little. What of it?). This one goes beyond basic miscommunication and has Harry holding back his feeling so much, it nearly costs him his relationship. 

do you know me by heart by HappyPrincess / @pattern-pals (E, 7K) Read the tags on this one because it’s really visceral, raw, and real. The writing was intense in the best of ways, but this is not a fluffy fic. Omega Harry/Omega trans male Louis

i cannot reach your heart by HappyPrincess / @pattern-pals (E, 10K) This is the second part to the one just above and it’s equally as well written, and has just a hint more happiness for these characters.

once bitten and twice shy by @pinkcords (M, 19K) First of all, for a first fic in this fandom, I thought this author really did a nice job with their characterizations. I especially liked the way they captured Harry’s anger and humiliation and stubbornness. There’s a beefy epilogue as well which I haven’t had a chance to read!

The Woods are Lovely, Dark and Deep by @helloamhere (WIP, 4 part series so far, mixed ratings, 89K) Amazing world building, complex characters, beautiful writing. It’s still a WIP, but it’s so worth reading (and the author says they’re working on more so…fingers crossed)! This one has a fair bit of anxiety and some moments that read as panic attacks, so if mental illness is something you don’t want to read, you might want to avoid this one.

Black With Autumn Rain by Whimsicule (T, 93K) This writer is a favorite. If you like intense, creative stories, with complex characters and tight dialogue, you should read all of their fics. This one has the flavor of a Daphne du Maurier novel – dark, creepy, and moodily romantic. Plus a supernatural edge. It’s so good.

Etched in Salt (is a cathedral of the world) by @helloamhere (E, 24K) You all know I love this author’s writing –– this time they give us a dark, American, thriller with a bit of psychic goodness. Bonus points for Harry taking care of Louis in a very deep way.

bloodsport by @tofiveohfive / @sunflowrsix (E, 40K) American football, exes to lovers, wonderfully written characterizations and, once again…made me cry.

Into the Deep Below by writeivywrite (E, 19K) This one is gorgeous and very dreamy. The fic is about the early stages of figuring out you love more than one person…and it’s so beautifully written. 

Saving Symphony Hall by @helloamhere (E, 125K) Artist Harry. I’ve recommended this one quite a bit because it’s just chock full of so much wonderful stuff – great story, great OT5 friendships, great banter, sexy smut…so much good stuff. In addition I really enjoyed how Harry as an artist was fleshed out. I also really liked the juxtaposition of Artist Harry (who’s also an Alpha) and data driven/left brain Louis (who’s also an Omega). A great read (also, there’s a terrific prequel you might want to start with if you like the concept of the fic).

Just Let Me by @helloamhere (E, 15K) I don’t know how many ways to say this author writes like a dream, but I can’t help recommending them again. The characterizations are so lovely in this one and I really enjoyed the pining and sense of hurt/comfort woven through this fic.

Turning Page by purpledaisy (M, 68K) This author does a wonderful job with their characterizations which makes their fics such a pleasure to read. This one really has you rooting for curmudgeonly Louis and skittish/secretive Harry to figure their shit out and fall in love. 

Don’t Want Shelter by kingsofeverything (FullOnLarrie) / @kingsofeverything (E, 77K) This author does such a good job of creating these characters and their years-long dislike for each other that when they’re forced to work and live together and confront their behavior, the emotions feel so realistic and you’re just rooting for them to figure it all out. Such a great read (plus, “older” Larry, which is such a rare treat in this fandom).

like a bastard on the burning sea by vashtaneradas (NR, 22K) The OG heart breaker. If you can read this without crying, you have no soul.

Tug-Of-War by cherrystreet (E, 63K) I read this one a while ago, so I can’t remember a lot of specifics, but this author is pretty much a sure bet. My notes on this one make me chuckle: “So touching. Tears. Great characterizations. Angst is heart breaking, but relatively brief. Smut is hot af”. Well, there you go!

[jcogginsawriter]

Hand to Hand: Mark Waid’s Flash

I have been a fan of comic book characters for a long time. I started with the cartoons, and as I got older, I began doing deep dives into wikis, reading fanfiction, and participating in that shallowest of internet past times, the vs debate. I dabbled in writing fanfic for myself, but I spent far more time thinking about writing fanfic instead. I would come up with all these ideas about what I would take from the various different versions of the characters, and don’t get me started on the idea of Crossovers.     The point is, I knew a lot of what happened in the comics, but I never read many comics. I didn’t know where my local comic shop was, and even if I did, I wouldn’t have had the money to spend on them. The comics that I did read were usually fan translations of manga. I did read a few comics, big name stories like Death of Superman or Crisis on Infinite Earths, but they were few and far between.

Recently, I’ve begun to change that. I now follow several comics as they come out, most notably the current X-line. This change sprang in part because I began reading a lot more comics criticism. In particular, I followed the blog of a certain Superman fan, and began to eagerly digest his various takes. I wanted to be able to ask him questions about new comics without looking like an idiot (This is how 90 percent of my interactions on comics twitter go, BTW) and that was a kick in the pants for me.

After getting into a steady habit, I decided to look into reading some of the classic runs I’d read so much about throughout life. To go from knowing them second hand, to knowing them first hand. After a bit of hemming and hawing, I’ve settled on Mark Waid’s legendary run of Flash Comics to start off with.

(Spoiler Warning for some 30 year old comics, by the way)

As of this writing, I have read up to the final issue of his story arc Dead Heat, wherein Wally does battle with the speed cultist Savitar. Before we get into things like plot and characters, I want to discuss the art, because no discussion of comic books is really complete without talking about the art. Unfortunately, the art in this run hasn’t done much for me, but that’s not really it’s fault. I read this comics in manner that they were not created to be read, digitally and zoomed in. These comics were drawn with physical issues in mind, and I don’t doubt that they’re good in that format. It also doesn’t help that I’ve read far more manga than I have American comics. American comics have never clicked with me the way manga does. Even now, I still find the layout of manga more legible than the layout of an American comic. That’s not a value judgment, it’s just my personal experience.

I do distinctly recall thinking that the art was better up to issue #79 (The conclusion to the Return of Barry Allen storyline), than it was after. I prefer the less exaggerated character designs, and lighter inks, though it could very well be a case of me having gotten used to the initial style and not liking the change. One thing that thing I can say about the art is that it helped me grasp how Wally’s costume differed from Barry’s. Before this, I was incapable of separating them in my mind, but seeing them side by side made it clear to me how different Wally’s Costume was colored and shaded.

Now, onto the writing of the run, we’ll start with the lead, Wally West. My previous touchstone for Wally was the Justice League series from the DCAU, which I watched a lot as a kid. The Wally in these comics comes off as more serious that his DCAU incarnation. Not too serious, he still cracks jokes, but he’s more on the ball. He takes his adventures as seriously as any hero would, rather than the more carefree attitude I recall his DCAU version having. This is not unsurprising, Wally here is the lead whereas there he was part of an ensemble cast, and here we get his internal monologue which gives us a much more thorough sense of his headspace. Not to mention, the DCAU version was voiced, so we know with no ambiguity what tone his dialogue’s in. In text, tone is more up to interpretation.

Perhaps the biggest thing that set Comic Wally apart from DCAU Wally is that the Wally in the comic was more consistently angry and frustrated. While his DCAU incarnation had hidden depths, I can’t recall a time when he got seriously angry. This Wally is frequently irritated, usually by things which are enitrely understandable. On occasion, his irritability causes him to be rougher with the bad guys than he could be, and that feels uncomfortable sometimes, though thus far he hasn’t gone too far.

Going into this, I knew that one of the issues that Wally had to overcome was his mental block about surpassing Barry, and to my surprise, it wasn’t as much of a through-line as I expected. I was expecting it to be a reoccurring issue that was solved by the Return of Barry Allen storyline, but in reality there are only one or two times something like it comes up, usually in the context of him not being able to do the vibrating through walls trick. In the Return of Barry Allen, it feels more like an issue introduced in that story than a long running plot line. Granted, it may only feel this way because I’m solely reading Mark Waid’s Flash. I didn’t read the issues prior to his take over, so that storyline could have been more apparent there for all I know.

Moving on, starting with Waid’s run had another knock on effect, that being that the character introductions aren’t introductions. I came into this expecting to see when Wally met Linda, when he met Jay Garrick, when Pied Piper redeemed himself, but all of that happened before Waid took over the book, so they’re already part of the cast from the start. Again, not a flaw of the work, it’s just a result of my personal experiences. Now, let’s take a look at some of these characters.

I’ve heard a lot about Linda and Wally’s romance, and so far it’s not bad. I wouldn’t rate it as one of the best of all time, but I haven’t gotten to most of the major moments yet, so that’s not a huge surprise. One thing that’s very apparent is the Lois Lane DNA in her character. Some of that is to be expected, which the love interest to your superhero is a reporter, but I see a lot of similarities in their personality as well. There’s a lot of the same fire in her. Fortunately, the fact that Wally’s identity is public lends a very different arc to their relationship than what you see with Lois and Clark, so Linda doesn’t come off as a Lois rip-off. Linda’s concerns that there’s no place for her in Wally’s wild superhero life is the kind of relationship hurdle that isn’t present in Lois and Clark’s Relationship.

Next, let’s take a look at the first Flash, Jay Garrick. Within this series, Jay is perfectly pleasant, and by no means unlikable, but he also comes across as...kind of superfluous? There are three elderly male speedsters in this comic, and of all of them Jay is by far the least defined and has the least role. Max Mercury is the Wally’s mentor in the ways of speed, the one with the most knowledge of the Speed Force. He’s basically what I expected Jay Garrick to be going into this. The third of the group is Johnny Quick, a speedster who is the father of another speedster, Jesse Quick. Jesse is also very skeptical of Max Mercury’s teachings, which veer from the scientific into the mystical.

Because Johnny takes the role of skeptic, Jay is left without a role in the narrative because being the nicest of Wally’s friend group. Veering over to Hollywood for a second, whenever a book gets adapted into a movie or TV Show, minor characters get lost in the transition. Either they get composited with other characters, or they get cut entirely. Game of Thrones is the most prominent example in recent memory. I bring this up because, if Waid’s Flash were to go through that process, it’s hard to argue that Jay wouldn’t get the ax. Despite being the most important of them in the context of the universe at large, Jay is the least important Speedster in this narrative. Of course, Jay’s importance in the context of the larger universe means that in this hypothetical adaptation, he probably be composited into either max or Johnny. More likely Max, since mentor is the logical position for the first Flash to take in the Third Flash’s narrative.

I mentioned Jess Quick there, so let’s talk about her. Thus far, her most prominent role in the narrative has been to call Wally out and be his critic, though she does have very good reasons to be angry. In the Terminal Velocity storyline, Wally believes he’ll die soon, and tells the Flash Family that Jesse will be his successor, but it turns out to be a lie in order to motivate Bart Allen to take things more seriously. Jesse has remained angry with Wally since then, though it hasn’t seriously impacted her hero work. That’s good, because her continued competence lends legitimacy to her anger within the narrative. She’s not being punished for being mad at Wally for mistreating her. Hopefully it stays that way going forward.

Now let’s take a look at the character Wally chose over Jesse, Bart Allen AKA Impulse. I’ll say up front that I’m not reading Bart’s solo series during this read through, as I didn’t want the hassle of going back and forth between books. As such, the only issues of it that I’ve looked at are the ones that tie into the Dead Heat arc. I feel it’s important for me to say this, because I’m basing my opinions of Bart primarily on his showings in Wally’s book, not his own. In Wally’s book, Bart’s character flaws are more on display.

Bart is a character deliberately designed to be obnoxious, and such characters are a hard tightrope to walk in fiction. Gotta be annyoing enough to get the point across, but not annoying enough to turn people off from the work. Bart in Wally’s book isn’t perfectly balanced, and tends toward the too much pile. Not to an egregious extent, but a little bit. I found myself echoing Wally’s frustration with Bart more than a few times. In Bart’s defense, Wally does share some of the blame here. He doesn’t do a very good job as a mentor, and handing those duties off to Max is probably for the best.

I find it interesting, that a character like Wally who is so defined by inheriting a legacy is a poor mentor, to both Bart and Jesse. He makes different mistakes with both of them, but he still fails both of them. I’m eager to see how that plays out in the future issues.

Now that we’ve discussed the supporting cast, let’s discuss some of the book’s villains. We’ll start with the one who is most infamous, Eobard Thawne. Thawne’s spends the majority of his time in this book thinking he’s Barry Allen, and if I’m being honest, he’s more effective under that guise that he is as Eobard. The scenes where what appears to be Barry Allen turns evil out of jealousy of his successor are powerful, more so than the more traditional villain Eobard displays after the reveal. Not that it would have been a good idea for it to actually be Barry, of course. Much as I prefer Wally to Barry, having Barry go full supervillain would have been very out of character. In any case, this run had a profound impact on Eobard’s character going forward, solidifying him as an agent of toxic fanboyism, making him a dark mirror of Wally West.

The next major villain of the run is the cult slash terrorist organization Kobra. That might bring thoughts of GI Joe to your mind, and you honestly aren’t far off. So far as this run goes, the biggest differences between DC’s Kobra and Hasbro’s is A) DC’s version prefer green over blue, and B) Hasbro’s version has more in the way of distinct characters. Kobra thus far is more of a plot device than  anything else. They’re generic terrorists with little to make them distictive. Their storyline, Terminal Velocity, is more notable for it’s introduction of the Speed Force, Wally preparing for his upcoming ‘death’, and Linda going on a revenge quest after said ‘death’. All things that Kobra is incidental to, any villainous organization would have sufficed.

The final, as of my current point in the run, major villain is Savitar. Savitar was formerly a soviet test pilot who gained a connection to a the speedforce, gave himself the name of Hindu god, and started a speed worshipping cult. It says a lot about my mind that my immediate thoughts upon reading Savitar’s origin were. “Huh, an AU where Hal Jordan became a Speedster the same way would be neat.”. Savitar is in some ways an improvement on the Kobra Cult from Terminal Velocity. This time the Cult has a more direct connection to the Flash and his mythos. Dead Heat is by no means a retread of Terminal Velocity, but if you wanted to mesh them into one story, it wouldn’t be hard. And it’d improve on both, in some ways.

One of the things I like to do in my fanfic ideas is connect the other speedsters to Thawne’s theme of Toxic Fandom, and it wouldn’t be hard to do that with Savitar. His entire motivation is to deprive those he considers unworthy of their speed, and that can easily by played as a metaphor for gatekeeping.

Over all, while the run is far from perfect, I must say I’m enjoying these comics a good deal, and if you’re like me and have read a lot about comics without actually reading them, I don’t think you’d regret jumping into them.

[evermore-notes]

Writing Poetry

How I Write Poetry

Before I start getting too deep into this post, I want to make it clear that I am by no means a professional or an expert. I write poetry because I enjoy it, and I wanted to spark a discussion about poetry in this thread. So, with that said let's begin.  

Brain Storming

Before every session I try to brainstorm what, I want to write about. I never worry about how long it's going to be how it's going to sound, what style will I use. I simply focus on the idea that I want to write about, and the words that go along with my idea. That’s it, I try to keep this as simple as possible. 

Writing A Poem

Let’s say that we want to write about winter. When you think about winter you probably think, snow, cold, Christmas, holidays, gifts, family, that sort of thing. And those are all good, but what if you want to capture how you are feeling? Or maybe the atmosphere of winter through your eyes and heart? So, let's start over and think of more words.

Cold, snow, dead trees, silence, ice, are some words that pop out at me instantly. Let’s see what we can do with them.  

Across the lonely fields of white

I am blinded by the suns harsh light

Crystals of water hang by an inch

Among the trees, all naked and birch

I wait here in silence, alone on this bench

I wrote this off of the top of my head just now so don’t be too hard on me please. In the example I managed to use most of the words I was looking for. The way I got better was by actually studying the type of poetry I wanted to write. Since I myself have started learning poetry I have learned of 15 types. Here is a list for reference.  

Blank verse. Blank verse is poetry written with a precise meter—almost always iambic pentameter—that does not rhyme. Learn more about blank verse here. 

Rhymed poetry. In contrast to blank verse, rhymed poems rhyme by definition, although their scheme varies. Learn more about rhymed poetry here. 

Free verse. Free verse poetry is poetry that lacks a consistent rhyme scheme, metrical pattern, or musical form. Learn more about free verse here. 

Epics. An epic poem is a lengthy, narrative work of poetry. These long poems typically detail extraordinary feats and adventures of characters from a distant past. Learn more about epics here. 

Narrative poetry. Similar to an epic, a narrative poem tells a story. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s “The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere” and Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” exemplify this form. Learn more about narrative poetry here. 

Haiku. A haiku is a three-line poetic form originating in Japan. The first line has five syllables, the second line has seven syllables, and the third line again has five syllables. Learn more about haikus here. 

Pastoral poetry. A pastoral poem is one that concerns the natural world, rural life, and landscapes. These poems have persevered from Ancient Greece (in the poetry of Hesiod) to Ancient Rome (Virgil) to the present day (Gary Snyder). Learn more about pastoral poetry here. 

Sonnet. A sonnet is a 14 line poem, typically (but not exclusively) concerning the topic of love. Sonnets contain internal rhymes within their 14 lines; the exact rhyme scheme depends on the style of a sonnet. Learn about Petrarchan sonnets here. Learn about Shakespearean sonnets here. 

Elegies. An elegy is a poem that reflects upon death or loss. Traditionally, it contains themes of mourning, loss, and reflection. However, it can also explore themes of redemption and consolation. Learn more about elegies here. 

Ode. Much like an elegy, an ode is a tribute to its subject, although the subject need not be dead—or even sentient, as in John Keats’ “Ode on a Grecian Urn”. Learn more about odes here. 

Limerick. A limerick is a five-line poem that consists of a single stanza, an AABBA rhyme scheme, and whose subject is a short, pithy tale or description. Learn more about limericks here. 

Lyric poetry. Lyric poetry refers to the broad category of poetry that concerns feelings and emotion. This distinguishes it from two other poetic categories: epic and dramatic. Learn more about lyric poetry here. 

Ballad. A ballad (or ballade) is a form of narrative verse that can be either poetic or musical. It typically follows a pattern of rhymed quatrains. From John Keats to Samuel Taylor Coleridge to Bob Dylan, it represents a melodious form of storytelling. Learn more about ballads here. 

A soliloquy is a monologue in which a character speaks to him or herself, expressing inner thoughts that an audience might not otherwise know. Soliloquies are not definitionally poems, although they often can be—most famously in the plays of William Shakespeare. Learn more about soliloquies here. 

Villanelle. A nineteen-line poem consisting of five tercets and a quatrain, with a highly specified internal rhyme scheme. Originally a variation on a pastoral, the villanelle has evolved to describe obsessions and other intense subject matters, as exemplified by Dylan Thomas, author of villanelles like “Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night.”

By taking the time to study the different types of poetry, you can learn which ones you like the most and start doing a what I call “deep studies” where you pick out one author you really love and read as much as you can by them. Then, using what you have learned challenge yourself to write your own poems while trying to maintain the style of the author you like.  

By doing exercises like this it has taught me how to think about environments differently, how to use details when describing something. And it has helped me become a better writer over all.  

The next thing I do to help with my poetry is by keeping a Word Bank. It's basically a small note book that I keep with me at all times and when I come across a word, I don’t know I simply pull out my phone and google it. Then, by writing it down by hand I will hopefully remember that word by heart. If not, well, good thing I keep a word bank with me.  

The more you read and practice writing poetry the better you will become. I started out learning poetry from Masterclass. Masterclass is a must have source to me. That’s all the tips I have on writing poetry, my way, I hope this post was helpful. Happy Writing.  

Masterclass on Poetry