Annie Neugebauer

[Not feeling the sonnet stuff? Skip to the prose discussion. ]

Now that you have gathered the DNA for your sonnet, it’s time to connect the knee bone to the thigh bone, so to speak. But before you get all overwhelmed: we aren’t writing yet. Don’t forget to breathe. =) Also, your skeleton will have gaps. That’s okay. Preferable, even. Too much structure can make it hard to go where your creativity takes you.

Now I am going to assume that most of you are more comfortable with prose than with verse. Given that assumption, jotting down your idea in paragraph form doesn’t sound so scary, does it?

Open up a Word document (or get out a notepad). Using the idea that you’ve chosen to write about as the seed, start writing. It doesn’t have to be in order, and it doesn’t have to be concise, well-worded, or perfectly logical. It can be in fragmented sentences if you want. Just get all of the thoughts you have down in text. Do keep in mind what we talked about last time: working toward the “punch-line” (couplet). Once again, no one is going to see this part of your process, so don’t censor yourself and don’t worry about quality or making it sound just right.

At this point, I search my paragraph for potentially rhyme-able words that carry enough significance to be used in the poem. I bold and highlight them for easy reference. I usually don’t end up using all of these, and I use several that I didn’t find at first. (If you’re interested, you can watch me build this sonnet snippet below to completion in my archives of last year’s NaPoMo series.)

A note about rhyming words: due to the fact that sonnet lines are in iambic pentameter (meaning they consists of a series of unstressed syllables followed by stressed syllables – another word for stressed here is emphasized), your end rhyme words must be stressed. In other words, they need to be “sharp” notes, like door, stand, or the last syllable in convey – not “weak” notes like the 2nd syllables in running, silent, or happy. If you pick a rhyming word that’s unstressed, you’ve set yourself up for imperfect meter. So go for stressed words that lots of things rhyme with. It might look something like this:

I don’t realize there’s a man in my car until I’m almost to the door. He is shadowy and sitting in the driver’s seat. I stare at him in shock from only a few feet away and he smiles. Panicked, I use my car remote to lock the door. The mechanical click rings through the dark, empty parking lot. He reaches up with long thin fingers and unlocks it—the sound is muted. I begin to back away as I thumb the “lock” button again. He unlocks it again from inside the car. I am speeding backwards now, stumbling on my feet. He is laughing through the silence of the car window. This is a game to him. I lock the door. He unlocks it. I lock it. He unlocks it. I lock it—but this time there is no mechanized click. I realize that I am too far away now; the battery can’t reach anymore. I glance around me. The parking lot is empty and the store is closed. I have nowhere to go, nowhere to run. With that sickening grin, he pulls up the manual lock from the inside and opens the car door.

You’re almost finished with step 2! Hang in there.

Next I make my template. I usually take a couple of lines from another sonnet to get my mind into the meter of the form. (In your head, iambic pentameter sounds like: “duh-DUH, duh-DUH, duh-DUH, duh-DUH, duh-DUH.”) I put these at the top for reference. It just helps my rhythm.

Then I lay out the rhyme scheme. In poetry, rhyme scheme is traditionally signified by letters. Thus “A” lines would rhyme with other “A” lines, “B” lines would rhyme with each other, etc. I have the rhyme scheme laid out for you below. (The G’s are indented because couplets on Shakespearean sonnets often are. It’s just stylistic. You can ignore that, if you want.)

Finally, I fill in some of the highlighted words from above where I think they might be useful. (This always changes though.) Here’s what it looks like now:

sample lines for rhythm:

My brother had a frog with four webbed feet—
a gift. My mother wouldn’t touch the thing,

Title

A    door
B    dark
A    store
B    park

C
D    smile
C
D    while

E
F
E
F

G    car
G    far

Posts in the Sonnet Building series:

Step 1: “Gathering DNA”

Step 2: “Structuring a Skeleton”

Step 3: “Filling out the Flesh”

Step 4: “Muscle Sculpting”

Step 5: “Final Dress”

* * *

Prosers: What can you learn from the skeleton of a sonnet? Two words: key notes. If you plot your novels before you write them, using something like, oh, I don’t know, this handy scenes chart, key notes are the fun parts.

And even if you’re a pantser, you need direction. Before you write a scene, try jotting down the “key notes” – either at the bottom of your word document or in your organized scenes chart.

Key notes are those things that come to you first, in the middle of the night, while you’re driving. The really inspired, fun things that you don’t necessarily have to include but want to include. They are often the most memorable parts of your book.

I’ve found that if I jot these down before I start a scene, especially if there’s more than one key note, and combine them with my “have to” type goals, the scene pretty much outlines itself. You envision your main character at the top of a tall building? Key note. But in this scene, she needs to argue with her antagonist. Main goal.

So… argue at the top of the tall building. It will add drama, tension, and memorable moments – and it might even influence their conversation. If you don’t write down your key notes first, it’s easy to put them off until another scene. Don’t do that! If you’ve got something good; use it.

Have you tried this? Do you already do it? What do you think?

Sonneteers: This week’s assignment is to build your sonnet skeleton. By next Monday, let’s make it our goal to have the rhyme scheme laid out, the concept written in prose, and some key rhyming words jotted down.

Need help? Want some suggestions? How is everyone feeling so far? This is supposed to be to help you, so if you need something more or don’t understand something, please let me know!

The very first thing you must do before you sit down to write a sonnet is find an idea worth writing about. Trying to write a sonnet with no initial concept is pretty much guaranteed to give you a dull, meandering poem. But how do you go about dreaming up subject matter?

There are ideas everywhere. If you’re a prose writer, go peek in the notebook on your beside table – or in that Word document that has random freestanding lines that don’t fit in any of your novels. What about that list of flash fiction or short story ideas you haven’t gotten around to? If you’re a free-verse poet, take a look back at some of your jotted notes that never got executed. Are there poem ideas you’ve always wanted to try but never sat down to write?

Or what if you’re not a writer at all? No worries. Everyone (and I mean everyone) has a few good ideas in them somewhere. You just have to know where to look. And sometimes starting with a brand-spanking-fresh idea is the way to go anyway: no preconceptions, no initial discouragement.

So everybody get out a notepad and pen or open a blank Word document. We’re going to brainstorm. In one, long, unorganized column, jot down anything and everything that comes to mind. No censoring. No one will see this list but you.

Starter Ideas:
a childhood memory
your life mantra
a rebuttal to a famous poem, quote, or saying
a funny story
a random thought
a play on words
a time that someone surprised you
a joke you’ve made up
a message to a loved one
a common “wisdom” you disagree with
what you’d say to someone you’ve lost
a memorable dream
a nightmare
your favorite animal or pet
an inanimate object
a color that means something different to you than to most people
a time of year that fills you with unusual feelings
the most romantic thing that anyone’s ever done for you
a changing moment in your beliefs
a *really* unique metaphor
a poignant memory
a truth you want to tell the world
a realization about an idol or mentor who changed in your eyes
a doubt that won’t go away
a sexy memory or fantasy
a time that seemed too good to be true
something that scares you

Now here are two secrets that most people don’t know:

1) The more original your initial idea is, the easier the sonnet will be to write.
2) The more specific your initial idea is, the easier the sonnet will be to write.

So avoid clichés (which might mean not writing a love poem), broad topics like “passion” or “hate,” and general descriptions of nature or beauty. These are all well and good, but easy to become redundant about. So for beginners, especially, I recommend finding a topic you’ve never seen done before. No pressure, right?

But don’t worry. You have until next Monday to choose which one you’re going to start with. Until then, here are some factors to keep in mind while you’re brainstorming and deciding:

Length
A sonnet is fourteen lines long. That’s shorter than you might think. It is not, for example, long enough to tell a story with more than a few characters, nor is it long enough to explain a complicated topic while still having room to make a point about it. So choose a topic with a relatively narrow focus.

That being said, the lines are ten syllables long. That’s longer than you might think. So if your topic can be completely stated in a single sentence… you’re going to need some filler. (Hint: filler makes for slow poems.) So yes, choose a narrow topic, but choose one that leaves room for some elaboration and description. You do, after all, have to fill up fourteen lines with it.

As a gauge of length, think of it as a good, relaxed joke (and not a knock-knock one) told around a campfire. That’s about how long a sonnet idea should feel in your head.

The Personal Factor
Now this is something that prose writers, especially, seem to struggle with. We all assume that novels are (mostly) fiction, but most people assume that poetry is true. And while it is important that your poem “ring true” on a larger level, it is not important that your poem be factual. In fact, (ha!) it will make it easier for you to write if you release the facts and embrace what comes out.

So should you write about that super intimate secret lurking in your heart? Well, sure, if you feel driven to do so. But keep in mind a few things: 1) People will assume it’s true. 2) Forcing your thoughts to rhyme can sometimes skew the truth. If that bothers you, you might want to start with a less personal/emotional topic.

Working Toward the Punch Line
I’ve saved this point for last, not only because it’s my very best advice and the most important thing to keep in mind, but because it’s also applicable to you Prosers. And the big tip is….

Come up with your ending first.

Here’s why. The Shakespearean sonnet, which is the version we will be using since it is the most well-known and (I think) the easiest to work with, can be broken down into four “chunks.”

• The first quatrain. (Four intermixed lines that alternatingly rhyme.)
• The second quatrain. (Four intermixed lines that alternatingly rhyme.)
• The third quatrain. (Four intermixed lines that alternatingly rhyme.)
• The couplet. (Two lines at the end that rhyme directly with each other.)

So put simply, the English sonnet is 12 lines of alternating rhyme followed by 2 lines of back-to-back rhyme. When you look at it like this, it’s easy to see what will pack the most punch in the poem: those last two lines.

The couplet carries the poem. In a funny sonnet, the couplet is the punch line. In a sad sonnet, it’s the emotion that tugs at our heartstrings. In a sexy sonnet, it’s the proclamation that takes our breath away. In a narrative (story-telling) sonnet, it’s the twist we never saw coming.

What does this mean for your idea-gathering? It means that whatever your topic, it should lend itself to a “punch line.” Personally, 90% of the time, the couplet is what I think of first, and then I write toward it. What do you really want to say? What’s your final message? What’s the twist that makes this tale unique? Put that in your couplet. If you can’t figure out (generally speaking here; we aren’t writing yet) how you might do that… keep brainstorming on other ideas. Chances are good that you’ll know it when you find it. Filling in the setup is gravy.

Oh, and a final note? Don’t throw away your ideas list! Tuck it away for a rainy day. You might be surprised how old thoughts can take on new life with just the right angle.

Posts in the Sonnet Building series:

Step 1: “Gathering DNA”

Step 2: “Structuring a Skeleton”

Step 3: “Filling out the Flesh”

Step 4: “Muscle Sculpting”

Step 5: “Final Dress”

* * *

Prosers: You aren’t bound by rhyme, meter, or length. How does this apply to you? In my humble opinion, prose writers, too, should find their endings first.

Think of your novel as a sonnet. The last few chapters need to be your couplet. Why? Because that’s what your reader leaves with. Have you ever read a book with an exceptional concept and an unexceptional ending? Chances are they forgot to write their ending first. I hate it when I read a book or watch a movie with “alternate endings.” My way of thinking is: if this idea was properly thought out and developed, there would only be one possible ending to satisfy the consumer. The way to set up that perfect feeling of closure is to know going in how it’s all going to pan out.

And on a mini-scale, chapters are like this too. Write toward your ending. It gives you drive, direction, and a satisfying pay-off. There are exceptions, of course, but in general I’ve found this a helpful way to plot. How do you handle endings?

Sonneteers: Your assignment this week, should you choose to accept it, is to figure out what you want to write a sonnet about. That’s it!

Need help brainstorming? Or do you already have some ideas? Feel free to talk about them (and to each other) below. The comments are a place for you to brag, share, ponder, and ask questions. And don’t worry about other folks stealing your ideas. Even if two people write a sonnet about the exact same thing, the end products will be two wildly different poems. Plus, this is a community effort, right? Many of us have never even written a poem before, so let’s all be supportive!

So, five people expressed interest in participating in a step-by-step sonnet writing series here on the blog. I was a little torn by that, to be honest. It wasn’t as many people as I hoped, but it was enough that I wanted to do it. I really love helping people, and I feel like I have information worth sharing when it comes to writing sonnets. But I also didn’t want to ostracize my non-poet blog followers. What to do?

My solution? I’m going to do it, in honor of National Poetry Month (which I’ve rather sillilly dubbed NaPoMo), but I’m going to go a little bit further, because I think prose writers have something to gain from poetry. As an additional twist to *hopefully* include you non-poets, I’ll be turning each step of the sonnet class into a lesson that can be equally applied to prose. So even if you’re not writing a sonnet with us (and I do hope you will), please stop by to talk shop. You might be surprised at how relevant sonnets are to novels, short stories, and prose in general.

The schedule:
1 post a week (on Mondays) for 1 month

April 2- Step One: “Gathering DNA”
April 9- Step Two: “Structuring a Skeleton”
April 16- Step Three: “Filling out the Flesh”
April 23- Step Four: “Muscle Sculpting”
April 30- Step Five: “Final Dress”

So can you do it if you didn’t “sign up”? Of course you can! Please do! I don’t care when you do it. The more participants, the better. The lessons are here for you to use; jump in any time you want! Although as incentive, I might be offering a free poetry critique of everyone who completes a sonnet during the course. Optional. But free.

Still hesitant? I understand. Sonnets can be intimidating. They seem so strict and structured and stiff. That’s why I’m doing this; to help break down that barrier. But you know what? It doesn’t have to be perfect. That’s one of the best parts about writing a poem. If it sucks, no one has to know you even wrote it. 😉

If you want to follow along, don’t forget to subscribe. On my sidebar at the right, you can either enter your email address to get new posts sent directly to you, or add me to your RSS feed.

I hope to see you all here on Monday! Happy NaPoMo!