: Re: Tips for writing poetry in forms I've written poetry for a long time, but most of it is free verse. Sometimes I want to experiment with forms (sonnets, villanelles, etc.). Are there any suggestions

@Eichhorn147

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Forms are there to help you express yourself. They are not set in stone. For example, there is more than one type of sonnet.

Poets use forms but also 'break' them. Haiku is a good example.
People get very precious about haiku in English and make up all sorts of rules around it. Consider that written Japanese doesn't even, I'm told, have syllables and you can appreciate the point.

I do not claim to be a great poet, but when teaching teenagers to write ballads I encourage them to get a rhythm in their heads and then start trying to fit words to it. Write down any lines that come close and when you have a few, start to work on them. Don't expect them to be perfect from the start.

A colleague of mine suggests thinking of pairs of words that rhyme related to the topic of your poem before you start. Make up a list and then start fitting them to your structure. I have used a variation of this with students where I gave them a list of rhyming words about Christmas before asking them to write a poem.

If you want to write something that rhymes, on line rhyming dictionaries can help.

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