Josephine:
One way into a Shakespearean sonnet is to think of it as three quatrains and
a couplet.
That way you can work on it in sections.
Go for the first quatrain, get the rhymes in, never mind the length at
first, then revise back towards the ten syllables.
Then the next quatrain ...
Etc.
But mostly, breaking the sonnet into sections, rather than trying to start
straight-off on all fourteen lines, makes it less intimidating.
Just an idea ...
Robin
> So far I'm finding writing to a set format the equivalent of
> painting by numbers. I drew me up a table of ten columns
> (one per syllable) and fourteen lines - and then tried
> filling in the squares. Not good. Trying to squash the sense
> into a set line length and rhyme ending is excrutiating. I'm
> not even thinking about the beat.
>
> And verse, as Candice so aptly described, tends to send me
> off to sleep.
>
> Still working on it.
>
> Picked up a copy of the Monkey's Mask from the Library
> yesterday - now i just need someone to fill me in on who is
> who.
>
> Josephine
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