How to Write a Sonnet

How to Write a Sonnet   Does the word ‘Sonnet’ make you flashback to your school days? Does the mere mention make your eyes water as you yawn while your mind wanders to escape?    I was the same. I thought, ‘it’s too difficult’ and ‘I can’t write Shakespeare, so there’s no chance of a sonnet.’ You can imagine my horror when my poetry professor started her module with, you guessed it, sonnets! But she broke it down for me, and from practising and practising, I grew used to the ways of the sonnet.    Rather than bore you with the details of the sonnet’s history and have an in-depth (yawn) look at the main four types (Petrarchan, Shakespearean, Spenserian, and Miltonic; for those who want to look them up), we’ll be focusing on making the sonnet relevant and unique to you. Firstly, forget everything you know about Sonnets. Just snap your fingers and make it vanish. Forget terms such as iambic pentameter, volta, metre, etc. They are important, but NOT right now, cos they’d only get in your way. Ready? 1…2…3…SNAP!   Just keep these in mind: A sonnet is fourteen lines.  Each line has the same number of syllables.  There is a pattern to the rhymes at the end of each line.    Of course, you will also need a topic/idea for your sonnet, and if you are struggling with this, may I suggest love as sonnets are notorious for it.    To aid your sonnet-writing journey, we will be looking at sonnets by James Nash, who is a contemporary Yorkshire-based poet. The following sonnet, ‘Skin’ was shared on his blog this year (April 2023).   I am comfortable in my own skin For years it itched and rubbed beneath my clothes Sometimes it seemed too baggy or...
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