How to Create a Rhyme Poem

From classic to modern poetry, a rhyming poem is something that never goes out of style. You may wonder how poets come up with the rhymes in their poetry. Or perhaps you would like to learn that style of writing poetry so that you can write your own. Creating rhyme poetry takes knowing a few methods to make your poem its best.

Write down the thoughts that you would like to form into a poem. Do not worry about the rhyme scheme while you're writing them down. Continue to write until you have all the thoughts for your poem down on paper.

Form your writing into lines and stanzas. Decide how many lines you want to use in each stanza of your poem. For example, a common form to use is a quatrain, or a four-line stanza. However, you can use up to eight lines in your stanza. Or if you would like your poem to be one continuous stanza, you may also choose that option. Be creative.

Select a rhyme scheme for your poem. The most common scheme is a couplet where the end words of two lines rhyme. This rhyme scheme is known as aa bb cc dd. However, you can also choose a rhyme scheme where the end words of each second line match. For instance, the rhyme scheme would be abab cdcd efef, and so on.

Write the first line of your poem. Look at the ending word of the first line. Write a list of words that rhyme with the ending word. Write a second line with an end word that rhymes with the end word of your first line. Repeat this process for each couplet until your poem is finished.

Give your poetry a rhythm so that it has a beat and a meter when it is read aloud. For example, a common meter used in poetry is Iambic pentameter. It consists a line in a poem that is 10 syllables long that is accented on every second syllable.

  • Read a vast selection of poetry to see the style of other poets. Exposing yourself to many styles of poetry helps you to figure out your own style.
  • Variations of rhythm and rhyme in poetry will help your poem stand out and be more creative.
About the Author

Residing in Raleigh, North Carolina, Fahlen Brown started her freelance writing career in 2011. She currently writes eHow articles and has held jobs in the administrative and customer service fields. Fahlen has a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Meredith College.

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