What are the Types and Rules of Poetry Writing 

Back to: Pedagogy of English- Unit 5

Poetry is a form of literature that tells a story or explains a thought in a structured arrangement of words. A poem consists of verses that are known as a stanza. There are different types of poetry but the popular ones include:

Types of Poetry

Free Verse

Free verse poetry does not have a definite pattern. It is the easiest form of poetry writing as it is less structured and the least defined.

Haiku

This genre of the poem consists of three-line stanzas originating in Japan. It has a 5/7/5 syllable count meaning the first line has five syllables, the second line has seven syllables, and the third line has five syllables.

Sonnet

A sonnet consists of a 14-line poem mostly expressing the feelings of love. This type of poetry was popularized by William Shakespeare.

Epics

An epic poem is a lengthy and narrative poem. These poems tell stories about the adventures of the characters.

Ballad

A ballad poem is a narrative form of poetry following a rhymed pattern. The verses can be poetic or musical with a melodious form of storytelling.

Rules of Poetry

Read a lot of poetry

To excel in poetry, one needs to start by reading poetry. Read the work of your favorite poets and take inspiration from their work but do not copy it.

Study poetic forms

As mentioned above there are several types of poetic forms. Try to understand the different forms of poetry to know which form would help to make your poem better.

Connect with other poets

Go for workshops, readings, and poetry classes to connect with other poets. Meeting them will help you in writing your own poem. Sharing and reading each other’s work will give ideas and valuable feedback.

There are more rules to be kept in mind for writing poetry and starting with these three rules will surely help.