Day One of Poetry Week: Rhyming Poems

I feel that many people associate rhyming directly with writing poetry. later in the week, we will learn that poetry does not always need to rhyme. However, rhyming poetry does have a category all to itself and it's a big one. Rhymes can add rhythm and musicality so it is often noted in several songs or raps. It can also add a sense of playfulness to your work, like in nursery rhymes. But it can also be used in serious work as well.

For some people, rhyming comes quite naturally. Sometimes, on those off days, it might not. But, That's when you can tunr to a rhyming dictionary to help you. There are several additions in paperback for when you are on the go or you can find rhyming websites to save a penny or two.
Definition: Any type of poems which have the repetition of the same or similar sounds at the end of two or more words most often at the ends of lines.

Types of Rhyme Schemes…

Couplet: AA BB

Triplet: AAA BBB

Quadruplet: AAAA BBBB

Alternating/Cross: ABAB CBCB

Enclosed: ABBA CDDC

Simple 4-Line (one of my favorites): ABCB DEFE

Types of Rhymes…

Perfect: the ends rhyme perfectly and the words are the same number of syllables (cat/hat, true/blue)

Imperfect: the ends rhyme perfectly, but the words have a different number of syllables (love, above, very/unnecessary)

Sight/Eye/Visual: the spelling looks like it should rhyme, but they don’t (said/maid, contain/mountain)

Assonance: matching vowels (bake/hate, kite/like)

Consonance: matching consonants (babies/bobbers, butter/button)

Slant/Half: matching final consonants (vent/ant, want/can’t)

Alliteration: matching initial consonants (short/ship, think/thump)

These rhymes can also mix…

Think/Thank: both slant and alliteration rhyme.

Short/Shorn: both assonance and alliteration rhyme.

*****Examples*****

Why Are You Playing?

By: Aubrie Anne (2009)

Fearless is the game tonight, (A) (Couplet Rhyme Scheme)

A chance for blessing or of blight. (A)

Demand the correct cards to play. (B)

Be the hunter and not the prey. (B)

Free the weak of their diamonds and jewels. (C)

Break a mirror. Don’t follow the rules. (C)

See the man with the whiskers and cigarette? (Imperfect Rhyme)

He’ll lose his fortune on the second bet.

And the man at the bar with the Scottish accent?

He’s struggling everyday just to pay his rent.

Also, the woman with green eyes and butterfly tattoo?

She’s here to survive, just like you.

Hear them whisper which move to make. (Perfect Rhyme)

Follow the truth and not the fake.

The answer will echo through their teeth. (Assonance and Slant Rhyme)

You’ll win your life and the golden wreath.

See their faces, that question mark?

Your opponent’s mind, lost in the dark.

His hands must ache. The pressure’s straining.

His beat has slowed. The blue blood’s feigning.

Death will surely take him upon the waves,

To the shore full of many unmarked graves.

And in a second or a single dragonfly’s stride,

You’ll win the game if you haven’t also died.

Gambling with your life is the risk you are taking.

You are on the edge, the point of nearly breaking.

Yes, fearless is the game tonight. But it’s only a saying.

The truth is you’re hurting. So, why are you playing?

*****

They Trick and They Break

By: Aubrie Anne (2009) 

They try to push the boundaries (A) (Simple 4-Line Rhyme Scheme)

Between truth and trickery, (B)

Forcing others to see their sacrifices (C)

As something less than murder or blasphemy (B)

Perhaps you laugh now, (D)

But I doubt such a reaction (E)

When your number is called. (F)

That would be a greater infraction. (E)

For money or power,

To sicken or to heal,

They seem to drop the hammer,

Forgetting how to feel.

As a caravan of dealers,

They roam from village to town,

Trading pennies for lives,

Leaving once settled homes with frowns.

Your life is worth more than a fallen pear,

A fruit thought lost along with many. (Sight or Imperfect Rhyme)

Don’t hide among the sheep and fodder,

Similar copies organized in a library.

There will be a calling for you,

A mobile phone with an open line, (Assonance Rhyme)

To save you from their torrid pull,

Preventing you from joining their kind.

A fighter you may become,

If that’s the call you choose to take.

They will try and stop you.

Your faith, they’ll try to break.

*****Questions*****

What do you think?
Did you know about rhyming poetry?
Is there anything about it that you didn't know before?
Anything else you would like to add?
Do you ever write rhyming poetry?
If you do, please share some with us. Either copy and paste your poem in the comments, or leave us a link.

An Introduction to Poetry Week (Starting Tomorrow!)

Well, I want you all to know that I like to take something and devote a week to it. Hence, the art week a few weeks ago and now the poetry week I will be starting tomorrow.

Now, while art week was merely a chance to show my passion for art and the many aspects of art that I have explored (and show of some of my amazing artistic talent. Ahem!), I am hoping that poetry week will be about a bit more. Yes, I will explore several different types of poetry and show off a bit of my own work, but I also would like you guys to join in. As we venture into poetry week, PLEASE write with me and SHARE your work! Show us your new stuff, old stuff, or stuff you’re still working on. Either copy and paste it into a comment, or post it on your own blog (if you post it on your own blog, please copy and paste a link in the comments so that people may come and take a look and/or link your blog back to mine so others can follow along.)

Each day, I will feature a different type of writing, such as (and in no particular order)…

Sonnets

Freeverse Poems

Rhyming Poems

Ironic Poems

Haikus and Tankas

Enjambment and Endstop Poems

And

Epic Poems

On each day, I will give you an example of the kind of poetry we are covering from my own work or from a famous piece (or both.) Each day, I will also encourage you to share your work in that style (or really any style. The point is just to write some poetry, but tell us what kind of poetry you are writing or enjoy the most).

Hopefully, it will be a poetry week to remember!!! I’m looking forward to it!

IT ALL STARTS TOMORROW!

The History of a Foot

Foot. A measure of twelve inches.

The reference to a measurement stems from the foot itself. King Edward II in the fourteenth century was the first to establish an “official” system of modern measurements. The length of an average man’s foot was decreed to be twelve inches—which would have been a very large foot for foot sizes of the day. Nevertheless, that’s how the designation for the measurement term “foot” came about. Our word “foot” is from the Old English “fot.”

(Information provided by “The Complete Footwear Dictionary: Second Edition” by Dr. William A. Rossi, 2000.)

I just thought I would add that I find it very funny that Edward II, a European king, assisted in the development of our measuring system, yet, somehow, Europeans use the metric system. Anyone else seeing the contradiction here?

Discussion Topic: Some Books Are Like Gateway Drugs to Reading

To every generation there is one book that saves the illiterate youths from a life that is void of adventure, imagination, creativity, escape, and knowledge. This book gets them addicted to the drug that is reading, motivating them to search the world for their next venture.

For my generation, it started with Harry Potter. A book that not only sold millions of copies and made billions of dollars, but was also translated into hundreds of languages and even improve literacy rates in teens!!! (And 8 beautiful movies! Who just saw Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1? I did!)

A few years later, my generation and the next were hit with a little thing called The Twilight Saga. If you haven’t heard of it, you’re not living on this planet. Twilight went from the mind of a housewife, was shot down by 14 agents, was finally picked up by Little Brown, and went on to follow closely in the tracks of Harry Potter with a crazed fandom and a movie contract.

What’s next? Before I knew it, people who had never read a day in their lives were reading more than I do. (And that’s saying SOMETHING!) In a world where teens were once the least likely to pick up a book, things have started to happen. The young adult section at Borders has quadrupled, my cousins and friends are asking for books for Christmas, and they’re reading for pleasure. That’s all it took; one book that just happened to grab them by the imagination and the heartstrings and sent them on the biggest trip of their lives.

(NOTE: I KNOW there are people out there who are going to call one or both of these books crap, but I am asking you now to understand what these books have done for the kids that I know. Imagine a 14 and 17 year-old girl who have never finished a book in their lives, never found pleasure in the escape and adventure a book could give them. Now, flash forward, and see that they are reading almost every day and loving it. It wasn’t because aliens invaded their minds or someone slapped them in the face. It was because of Harry Potter and Twilight; two books that allowed them to simply enjoy reading for once. No preaching, no confusing subtexts, just pure indulgent fantasy. They were gateways to reading. Now, that they enjoy reading, they feel confident in challenging themselves (while still enjoying a guilty pleasure on the side.))

These gateway books are the kinds of books that you need to warn everyone that you are going to read. Tell your mother and your boss. (Heck! Take off a few days of work just so you can read all day!) Tell your friends because they won’t be seeing you around for a while and they’ll need some sort of an explanation as to why you’ve dropped off of the face of the planet and secluded yourself from all of society. Do this or else they’ll just assume that you have died and stop sending you things like birthday cards and Christmas presents (but your landlord won’t stop sending you bills).

Gateways books are also the kinds of books you push on your friends so they can get addicted too. It’s like peer pressure, but the kind that is good for you. Plus, who will you talk to about the book if your friends haven’t also read it? Soon, the book will spread like wildfire. (Someone might even make a movie based off of it! If someone doesn’t then you’ll have to protest or make it yourself.)

Finally, always look for more. When you have finished your gateway book, scour the bookstores for your next hit.

So, what was your gateway book (which book first got you addicted to reading)? Mine was Harry Potter.

WEbook!

http://www.webook.com/

A little over two years ago, I finished my first creative writing class and found myself writing like crazy with no way of getting feedback or sharing my work with other people who were interested in writing. That’s when I discovered WEbook.com (, a fantastic writing community. The community was relatively when I first signed up and posted the beginnings of my first two novels, a collection of poetry, and started a group where writers can assist each other with research.

Quickly, the community grew, spanning internationally, and collecting millions of readers, writers, and editors of all ages and from all different countries. I soon found myself swimming in constructive criticism, positive feedback, suggestions, and praise for my writings. I also made many new friends and had tons of online manuscripts just waiting to be read and reviewed.

The community is easy to maneuver, add content, delete content, leave feedback on projects, build groups, join existing groups, read Webook’s blog, enter your own writings in competitions, submit your work to be reviewed by an agent, even get published!

Here's the poetry book that both Shah Wharton and I were recently published in. You can find it here on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Very-Best-WEbook-Poetry-2009/dp/1935003089/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1292306047&sr=1-1

I highly suggest it to any writer looking to get a bit of feedback, make new friends who are interested in exactly what you are, or if you’re just looking to read other new writer’s works. It’s great for motivation and promoting yourself (just like a blog)!

If you don’t believe me, just ask these lovely people…

Donna @ http://djpr2001.blogspot.com/ and http://rtagracefully.blogspot.com/

Shah @ http://wordsinsync.blogspot.com/

Matt @ http://blessidmerc.blogspot.com/

Dawn @ http://dawn-zhang.blogspot.com/

and

Kit @ http://kitsblogging.blogspot.com/

They're all blogging and members of WEbook!

I hope you get the chance to consider WEbook.com for your own writings. It’s honestly one of the best online communities I have ever joined. And trust me, I’ve joined a lot! None were as kind, helpful, or easy to use as WEbook.

If you do join, come find me! Here’s the link to my profile and you can friend me there, read some of my own work, and/or send me a message…

http://www.webook.com/member/AubrieAnne

I hope I’ll see you there. Also, if you have any questions, feel free to ask me!

So, what do you think? Does WEbook sound like something for you?

Have you ever joined an online writing community before? Which ones?

Do you ever share your writing with anyone? Who?

Farther vs. Further vs. Furthermore

Here’s the general rule of thumb…

Use the word “farther” when referring to physical distance and use the word “further” when referring to figurative distance.

Examples of the correct way to use “Farther”:

“Jane has to drive farther than John to get to the mall.”

Here we are talking about the physical distance Jane has to drive to get to the mall.

“I don’t want to run any farther”

Again, we are talking about the physical distance one is running.

Examples of the correct way to use “Further”:

“I’m not going to discuss this topic any further.”

The length of a discussion would be considered a figurative distance.

“Jane was worried that the further her mind travelled, the more scared she would get.”

Although “travel” is often considered a physical distance, a mind travels figurative distances so we would use “further” instead of “farther.”

Now, here’s the tricky part. What about those pesky sentences that don’t clearly state whether they are referring to a physical or figurative distance?

For example:

“How much further/farther did you get in your book?”

Is this sentence referring to the physical distance a person made in a book, as in the number of pages they read? Or, is it referring to the figurative distance, as in how far they are into the story?

In cases like these, it is advised that you use your best judgment. If you intend for it to mean the physical distance then use “farther,” but if you intend for it to mean the figurative distance, use “further.”

Lastly, what about “furthermore?”

Well, you can’t exactly say…

“Further, I wish to discuss the finer details in this article.” (THAT’S INCORRECT!)

I know that this may sound right, but “further” does not mean “in addition” or “moreover.” However, “furthermore” does. So, when looking to replace “in addition” or “moreover” use “furthermore.”

As in, “Furthermore, I suggest you stop reading this and start using ‘farther,’ ‘further,’ and ‘furthermore’ correctly.”

Poll #2 Results: What genres of fiction do you prefer to read?

Poll #2 is over and it’s another success with results all over the place. I wanted to do this poll because I love to read fantasy, sci-fi, and Action/Adventure (with a mix of Historical Fiction and Romance here and there) and sometimes I feel like I am the only one. Maybe it comes from living with roommates who either don’t read or only read Realistic Fiction and Harlequin Romances. You start feeling alone in the literary department.

However, now I realize that many of you prefer more ‘fantastical’ works! In fact, the majority of you prefer to read Action/Adventure (15%), Sci-Fi (15%), and Fantasy (15%). I think that’s awesome. (Not that I don’t like the other genres as well. I purpose we all read all kinds of genres, but you are allowed to have a favorite.)

The next most popular genres were Thriller/Suspense (11%), Romance (11%), and Classical Literature (11%). This made sense, especially the romance. I mean, who doesn’t like a good romance on side. :)

Coming up behind the pack were Horror (7%), Comedy (4%), Historical Fiction/Period Pieces (4%), Realistic Fiction (4%), and Mystery (3%). I was actually surprised that Realistic Fiction didn’t do so well, considering that is all my roommates would read (if they even read). There are so many people out there who just can’t wrap their minds around anything that isn’t “possible,” like they didn’t know how to dream. Then again, maybe they just enjoyed it.

In dead last, was Adult Explicit (0%). Not really a surprise there. I assumed most either don’t read it or won’t admit to it.

Finally, I should mention that books can fit into more than one genre. The last book I read, “Prisoners in the Palace,” fits into Historical Fiction/Period Piece and Romance. And, the first Must Read I suggested, “Poison Study,” fits into Fantasy, Romance, Action/Adventure, and Horror. I think it’s great when a book provides so many different facets of fiction!

So, what do you think of the results? Were you surprised? Disappointed? Tell us why!

What genre is your favorite? Again, tell us why!

What genre(s) does the last book you read fit into?

Also, don't forget to vote on the NEWEST poll (Do you believe paper books will become obsolete?)! Just scroll all the way to the bottom of my blog and help contribute to the next set of results. :)

You Want Snow? I've Got Some For You!

I know that not everyone gets to have a white Christmas so I felt exceedingly gifted when I woke to the two feet of snow on the ground. Why would I ever be irritated because I was TRAPPED in my house when there is such a lovely sight right outside my window? Why? Yeah, I was joking. However, I am so grateful my father is willing to to tackle the storm so my mom and I can stay warm indoors.

Here are a few pictures...

A drift between my car and the pole barn.

The drift in front of our garage.

My bunny, Orin. The only one of us who is enjoying this weather.

My poor buried car.

So, for all of you who are missing snow, here's a little from me to you. :) Enjoy!

NOTE: Don't forget that there are only a few more hours left to vote on the latest poll! Go all the way to the botton of my blog to find it and add your input before I reveal the results tomorrow!