Writing a SestinaWriting a 36 or 39-line poem sounds hard, but if you take it step-by-step, this composition that features a shifting set of ends words that repeat in each stanza can come together quickly for you!
WikiHow provides some guidance worth sharing here: Writing a Sestina Google Slides presentation. Here's a sample sestina to help you see how they look and work. |
Template Google Doc to Try it Out (click to make a copy)
- SIX key END words repeated in each of six stanzas
- The order changes in each stanza.
- Choose words that can be used in multiple ways, like different parts of speech.
- Make the words work together if you like--along similar thematic or subject lines.
Poetry Reminders & Poetic Techniques
- Poetry does NOT have to rhyme, but it can.
- Lines of poetry don’t have to be complete sentences; in fact, the sentences can extend over several lines.
- Words that start and end lines get extra emphasis.
- Often the first letter of a line of poetry is capitalized, sometimes even if it does not start a new sentence.
- Punctuation in a poem contributes to emphasis and rhythm, so choose wisely.
Common Poetic Techniques
- Repetition: Strategic repetition of certain phrases reinforces the big ideas of a poem and can provide emphasis..
- Alliteration: Repetition of usually initial consonant sounds in two or more neighboring words or syllables.
- Figurative Language: Words imply more than their literal meaning through comparisons like similes, metaphors, and personification.
- Imagery and sensory details: Words make pictures and draw out other senses through the poet’s use of description.