Writing Stack Exchange
Writing Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [rhythm]

This tag should be used for questions that deal with the rhythm in their own poetry, such as questions asking for techniques to come up with rhymes or changing the sentence structure to fit a certain metre.

This tag should be used for questions that deal with the rhythm in their own , such as questions asking for s to come up with rhymes or changing the to fit a certain metre.

42 questions
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How to know if the story is going too fast?

I have a question, part subjective, part common sense I think... The conjunction of experience of some writers can be helpful for me. How you know if the story is balanced? ...I mean,how you know it's not too fast how the problems or obstacles hit…
Alice McTwisp
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7
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5 answers

Iambic pentameter: how do you use words with 'secondary stressed' syllables?

I'm trying to create textbook-perfect iambic pentameter. I may be wrong in my assumption of there being such a thing as a 'secondary stressed syllable', but in the word 'poetry', the rhythm of it seems to be this: STRESSED, unstressed, secondary…
user5000
6
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1 answer

Iambs or Trochees in songwriting

According to this website, English speakers prefer to hear iambs rather than trochees. We naturally bias our readings toward iambs. However, in my reading about lyric writing/prosody, it seems that the songwriter should align downbeats (beats 1 and…
286642
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1 answer

Revision secrets for keeping the meter and improving the beat

I sometimes write poetry. The creative process for the first draft can be summarized in these steps: I first choose a global structure (e.g. a ballad, a sonnet, a free-stanza-but-fixed-verse, etc...); I make a soft decision about the tone and…
NofP
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4 answers

Is using too many different metres and rhyming schemes bad?

I have been working on a poem for some time now. It is divided into various "Parts" and it will be a long one when completed. Due to the very nature of what I am writing, I just let my thoughts and feelings come out, within stanzas that have at…
Yuganka Sharan
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5
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2 answers

Using rhythm to evoke emotion

When writing there is one area I am not great at leveraging. That's rhythm or meter. I don't hear meter naturally like some people do so I have to really break down the meter in order to work on it. And then what? I'm not even sure what I'm going to…
Summer
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5
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1 answer

Mixing prose with character dialogue rhymes - childrens book

I've written my first children's picture book manuscript and it uses a mix of prose for the narration and rhyme for the character's dialogue. It feels to me like it gives more colour and life to the characters but I'm curious if this is uncommon or…
Dan
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1 answer

Who has laid down the English poetry rules?

I am doing a research, I want to know who has invented the English poetry rules like meters (Iambic, Torchee, ...) and feets; who has discovered that some feet are (Stressed, Unstressed) and others are (Unstressed, Stressed) You may provide me by a…
Taha Magdy
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5
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4 answers

Is it acceptable to use synonyms to achieve rhythm?

There are some works that have a certain kind of voice, which is due to their rhythm. But is this due only to word order and like things, or do their authors actually choose synonyms to achieve rhythm? When I read certain things, I find it hard to…
user25421
5
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3 answers

When it comes to creating cadence, should I depend on my ear or are there principles I can follow?

I read an essay by John Mason about the principles of the harmony of prose numbers (or feet). I am wondering whether it is of any use, considering other books I have read say that treating prose rhythm in terms of metrical feet has been a…
user25421
3
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3 answers

How do I control my writing style?

In one of the answers to a question of mine here, someone said that cadence does not depend on the sprung rhythm of a text, but on making emphasis fall on the right words. Well, I would like to ask for some elaboration on how to control my writing…
user25421
3
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2 answers

How does one strengthen their sense of rhythm?

Many pieces of writing are succinct, but they are not rhythmical, giving no pleasure to the ear of the reader. The reason for that is likely this: The writers themselves either are unmindful of rhythm when they write, or possess a poor ability to…
user25421
3
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1 answer

A thesaurus that detects rhyming

I have been looking for a word that rhymes with post with similar meaning to a school. But I go to thesaurus.com, sounding the words on my head for results under "school" and none rhyme. I then tried "academy" and failed to find anything. But then I…
Jossie Calderon
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How is "his eyes are as green as a fresh pickled toad" readable as anapestic meter?

I'm reading some explanations of the various types of poetic meter. Several of them cite a poem from the Harry Potter books as an example of anapestic meter: His eyes are as green as a fresh pickled toad His hair is as dark as a blackboard, I…
Katherine Gate
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What are some techniques used to increase the melodicality of a lyric?

Is there any trick, rule, principle for increasing the melodicality of a lyric? I want to write a lyric, but I don't really have a melody in mind and wish to just write a lyric that can fit a lot of different melodies? Is there a way to insure that?
user36239
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