What About the Count?

**Fenny West** Thu 30 Oct 2008, 5:00 am

Hi guys,
Im not sure if this has been discussed before, but here it is.
I've noticed quite a few times that when offering my suggestions to a poet on syllable count, they sometimes don't know where to start the re-working!

When I write, I usually stick to a meter.
10 syllables a line
or 8 syllables followed by 10 syllables followed by 8, followed by 10.
Just an example.

When the desired effect you're after is a smooth poem that flows without flaw, write your piece and then read it aloud.
If it still sounds out in the flow, or you're unsure of which lines don't have the correct syllables, do a count and write the number at the end of the line in (brackets)
When you compare numbers, you'll see immediately which lines are desperate for attention.

Example:

I understood that very day, ( 8 ) (a)
exactly why you went away ( 8 ) (a)
I guess thats why, inside I knew ( 8 ) (b)
the love I felt was not for you ( 8 ) (b)

This poem will have a meter of 8 syllables per line as the rhyme runs in two lines. aa bb
I know it's not much of an example, but at 11pm at night, my creativity is pretty much drained

The other style is running similar to that as I stated before.
The first line might have a syllable count of 8 and then the next might be 10
therefore, the style will follow abab.

Example:

She shared with me her gentle smile ( 8 ) (a)
and then she turned away ( 6 ) (b)
I knew at once, her heart was lost ( 8 ) (a)
So, I asked her to stay ( 6 ) (b)

I hope that this little piece of information is useful in some way, so that next time you're confused about the way your poem sounds, you just might find the solution here
~Merc

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