How to Write a Sonnet

The sonnet is perhaps the best known form of poetry in the west. From Shakespeare to the modern age, sonnets have been written about every subject imaginable. So if you're an aspiring poet, no doubt you'll want to be able to write one yourself.

Let's start by defining the sonnet. A sonnet is a poem of 14 lines in iambic pentameter with a rhyme scheme. (Iambic pentameter means each line has 10 syllables, with syllables 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 stressed: "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?") While any 14 line poem of iambic pentameter that rhymes in any way is technically a sonnet, there are a couple of conventions for the rhyme scheme. We'll get to those in a moment.

Before you put pen to paper, familiarize yourself with other sonnets. The most famous are Shakespeare's sonnets, but other great sonneteers include Edmund Spenser, Sir Philip Sidney, and William Wordsworth. An expansive collection of sonnets is available at: http://www.sonnets.org/.

Ok, if you think you're familiar enough with the format, it's time to start writing. While only experience and practice can make you a master poet, here's a step-by-step starter's guide.

Pick your subject

First, decide what you want your sonnet to be about. Sonnets have been written about any subject you can name, so don't be discouraged if you think your subject is too pedestrian. Go ahead, write a sonnet about the Super Bowl.

Determine your rhyme scheme

While you can have any rhyme scheme you like, there are two conventions: the Elizabethan/Shakespearian sonnet and the Italian/Petrarchan sonnet. The former consists of three quatrains and a couplet (abab cdcd efef gg; every a rhymes with a, b with b, etc). The latter is slightly more difficult, having only five rhymes for its 14 lines (abbabba cdecde).