Write A Sonnet On It! A Hands-On Guide

This book encourages renewed interest in sonnet writing by introducing the reader to some of the pleasures, challenges, and rewards that accompany the activity. Its approach is practical, hands-on. Proceeding in step-by-step fashion, it includes free spaces for practice in composing brief passages and is diversified by groups of sonnets for study and possible imitation. It builds toward a chapter wherein the reader fashions his or her own specimens of the two prevalent sonnet forms, the Shakespearean and the Petrarchan. A final gathering of sonnets--about sonnets and sonnet writing--leads to a "Coda," which offers comments about the now-completed experiment in authorship, with suggestions about possible next steps. Potential users include experienced authors, former writers who would welcome a refresher, and persons new to creative writing. More suggestive than prescriptive, the commentary is designed to appeal to all readers. The book is suitable for use by individuals or groups.