How to Write Poems: A Practical Guide

People write poems because it's a fun and challenging way to be creative. If you already enjoy expressing yourself with words, then you are a good candidate for learning how to write poems, or for improving your ability to write them. "How to Write Poems: A Practical Guide" is an introduction to the theory and practice of English poetry. It is meant for beginning writers of poetry, as well as for more experienced writers who would like to improve their knowledge of the fundamentals of English poetry. "Part One: Theory" covers aspects of poetry that have been used throughout the history of English poetry. This part includes an introduction to meters, rhymes, stanzas, and other aspects of poetry. This part is organized around the idea of repetition in poetry. "Part Two: Practice" includes practical examples with dozens of mini-exercises. Various expressions and forms of poetry are examined, including blank verse, ballads, sonnets, limericks, parodies, and more. The optional exercises allow the reader to take an active approach to learning about these types of poetry. Each of the poems that we will write together will have Charles Dickens's book "A Christmas Carol" as the subject matter. We will versify (put into verse) Charles Dickens's prose story about Ebenezer Scrooge.