Guest Post by Award Winning Author Karen Cioffi

It is the first day of the New Year and I wanted to start off with a bang with useful information to jump start your writing for 2012. What better way than a quick lesson on rhyming by award winning author and founder of Writers on the Move, Karen Cioffi.

Please give Karen a warm welcome and bookmark this post. It is filled with useful information and helpful links for those of us who want to try our hand at writing in rhyme.

Writing in Rhyme


By Karen Cioffi



Rhyming, when done right, is a wonderful way to engage children. Children, as soon as they’re able, love to rhyme words . . . and this can begin as early as two-years-old: cat-hat, mouse-house. But, to write a rhyming story . . . a well written rhyming story . . . is difficult; you need a good story, rhyme, rhythm/beat, meter, stresses, and more—all this in addition to the already unique rules and tricks in writing for children. And, some writers just don’t have that innate ability to do rhyme well. But, it can be learned.



According to Delia Marshall Turner, Ph.D., the elements of poetry are: voice; stanza; sound; rhythm; figures of speech; and form.



Voice (the speaker)

Stanza (the format of lines grouped together)

Sound (rhyme and other patterns)

Rhythm (the beat and meter – the pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables)

Figures of Speech (types of figurative language)

Form (the type of poem, its design)



Along with this there is perfect rhyme, and approximate rhyme:



Perfect rhyme: tie/lie; stay/day

Approximate rhyme: top/cope; comb/tomb



And, there are many more bits and pieces that go into writing poetry/ rhyme. But, the foundation that holds your rhyming story all together is the story itself—you need a good story, especially when writing for children.



According to the article, “To Rhyme or Not to Rhyme” by Dori Chaconas, in the Writer Magazine, October 2001:



“You may write in perfect rhyme, with perfect rhythm, but if your piece lacks the elements of a good story, your efforts will be all fluff without substance. I like to think of story as the key element, and if the story is solid, and conducive to rhyme, the rhyme will then enhance the story.”



This is a wonderful explanation because it mentions “if the story is solid, and conducive to rhyme.” This means that not all stories will work in rhyme, and the writer needs to know whether his will or will not.



So, if you’re interested in writing in rhyme and/or poetry, there are a number of sites and articles online that can help, there are also books available, and classes you can take. Do a Google search for the tools that are right for you.



For a head start, you can check out the sites below:



RhymeZone

http://www.rhymezone.com/

Type in a word, it gives you rhyming words



Rhymer

http://www.rhymer.com/



Rhymeus

http://www.rhymeus.com/#rhymes

Offers tips, information, dictionary, and rhyming words



Poets and Writers

http://pw.org/



eNotes

http://www.enotes.com/topics/poetry



Poetry Foundation

http://www.blogger.com/goog_532319695



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Karen Cioffi is a published author, freelance writer, and marketer, and to start the New Year with a BANG, from January 1 through February 28, 2012, she is offering all her writing and marketing e-books (purchased directly from her site/s using the Paypal SHOPPING CART) for a $1.19 each. And, this will include new titles added within that time period.



For a complete list of the available titles and links to more information:

http://www.karencioffiwritingandmarketing.com/2011/12/2012-writing-and-marketing-ebook.html



For a complete list (with brief descriptions of each ebook) go to: http://www.karencioffiwritingandmarketing.com/p/karens-books.html

Please leave a comment and cruise on over to Karen's sites for some great deals on ebooks this month. Her expertise will amaze you and will definitely be a boost for to your writing and marketing skills for the New Year. Enjoy and Blessings for your writing success.