JokermaskMany of you are going to do something this week you’ve never done before (or at least, haven’t in years):

Write an English sonnet.

Now before you click away, I promise, it’s more fun and easier than you think.  Come on…be a sportat least give it a try

Pensieve’s Poetic License is a monthly gathering of poets & non-poets, and you won’t find a more encouraging group of bloggers & writers anywhere!   English sonnets have a simple rhyming pattern, and when you’re done, you’ll feel a sense of wildly creative accomplishment.

Our theme this month is "Masked"; you can go in a thousand directions with it.  If you’re children just dressed up for trick or treating, perhaps write about candy and stomach aches and "scaries" that go bump in the night; with the election bearing down tomorrow, consider how the candidates choose to mask or unmask themselves; another suggestion, the way we all veil ourselves to some degree. 

Whimsical or serious, literal or figurative, I think this theme has great potential…won’t you join us?

Per Wikipedia:  The proper rhyme scheme for an English Sonnet (/ represents a new stanza): a-b-a-b / c-d-c-d / e-f-e-f / g-g

The form is often named after Shakespeare, not because he was the first
to write in this form but because he became its most famous
practitioner. The form consists of three quatrains and a couplet. The
third quatrain generally introduces an unexpected sharp thematic or
imagistic "turn" called a volta. The usual rhyme scheme was a-b-a-b, c-d-c-d, e-f-e-f, g-g.
In addition, sonnets are usually written in iambic pentameter,
meaning that there are 10 or perhaps even 11 or 9 syllables per line,
and that every other syllable is naturally accented. (Sonnets almost
always have 10 syllable lines, but do not always have the natural
accent.)  The sonnet must be 14 lines long, and the last two lines of the
sonnet have rhyming endings (though there may be exceptions).
In
Shakespeare’s sonnets, the couplet usually summarizes the theme of the
poem or introduces a fresh new look at the theme.

Don’t get hung up on iambic pentameter, but if you’re an experienced writer, of course you’ll want the added challenge :).

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Click the badge for details
and background info, and then make plans to link your post on Friday (if you let me know in comments, I’ll add you to my email reminder group).  Non-bloggers are welcome to a submission in Friday’s comment section. 

BTW…to sweeten the deal…a surcie will be awarded my favorite submission this month :).

Photo credit:  Venetian Mask Society

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