In this news article: Results of *wordworks’s Workshop on Folk Tales| =fense’s workshop: Simply the Sonnet| On Accepting Critique | Call for Workshop Hosts | First time you've heard of *Writers-Workshop? This section is for you.

Results of *wordworks’s Workshop on Nonfiction Poetry

A word from *Writers-Workshop: It was sad to see only one entry, but the wonderful efforts of our members in turn to critique the piece kind of shows what the true nature of workshopping is about. You may not submit a piece of writing, but by reading someone elses’ and sharing your thoughts can benefit your own writing just as much as theirs.

*wordworks’s Top Picks:

*wordworks’s results are currently unavalible. However these will be updated in our workshop journal in due course, so watch out!


=fense’s Workshop: Sound devices



=fense is a high school student living in Baltimore, Maryland. His poetry emerged out of his passion for music and song writing, and has developed overtime with influence from Victorian poets. His piece "An Ode That Rhymes" was published in JHU's Imagine Magazine after winning a nation-wide contest. When he is not writing, he is running, eating, drawing, or singing (too loudly and too often, his sister may add). He plans to attend MassArt in the fall to study graphic design.


Simply the Sonnet

I’d like to welcome everyone to my Workshop! Ever since I started writing and appreciating poetry, I have pushed others to attempt the formal styles and precise decision-making that are seen in the works of most famous poets, such as Alfred Lord Tennyson, or William Shakespeare. One feels a greater sense of maturity, complexity, and beauty in the most simple poems when proper attention is paid to rhyme and rhythm.

It is quite easy to find open poetry nowadays – it defines the angst and incongruity of today’s society, and is an easy way to express emotion. The reason I am presenting you with the tedious, sometimes obnoxious challenge of this Workshop is to test your skills not as an open book of emotion, but as a writer. Anyone can write “My heart is empty/I need to find my soul” but not many will take it the step further and produce a couplet with a specific meter and natural rhyme.

With any sign of light my heart does yearn
To seek my soul, and pray the soul return

Fixed poetry is never as natural, or as easy to understand. What it does prove, however, is that the poet can not only feel this deeper connection with the world, but present it with grace, and in a manner that displays effort and discipline.

And come on, who here has really thought about meter and rhyme schemes in the past?

So why the sonnet?

The sonnet ( "little song" ) is a perfect representation of every theme that fixed poetry encompasses. It displays a control in the rhythm of each line of poetry and the ability to rhyme, as well as a skill in telling a tale, with a climactic adjustment. You become a storyteller and a sculptor of words. If there is any challenge presented in poetic form, one will find it in the creation of a sonnet.

Have you read to this point and remain clueless as to what a Sonnet truly is? Allow me to give you some quick pointers:

A sonnet has 14-lines, and follows a specific rhyme scheme and meter. At a point in this short stretch, the poem will shift its focus (the location depends on the rhyme scheme, which gives it emphasis), or offer a solution to a problem. If one complains about love, he may ironically begin to discuss his inability to escape from it. If one explains the beauty of nature, he may begin to discuss how bothersome it is to him personally. The rhyme scheme can be one of many different combinations, but here are some notes on the most popular forms:

• English (Shakespearean): ABAB CDCD EFEF GG
The resolution will most likely occur in the concluding couplet.

• Italian (Petrarchan): ABBAABBA CDECDE
The sestet may be any combination of C, D, and/or E (CCDDEE, CDCDCD, etc.). The viewpoint shifts between the octave in the beginning (the 8-line set), and the sestet.

• Spenserian: ABAB BCBC CDCD EE
The form is similar to that of the English sonnet, and the message acts in a similar manner.

A quick note on meter: An English sonnet is most often written in iambic pentameter, but any fixed meter may be employed (this goes for each form). What remains important is that a proper meter is maintained throughout the poem. For a more in-depth analysis, visit this link: [link]

For more help, there is no greater source than Wikipedia:

[link]

And for inspiration, here are many examples:

[link]
[link] (hehe)

Your Assignment:

You are simply to write a sonnet. Pay very careful attention to all of the factors explained above. I look forward to reading them!

Please enter a new poem. You may have already attempted a sonnet in the past, but we want to encourage a fresh attempt!

How to Submit
After submitting your entry as a new deviation or scrap, send us a note with a link to your piece. Include the subject line "SONNET" in your note. The deadline is midnight February 4th 2009. All times are set for GMT. =fense will respond to the entries on Feburary 8th, 2009.

A note from *Writers-Workshop Please note that this is a Poetry workshop, meaning that we will accept Poetry entries only. Proofread your work before you send it in so that grammatical and spelling errors are minimal. And most of all, have fun with it!

On Accepting Critique

Always thank the critic. This gratitude must be as sincere as possible, even if you did not like the critique given, because the critic has taken time to offer his/her opinion of the piece.
If you do not like the critique, it is not necessary to mention so. Simply thank the critic and move on. You can always ignore their suggestions, while not making a scene of it.
If you are unsure of what the critique means, feel free to ask the critic what s/he meant. Building rapport with your critic is one of the best ways to survive in a workshop and to learn. If you want examples, ask. Similarly, if you like the suggestions given, mention it. Critic's have feelings too.
In the unlikely case that a critic offers rude/sexist/racist/etc comments, feel free to contact *Writers-Workshop in a note and we will try to help you. A decision regarding the rudeness of the critique will be taken, and if we're not sure ourselves, we will consult with one of the GDs or anyone else high up on deviantART.


First time you've heard of *Writers-Workshop? This section is for you.

*Writers-Workshop is a literature community that focuses on the development of a writer. We intend to provide a non-competitive workshop environment on dA, as well as to push good, polished writing over winning prizes or "networking".

Workshops will be conducted every fortnight; prose, poetry and free-for-all sessions will be rotated. For more information, read our: FAQ section or note us with queries.

We have been working on a list of resources for our writers: Resources for Writers which we think is worth going through. We are open to suggestions as well.

Our Diary has a list of upcoming workshops. We are booked till April!

You can host a Workshop host a Workshop, too.

Look out for new cycle of workshops, coming in a fortnight!

Staff