Writing Poetry - the Art of Words that Transcend

Inspired to Write Poetry by Watching Nature

🌸 Poetry Forms & Formatting Guide

Prepared for Whims of Writing Creative Journal • February 18 2026

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Poetry is the breath of creative life — a meeting between rhythm, image, and silence. Whether you write by moonlight, by morning tea, or between petals of inspiration, each form carries its own creative rhythm.

1. Free Verse – Modern Form

No rhyme, no meter — just the natural sound of breath and pause. Align left, single spaced within stanzas, one blank line between.

a thought drifts  
between wildflowers and smoke —  
unwritten but alive

2. Rhymed Poetry

Uses rhyme for structure (AABB / ABAB). Keep rhythm musical but gentle — sound should guide, not confine.

3. Haiku & Tanka

• Haiku: 3 lines of 5‑7‑5 syllables — tiny windows of nature.
• Tanka: 5 lines of 5‑7‑5‑7‑7 — a haiku with a human breath at the end.

4. Sonnet 

14 lines in iambic pentameter. English (ABAB CDCD EFEF GG) or Italian (ABBA ABBA CDE CDE). The 9th line turns the thought — that moment of change.

5. Villanelle

19 lines (5 tercets + a closing quatrain). The opening line returns like a refrain. Rhyme scheme: ABA ABA ABA ABA ABA ABAA.

6. Pantoum

Each stanza’s second and fourth lines become the next stanza’s first and third lines — a woven pattern of memory and echo.

7. Ode & 8. Elegy

Ode: Praises a person or object with three or more stanzas of uneven length.
Elegy: Honors loss — lament → praise → comfort. Use wide spacing for breath and reflection.

9. Ballad & 10. Limerick

Ballad: Storytelling verse in 4‑line stanzas (ABCB pattern).
Limerick: 5 lines, AABBA, playful and whimsical in tone.

11. Prose Poem & 12. Concrete Poem

Prose Poem: Paragraphs that read like poetry — perfect for blog posts and journals.
Concrete Poem: Shape your poem as a leaf, wave, or heart on the page.

13. Epic / Narrative

Book‑length or sectioned story‑poems, often spiritual or journey‑based.

14. Lyric Poem

Short and personal, 2 to 4 stanzas of 3–6 lines each — emotional and melodic in tone.

15. List Poem / Catalogue

Repetition builds momentum. Each line begins with a shared phrase like “I remember…” or “I believe…” 

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Formatting Foundations for All Forms

• Font: Garamond or Times New Roman 12 pt
• Margins: 1 inch on all sides (6×9 book layout for print)
• Title: Bold, centered on its own line
• Spacing: Single within stanzas, double between stanzas
• Alignment: Left for free forms, center for classical forms

Tips for Publication and Collections

1. Start each poem on a new page in Word (Ctrl + Enter).
2. Use Heading 1 for titles so Kindle recognizes the Table of Contents.
3. Save as .docx for eBook / Save as PDF for print proofing.
4. Keep a master index with poem titles, form types, and dates.

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“Let each poem breathe its own light between lines.” 
— Whims of Writing Creative Journal 2026

© 2026 Whims of Writing Creative Journal. Traditional poetic form names are public domain; descriptive text original and created for this publication.