How to Write Free Verse

Posted on July 28th, 2009 by Marck

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Many of us were taught that poetry should have a particular scheme for verse and rhyme. While this is true for many kinds of poetry, many modern poets believe that the essence of a poem is not in the form, but in the substance. Here’s how you can write a poem in free verse.

What is Free Verse?

Free verse is a form of poetry that began as a movement against established norms and ideas in literature, where a poem should follow rhymes and measure. Some believe that the artistic value of a poem is to be found in the way it is written. Before the free verse movement, many poets were constrained and limited by meter, rhyme, and structure to convey their message.

In free verse, a poet dispenses with the traditional notions of verse and writes as freely as possible. Without the limitations of meter and rhyme, poets rely on the musical and lyrical quality of the poem to convey a message, or present a story or a scene.

Writing Free Verse

Free verse is a poem written without emphasis to rhyme or measure. Some people may mistake free verse to be “anything under the sun,” written in any way a poet likes. Free verse may be less constraining than other forms of poetry, but a piece of free verse has certain qualities that make it poetic:

Sound. Poems written in free verse have a certain lyrical or musical quality when it is read or recited.
Coherence. All poets must take up the effort to clean up their lines and tighten their poems. While a piece of free verse may be less constrained than poems that follow the conventions of verse, they should still be tight and easy to read.

Unconventional Poetry

Free verse is written in many ways:

Ars poetica is a tradition and technique in poetry where poetry is used to make the art of poetry come into being. Ars poetica may also be used to refer to the attitude of the poet, where he or she takes the time to polish, revise, and perfect the poem.
Prose. Some prose (like paragraphs or complete sentences) may be considered as free verse when they are written in a poetic manner.
Concrete poetry. Some poems may be written in such a way that the words literally take shape. When someone reads a piece of concrete poetry, he or she is influenced not only by the words, but also by the actual shape of the stanzas and lines of the poem.

Free verse may seem easier to write, but it requires a lot of patience, practice, and dedication to write a free verse piece. With these tips, you can write a meaningful poem that will come to being on its own, after you have completed and perfected it.