SIX TIPS TO RHYME LIKE A PRO

What can you do when you are in the flow, writing a killer poem, and you get stuck because you can’t find the right rhyme?  This is classic poet writer’s block.  Below are my tried and true tips, along with links to rhyming resources.

 

Roses are red, violets are orange… nothing rhymes with orange!

TIP #1 – USE A DIFFERENT WORD

Rewrite the line. The orange violet example could become: “Roses are red, violets are cool, my rhyme schemes will make you drool”

TIP #2 – CHANGE THE ORDER

The classic “Roses are red” poem rhymes the 2^nd and 4^th lines.  This could be rewritten as: “Violets are blue, roses are red, sugar is sweet, she loves me, she said!”

TIP #3 – CONSONANT COMBINATIONS & PREFIXES

We usually make a quick run through the alphabet.  If we were striving to rhyme the word “red,” we would quickly find:  bed, bled, cred, dead, fed, and so forth.  I also recommend that you add the following combinations and prefixes to your rhyming arsenal:

Sl            Bl                 Ch                Br                 Pl

St            Br                 Cl                 Fl                 Pr

Sh

 

Tr            Con              Dis               Ex      Mis     Pre

Th           De                En                In       Non    Re               

         

TIP #4 – THERE’S AN APP FOR THAT

          I personally do not use rhyming apps, but you can find free rhyming apps for your smart phone.  Droid has B-Rhymes which includes suggestions for near-rhymes.  For the iphone and ipad, RhymeNow has a free edition with over 55,000 words.

 

TIP #5 – NEAR RHYMES AND HALF RHYMES

Simple words like “red” and “you” have scores of rhymes, but other words are more difficult.  A near rhyme will often suffice; for example, a near-rhyme for “orange” is “challenge.”

 

TIP #6 – NEW WORDS

What is even more fun is to create your own new word.  My mother was masterful at this technique.  In a poem about children enjoying a snowy day, the children warm themselves with “steaming cups of choke-a-lot.” 

 

The primary sites that I use for rhymes are:

Rhyme Zone:  http://www.rhymezone.com/

Rhymer:  http://www.rhymer.com/

B-Rhymes:  http://www.b-rhymes.com/

 

Remember that not every poem needs to rhyme, but it can be challenging and fun.  Don’t let poet writer’s block stop you from completing a killer poem.  Do you have a rhyming tip that you would like to share?  Leave a comment, I would love to hear from you.  Keep writing and keep sharing!

 

-Cronin Detzz

POEM: ANGRY JACKET

ANGRY JACKET

photo by Cronin Detzz

wearing your jacket of anger
deploying your umbrella of denial
carrying a briefcase of shame
trudging to work with a stiffened smile

You smother your feelings
with your thermos of hatred
drinking it lustily as it burns your tongue

wondering when, exactly, life slipped sideways
This wasn't how it was supposed to be

Slip on your leaden shoes
and drag your heartache around
scream inside your head
until you are deafened to love's sound
Or
Draw the bows from your quiver
aim at your traumatic past
and finally kill your demons

Burn your angry jacket
in the bonfire of vanities

Wear rose colored glasses
and peer into tomorrow
see it embroidered with possibilities

Until at last
through heart-felt gratitude
you can freely run naked
in the satiny, silky present

-poem by Cronin Detzz, 2013

NEW POEM: The Way of the Ant

THE WAY OF THE ANT
The byzantine way of the ant
is slow and arduous
tedious and treacherous
Marching onward with his grain of food
hoping that he knows the way home

We hear the rain pattering on the roof
while the ant hears ant-sized water droplets
pummeling his armor
flooding his path home

Like a warrior, he marches on
tunneling in the dark, if he must
still carrying his parcel
dodging the horrific cannon balls of rain drops
never losing faith that he can make it home

O! If I had the faith of that ant
pressing on, dodging the difficulties of my life
carrying the parcel of my soul
believing that I am armored and protected
knowing that I am never alone, wherever I roam
and I could, finally at last, reach my beloved home
11/28/13 - Cronin Detzz

Photo copyright David Cobbold

POEM FOR WRITER'S BLOCK: THE GOLDEN DOOR OF DREAMS

At this time of year, my thoughts drift strongly to my dearly departed mother’s birthday, November 12.  She was taken away from us by a drunk driver when she was only 46.  Last year, I started to write a poem for her but writer’s block prevented me from finishing it.

Do you have some poems that, for some indeterminable reason, you were unable to finish?  I have a folder of half-written poems.  This year, I completed,“The Golden Door of Dreams” in time for my mother’s birthday.

In honor of overcoming writer’s block, I offer the following poem:

THE GOLDEN DOOR OF DREAMS

 

As she opens the secret door

Beautiful light rippled across the floor

“Wake up,” cried Ma, “open your eyes and see

I open the Golden Door of what is and will always be”

 

“Mother, please come in and speak to me,

Quickly now, before it is too late

Reveal the secrets before you cross

beyond the reach of heaven’s gate”

 

The golden light glitters

tiny flecks of honey swirling

Ma beckons me to follow

The bedroom is whirling

 

I stood at the threshold

And slowly opened the door

The whole world disappeared

And the sky became my floor

 

“Time is an illusion,” she said

“Your life is but a dream

Wake up, my child, to reality

and listen to life’s audible stream”

 

I reached out, grasping at thin air

hoping to catch an angels’ wing

“She does not see,” a voice boomed

And I could no longer see anything

 

Once again, I was back in my room

saddened at the end of the angelic show

I wanted to hug my Ma one last time

to hold her tight and never let go

 

I lay back down and closed my eyes,

imagining that she was there

She swept away the monsters under the bed

kissed my forehead and patted my hair

 

Now I know that life is a dream within a dream

that time is an illusory focus, a painting that’s brittle

Ma goes downstairs to make coffee and pancakes

and leaves the door open, just a little

 

Happy birthday, Ma. I miss you – Cronin Detzz 2013

5 TIPS: SLAY THE BEAST - GETTING YOUR BOOK FINISHED

5 TIPS: SLAY THE BEAST-GETTING YOUR BOOK FINISHED

Woo-hoo! I set a goal of one book per year, and my next book, "Supernatural Poetry," has just been released and is available at Amazon.

How do you slay procrastination the double-headed monster of procrastination and writer's block? How should you motivate yourself to finish your writing projects?

"FINISHED IS BETTER THAN PERFECT"

Click here for link to Amazon

Procrastination is a huge hurdle in writer's block. Below are a few ideas to help you slay that beast: 

1. Set a realistic deadline and have someone hold you accountable. This has worked for me thus far. I made an announcement to my dear relatives in Chicago, who live 1,500 miles away, that I would have a new book done when I visit each year. I do not want to let them down.

2. Write down your goal. It must be in writing. Make it realistic and specific, such as: "Write four chapters by the last day of this month." Put this goal in a visible place.

3. Write yourself 5 motivational notes such as, "Get that chapter done by next Monday." Have fun with it.  Imagine starting off your day with a note that reads "I believe in you!" Put those 5 notes in unusual places around the house. You could try the refrigerator, the bathroom mirror, a lampshade, inside your slippers, and on your computer.

4. Reward yourself when you meet a goal. This does not have to be expensive or elaborate, simply memorable. For example, you could stash five Snickers bars away and only allow yourself to eat one after you accomplish your goal. 

5. Most of all, remember that finished is better than perfect. Your grammar and punctuation must be perfect, but the inner content does not need all the rewrites that we writers suffer through.

Huzzah!  My latest book, "Supernatural Poetry," is a fusion of my photography and poetry.  It is such a great feeling to slay that writer's block beast and get it done! It is available at Amazon. You can peek inside by clicking on the following link: http://www.amazon.com/Supernatural-Poetry-Nancy-Kennedy/dp/1492388947/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1382294012&sr=8-1&keywords=cronin+detzz

Keep writing and keep sharing! - Cronin Detzz

POEM: BLACK VELVET WITH DIAMONDS

BLACK VELVET WITH DIAMONDS
The rained pummeled His roof
for days and days
When the leaden clouds parted
He was lifted from His haze

So He built an impossibly long table
Draped it with black velvet
And littered it with diamonds

The newborn twinkling stars
Surely never shown so bright
The nascent moon
Surely never looked so kind
As they did on that first cloudless night

God reclined on his couch, satisfied
Took a nap
And dreamed up man
To be a willing audience,
To appreciate His nocturnal nativity
-poem by Cronin Detzz

Keep writing & keep sharing!

POEM: SUMMERDREAM BIRTHDAY WISH

A poem for my fellow writers...

SUMMERDREAM BIRTHDAY WISH

Take me to a magic summerplace
Where duality does not exist
Where pale, cold pain cannot remain
And love's warmth cannot resist

In my heavenly summer realm
Majestic thunderheads will purpley flume
evanescent rain will fall like shiny copper pennies
As amber dew drops adorn tiger lilies in bloom

I dream of a shimmering place
Where the darkness cannot comprehend
Where sunflowers laugh (and in harmony, sing!)
And beautifully long summer days never end

O take me to that place
Where stone-cold hearts cannot exist
Where mother nature goldenly smiles
And gentle jasmine breezes are sun-kissed

Where happiness cannot perish
And nothing turns to dust
Where moth and rust cannot corrupt
Games of hopscotch spontaneously erupt

Through the august fires of August
Death's piercing eyes will go blind with shame
Warmongers and fearmongers will be vanquished
The four apocalyptic horses will go lame

The soft lichens hug strong boulders
Like verdigris upon a bronze statue
while in my summer realm, skin is not white
nor black, nor Hare Krishna blue

In my eternal summerplace
Hatred will wither and die
ice cream drips down sticky elbows
Cotton candy clouds pinkly float by

Cartwheels in the manicured green
A sparkling lake lazily licks the shore
O summer, swathed in gold and green
So full of love, I couldn't ask for more
- Cronin Detzz

5 GREAT TIPS TO IMPROVE YOUR STORY'S SETTING

WRITER'S BLOCK: WHERE ARE YOU?

The texture of a slimy earthworm, the sound of a creeking door, the lack of sight in a dark and cold mausoleum, and the taste of bile in your mouth upon seeing a decaying corpse are all examples of setting in a story.

It's surprising to me that writers often focus on character development, dialog, and action sequence, and while juggling all these balls in the air, they drop the ball on setting.

Setting explains the physical environment of your characters and gives the reader a shift in mood. Writers are good at letting us know when it rains, but give us more than the dew point. Is the room crowded? Is it noisy or quiet? What colors pop out? Does it smell musty, fresh, or malodorous?

Certain types of music can also provide setting - Nirvana's 90's grunge has a different vibe from Bob Marley, for instance. What your characters are wearing can also add depth.

If you get writer's block when describing setting, try some of these tips:
1. Physically go to a location that is similar to your story. For instance, if your characters are in a restaurant, bring writing materials with you to your next dining experience and record every sight, sound, and taste.
2. Look at a photo of a similar location. Use photos of your own or use Google images.
3. If setting is a weak point for you, then simply plow through your story and add setting later.
4. My FAVORITE tip, which I recently used myself: after the story was done, I created an outline in Microsoft Excel. I created a new row for each chapter. The columns were labeled as:
A. Chapter #
B. Name of Chapter
C. Brief description of events
D. Character name & descriptors (this shows me in which chapter the character was first introduced)
E. SETTING. this shows where certain setting elements are first introduced and prevents duplicate descriptions. This also shows which chapters are lacking setting references.
5. If you have a favorite book that is replete with setting, glance through the pages. My fave author who is masterful at setting is Carlos Luis Zafron, who wrote "Prisoner of Heaven" and other modern-day gothic tales.

Some writers are masterful at setting while others struggle. What works best for you? I'd love to hear from you.

Keep writing and keep sharing! - Cronin Detzz

3 TIPS FOR FRAGMENTED WRITING: I’M BATMAN

This teenage boy I know says, "I have a great idea for story: Batman goes into this virtual reality game in a contest against Ra's al Ghul, only Batman doesn’t know that the game actually creates real events. At the end of my story, Batman must be the one who goes back in time to kill his own parents."

So this boy writes the best parts of his juicy, action-packed story but get's writer's block when it comes to storyline rules, such as writing a compelling first page, creating masterful segues and crafting spine-tingling page-turners.

This type of writer's block is okay, and very normal! Don't let it stop you!

Go ahead and write all your favorite parts. You can fill in the gaps later. Your favorite portions are the heart and soul of your masterpiece. If you find that you are lamenting over fragmentation (how to string the pieces together), just have some trust in yourself and give it time.

Three key tips on fragmentation that I have found to be useful in overcoming writer's block include:

1. Before you go to sleep, write down your problem on a piece of paper. You can phrase it in the form of a question, such as: "How do I get Batman to accept a challenge from Ra's al Ghul?" This allows your subconscious to contemplate the issue.

2. Many writers have fragments of other stories in their treasure chests. Why not incorporate elements of your other stories into your current endeavor?

3. Use real events. Although we have never played a virtual reality game against a villain, we have had to deal with bullies at some point in our lives. How did you meet that bully? How did he make you feel? What elements in the bully's life formed him into such a tyrant?

I don’t normally create an outline until the primary sequence of events are clear. You may find that writing an outline is helpful at some stage, and I'd love to hear from you on this topic.

Keep writing and keep sharing! - Cronin Detzz

WHICH 3 BOOKS CHANGED YOUR LIFE? HOW DID THEY FIND YOU?

What are 3 books that changed your life? Why? How did these books "find" you?

Some books are highly entertaining and memorable. This question, however, asks you to dig deeper into the epiphanies and revelations of particular stories that have inspired you.

My three books are:
1. "Mans Search for Meaning" by Dr. Victor Frankl
2. "Wizard of Oz" by Frank L. Baum
3. "Flowers for Algernon" by Daniel Keyes

"Mans Search for Meaning" was given to me by my boss at a time when I was extremely disheartened and ill. Dr. Frankl, a Holocaust survivor, explores which mental fortitudes enabled prisoners to survive. This book reminds me of my favorite quote, which is taped to my fridge. "In the absence of certainty, there is always hope."

"Wizard of Oz" is my favorite fairy tale because it reminds us that there's no place like home, that we already possess all the gifts we need to craft an amazing life, and that women will do anything for ruby slippers!

"Flowers for Algernon" was required reading in 7th grade. The writer uses a masterful style of compiling a diary that shows the progression of a scientific experiment conducted on a man of very limited intellectual capacity. The experiment is a success, raising his I.Q. from drastic lows to astronomical heights. The subject grows his mind all the way to a state of nirvana. This book gives me hope that God reaches from His omnipotent realm down to our low state of being. The story begs us to question how much knowledge is truly necessary in order to reach Him.

There are many other books that have inspired our writing style, entertained us, and helped inspire us to remove our writer's blocks. On your list of top three books, do you notice that not only have they influenced the direction of your core values, they have also given you direction in your writing style?

As writers, we must remember to treasure those unique tomes that moved our spirits. If you need motivation to get past a writer's block, re-read your top three books.

Keep writing and keep sharing! - Cronin Detzz

Pushing the Envelope – New Challenge to Remove Writer’s Block

Sometimes we see poets complaining via social media that they want to write but they feel wrung dry.  This is what we refer to as writer’s block.  We feel an irrepressible need to write, and when our muses are silent, we get aggravated.

Chuck Yeager, the first pilot to break the sound barrier, would be proud of this blog.  Chuck Yeager pushed the envelope of supersonic flight and “pushing the envelope” steadily grew into popular phraseology.  Pushing the envelope does not have anything to do with the postal service, rather, it means pushing a mathematical envelope of normal possibilities.

One way that writers tackle writer’s block is through poetry writing prompts.  Personally, many writers will agree that the best poetry writing prompts are the ones that push the envelope of the traditional iambic pentameter.

Using an alchemy of mathematical structures and writing, you can create a fun poetic masterpiece. Remember back in school when you were given a writing assignment with forced structure?  (Yeah, most of us hated that.)  The type of structure we suggest here is akin to cryptology.  Could you write a poem where the first word of each line rhymes?  Could you write a poem of homonyms?

Check out this fun ABC poem, shared with the permission of poet, Eric Musse:

Crazed Word Smithery

Another banished boy
Courageously creatively
Displaying every facetious facet
Gregariously hilariously
Interpreting indiscriminate implemented juxtaposed jurisdictions

Killing lusty lascivious laminated Mesopotamian mentalities
Neutralizing obvious overt possibilities
Quarantining ridiculous responding superficial Sumerian scleras
Seeking torturous time travel tendencies
Underlying viciously vacuous violent wizard-line youthful Zohar zealots.
-          Eric Musse (c) 2013

Thank you, Eric Musse and Chuck Yeager, for reminding us to continue pushing the envelope.

Keep writing and keep sharing!
Cronin Detzz

ANAGRAM POETRY IN 5 EASY STEPS

Feed me!  Anagram Poetry by Cronin Detzz

Here is a new challenge for your inner poet! Tackle your poetry writing block with an anagram of your name. The longer your name is, the more words you might find, but this is not always the case.

1. Start by choosing the name you'd like to anagram. I recommend starting with your own name. If you'd like to write an anagram for your ma (nice Mother's Day or birthday gift!) And her name is Jane Doe, you might want to also use her maiden name or make an anagram from a short phrase, like:"Jane Doe, the greatest mother ever."

2. Make a list of words. Give yourself extra points if you can create a word without using the same letter twice. For instance, Jane Doe only has one "d," so challenge yourself to use words that require only one "d." "Jane Doe, the greatest mother ever" contains words like an, and, are, as, dart, dear, do, don't, even, emote, gem, go, great, has, hath, heat, meager, mood, more, neat, nod, node, need, never, one, ogre, onto, over, read, remote, rev, she, so, some, son, stand, tart, tear, test, them, there, ton, vest. I'm sure you'll find more, as well.

3. Expand your word list, remembering word prefixes and suffixes. It is similar to playing a game of Scrabble or doing a good old fashioned word search. For example, many words end in "-tion," "-est," and "-ly." Many words begin with "pre-," "in," or "re." Our example contains retest, greater, greatest.

4. Look for short articles such as "in" or "the." You may find different insects or animals as well. This example has a doe, a dog, a deer and a moth. Keep your mind open.

5. Finally, see what you can string together. Don't worry if it doesn't rhyme. If you need a few more words, try rewriting all the letters in a jumbled order and your eyes will pick up new combinations.

Jane, a dear mother, a gem
Great to meet, she is neat
Never a greater heart
Most others never even start
She stands the test
Dare to meet the greatest
A hero, she has the "mostest"

Psychics say that our names have a vibration that is unique to each of us. Guess that makes me "so cozy!"

Keep writing and keep sharing!
- Cronin "Suzy" Detzz

EMANCIPATED FROM RHYMES-WRITER'S BLOCK

EMANCIPATED FROM RHYMES

Here is a great tip for removing writer’s block – try writing a short poem!  When writing short poetry, writers often focus on Haikus or Tankas.  Another fun writing concept is to write in quatrains.  Quatrains, quite simply, are four lines of verse.  A quatrain normally has a rhyming scheme.   Below is an example of AABB, from one of my poems entitled "Red on the Inside."

Bend like the willow trees

Quiet as the summer breeze

Laugh like a gentle stream

Joyful as a baby’s dream

-        Cronin Detzz

A quatrain can also have a rhyming scheme like this familiar verse, where lines 2 and 4 rhyme:

Roses are red,

Violets are blue,

Sugar is sweet,

And so are you

A fantastic writing challenge is to write an impactful quatrain that does not rhyme.  Fellow poet, Teresa E. Gallion, is masterful in this style:

I stared down a wolf

Claiming the edge of the forest

This is not the first time

Courage has dominated my life

Teresa E. Gallion

From these four lines, we can imagine ourselves encountering a wolf in a forest.  A great aspect of this poem is that it can also be looked at in a more metaphorical sense; for instance, staring down “a wolf” could be thought of as staring down a fear.  If someone is afraid of heights, the wolf becomes a symbol of that fear.

Short poems can offer a snapshot of emotion. In this next quatrain, consider the abundant feelings when gazing upon a sleeping loved one:

I lay a prayer on your chest

To soothe your burning sleep

It is selfish to hold back

When love flows in my river

Teresa E. Gallion

A quatrain can also provide a chuckle of irony:

A thought of you so powerful

It breaks my wine glass

I cannot afford such thoughts

Crystal is too expensive

Teresa E. Gallion

Now that you have been emancipated from rhyming schemes, try to remove your writer’s block by penning four lines of poetry.  You can do this!

A special thanks goes out to Teresa E. Gallion for sharing her beautiful quatrains.  Her work can be found at the links below:

http://teresagallion.yolasite.com/my-new-book.php

Note:  Also available at Amazon Kindle store:

http://www.amazon.com/Contemplation-High-Desert-ebook/dp/B007SO8CYC/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1336355015&sr=8-2

Keep writing and keep sharing! - Cronin Detzz

SECRETS MAKE YOU SICK

Want to know a secret?  Secrets can make you sick, and you can use your writing skills for better health.

It’s no secret that the body and mind are knotted together in a symbiotic dance.  For instance, if you have a headache, chances are you’ll not be  in a good mood.  Conversely, feeling drained or stressed can give you a headache.  Our moods influence our eating choices, disrupt our sleep, raise our blood pressure, and create digestive problems.  When a deep secret haunts your life, your moods and health will both be affected.  Therapists often uncover secrets because they easily see the signs, such as  anorexia, drug addictions, or anxiety.

Most people have some secrets that are kept tucked away.  Some secrets are generally benign, such as:  “I tell my friends I’m happy being single, but I secretly wish I were married.”  Some secrets are dark and deep and emotionally draining.  Your secrets have helped shape who you have become.

Writing is a cathartic outlet.  Writers often put a piece of themselves into their characters, and in the process, evolve through self-exploration.  As you craft your stories, remember that it can be very helpful to drag those secrets out of the closet and write about the experience.  To help remove your writer’s block, ask yourself the following questions:

·        If the secret is a result of a traumatic event, how did you feel at the time? 

·        What beliefs have encouraged you to keep the secret? 

·        Do you feel judged?   If so, by whom?

·        What is it like to carry around a suitcase full of shame? 

·        Are you trying to numb your mind by forgetting about the secret, or by alcohol or drugs?

·        If you have revealed your secret to a loved one, how did it feel?  What did your loved one say to you?

Recently, I was driving in a run-down part of Chicago with Sandy, an old pal.  As she and as I passed by an alley, a deep-seated memory flashed before my eyes.  I had been raped in that alley when I was a teenager, and I had completely forgotten about the incident.  I had a boyfriend at that time, and because the boyfriend beat the rapist to a bloody pulp, I felt vindicated.  I told Sandy about this, and she was shocked.  She encouraged me to write about the experience in my next book.  I told her that I never thought about the incident, stating that it doesn’t bother me.  She objected, telling me that this is a significant, life-altering event that deserves my attention.  Having her support was a huge relief.  I will be adding the incident to my next book.

I wish sound health to you all, and hope that you find strength and peace through writing.

Keep writing and keep sharing! – Cronin Detzz