Toluu : Writing Forward

Writing Forward

You might be using literary devices without even knowing it. Is there something you do frequently in your poetry, some bit of flair you always throw in, some pattern, some little trick?

If so, then learning poetry terms will help you identify the techniques you’re using and put a name to them.

Today, I’d like to talk about enjambment. It’s not a term you hear often, and I am going to guess that there are a lot of writers (and poets) out there who have never heard of it. And a few who’ve heard the term but don’t know what it means.

At first glance, enjambment looks like a device that would only be useful in poetry, but I found that it has other applications as well.

Enjambment

In traditional poems, the end of a complete thought or idea usually coincides with the end of a line. But what happens when you break the line in an unexpected place? And how does a poet make decisions about where to place a line break?

As it turns out, this practice is called enjambment. Here’s how Wikipedia defines it:

Enjambment is the breaking of a syntactic unit (a phrase, clause, or sentence) by the end of a line or between two verses. It is to be contrasted with end-stopping, where each linguistic unit corresponds with a

Creative Nonfiction: The AutobiographyFebruary 4

The form that is creative nonfiction can be confusing. It’s easy to differentiate by length – we know an essay is much shorter than a book. But what is the difference between an autobiography and a memoir? Or what’s the difference between an autobiography and biography?

What, exactly, is an autobiography?

The Autobiography

The terms for autobiography and memoir are often used interchangeably and with good reason. They are similar in concept. However, an autobiography is generally an account of the writer’s life whereas a memoir has a narrower focus. Memoirs often cover a specific time period or experience, and often emphasize the writer’s inner life (thoughts, ideas, and emotions) whereas an autobiography emphasizes the exterior (experiences).

What’s a Biography?

It’s worthwhile to note that biography (as opposed to an autobiography) is written by someone other than the subject of the book. In short, if you write the story of your own life, it’s an autobiography. If you write the story of someone else’s life, it’s a b

February News and AnnouncementsFebruary 2

This month, we enter the heart of winter. Lots of people will be warding off the cold by cozying up to someone special on Valentine’s Day. In the meantime, put your writing skills to work by composing love notes to your sweetie.

This time of year inspires a lot of love stories and romantic poetry as well as seasonal reflections. I like February because it’s often a rainy month, and the sound of rain pattering against the rooftops and windowpanes makes me very happy.

Some folks don’t like the weather that winter brings. No worries! Spring is right around the corner — it starts next month!

With spring on the horizon, I’m eagerly plowing through several big projects. I’ve made good on my goal to write more poetry, although I still need to work on submitting it to print publications. Sometimes I think the internet has made me lazy. After all, I can always publish my own poetry. Do I really need to try and get it published elsewhere?

The answer is yes and no. Indeed, I can publish my own work (and I already have a website primed for just that), but there is a definite validation that comes from someone else (preferably someone reputable) choosing to publish it. I don’t

Good Grammar and CapitalizationJanuary 28

Proper capitalization is one of the cornerstones of good grammar, yet many people fling capital letters around carelessly.

Not every word deserves to be capitalized. It’s an honor that must be warranted, and in writing, capitalization is designated only for very special words.

Capitalization of Titles

Keep in mind that there are several contexts in which we can examine capitalization. For example, when writing a title (of a blog post, for example), almost all of the words in the title are capitalized. This is called title case.

Title case is used for titles of books, articles, songs, albums, television shows, magazines, movies… you get the idea.

Capitalization isn’t normally applied to every word in a title. Smaller words, such as a, an, and the are not capitalized. Some writers use a capitalization rule for only those words longer than three letters. Others stretch it to four. There’s no fixed grammar rule for which words are capitalized in a title and you should check your style guide for spe

Types of Poems: HaikuJanuary 26

Haiku. A beautiful word for a beautiful form of poetry.

Haiku is rooted in a much older form of traditional Japanese poetry called renga. A renga is a collaborative (or linked) poem that is composed by two or more people. The opening verse of a renga is called a hokku (starting verse), and it is made up of three metrical units with a pattern of 5-7-5 syllabic units. The hokku evolved into a standalone poem, which we know today as haiku.

Although haiku appears to be one of the simplest types of poems, it’s actually quite complex. To truly understand haiku, you need to know a little bit about the Japanese language, or more specifically, some key differences between Japanese and English. Also, traditional haiku adhere to a few pretty strict rules regarding form and content.

Before we delve into the structure of these types of poems, let’s look at the history of haiku, get to know the four great masters of the form, and read a couple of traditional haiku poems.

The Four Masters of Haiku

Masaoka Shiki (1867-1902) is partially credited with coining the term haiku. Shiki was a Japanese writer who was dedicated to modernizing poetry and who is considered a revolutionary poet because he popularized two types of poems: haiku and t