Board Thread:Writer's Workshop/@comment-26886981-20160916022150/@comment-29709755-20160916184207

RHYMES!

It's a bit gimmicky and forces you to use words that don't really convey the proper mood as well as a non-rhyming word could. If I were going to put somthing in meter I would have it written out as such, rather than in standard paragraph format. As I'm sure you're aware, you picked out a very formulaic plot, which is good when you're using such an experimental writing style, but the writing has to be really, really good to make it work.

So, concrete suggestions:

First, pick a rhyming scheme. The most basic is ABAB, but a more complex pattern like ABAABCBBCDCC... would probably be better.

Second, the metre. This is when you use the flow of stress patterns to place emphasis on certain words and phrases. You've probably heard of Iambic Pentameter, in which every line has ten syllables and the emphasis is on every other beat, and heavy on the final. This is one type of metre.

Finally, make sure that you're using the proper word. English doesn't like to make words rhyme, so sometimes you'll be forced into suboptimal word choice, but you should always fight to use words that convey the proper mood, tone, and most importantly, definition.

Writing rhyming poetry is very technically demanding. If you're not going to put in the effort I would abandon it, but if you can pull it off it'll be extremely rewarding.