Poetry is a razzle-dazzle world—masterfully done, it’s delightful, elevating mere words into something inexplicable yet MORE. It resists summary. It’s unputdownable. It’s art. But it’s also notoriously difficult to do well, which is why entire constellations of literary agents won’t represent rhymed picture book manuscripts. If you’re too enchanted by the gorgeous language to stop yourself, how to start?
Step One: Plot
One of the signs of an ineffective rhymed text is a lack of plot progression. Nip this in the bud by deciding what happens before switching to verse. Without further ado, let’s crack on!
Step Two: Critique Group
You didn’t think you’d get away that easily did you? Kidlit critique groups like SCBWI are essential for deciding if you’ve done what you’ve intended to. Does your story begin unforgettably, escalate believably, and end inevitably? Now’s the time to iron out story-level issues, point of view (first, second, third), and closeness (omniscient or deep). Upfront, it’s a lot of work, but it will save you lots of time later. There’s nothing like laboring over scansion for weeks, only to cut your darlings because they’re not moving the story forward! That plot progression is key! Once you’ve passed your critique group, you’re ready for more.
Step Three: Draft
You’ve figured out the plot. There’s a beginning, middle, and end. Next, you have to decide on meter. For me, it’s a little more like finding than deciding. I write, searching for unique turns of phrase that feel sparkly. For beginning poets, two-syllable feet—trochees and iambs—may be easier to work with, but anapests and dactyls are options, too. If you don’t know what these are, take time to study up. This is only the first draft. In order to have a perfect result, there’s more.
If there’s a refrain—titular or not—you have to figure that out first because it’s a linchpin line that will occur in multiple spreads. Now’s the time to figure out any wordplay or must-have phrases, making sure they align with your meter. For example if you want to use the cliché phrase “red as a rose,” that scans as “RED as a ROSE” (in my favorite version of notation, / U U /). Both red and rose are stressed, with two unstressed beats between. If you’re going to write perfectly, that demands anapests or dactyls. See why it’s important to identify those key phrases that feel like must-haves?
After gathering a bunch of possibilities, it’s time to find your structure. Are you writing in couplets, triplets, quatrains? Will the rhyme scheme be ABAB, or something else? Finish your first draft, no matter how imperfect it is at first. I often use brackets to indicate unsolved words. For example, when I have a line that’s too short by a couple of syllables, I write [/ U] or whatever the missing stresses are. Then I solve it later, when I have time for line-level revisions. The important thing is to get through the whole story on your first go. If you stop mid-way through, it can be hard to get going again. But solving an unfinished line or two? Easy.
Step Four: Creative Rest
Maybe creative rest seems unnecessary to you, but that’s because you may not realize the grueling nature of what’s ahead. Once you finish that first draft, put it away for a few months if you can. Drawer time isn’t just for avoiding creative burnout. It’s also for the story’s benefit. When you re-encounter your work after an adequate break, what you were trying to do will have faded, thereby forcing to see what you actually wrote. If it works for you as it does for me, you’ll get that, “aw, I’m so smart,” feeling while reading the sections that are working and the corresponding “ugh” as you read the sections that aren’t. The path of necessary revisions will be clear.
Step Five: Read Aloud
If you haven’t been reading aloud while writing, it’s time now. Recording yourself and listening to the recording is certainly helpful. However, it’s also time to share your rhymed book with trusted, objective readers. I do occasionally get feedback from family, but mostly as a way to share my life with them and not as professional-level advice. Take it back to your critique group from step 2, or swap with a critique partner who also writes in rhyme. Even if people don’t have the right fixes, they can point out problem areas where the established meter is telling them one thing and the typical pronunciation of a word is telling them another. For example, did you know that the word “goodbye” has emphasis on the BYE? Thank goodness I had looked it up in the dictionary! (And by the way, you can look up stress patterns in the dictionary!)
Step Six: Use a Dictionary
So that brings up your next bit… look up any word that’s longer than two syllables, just to double check that you’ve gotten it right. Some words can be tricky, like adios. In English, it’s pronounced with three syllables: ah-DEE-os. In Spanish, it’s pronounced with two syllables: ah-DYOS. When you find troublesome spots, you’ll need to choose a different word. For example, you could swap anew ( U/ ) for new ( / ), which would add an unstressed beat at the beginning. Or you could swap in newer (U/) to add the unstressed beat at the tail end of the word.
To make sure that readers can read it effortlessly, it must be reader-proof. Readers aren’t poets, so every syllable matters. To keep my copy clean while I’m writing, I like to write in two columns. The first column (on the left side of my screen) is my text without the scansion notes. In the right column, I add the scansion. You can do whatever you like with your drafts, but I need to both see and not see my notes while I’m revising. Work through the entire manuscript until you’re sure it’s perfect.
Are you done? Not quite!
Step Seven: Professional Feedback
Each line of your rhymed picture book should nail both plot and meter, appearing to do it effortlessly. After all, poetry is for showing off. And who better to assist you than an editor? Whether you choose a freelancer or sign up for an SCBWI critique, find someone with a PhD in poetry or who’s otherwise qualified to help, such as an author with a traditionally published rhyming picture book. You’re so close! After getting that feedback, revise one more time…or perhaps, ad nauseam…it takes the time it takes!
Was it more complicated than you expected? Helpful? Let me know.
Happy writing,
Stephanie
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