08-10-2018, 12:55 AM
So I was receiving feedback from someone the other day (not on this site) on my latest poem, which was an Italian sonnet. They said that the meter reads as a bore to the ear, which was basic iambic pentameter; I had the meter set up as strictly such, line-by-line, all 140 syllables. They said that they were expecting variations in the meter and that, intrinsically, variations are what's expected when writing in meter. I responded that since it was my first time writing in form I didn't want to go too far out the box that was established long before me, because to do otherwise might make me come off as ignorant and like I didn't know what I was doing.
1. Is it expected of a novice poet to strictly stick to the meter they've committed to? Or is it expected of a poet, novice or veteran, to vary the meter with, for example, a couple spondees if they are writing in iambic?
2. If it is expected of a novice poet to strictly stick to the meter they've committed to, should novice poets also be encouraged to experiment?
One last thing: I typically thought that poets spend their time perfecting their craft only so they can begin experimenting with convention when they feel they are more comfortable or they have a significant amount of credible works under their belt. Should this be the model formula for every poet's catalog?
1. Is it expected of a novice poet to strictly stick to the meter they've committed to? Or is it expected of a poet, novice or veteran, to vary the meter with, for example, a couple spondees if they are writing in iambic?
2. If it is expected of a novice poet to strictly stick to the meter they've committed to, should novice poets also be encouraged to experiment?
One last thing: I typically thought that poets spend their time perfecting their craft only so they can begin experimenting with convention when they feel they are more comfortable or they have a significant amount of credible works under their belt. Should this be the model formula for every poet's catalog?