From one hundred and one Inventive Writing Exercises: Haiku
by Brilliant in Writing Exercises 0
In the present day’s writing exercise comes from my not too long ago published book, one hundred and one Inventive Writing Exercises, which takes writers on an thrilling journey through completely different varieties and genres while providing writing techniques, practical experience, and inspiration.
Each chapter focuses on a unique form or writing concept: freewriting, journaling, memoirs, fiction, storytelling, type poetry, free verse, characters, dialogue, creativity, and article and weblog writing are all covered.
As we speak, we’ll take a peek at “Chapter Seven: Type Poetry” with a poetry train simply called “Haiku.” Enjoy!
Haiku
Although haiku appears to be one of the simplest poetry varieties, it’s truly quite complex. To really perceive haiku, it is advisable know just a little bit about the Japanese language, or more particularly, some key variations between Japanese and English. Additionally, conventional haiku adhere to a couple fairly strict rules relating to kind and content.
A haiku consists of seventeen moras or phonetic units. The phrase mora can loosely be translated as syllable.
A haiku is a seventeen-syllable verse. Historically, haiku had been written on a single line, but modern haiku occupy three strains of 5-7-5 syllables.
Haiku also use a tool referred to as kireji (cutting word). This phrase breaks the haiku into two components, that are distinctly totally different however inherently connected. The kireji is just not an idea utilized in English, so poets writing haiku in English typically use punctuation marks as an alternative of kireji, normally a hyphen or ellipses.
The kireji gives construction to the verse and emphasizes imagery used on either side. It could not at all times be simple to establish the kireji in a haiku, but if you happen to search for a word or punctuation mark that abruptly breaks the practice of thought and severs the haiku into two elements, you’ve in all probability found it.
One other basic ingredient of haiku is the kigo (season word). A real haiku is ready in a particular season and is fundamentally concerned with nature. The kigo might be an apparent word like snow (indicating winter) or it could be obscure as with a phrase like leaves (which could be present in any season).
Up to date Haiku
There may be much debate (and some controversy) over what technically qualifies as a haiku. Some poets merely adhere to the 5-7-5 syllabic and line structure and disrespect the kireji and kigo elements. Purists insist that a poem shouldn't be haiku if it doesn't meet all the traditional requirements.
Moreover, many trendy poets do not write haiku that exclusively deal with nature. Contemporary haiku discover nearly any topic imaginable.
The Exercise
Try your hand at writing a few haiku. For this train, deal with writing a poem that's seventeen syllables on three traces with the following meter: 5-7-5.
Suggestions: Probably the most fascinating haiku are quite lovely and use imagery that is nearly tangible. Many haiku have a component of surprise or use turns of phrase which are clever, harking back to puns.
Variations: Write a few haiku that comply with stricter, extra traditional rules. These haiku are concerned with nature and include the kireji (chopping phrase) and kigo (season phrase).
Applications: Haiku stay common and will be present in literary and poetry journals. They're also splendid for social media (especially Twitter) and are fun and fast to write. They promote clear, concise writing and can assist you domesticate the art of using vivid imagery.
