Write Alliteration Poems

Alliteration is the repetition of sound in two or more words, usually in close proximity to one another. It's a powerful poetic technique that, when used correctly, can contribute to the sound and mood of a poem. Alliteration is often used in entertaining poetry, like in many of Dr. Seuss's books for children. However, it can also be done in traditional poetry to make a poem flow better, have a stronger structure, and stand out as a "musical" piece of writing.

Steps

Writing an Alliteration Poem

1. Learn what alliteration is. Beginner poets might be unsure of what an alliteration poem is. If you're just starting out, you may be confused between assonance, consonance, and alliteration. Though similar, these terms do have distinct differences.
   • Assonance involves the repetition of the same or similar vowel sounds in the stressed syllable of a word. These vowel sounds are then followed by unrelated consonant sounds (for example, "hate" and "sale").
   • Consonance involves the repetition of the same or similar consonant sounds in the stressed syllable. These consonant sounds are preceded by unrelated vowel sounds (for example, "irk" and "torque").
   • Alliteration involves the repetition of sounds through multiple words or syllables in a poem.
   • If you're not clear on what an alliteration poem looks like, try searching online for published alliteration poems by well known authors. The Poetry Foundation website is an excellent place to start your search.
2. Choose a form. An alliteration poem can take on a number of forms. It can focus on a single sound that's repeated throughout the poem, or it can take on multiple sounds throughout the poem.
   • Remember that alliterations do not repeat letters, they repeat sounds. Because of this, "fish" and "physics" alliterate one another, even though they begin with different consonants.
   • True/proper alliteration does not just repeat the consonant sounds at the beginnings of words; they repeat the syllable that is stressed most strongly. For example, "above the belt" works because a reader of that line would stress the "b"s (aBove the Belt).
   • Your poem can reuse just a single alliterative letter, if you want. Alternately, your alliterative poem can change up the letters that alliterate within each line.
   • Alliteration can be used as much as possible throughout the entire poem, like in Gerard Manley Hopkins's poem "Spelt from Sibyl's Leaves".
   • Alternately, alliteration can be used sparsely to accent or emphasize an image or phrase within the poem. See, for example, Yolanda Wisher's poem, "Love is Like a Faucet".
3. Play with consonants. A good place to begin with an alliteration poem is to write out a list of words that start with the same letter and sound. Even if you don't end up using most of those words, it will help get you thinking about sound and spelling.
   • Choose a consonant. Most alliterative poetry uses consonants at the beginnings of words instead of vowels.
   • Try to think of as many words as you can that begin with your chosen letter and write them down. For example, if you've chosen the letter "B," you might write "boy," "brave," "bring," "behind," "bad," and so on.
   • Circle or highlight the words that relate (even in an abstract way) to what you've chosen as your subject matter. The connections don't have to make sense yet, but there should at least be some vague connection in your mind.
4. Start piecing words together. Now that you have a list of compiled consonants, you can begin constructing phrases out of those consonants. If this is your first attempt at writing alliterations, you may want to spend some extra time getting comfortable with the writing process.
   • You probably won't use all of the words you compiled, and that's okay. New words will come to you, especially once you start focusing on your poem's purpose and mood.
   • Use a dictionary and/or thesaurus if you're having trouble coming up with words.
   • Remember to focus on the sound and mood of each word as you string together phrases and lines.
   • Try to form coherent phrases and sentences with your words. Remember to include a subject, verb, and object in each phrase.
   • Continuing the example with the letter "B," you might compose a phrase like "Bad boys bargain, but betting brings burden."
5. Combine your phrases into stanzas. You may decide to use some or all of your phrases, or you may find that you want to start from scratch. If you're keeping your phrases, try rearranging their order to produce new and interesting lines of poetry.
   • Try to avoid using too many alliterations per stanza. Some poets recommend using no more than three or four alliterative words per line to avoid confusing word play.
   • Focus on getting a coherent poem down first (if that is your intention for the poem), and add in alliterative language after you've got a few lines or a stanza for your poem.
   • You can insert alliterative language by looking through the lines you've written and substituting non-alliterative words with words that start with the same consonant sounds.

Finding Ways to Get Inspired

1. Decide what type of poem you want. Alliteration is often used in children's books for a whimsical, lyrical effect. However, many traditional poets, like Samuel Taylor Coleridge, also use alliteration in poetry. Before you begin to write your poem, you should decide what kind of poem it is you want to compose.
   • There are many different ways to use alliteration in poetry.
   • Children's poetry typically deals with everyday subjects or nonsensical word combinations, often using repetition, rhyme, and lyrical/musical sounds.
   • More traditional forms of poetry can take many forms. Much of the poetry being written today is either free verse (with no meter or rhyme) or fixed form, which use a set number of lines, rhymes, and/or meters.
   • Study some of the various types of poetry by searching online for "poetic forms" or visiting your local library. Writer's Digest and The Poetry Foundation are good websites to search through.
2. Choose a subject. Most poems are about something. A poem can be about a concrete person/place/thing, or something more abstract, like a mood or feeling.
   • The subject (if you have one) will determine the content, so knowing in advance what you want the poem to accomplish may help you when it comes time to writing the verses.
   • Choose a subject that resonates with you personally. The more honest you are with your subject matter, the more powerful and authentic your poem will be.
   • Poetry excels at capturing a moment. Think about something important or meaningful to you, and brainstorm related ideas, concepts, feelings, etc.
   • Many poems are written as a response to something (an image or event, for example). If you're looking for a subject to start with, try visiting your local art museum and look for a painting that moves you.
3. Get inspired. A great way to fire up your creativity before you begin writing is to read as much as you can. Reading poetry can give you ideas, help you understand how meter, rhythm, and alliteration work, or simply put you in the mindset to create your own work.
   • Think about the intended audience of your poem, as well as what you hope to achieve with it. Is your poem supposed to be fun/entertaining, or more serious and meditative?
   • Read all kinds of poetry, but especially poetry that falls within the genre you're interested in (children's poetry, free verse, sonnet, etc.).
   • Try to pinpoint what the poet is doing on the page that makes her poems work so well. Is it just her subject matter, or does it have something to do with the language, the form, and the sounds of her words?

Revising Your Poem

1. Come to your poem with fresh eyes. It can be difficult to revise or edit a poem that you've just finished working on. The concepts are still clear in your head, so if anything is unclear or doesn't make sense you are less likely to catch it. You may also be reluctant to cut out any lines that aren't working because you'll still be attached to the project as a whole that you've just completed.
   • Set your poem aside for at least a few days, although a week or two may be better.
   • Once you're looking at it with a fresh set of eyes, try viewing the poem as an outside reader. Is anything confusing, lacking, or otherwise unsatisfying about the poem?
   • Ask a trusted friend to read your poem and give you feedback. Let your friend know that you don't just want assurances, you'd like to know what (if anything) isn't working and why.
2. Remove clichés. Clichés are phrases that are so overused they've become part of your cultural lexicon, like "busy as a beaver" or "an early bird gets the worm." Clichés may sound powerful because they're familiar, but to a studied poetry reader they will simply come across as unoriginal and uninteresting phrasings.
   • Consider what you're trying to say with the cliché you've used.
   • Try to express that idea or sentiment in your own words. Strive for originality, and don't be afraid to play with language in bold and inventive ways.
   • Turn that expression into a new phrase that is totally original and in your own words.
3. Insert metaphor and simile. Metaphor and simile are two of the strongest components of a poem. They help bring imagery to life and lend a more lyrical quality to your poem.
   • A simile is a comparison that uses the words "like" or "as." An example of a simile would be, "Your heart is like the evening sun."
   • A metaphor is a comparison that lyrically compares one person, place, or thing to another by speaking of them as if they were the same. An example would be, "You are the light of my life."
   • An original simile or metaphor should be creative and surprising. It doesn't have to make literal sense, because the reader will know you don't mean that one thing is literally something else.
   • Try to use simile and metaphor to capture the mood or essence of what you're trying to say. You should also use simile/metaphor to incorporate more imagery into your poem.
4. Cut out abstract words. Abstract words deal with concepts or feelings. These words can be difficult for readers to grasp, because a poem tends to deal with imagery (which you cannot express well with abstract words).
   • Any word that does not have a concrete image attached to it may be considered abstract. For example, even though you know the definitions of words like "freedom," "happy," or "love," these words do not have a concrete form/image.
   • Any time your poem uses abstract words or concepts, try replacing those words with concrete terms and descriptions. Instead of saying someone is "happy," for example, you might describe that person's smile or the look in her eyes when she experiences happiness.
   • Concrete words help the poem have more imagery, as their descriptive nature can help make depictions on the page come to life for readers.
5. Edit your poem. After you've finished revising/rewriting your poem, you'll want to perform some edits at the line level. While revision focuses on making the poem stronger and more lyrical or image-heavy, editing focuses on correcting any glaring errors that may have slipped through into your poem.
   • Look for repeated or redundant words. If you already have a word like "occasionally," you don't need to say "often" or "sometimes" in the same line.
   • Correct any spelling errors.
   • Check for tense agreement. Your poem can be all in past tense, present tense, or future tense, but it will be very confusing if you jump around from past tense to future tense.

Tips

• Remember that it is the sound of the letter and not the letter itself in alliteration. For example: "joke" and "giant" are alliterations of one another because they share the same "juh" sound.
• Keep your audience in mind as you write and revise. If you're writing a nonsensical children's poem, don't use too many big or difficult words words. You want your audience to understand your poetry, so write in a way that will be comprehensible to that audience.
• For added effect, you may want to make your poem rhyme. However, rhyming alliterations can be difficult, and it may end up making your poem sound too old fashioned.

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