How To-15: "How to Write a Quatrain Poem"

How to Write a Quatrain Poem

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A quatrain is stanza with four lines and a rhyming scheme. However, there are many variations of rhyming scheme so many people like to write quatrain poems because there is lots of scope to express all your ideas.

Steps

1. Read examples of quatrains
   
   • A summer day, a winter night,Fluffy Clouds, stars shine bright,Appreciate all, here on earth,Mother Nature, what is she worth?
     
   • Oh the birds are singing,In a nest of broken sticks,Look what they are bringing,It's nutrition for their chicks.
     
   • Shakespeare uses lots of quatrains in his poetry and plays. He mainly writes in sonnets which contain a combination of quatrains and rhyming couplets.
     
   
   
2. Choose a subject for your poem. More abstract topics such as nature or emotion are easiest to find rhyme for, however you can write about anything. It could even tell a story as your poem can have more than one stanza.
   
3. Choose a rhyming scheme. It is best to choose the rhyming scheme before you start writing however you may have to change it later if you can't find anything to fit. Common rhyme schemes for a quatrain are: ABAB, AABB and ABBA. If you have more than one verse you could consider: AABA BBCB CCDC etc. or similar.
   
4. Start writing. Use a rhyming dictionary for help if you get stuck on rhymes. Remember you might not always be able to say everything just how you like because you are constricted by a rhyme scheme but you may change from the rhyme scheme you chose to begin with.
   
5. Read your stanza aloud to check it flows naturally. At this point you may need to change the amount of syllables in each line or choose different words in order to have the best possible quatrain.
   
6. Check spelling and grammar.
   
7. Decide if you want more than one stanza and if so, repeat the previous step. Following quatrains often have the same rhyme scheme. Although this is not mandatory it will make you poem sound better generally.
   

Tips

• You will write better poetry as you practice - you won't become a poet with one poem.
  
• Jot down some general ideas that you want to convey. Highlight keywords, find rhymes or think of rhymes related to this idea. The more brainstorming you do beforehand, the easier it will be to write the poem.
  

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