So what exactly is this thing called METRE?

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As many of you will know, I love to write in rhyme, in fact, I find it difficult to write in any other way. But of course you can’t talk about rhyme without talking about metre. What is metre I hear you ask? Many people will say something like, the rhythm, the beat, the scansion but what does that look like in practical terms? 

Think of a string of words – just like that one – then chop it up into syllables*. With this string it’s easy because all the words have one syllable. Read it aloud, where do the stresses fall naturally?

*a unit of pronunciation having one vowel sound, with or without surrounding consonants, forming the whole or a part of a word; for example, there are two syllables in Jackie – with the stress falling on the first syllable JA/ckie*

THINK of/a STRING of WORDS

If you keep the stressed ones and remove the others oftentimes the remaining words still give you enough info that you can decipher its meaning. That’s why they’re stressed. They are important to the meaning trying to be conveyed. The other ‘function words’ tend not to be stressed. Of course this isn’t set in stone, context can also determine stress position but let’s keep it simple.

Is this string of words written in metre? Well that depends on how it would look within a verse.

Think of a string of words

Think of a flock of birds

Think of a piece of cake

This next line is a very big mistake

The first 3 lines follow this metrical pattern.

Dactyl (triple) STRESSED unstressed unstressed THEN trochee (duple) STRESSED unstressed STRESSED

The 4th line isn’t written in metre at all.

STRESSED STRESSED STRESSED unstressed unstressed STRESSED unstressed STRESSED unstressed STRESSED

or (I’ve bolded the stressed syllables)

This next line is a very big mistake

Without metre, rhyming verse can sound awful which is one of the reasons publishers can shy away from it. The other more practical reason is that rhyme (and metre) is very tricky to translate even to American English where stresses can fall on different syllables. For example: PA/pri/ka vs pa/PRI/ka 

So what then, exactly, is metre? And this is very important to understand.

Metre is the result (not the cause) of the pattern that naturally emerges from the words that are written down. Can it be manipulated? Sometimes, but again, let’s keep it simple. 

 4 common mistakes

  1. Ignoring metre (as in the last line of my poem above) and slapping a rhyming word on the end does not a poem make.
  2. Asking the reader to mispronounce words so that the stress falls on the sound you are rhyming with instead of where it actually belongs. For example ‘encore’ does not rhyme with ‘door’ unless you mispronounce it and put the stress on the second instead of the first syllable.
  3. Repeating yourself by letting the rhyme drive the story rather than the other way round.
  4. Twisting your words into ‘yoda speak’ or ‘oldy worldy English. For example, ‘the tree black’ instead of ‘the black tree’ and ‘he did say’ instead of ‘he said’ (just fyi – this one is like fingernails on a chalkboard to editors).

And of course the best way to see if you’ve committed any of these rhyme crimes is to have someone else read it aloud – like yours truly for example.

So if you have a rhyming story or poem that won’t behave itself, drop me a line and we’ll soon get it sorted. Please note my change of email address to jackiehoskingpio@gmail.com

And not one to blow my own trumpet – here are some lovely words from recent happy customers.

This is so helpful! It gives me confidence and guidance to keep going—many thanks

Genevieve Y

Thank you Jackie,

This is so helpful! Your explanation makes lots of sense.

I feel I will be able to make some good revisions based on your feedback, and you have also given me great advice that will help me to review my other rhyming manuscripts. Once I have done this, I will come back and use your wonderful editing service again!

Billie R

Hi Jackie,

That’s brilliant!!

Thanks a million.

Janeen B

Thanks so much Jackie.

Really good to have had your eyes over it and to know the meter flows well now.

I’m still very new to writing in rhyme so am learning a lot! Hopefully each story will keep getting better.

Thanks again,

Vikki M

Wow, thank you for being so speedy! I had a quick look through (I’ll spend more time going through it once I finish my day job!) but you are a magical rhyming genius.

Thank you so so much, greatly appreciate your help.

Rebecca G

Happy Birthday – An Amazing Australian Camping Trip – GIVEAWAY!

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To help celebrate the release of my latest picture book I am giving away one signed copy to a lucky winner. All you have to do is comment on this post to be in the draw. I will announce the winner on 17th December. Good luck!

Published by Walker Books Australia

World Bee Day

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Saturday 20th May 2023 was World Bee Day – a celebration of our pollinators.

While I’m a couple of days late I thought I might still share two poems that I’ve written about bees.

The first one was inspired by a swarm of bees that I was lucky enough to encounter moving across my property and the other is a verse story that I wrote many, many years ago that has been made into an audio presentation thanks to Smarty Pants Kids.

KIDLIT CREATORS 3.O SUPER STACK – going live soon!

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If you’ve got the writing bug and you’re determined to take those stories and publish a book for kids in 2023, I’ve got the perfect cure for you!

I’m about to share something wonderful that will blow your mind…

Infostack have come up with an exclusive bundle of resources for children’s authors including my Metre Matters Course for everyone who writes in rhyme. In this bundle you’ll get all the tools, tips, and tricks you need to create captivating stories that stand out from the competition, to publish and market them so they actually SELL too!

Whether you’re a seasoned pro or just starting out, this bundle has something for everyone. And the best part? You won’t have to take a second job to get it!

So clear your schedule, set a reminder, and get ready to take those ideas and stories and turn them into published books that SELL!

I’ll be back soon with all the juicy details on how to snag this incredible deal.

Until then, keep dreaming big and writing even bigger!

I’ve not yet written all the poems that I’ll love

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I saw this picture the other day and felt very comforted. It’s a lovely thought isn’t it.

And after I’d seen it and shared it about, it occurred to me that there will be poems in the future that I love, but as yet, have not been written. Writers, all artists no doubt, will have similar thoughts – well that’s it, I’ll never create anything I love more than this and then we do.

One of my favourite poems for a long time is one titled Breathe. This poem was published by The School Magazine (Blast Off – February 2020) and was illustrated by Tohby Riddle.

Incidentally, if you’re a teacher, you can get a free trial of the digital for 4 weeks! 

First published in Blast Off February 2020

This poem was written in September 2018. I’ve written other poems of course, some I like more and some I like a little less but my point is, that unless you’ve heard the fat lady sing – do not put your creative tools down!

Here’s my current favourite. Published by The School Magazine (Countdown – November 2021) and illustrated by Michel Streich.

First published in Countdown November 2021

World Poetry Day – 21st March 2021

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I would like to celebrate World Poetry Day this year by once again saying thank you to The School Magazine (and all its subscribers) for supporting me and my poetry. Since 2005 my poems/stories have appeared 36 issues of the various magazines – Countown, Blast Off, Orbit and Touchdown. The poster above is a little collage of some of them.

Why do I like writing for The School Magazine? Because of the illustrations! And the same goes, of course, for writing picture books. I have no illustration talent whatsoever and I absolutely adore seeing how my words have been translated, for lack of a better word. So today, and in no particular order, I would also like to say a huge thank you to all the talented illustrators who have brought my poetry and stories to life.

The late Kim Gamble – If I Were a Giant

Gaye Chapman – Magical Nine ~ Fire

Vilma Cencic – Nothing to Worry About ~ A Raindrop Race ~ A Pig Tale

Kerry Millard – Puppy & Me ~ Greens and Genes

Drahos Zak – The Wolf, the Woodcutter, Granny and the Red Riding Hood

Astra Lacis – My Cat ~ Birds of a Feather

Andrew Joyner – Get out of the Water! ~ It’s True

Stephen Axelsen – A Raindrop Race (reprint)

Veronica Rooke – The Crows

Anna Bron – Wherever

Bronwyn Bancroft – Fleeting ~ Birdsong

Matt Ottley – Hark ~ A Dessert Sky ~ Metamorphosis ~ A Sticky Situation ~ To Paint the Sky

Althea Aseoche – The Halloween Elf

Christopher Nielsen – It is What it is ~ A Not so Ordinary Afternoon ~ How Curious

Tohby Riddle – Breathe ~ The Invasion

Jenny Tan – My Mother’s Hands

Aśka – Stumped

Sheree Fiala – Inside

And Happy World Poetry Day!

And for anyone who’d like to read some of my poetry you can download this PDF for FREE until midnight tonight. I’ve prettied it up in CANVA. Just click the image below…

Why I wrote – If I Were a Giant

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“If I Were a Giant” was the first poem of mine that The School Magazine published in ORBIT way back in 2005. This is what the cover of the magazine looked like. Tom Jellett illustrated it.

And here is the poem, beautifully illustrated by the late, great Kim Gamble.

I lived by the sea when I wrote this poem and every morning I would walk my dog, Jep. Here’s Jep…

Jep and my son who turns 21 this year!

On this particular morning I walked over the hill and saw the sun rising over the ocean and the town was spread below me and I felt very big because I could see so much. I felt like a giant and I wondered, if I were giant could I paint the world as beautifully as nature had. The poem is quite structured. It follows a day from morning to night. It also loosely follows the seasons with the blossoms of Spring, the beaches in Summer, the Autumn coloured sunset and the cold Winter night. I like patterns and I like order, this, I think, is why I also enjoy writing in rhyme and metre. It brings order to an otherwise chaotic and often unpredictable world. Mostly my poems are joyful, I like to think that they capture beauty and if they can also bring a smile to your face then that is the perfect outcome and really the reason I write at all.

So when I write a poem I see the subject matter in my head, like a movie or a painting. I’ve always thought of poetry as painting with words. Capturing an emotional moment by focusing on the essence of what I want to say. A poem, for me, is a way to condense so much into smaller, more manageable bites. Each poem that I write, in a way, is like a jigsaw piece, the completed jigsaw will show how I’ve seen and experienced the world. But of course it’s not finished yet!

I wonder what your jigsaw puzzle will look like?

Here’s a little bit of mine…