Pessimistic Love

They said love was forever enchanting;
unique. Yet some refuse to listen. Laugh,
they might. One day small birds will stop; not sing.
For love is not a cliche type of craft
in which you may indulge in each and all
demonic fantasy. Resistance is
left dormant, love and lust stand still. So tall.
A love like this may be eternal bliss.
Soon joy and passion melt away, enclosed
In broken hearts, oblivious, soon all
love turns to hate as pessimists supposed.
Is love a dream just waiting for your call?
Yet when reality destroys all hope,
it soon begins to wither, just like soap.

SO sorry for the late task. I've been having email issues which Mr Savage knows about. Sorry once again!

Broken

Streams of grief filter out of her forlorn
Eyes; piercing her sore, melancholy face.
Disintegrating her heart: cut and torn,
Whilst it weeps and bleeds her words of disgrace.
She's a captive - bruised, beaten and hated;
Silenced in her suicidal cocoon.
Her soul smuggled:now so desecrated
With depression which she is so immune,
While she yearns to love; embrace forever
That hallucination. Her conscience knows
Happiness she will never find; never.
Unless her demon-self falters and goes.
A dependence on harm, distress and pain,
Will only make a life slowly refrain...

Love Note

The first time I saw you my heart started
To beat - fast. A tickling sensation
Came down my back. I became fainthearted
Love, passion, affection, admiration.
It has started from then, my love for you
Huge and still growing. My heart's obsesses
With thoughts of you. My mind whizzes through
All the times we've spent together in the west.
I hope my love for you never reduce
As you are the only reason I'm
Alive today. My heart could not produce
The devotion we possess at this time.
The thought of us not being one slays me
Where will future take us? That's what we'll see...

task 32 - sorry

Task 32
Sorry
Accept forgiveness from me why won’t you,
I feel so empty without your warm arms
To wrap around my freezing body to
Keep me away from witches’ evil charms.
My life would be destroyed without your smile,
Still comforting me with your shining face.
I have been loving you all this long while,
Since first we worked together on this case.
My heart is fragile as your crystal cup,
The one we drank from there on our first date.
The words still blast my head, ‘PLEASE JUST SHUT UP’.
I still can taste your tasty meal I ate,
The most romantic meal it surely was.
I’m sorry for creating such a buzz.

I’m so sorry I posted it after the deadline.

Why?

You left me alone. No explanation.

My heart begging for you to turn around.

I watched you and the train leave the station.

Then I knew you were gone. I could have drowned
In all the tears that my eyes shed. You left

Me all alone. With no one to hold me.

In leaving me there, you committed theft.

You stole away all comfort you gave me.

All happiness that we had shared. All time

We had given was gone in a moment.

It left with you. Left on that railway line.

I thought what we had was like hard cement.

Stuck together forever. But then you

Left, and now I know your love was untrue.

Because i love you (intermediate)

If someone else had met me first, who knows?
Perhaps the lives we know need not have meant
So much to us. Forget the past, suppose
My heart belongs to someone else, content
It lies, now not with you, but in a hand.
a hand, so near to me yet far from you:
Alone and free. I stare and watch it stand.
No longer does it bare the scars, or glue
From our relationship. although it's clear
The cuts you left were worse than those from knives.
You made me love, you made me care. A tear
May fall, but this just compliments our lives.
So babe, if all goes well this bond will break
And you will see our love was true, yet fake.

Thank You (Beginner)

Life has no meaning without you aware
You've helped me through all hardships i have had
And taken me through all of my despair
I owe to you the fact i am not sad
You are my guardian angel sent by god
To make sure i have found a place to hide
As for the rest they're just a stupid lie.
You're there for me to help me rise again
Which makes me feel indepted since
You helped me see the bright side even when
The darkness in my heart' sins would not rinse.
I thank you my dear freind for all the joy
You let me see without the need for boys.


i finally got a chance to change my password....sooo sorry for the latness

Task 32 (Intermediate)

I wonder if you know how loved you are?
That I would climb high mountains, pleasing you
To show you just how much I care. A star
That shines to guide me through things. I accrue
A lifelong debt. Beholden to you, for
Stern guidance. Shelter from the many shards
Of glass that rain on me. Say, Is there more
That one could do? My soul a house of cards;
Just fragile. Always understood by you
The time you take just to be very fair.
Upon your shoulders carried me, saw through
The pain. I want a chance to show I’m care.
The sum is; buried deep that I’m so glad
For all the love you had to give me Dad.

The Lies In Love (Beginner)

This guilt upon my head has left me dead.
No friends to trust, my actions left me so.
This point in life was left to lie, ahead
I go to find this wrong, although no foe
Intended such a crime. I have attacked
With lies, with hate, with anger and true love.
Your soul's so sweet, so tender yet its packed
so tight. No wonder I'm impatient of
Revealing such an awesome might. A dream
Of mine to hold, to love a gorgeous gal.
I fight all day, to grasp your love. Supreme
you are. You hold the keys to hearts. I shall
regret the pact I made, the pact to stay
away. So now I suffer through the day.

Task 32 - A Mistake (intermediate)

My heart is frozen; will you keep me warm?
I’m left in darkness, cannot find the light.
You’ve gone but left behind a damaged storm.
A secret past; I thought it seemed just right.
The tears I cried, they hid away my smile.
The memories refused to go. I’m lost,
I stand with loneliness. You’re with her while
Mistakes have covered past with fragile frost.
I walk alone along a path; no rest.
The violent beauty of the sun, it turns
Towards me. Need you back, you were my nest;
A place of loving care. My heart it burns
In fury, suffocating me with blood.
Your love soon left me drowning in a flood.

DECEPTION! HURT! (AdVaNcE)

Do you remember that long lost love zone?
Your joy was mine; my warmth was true and whole.
You said you loved me, but I am alone.
I'd been enclosed in your hypnotic lull,
My truth, desire and all my lifelong trials
Are hidden, falling - all slipping away:
The love that I discovered only vile
The time we wasted, time that we must pay
As midnight comes, I cry myself to sleep
The stars gleam... But not anything like you
The shrouded cloud of night is far too deep.
I scream in pain, I need your love renewed.
It seems you can't begin to make amends
It's too late now. We cannot just be friends.

Confusion

You say you love me but you are unsure
What the effect those words may have on me
When I happen to ask you to secure
The doubts in my head you just guarantee
The fear that continues to grow inside
My head that tells me that you are confused
About the way you feel. I think you lied
And I feel as though I was then abused.
You told me that you loved me then you said
That our relationship was not ideal.
So that was left floating around my head
How do you think that really made me feel?
Why can I view what you have failed to see?
You need to tell the truth, if just for me.

Quantum of love.

A glance is all it takes to make my mind
Up. You’re the milk in my black coffee, you
Can always right a wrong. You’re just that kind
Of person. Lust is far too guilty to
Describe such fragile innocence. My soul
Is pining for a mate, and those are rare.
Such bliss would make my fractured heart a whole.
Cocooned within my chest would lie a lair
For me and you, protected by our love
For one another. Foes would not intrude
Past these wrought walls. Left scarred, from all above,
From their curse-riddled outbursts, all are lewd,
Some, rude. Yet love persists, and soon past foes
Are tossed aside, now overcome through prose.

Forget me

Forget the love I vowed to give you. Free
It from my bloody torture since it can't
Endure much more. Why don't, why won't you see
Destruction in the poison I enchant?
Forget the frost I sprayed upon your soul;
Forget me. Bring to life the aqua blue
That held the ocean hostage. Fill the hole
I dug so deep with someone else who's true.
But please remember every tingle that
You felt the day our heartbeats tangoed; don't
Forget the innocence that came and sat
Beside us; blow away the fears that float
Upon my dying valley. Please just see
It's all I wanted; try to just agree.

Im Sorry (Intermediate)

You slam the door, right in my face it hits.
You say you “can’t take any more of this”,
If you would leave, I might be forced to quit.
My life would spiral in a dark abyss.
My job, my independency would end,
In place of that would be an Icebox heart.
You bid farewell though I will Strive to mend
The damage dealt. I wish we could restart,
Repay you for the trust and love you gave.
Yet now without regret, you walk. Outdoors,
You dare not glance behind you as you pave
The icy floor with graceful steps on floors.
As now, you’re too far gone to turn your back.
I love you so that words can’t say, It’s Fact.

Irreplaceable

I flood my bedroom in a river full
Of tears.The bed's not warm but oh so cold.
As cold as death, more cold than death. So dull
And dark my life now is. The sun's not gold,
The sea's not blue. I'm colour blind without
Your light. I rule the dark, the dark is me
Now You're not here. But I am still devout
Towards You; worshipping Your memory.
However strong the memory may be,
I'll try my best to never let it go.
I'll clutch and cling as much as You decree.
I am a fighter, I'll fight death for You.
Well, if this loss of memory takes place,
You'll always in my heart have Your own space.

Battle: Intermediate

Anger, love, and spite swarm through this room.
Our brains want to submit and call it quits,
our hearts want us to fight through all the fumes.
To break the others spirit, we'll commit.
A tear will spill, retract it hurriedly.
Expel your love for anyone but you.
Don't step, don't walk, don't flinch aggressively.
Just sneak into her heart, and start the coup.
It's then I dropped my sword, fell to my knees,
she raised her blade and brought it down against
the floor. It whistled through the air, a tease.
To kill me there was not her sole intent.
She stayed there looming, hours and days i'm sure.
All thanks to her, I love when we're at war.

Sorry {Intermediate}

Sorry

Perception, illusion and deception.
None uncommon, in fact; typical.
So unfortunate it's all still fiction.
It hurts to say 'I won't cry'; I'm in denial.
I'll never know where I made my mistake.
Perhaps it was loving you; That was not
a choice though; not a choice for me to make.
Inevitable, yet still; an unknown plot.
If Love's a game; I'm certainly long lost.
You were a star; restricted, hidden star;
Eclipsed forever. Warmth: extinct, in frost.
Your memory; forever there; a scar.

I'm sorry, sorry still; perhaps, maybe

I've made you feel, only slightly, guilty.

- Fizzy -

WHAT LIES CAN DO?

Will you let me admit that i was wrong.
I want to say i'm sorry in a way.
Away from you makes me sing a sad song.
My mind is blank i don't know what to say.
As i began to talk my mouth went dry.
Im sorry please forgive and be my friend.
She then ignored me i began to cry.
I said, give me a smile,a hand to lend.
I tried to hide but i could still be seen.
I really need your friendship not your lies.
I made her sad but she was being mean.
This final time i will apologize.
I beg you please forgive me i can change.
I will not let our frienship out of range.

My sonnet (Begginer I aint even really sure I know what a sonnet is so please comment)

Briefly, I saw your smile in a crowd
The glance we shared will last until the end
But then my hopeful smile turned to a frown
I don't know if I'll see your face again.

I am forlorn and know not what to do
Because, in life, I'll never be with you.

Incase your wondering that sounds sort of like a song well your right its a sonnet about the song ' Your'e Beautiful ' by James Blunt.

Task 32: Your final chance

There's still a way to go for the majority of you with regard to writing sonnets - but I am DETERMINED you all crack it this week, some way or other!

I spoke to all those who attended the trip to Norwich on Friday, and they all agreed with me that it is pointless leaving sonnets behind now, when so many of you are so close to cracking them. What use returning to them in six months' time, by which point you will have forgotten loads and have to go back to square one.

However, the difference with Task 32 is that, BEFORE YOU SUBMIT YOUR POST, you MUST either EMAIL it to me or SHOW it to me in school. I will then read through it and give you a few tips as to how to improve it further, so that what you eventually post on the blog really WILL be you at your very, very best. N.B. Any sonnets posted WITHOUT me checking them first will simply be removed from the blog until you have done so: which means it is more crucial than EVER that you don't leave things until the last minute this week!

I will not restate the rules again - you are all perfectly capable of looking back over Task 31 , Task 30 and Task 29 to see the most important criteria. But, most importantly of all, READ YOUR MODERATORS' COMMENTS. Therein lies most of what you need to become a perfect sonneteer.

The task this week:

• A sonnet, following all of the rules previously stated. (Please make it clear again whether you are going for Beginner, Intermediate or Advanced, and don't sell yourselves short in this regard!)
• Your sonnet should be directed towards someone you love or to whom you are really close. It should be making an important point to them; maybe it is an apology; or an attempt to encourage them; or to tell them off; or to beg for something.

The deadline is, predictably, midnight on Saturday 22nd November.

As always, here is my attempt:

Sorry

Will you permit me to apologise?
I don’t know how to do so. Nonetheless
I will endeavour now to exorcise
The bond between us of this bloody mess.
As I trod water, sinking as I kicked,
And cried for help from any passing friend,
A cruel fate left you the friend I picked,
And everything on which I now depend.
I want you to believe me when I say
It isn’t in my nature to rely
On someone else to keep the pain away,
But yours is strength in equable supply.
I’m sorry for the role you're forced to fill;
I want to reimburse you, and I will.

Holistic Stardust

Enchanted glitter tattooed on the star -
Strewn midnight sky; soaring above freely
In a kaleidoscopic rainbow of
Light. Enduring a momentary life,
Whilst spreading her magic: overflowing
With psychedelic zest, elation and
Joy. Her existence is very short-lived,
However she holds more memories than
Each of our lives compiled together.
Her mystery; her enigma; her charm;
Her allure. Pervading our ice-bitten
Souls to unite everyone together.
Until her cry of death reverberates,
She captures all our lives in her beauty...

Forever Friends

To find true friends can be extremely rare,

Luckily I’ve got you, that’s true.

No other can compare, but stop and stare,

At the friendship that we progressed and grew,

Our friendship is like the shining sun.

It will never ever begin to fade,

Even after the timepiece strikes one,

Your friendship is still pleasingly displayed.

Life with out you would be so awfully grey,

My heart would start to sink deep within me,

My soul would wither and wonder away,

My mind would sit waving thoughts, goodbye.

Hopefully we’ll be best friends, forever,

And we will constantly be together

Because

To find true friends can be extremely rare,

Luckily I’ve got you, that’s true

No other can compare, but stop and stare

At the friendship that we progressed and grew.

Really sorry It's late (It's my first)

Flowers - A Definite Beginner

I look with greed at beauty before me
I’m waiting eagerly to take my pick
Of beautiful small flowers. Little bee
Agrees with me, he buzzes for a fix.
Scents linger on my hands, with undisguised
Delight I pull and tug the ones I like
While trampling others underfoot. Surprised
To see me run so wild? To steal, to strike?
You shout, I stop, we stare at disarray,
A desolate landscape I helped create.
I mumble, my lip bitten in dismay
And hang my head; you go on to berate.
Softly I hold the flowers torn from stems.
This time so carefully like little gems.

Sonnet (Beginner)

The sun in my face the wind in my hair.
I was so beautiful I envied my foe.
The boy hugged me like a grizzly brown bear.
He said I was his precious shining rose.
He kissed me so warmly my heart began to beat.
I returned the favour and let my self go.
I was nervous my face began to heat.
We took a boat slowly he began to row.
We walked to my flat and watched the stars.
Before he left I kissed him one more time.
I looked at his phone pictures of his cars.
He made me a poem but it did not rhyme.
It was the greatest night of my whole life.
Someday I dream I'll be his one only wife.

Freefall (Intermediate)

That very first leap of faith that jump of trust
Suspended in mid-air before the drop
I grasp at all the courage I can must-
er. I don't want to be washed off with a mop
at the bottom. The wind rushes past my ears
Adrenaline rapidly flows through me
Everything melts away including my fears
Courage can unlock this activity
I spread my arms and legs out far to form
a 'x' shape. I shout and scream in delight
I see the ground I remember the warn-
ing: always avoid the ground with all your might
How will I look on the ground squashed and flat
Thinking this I hit the floor and went splat.

Forgotten [Beginner]

Somethings I can't forget; the love we had.
I always thought the love we had was true.
Somethings however, look more good than bad,
My life's mistake remains that I and you,
Had never quite managed to pull ourselves
over and through our difficulties. But
now that is; upon thy towering shelves;
another forgotten memory, a cut,
one; surrounded by many others. I know,
even though I should have long forgotten, none
accompany me here, I live solo.
you played a part in the worst assumption;
the most haunting, annoying assumption.
I'm still trying to leave it: forgotten.

Forgiveness (Advanced)

I should have seen that I could not go on
With this charade that I had tried to play.
I should have chose to quickly act upon
The feeling that had grown inside from day.
I should have seen what I had found in you;
I loved you but we just were not enough,
To stop me from somehow being untrue’
So I decided to start calling bluff.
I cheated and I partied every night
Just for the thought of being somewhere new
I new that you would put up a good fight
So I decided on not telling you.
I know that you may not want to believe
That forgiveness is all I want to achieve.

Please be as honest as possible! If you feel as though i have asked to be marked in the wrong category please don't hesitate to either mark me in that category or tell me so through comments. Thank you!

Freedom (Intermediate)

Affectionate and amiable; you are
Among the most profound and perfect man
I could wish for. But lately our
relationship oppresses me than
Uplifting me. Your viral hold is stuck
To my skin like a horrid rash. No cream
Can ease the burning, nor can any luck
Remove the pain that makes me want to scream.
It hurts to be the one to tell you that
Our special marriage to cease now.
You want control and dominion but
I won't obey, curtsey or even bow.
With great remorse I want a divorce
And live freely away from your great force.

FaIrIeS (AdVaNcEd)

She had small plaits amongst her golden curls
Her crown was studded with tiny flowers,
The smoky fairy ran around in swirls
Starting to use her magical powers.
Her golden hair and long skinny arms
Her magical eyes were moonbeam and white,
The jewels in her hair were like sparkly charms
Butterfly bobbles and diamond clips bright!
She drifted away into peaceful sleep
The sprinkle dust was spread on her small bed,
She dreamt of a friend that was hers to keep
And on valentines day her dress was red!
She wished that her friends would keep her held tight
She wished that angels would keep her in sight!

Flowers (Intermediate)

They grow like infants; mature like adults,
Yet never seem to age as gracefully
as people do. At end with no results:
they waste and wither away so sadly.
Their petals represent soft beauty; Jade
floating in crystal water - blue. In all
true reality, the flowers do fade.
All imperfections revealed as they fall
off their stems, leaving nothing but a blank
canvas of no meaning - just a stem on
the ground. As if to say the jade had sank
and drowned in uneternal beauty: gone.
Forever gone! A moment we should dread
Really and trully, the flower is dead!

Fake (Beginner)

Red lips, white skin, brown hair, body twisted,
Stunning vision, staring out at me,
Desire provoked, revealed and listed,
You tempt me with all I wish to be.
Entertain my eyes, inspire quite,
Your faces are picture perfect, unique,
Swiss seconds of silver fuelled by light,
A dark romance, unattainably chic.
Buckle me, belt me, lace me, make me up,
White mother of pearl, let me find,
My worth in you, never wake me up,
Sanctuous dream, don't leave me behind.
What are the causes of my jelousy?
Glamorous advertising industry.

Failure (Intermediate)

A feeling so uncomfortable; the pain
of having failed you. Down the lane I walk
And coldness falls. I’m left to hurt; the rain
is sharing suffering with me. Less of talk,
I gave myself to silence; closest friend
I have. I’m lost, my thoughts are damaged. Sounds
Of failure ruins all. Is there an end?
My useless hope, I cannot treat this wound.
The past it’s living in my dreadful tears;
I’m fading slowly somewhere darkness can
Be light. I cannot share my fragile fears.
I’m searching for a way, I need a plan.
I cannot disobey my horrid fate
But nothing can be changed; I'm left to wait.

friendship (intermediate)

A fued takes place within my heart, yet still
The scars seek warmth beneath my skin; its clear
Im sick for love but still not seen as ill
Because we know that love can make us fear.
Sedating time to heal the wounds of life
Will only make the wound grow deep and beat
As though my skin was pierced with my own knife.
Oh how i feel alive yet incomplete
Without my friends; perhaps a life is best
When spent alone to live like the elite
Who left their friends,their life and flew the nest.
My hearts reclaimed its place of pride although
The price to pay makes joy alone: my foe.

Friend

Someone always there when I am alone,
There, when I am going through hard, rough times.
There with you in every shake of your bone.
Even when you are sick of doing rhymes,
There with you in times that are heartbreaking.
By your side in every step of the way,
Even if your heart is so badly aching,
Your are somebody who I will share my
Secrets, even the embarrassing one,
You’re my best friend in the whole of the sky,
I’d go to you when I’m in need of fun.
Nobody will be a good friend like you,
Even though I need a new friend, that’s true.

Foes and Fantasies

I sense the beasts inside of me. Displayed
Through bitter, blatant, bruising jeers and taunts
I feel their twisted hearts deny my craved
Emotions. Now enraged I try to flaunt.
I find myself subdued through vile blows,
They know not what they do! Yet through their front
Of pride, pizzazz and pain. The truth does show.
I conjure cupid from my soul, the brunt
Received? Beyond repair, the grin returns
Inhabiting a swollen face, I laugh!
Through this façade of ever scolding burns
A bloody soul emerges on a path.
Determined more than ever, crying love!
Accept and delve in happiness thereof!

Fear in Fantasy(Intermediate)

That clenched fist, as it came flying towards,
My chest. Felt like a dagger piercing my,
Heart. I fell, landing on the dark floorboards,
All feeling becomes lost. My mouth turns dry.
A blank screen of darkness, covered my eyes.
All noise seemes to fade into the darkness.
I try to gather my strenghth but my cries,
Just echo around the room, Loneliness
Is all thats left. My attackers are gone.
I've been left here on the floor. Left to die.
Then a light slowly shines. The light of dawn.
My eyes open but no to the blue sky.
But the ceiling of my room with my head,
against my pillow, lying in my bed.

Fish (Intermediate)

She keeps a tropic tank that boosts her self
esteem. She enters to the corridor,
applause ensues, but leaves them on the shelf
inside the aged volvic, they want more.
She makes quick work of her de-trousered spouse
he glances at his manhood in the clouds
a caged bear, is trapped within his house
they whisper, an aquatic choral crowd.
They speak, they question all about the queen
the tyrant that made history of love.
They plan to do things wicked, do things mean
they know that all they have to do is shove
him. He takes her head, he thrusts it in
she struggles for a minute. She won't win.

Fantasies

You promised. Incoherent stories plagued
With empty fantasies devoured my mind-
The silent murder of my soul. Cliched
Became the phrases said too much, you'll find
You raped them of their warmth. Reality
Became Necropolis, one only you
Could run from. I believed your fantasy,
Because I lost myself in, love. You knew
Enchantments that could sober me, and shake
Away the demons. Daring me to dive
In blind helped find the missing answers. Break
The hold on my reality, and drive
My emptiness away. The doubts? Well, you
Became the one to make them all untrue.

Love

My heart removed. I'm incomplete without
your love. Behind this face a tearful soul.
Is this emotion new to me? A dout
I have, for fear of failure but my goal
is to express my true emotions for
you. As I wonder deep inside of me,
I know you feel the same, today i saw.
Your smile, your laugh all in my fantasy,
this feeling feels so magical, a star
you are, my shooting star. I wish upon
you. Wishing for always you and not a car.
My heart would break to see you gone.
So now i know I have to speak the truth,
I will reveal my love and speak the truth!

Fear of the Ferrari (Intermediate)

The curves and splendour of the bodywork
Allowing us as drivers to observe.
Whilst underlying mischief crawls and lurks.
On the street it lays, Should I have concern?
It’s plan- it’s strategy, I’m unaware
What horror, pain and torment lie ahead.
I drive it anyway as I don’t care,
Tyres squeal in pain and turn a deep red!
The engine roars as down force gets to work,
An early death bed which of now I head,
The senses in me force a BREAK and JERK!
The chassis twists and writhes from left to right,
Along the long and narrow road, we fight.

Task 31: Another Sonnet

Whilst some of you are much further ahead than others, ALL of you could definitely benefit from more practice with your sonnet writing.

I think this is incredibly significant, on all sorts of front:

1. Master the sonnet, and I reckon you can master ANYTHING. After all, if you are 100% capable of writing IAMBS, then trochees, spondees, anapests, dactyls etc should all come easily.
2. There is NO point moving on to anything else until you HAVE all mastered this completely - otherwise the whole exercise is rendered pointless.
3. I remain convinced that if you ALL read, use and adhere to ALL the many, detailed comments you have been given, then there is absolutely NO reason Task 31 cannot allow you ALL to conquer this feat once and for all.

Now try to think what sort of 'sonneteer' you consider yourself to be: beginner, intermediate or advanced?

BEGINNER

To those of you still struggling a lot with iambic meter, please make sure that, before attempting Task 31, you:

• Follow every one of the suggestions made to you by your moderators recently;
• Go back over the earliest tasks on wordvoodoo (Tasks 2, 3, 4 etc.)
• Look at other people's attempts at Tasks 29 and 30 (and the comments thereon).

With Task 31, make sure that, as a minimum, you:

• write 14 lines;
• make sure each line has 10 syllables only and only the EVEN syllables which are stressed;
• make sure the rhyme scheme is followed (ababcdcdefefgg);
• avoid any and all spelling errors or careless typos.
  

Do NOT submit your sonnet until you have checked it with AT LEAST one other person (preferably workshop member); and make sure you read it aloud to them, deliberately exaggerating every EVEN syllable to see how it sounds. Get them to check the rhyming and count the syllables too?

INTERMEDIATE

And for those of you more advanced with sonnet writing, AS WELL AS everything I have said to the beginners, please could you also attempt to:

• exploit fully the potential of the octave/sestet split;
• make greater use of caesura and enjambement, making sure that the final syllable of each line is sufficiently significant to end the line;
• avoid archaism (old fashioned words/phrases);
• make sure the rhyme serves you (rather than the other way around).

ADVANCED

And, finally, for those of you ready to step things up a gear or two, in ADDITION to everything above, please try to:

• experiment with rhyme, in particular internal rhyme and soft end-rhymes;
• employ deliberate and effective alliteration;
• effect original and powerful imagery to enhance your content;
• play around with syntax, using sentence fragments and also questions/exclamations.

* * * *

I am available many lunchtimes and breaktimes this week, so if you are still totally stuck, or just want to run something by me, don't hesitate to ask.

The absolute minimum I require from you ALL this week (in addition to meeting the deadline AND the criteria outline above) is that I genuinely believe your sonnet is the VERY BEST you are capable of producing, and clearly the result of SIGNIFICANT time and effort. Should I suspect anything less than this, you can expect me to be having a serious chat with you about your future in the workshop...

Now for Task 31. Adhering to the relevant criteria above, you should write a sonnet with a title of your choice entirely, provided your title starts with the letter 'F' (i.e. it could be on anything from FOOTBALL to FEAR to FRIED CHICKEN).

The deadline is midnight on Saturday 8th November.

Good Luck!

As always, here is MY attempt:

Friendship

Inchoate yet invincible, a bond
Beyond and past the purview of my prose;
I have no words, they’ve all been said, no wand
To wave, no spell to keep it safe; it grows
Despite my pestilential clutch; too much
For me to tend, my friend, it perseveres
By virtue of your anodynic touch,
Immune to all that festers in my fears.
While reciprocity eludes me yet,
I will requite the comfort you bestow;
Find something to repay this ample debt.
How can I pay you back? I do not know –
I cannot comprehend – but I intend
To merit and deserve to be your friend.