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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/q/36385
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/q/36385
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

I am an (aspiring) fiction writer. **I write prose**. However, every so often, I run into a need for poetry. I might need a prophecy, or a ritual blessing, or a character might be serenading another, or some piece of information should be hidden in an old song: **I need verse**. The plot demands it.

Trouble is, I'm not a poet. I find myself beating my head against [RhymeZone](https://www.rhymezone.com/), producing cringe-worthy manure. (Not that I specifically need rhyme. I am aware of alliteration, and other tools. I can't do anything useful with them either.)

Is there a solution? Do I write my way around the verse, change the plot so it isn't needed? That limits me considerably in the fantasy genre, particularly in High Fantasy. Do I pretend that the prophet/serenader was also a lame poet, and hope the readers can forgive the cringe-worthy small bit of verse if I give them good plot? Is there a way I could learn to write better poetry?

I should add that I read quite a lot of poetry, in English, French, Hebrew and Russian, and I can't write decent poetry in any language. At all. So apparently reading is not how you learn to write in this case. At least not how I learn.

And to clarify yet again, I'm not looking to become a poet. My passion is telling stories. It's just that sometimes the story calls for verse, and I can't seem to give it that.

Original score: 6