How to Write a Villanelle

This traditional poetic form consists of five triplets and one quatrain. Written in iambic pentameter, the form utilizes repeating lines as well as a rhyme scheme.

Difficulty: Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Dictionaries
• Rhyming Dictionaries
• Thesauri

1. Consider the subject matter that you wish to address in your poem. It's often a good idea to select the repeating lines ahead of time.

2. Write a three-line stanza in iambic pentameter with an a-b-a rhyme scheme, followed by a second three-line stanza in iambic pentameter with an a-b-a rhyme scheme. Use the first line of the first stanza as the third line of the second stanza.

3. Compose a third three-line stanza in iambic pentameter with an a-b-a rhyme scheme. Use the last line of the first stanza as your third line.

4. Draft a fourth three-line stanza in iambic pentameter with an a-b-a rhyme scheme. Use the first line of the first stanza as your third line.

5. Write a fifth three-line stanza in iambic pentameter with an a-b-a rhyme scheme. Use the last line of the first stanza as your third line.

6. Compose a quatrain in iambic pentameter with an a-b-a rhyme scheme. Use the first and last lines of the first stanza as your third and fourth lines.

7. Revise as needed.

Tips & Warnings

• Use the nonrepeating lines of your poem to accent or alter the meaning of the lines that are being repeated.
• A variation on the villanelle, created by Donald Justice, uses varying line lengths and allows slightly different wording in the repeated lines. If you're having difficulty creating a typical villanelle, you might want to consider using this version. You might lose some of the benefit of the exercise by doing so, but in the end a poet's duty is to act in the best interest of the poem.
• Creating a villanelle that surprises and interests the reader may be one of the most difficult tasks a poet can undertake.
• Do not be discouraged about forms by peers claiming to be poets. When you hear a poet say how much he or she dislikes writing in form, remember that a great artist sees the opportunities in every canvas, regardless or shape or size. A poor artist sees only the limitations.

on 11/22/2005 Marilyn Hacker wrote a gorgeous villanelle called "Ruptured Friendships/The High Cost of Keys" in iambic tetrameter, rather than pentameter. A rhythmic pattern off the "beaten" path can give new life to a familiar rhyme scheme.