How to Write an Epigram

An epigram is a brief bit of verse that is often ironic or unexpected in nature. It generally expresses a single thought or observation. Many of the most memorable works by poets are epigrams, but they are a fun journaling exercise for almost anyone.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Read some famous epigrams to get an idea of what a good epigram looks like. Ben Franklin, Ogden Nash, and Oscar Wilde have written many famous ones.

2. Choose a topic for your epigram. While the subject matter can range from the trivial to issues of great importance, the epigram usually sticks to subjects just about anyone can relate to.

3. Notice what makes an epigram memorable. It shows off a sharp wit, and it generally includes irony or an unexpected conclusion. Some epigrams use rhymes to make them sound catchier and easier to remember. Try to feature some or all of these things in your epigram.

4. Revise your epigram by trying multiple ways of saying the same thing until you find the one with the most style that sounds just right. After all, some things just sound better. For example "God bless everybody" just doesn't have the same ring to it as "God bless us, everyone."

5. Above all, keep it short and sweet.

Tips & Warnings

• If you're having trouble getting started, try building your epigram around a rhyming couplet (simply two lines that rhyme). Other popular forms include quatrains (four lines) with rhyme schemes of either a,a,b,b or a,b,a,b.
• While some of the best epigrams are scathing or sarcastic, make sure to avoid writing anything libelous.

[stoicmike]

on 10/10/2008 From "I Thought So - A Book of Epigrams" by Michael Lipsey
Website http://ithoughtso.net/


Any articulate person is capable of creating an epigram because the raw material of an epigram is having lived while thinking. There is something thrilling about hearing yourself quoted. You have said something worth repeating. You are a sage! It is a little taste of immortality. You begin to dream of a spot in Bartlett’s Familiar Quotations.

If you would like to try your hand, write out an observation or an opinion. Don’t worry about how many words it takes to express the thought. Examine your idea, what is the essence of it? Begin to trim unnecessary clauses and words. Always keep in mind the immortal words of Strunk & White in The Elements of Style, “Omit unnecessary words.”

If you get stuck, leave it and return later, always looking for the essence of your thought.

[Sondrac]

on 6/9/2008 Very interesting article. I am a poet and found this fascinating. Thanks!