N is for Narrator and Nonet

Tell me a story – I’m all ears. (Spring, 2015)

 

I’ve loved ABC books and A-Z lists for quite a while. This post is one in a series on writing, with the subtopic of poetry.

A narrator is a storyteller. I am a narrator and you are most likely a narrator. We tell stories.

To be a good narrator, or teller of tales, we must be believable, expressive, and accessible. Our readers must be able to trust us. If our readers don’t like our “voice”, they may not stick with us. That doesn’t mean we change who we are. It just means we learn to be ourselves with a certain amount of control. Because if we lose our readers, what’s the point? We might as well be yelling into a pillow.

The poetry focus is a nonet. A nonet has nine lines. The first line has nine syllables, the second line eight syllables, the third line seven syllables, etc… until line nine finishes with one syllable. It can be on any subject and rhyming is optional. I wrote the following nonet in April, 2014.

 

A Message for You

Where are the words to say I love you?

Across three states and a time zone

When you won’t answer the phone

You don’t respond to texts

So here’s a letter

Words on paper

Handwritten

I love

You