Writing a Sonnet Checklist

Fourteen lines
Three quatrains and a couplet
ABAB CDCD EFEF GG Rhyme scheme
Ten syllables per line (Shakespeare uses iambic pentameter or unstressed/ stressed syllable pattern but for this task I don’t expect you to be perfect on this front.
A clear voice is established through the shifting tone and the emotions that are explored
A theme/ issue/ problem/ dilemma introduced in the 1st quatrain. A clear tone is established that communicates the narrator’s feelings. A sonnet is generally based around confusing, conflicting or contradictory emotions e.g. “I love and hate this person/ situation”; “I’m really upset but if I change my thinking I can improve things”; “Life sucks at the moment but something in my future to look forward to”.
The theme/ issue/ problem/ dilemma introduced in the 1st quatrain is developed in the 2nd quatrain. A slight shift in or amplification of tone occurs to mark this.
A turn in the direction of how the theme/ issue/ problem/ dilemma is understood often happens. It is the start of a resolution and is often marked by a dramatic shift in tone (N.B. not all of Shakespeare’s sonnets turn at line 9 but for this exercise I am hoping you will try to include one).
A couplet is used to end the sonnet. It provides a way in which the voice of the sonnet hopes to resolve or at least manage their feelings about the theme/ issue/ problem/ dilemma.

Writing a Sonnet Checklist

Fourteen lines
Three quatrains and a couplet
ABAB CDCD EFEF GG Rhyme scheme
Ten syllables per line (Shakespeare uses iambic pentameter or unstressed/ stressed syllable pattern but for this task I don’t expect you to be perfect on this front.
A clear voice is established through the shifting tone and the emotions that are explored
A theme/ issue/ problem/ dilemma introduced in the 1st quatrain. A clear tone is established that communicates the narrator’s feelings. A sonnet is generally based around confusing, conflicting or contradictory emotions e.g. “I love and hate this person/ situation”; “I’m really upset but if I change my thinking I can improve things”; “Life sucks at the moment but something in my future to look forward to”.
The theme/ issue/ problem/ dilemma introduced in the 1st quatrain is developed in the 2nd quatrain. A slight shift in or amplification of tone occurs to mark this.
A turn in the direction of how the theme/ issue/ problem/ dilemma is understood often happens. It is the start of a resolution and is often marked by a dramatic shift in tone (N.B. not all of Shakespeare’s sonnets turn at line 9 but for this exercise I am hoping you will try to include one).
A couplet is used to end the sonnet. It provides a way in which the voice of the sonnet hopes to resolve or at least manage their feelings about the theme/ issue/ problem/ dilemma.