What Is A Ballad?

1. Tutorial: How To Write a Ballad and free verse poemLeslie RideauxTec-539 Digital Media in educationJuly 9, 2011

2. What Is A Ballad? • A ballad is a narrative poem, usually set to music; thus, it often is a story told in a song. Any story form may be told as a ballad, such as historical accounts or fairy tales in verse form. It usually has foreshortened, alternating four-stress lines (“ballad meter") and simple repeating rhymes, often with a refrain.

3. Where did it begin? • Ballads began in the European folk tradition usually accompanied by musical instruments. • Ballads were preserved orally for generations to pass on through recitation.

4. Traditional ballads were stories and romantic tales set to melody and rhyming and were penned in a style so as to be sung to music.

5. Step One: • Explore examples of famous ballads to get an idea of the format. • This exercise will give you a feel of the rhyme and the rhythm, which is the main part of the poem for a ballad. The Whistle: A Ballad by Robert Burns Donica - A Ballad by Robert Southey The Ballad of Persse O'Reilly by James Joyce A Ballad Of The Trees And The Master by Sidney Lanier

6. Available websites: • There are many online sites available to help you research to create your own beautiful ballad. http://mysongbook.de/msb/songlist.html www.studyguide.org/ballads.htm http://www.funny-poems-for-free.com/ballad-poetry.html http://www.studyguide.org/ballad_examples.htm

7. Step Two: • Think of an interesting plot or theme. Let your imagination run wild and think out-of-the-box.

8. Your ballad may be written about fiction, fantasy, humor, or horror.

9. Step Three: • Think of any starting phrase, word or a line relevant to your storyline or theme and then build your ballad using the phrase as a medium.

10. You may be inclined to just write a ballad without any decided plot or story. • If this occurs, a phrase or an inspirational line will help you a lot in framing your ballad. The starter phrase need not necessarily be the starting lines of your ballad; in many cases it can form the chorus.

11. using a quotation or familiar phrase • An idea or a phrase that suddenly comes to mind may be an inspiration for a beautiful ballad. A catchy phrase that gets people’s attention can also be used as the chorus. • You can also have your ballad about a particular thing with descriptive words that will make a creative and inspirational ballad. relating a personal story or anecdote creating suspense or dissonance relating a personal story or anecdote connecting with something your audience knows or cares about

12. Step Four: • Add and finalize the verse or a chorus that contains the starter phrase. Ballads often have four lines verses, out of which two or more lines rhyme. • Usually the rhyming pattern is either  abac, aabb, or acbc. • The most common rhyme schemes are one in which the word at the end of the first line rhymes with the word at the end of the second, and the word at the end of the third line rhymes with the word at the end of the fourth line.

13. Step Five: • Once you have succeeded in creating or writing your first verse or chorus, continue own using the same format. • The rest should not be a problem to complete. • Don’t be confined to using same format. • You can change rhyme patterns throughout your ballad just as long as it relates to the particular verse or chorus.

14. Step Six: • Once you have completed all your choruses and verses, your ballad is ready to be read or sung. After awhile, look over it to critique it for any necessary changes. • After you are satisfied with any changes, voila, you have written your ballad. Congratulations!

15. How To Write A Free Verse Poem?

16. What Is Free Verse? • Free verse is form of poetry composed of either rhymed or unrhymed lines that have no set fixed metrical pattern.

17. Where Did It Originate? • The early 20th-century poets were the first to write what they called "free verse" which allowed them to break from the formula and rigidity of traditional poetry.

18. 1. Get familiar with free verse poetry. • Read poetry by well-know poets • Visit poetry website-www.poetryfoundation.org

19. 2. Understand Poetic Devices and Figures of Speech • Use allusion, assonance, and onomatopoeia to create sound effects. • Use simile, metaphor, and personification to express meaning and emotion.

20. 3. Select a Topic • Choose something you are interested or passionate about. • Brainstorm ideas • Write about what you have seen, read, or heard.

21. 4. Free write • Jot down whatever comes to mind. • Write about your feelings or thoughts. • Write about your memories or experiences. • Write about your attitudes, beliefs, or views.

22. 5. Write A Rough Draft • Narrow your topic. • Make sure your poem has a beginning, middle, and end. • Use descriptive words • Show pictures through words by using imagery. • Place important facts at the beginning or end of a line.

23. 6. Rewrite Poem • Edit poem several times. • Check for spelling, punctuation, imagery, sound, figures of speech, and meaning.

24. 7. Final Project • End with important and provocative point. • Make sure there is a focal point of the poem.

25. Resources Ballad Writing Tips. Retrieved July 6, 2011, from www.studyguide.org/ballads.htm Poetic Form : Ballad. Retrieved July 6, 2011, from http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/5769 The Creative Writer. Retrieved July 7, 2011 from http://sites.google.com/site/dbhcreativewriter/elements-of-poetry/how-to-analyze-a-poem/how-to-write-free-verse Types of Poetry. Retrieved July 6, 2011, from http://www.types-of-poetry.org.uk/24-free-verse.htm