Limerick or witty rhymes are a type of short and humorous musical poetry that is often embellished with implausible or obscure things. This type of poetry was popularized in English by Edward Lear (hence Limerick Day is celebrated on his birthday, May 12). At first, writing Limerick takes a little practice, but in no time you'll be hooked on starting writing with humor and weird rhymes (or rhymes).
Step
Method 1 of 2: Build Your Limerick
Step 1. Identify the basic characteristics of a Limerick
Although there are slight variations in the style of poetry, this type of poetry still refers to the same umbrella of rhythm. The original Limerick consisted of five lines; the first line, second line, and fifth line have rhymes that are similar to each other, and the third and fourth lines have rhymes that are also similar to each other. In addition to the rhyme, you need to consider:
- Number of syllables. The first, second and fifth lines must have eight or nine syllables, while the third and fourth lines must have five or six.
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Rhythm. A limerick has a certain "rhythm" created by the stress of a syllable.
- Anapaestic Rhythm - two short syllables followed by one long emphasis (duh-duh-DUM, duh-duh-DUM). Consider the following example (observe the emphasis that naturally falls on the italicized syllable): Twas the night before Christ mas and all through the house
- Amphibrachic Rhythm – a strong emphasis on syllables between two short syllables (duh-DUM-duh, duh-DUM-duh). Example: There was a young la dy of Wan tage
- A line can start with two, one, or sometimes no rhythm without stress. Some Limerick writers tend to choose to continue the rhythm across from one line to the next, especially when a sentence carries a continuation line, but this is not important.
Step 2. Select the end of your first line
Know that this first line will help you unconsciously filter the rhyme. Usually, the end of the starting line is the name of a place or geographic location. Take Pitts burgh for example. Notice that the emphasis is on the first syllable of Pittsburgh, resulting in one short syllable at the end of the line. Another example: New York. Notice the emphasis on the second syllable of New York. This will form two very different limericks.
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Choosing a place like Pottawattamie or xyz can start a long and challenging struggle in poetry writing. The more general the sound, the closer your rhyme will be.
You don't have to choose a place name! It doesn't have to be a city either - "There once was a girl in a shoe," is more obvious than "a girl living in a plain ol' city"
Step 3. Think of different words for the end of the rhyme on your first line
Let your limerick storyline and humor be inspired by the rhymes you think of. A good limerick is a limerick that forms a unity and has a clever meaning. Let's go back to "Pittsburgh" and "New York."
- Since Pittsburgh is stressed on the first syllable, you must rhyme with both syllables. First thing that comes to mind: “kids lurk”, “zits work”, “bits jerk”, “hits perk”, “lit smirk” or maybe a different combination of these words.
- Because New York is stressed on the second syllable, you only need to rhyme with one syllable. First thing that comes to mind: “cork”, “pork”, “stork”, “fork”. Write down your own word list.
Step 4. Make associations with rhyming words
The two examples we used are already starting to form their own nuances. For the Steel City, with words like kids and zits and private bits, you can start creating a witty rhyme about puberty. And for the Big Apple, through the combination of cork, pork and fork, you can imagine a witty rhyme about a sumptuous dinner with lots of meat and wine.
Go through the list you've made and think about what stories could happen and how to incorporate your ideas. The association created must be flexible. Sometimes, more contrived, the resulting Limerick will be funnier. So, as long as it paints a picture in the reader's mind, your Limerick is a success
Step 5. Choose a story that interests you
Decide who the character or role you introduce in the first line is. What's important about him? Do you focus on your profession or social status, or on your age, health or a certain stage in your life?
- For a Pittsburgh limerick, you'd start at the word "adolescent." Something that everyone can relate to!
- For a New York limerick, you might think of the word "distinguished" with the things that go with it.
Method 2 of 2: Merge
Step 1. Make a nice first line that fits the beat
The word you choose will determine the type of rhythm you work with; Don't worry, you'll know the beats that work and those that don't. Let's continue with our two examples:
- Example 1, adolescent and Pittsburgh: The stress of adolescent is on the third syllable. The emphasis on the word Pittsburgh is on the first syllable. That means we need one more long syllable at the beginning, and one short syllable between the words "adolescent" and "Pittsburgh." Thus, we will get: "A young adolescent from Pittsburgh."
- Example 2, distinguished and New York: The emphasis of the word Distinguished is on the second syllable. Combine that with "from New York," which leaves only two syllables to insert, with an emphasis on the second syllable. You can work around this by borrowing words from a foreign language, for example, "The distinguished beau monde of New York."
Step 2. Choose a situation or action that your character initiates
This situation or action can be the starting point for your story or joke. Use one of the rhyming words from your word list to complete the second line.
- Example 1: "A young adolescent from Pittsburgh, was just finding out how his bits work." Well, that's how the success of a witty rhyme is arranged.
- Example 2: "The distinguished beau monde of New York, was heavily dining on pork." Notice how the rhyme in line 2 seems to match the subject in line 1, when in fact it is the other way around. Readers are deceived!
Step 3. Think of a 'turn' or a turn and a 'twist' or radical plot in your story
When thinking of rhyming words for lines 3 and 4, save the funny part for the last line (the punchline). The fun thing in limerick appears on 4 lines to wait for the climax at the end.
- Of course this piece of story is sometimes disgusting. Since limericks are often peppered with obscene stories, you can still get your hormones under control in a sweet way (without making it too obvious). What if: "He dreamt every night, of a girl by his side?" This line sounds more comfortable to read in front of the family.
- Example 2: Think cork and pork, maybe you noticed how the rhyme wine with swine meet. That would be a great follow-up and set your imagery well.
Step 4. Wrap the story with a punchline that brings the reader to the climax
Go back to the list of rhyme words and find the best words to make a unity. This part is the most difficult. Don't delay if your first few limericks aren't funny enough. Remember, cute is a matter of taste, and everything takes practice. And, sometimes it's all just a matter of finding the right starting words to organize your rhyme
- The Pittsburgh example can be developed well: "An adolescent from Pittsburgh, was just finding out how his bits work. He dreamt every night, of a girl by his side, but his zits seemed to make all the kids smirk."
- So is the New York example: "The distinguished beau monde of New York, was heavily dining on pork. They drank so much wine, that instead of the swine, many were chewing on cork."
Tips
- Clap your hands when you read the limerick aloud. This helps you get a feel for the beat, and checks that your limerick has the right groove.
- If you're starting to get confused, take a look at some of the limericks by other people; each limerick writer has a special character, a taste that is inherent in each individual. You may never know what hardships a writer goes through.
- There are many rhyming word dictionaries in print and online that can help. You can also search online for words with diminutive endings and words with full endings, as well (other than by syllable, of course).
- Choose animals, plants, or people as topics for beginners. Don't start with something too abstract.
- Once you know the basic steps, try experimenting with rhyme, alliteration or assonance to make your poem even more special.
- Read some of Edward Lear's limericks and abstract poems.
- Poems with the theme of love are more difficult to write. Limerick is a joke poem, not a love poem.
- Use the alphabet. You will find it easier to find words that rhyme quickly and in large numbers. For example, take the word "Wiki" and use "iki" as part of the ending by spelling it through the alphabet: aicki … bicki …. By the time you've checked all 26 letters of the alphabet, you'll at least have chickie, hickey, mickey, picky, tricky, etc.
- Always check spelling before publishing your limerick.
