Page 5 - Write Away Magazine Dec 2019

The Lyrics Doctor

has far more rhyming than other genres, but even then it’s Another example, Macklemore’s Same Love uses many
not required. It’s just stylistic. examples of assonance rhymes and other non-standard
rhymes: lately/daily, anointed/poisoned, important/support
Try non-standard rhyme schemes. If you do want to make it, etc
your rhyming stand out a bit more and avoid sounding
cheesy, you can experiment with different styles of Pararhyme is a half-rhyme in which there is vowel variation
rhyming. Did you know that there’s more ways to rhyme? within the same consonant pattern.
Explore assonance/consonance rhymes, pararhyme,
alliteration, forced rhymes, etc. “Strange Meeting” (1918) is a poem by Wilfred Owen, a
war poet who used pararhyme in his writing. Here is a part
Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds to of the poem that shows pararhyme:
create internal rhyming within phrases or sentences, and
together with alliteration and consonance serves as one Too fast in thought or death to be bestirred.
of the building blocks of verse. Assonance does not have Then, as I probed them, one sprang up, and stared
to be a rhyme; the identity of which depends merely on With piteous recognition in fixed eyes,
sequence of both vowel and consonant sounds. Lifting distressful hands, as if to bless.
And by his smile, I knew that sullen hall,
Consonance refers to repetitive sounds produced by By his dead smile I knew we stood in Hell.
consonants within a sentence or phrase. This repetition
often takes place in quick succession such as in pitter, Alliteration and rhyme

patter. It is classified as a literary term used in both poetry Alliteration refers to words that share the same
as well as prose. For instance, the words chuckle, fickle, and initial sound, like Peter Piper, Bugs Bunny, or Mickey
kick are consonant with one and other due to the Mouse.
existence of common interior consonant sounds
Rhyme refers to words that share the same final sound or
sound sequence, like me and tree or tap and cap, or fun
and sun. Rhyme is actually quite complex and difficult to
explain precisely, so you’ll want to keep it pretty simple, at
least at first. My advice: stick to one-syllable words with a
simple sound structure, at least at first.

Avoid cliches. You want to avoid cliches because these
keep your songs from standing out and don’t show off your
unique talent. If you have someone down on their knees
(especially if they’re begging please), someone is walking
down the street (either it’s a girl or it’s you, either way, it’s
been done), or you just have to ask “why can’t you see”, you
probably need to go back to the drawing board...

Please email any questions for The Lyrics Doctor
directly to me and I will forward to him.
jane@writeawaymagazine.co.uk

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