Seriously.

Who doesn’t love a good rhyme?

They sound so pleasant to the ear that artists make a SMACKING incorporating rhymes into beats, sounds, and lyrics.

Keep in mind that while most of these ideas are my original thoughts, the bulk of these lessons come from sources provided in the links below.

August 12, 2022, will be a day that forever propelled me into getting off my butt and doing something productive. I was in Lehi, Utah (don’t ask because I’m about to tell you) after the army sent me there to do some training for my job. I was there for 2 months and the very first day I arrived there, my girlfriend at the time and I broke up.

Yes. Tears. Emojis. Tears and Emojis.

She did motivate me though, after the breakup, to actually write my first children’s book (an idea that I had pondered for so long but never really gave enough effort to). Long story short, I finished the book that I had started earlier that year, and apparently, the breakup fueled my efforts just enough to click the publish button.

And I did it. I was officially a children’s book author. Suddenly, more thoughts came alive as if I had opened up Pandora’s box.

Do I continue writing books?

Do I turn the book into a series?

Do I keep making the lines rhyme?

That last thought brought me agony because forcing rhymes is quite a challenge. The beautiful part that brought so much satisfaction, warmth, and happiness to my heart was the support that my friends had for me. Outside of the many congrats and huzzahs (one that was actually given by my own 3rd grade teacher and served as the main reason why I wanted to teach 3rd grade at first), some of my friends actually bought the book! Oh, and before I forget, click HERE for the first book I had written.

Why am I telling you this? Well, one of my friends had bought the book for her baby boy and sent me a video of her asking him if my book was his favorite book! Of course the reason why I bring this up is that he said yes. So I had to ask my friend this question that kept clawing at the back of my head like a shadowy claw from an abstract claw idea monster with claws from the 7th dimension.

It was: Should I keep rhyming?

She said YES because she loves books that rhyme. Now that I think about it… I don’t think she asked her son.

ANYWAY. Here are some quick tips that I’ve collected from a few sources.

1. Count your syllables (5).

   The reason why I put (5) is because that single line has 5 syllables in it. Michael Leah mentions this strategy and it pays off superbly because once you keep lines with roughly the same number of syllables, the rhyme just sounds oh-so-buttery-smooth. Here’s a spontaneous example:

The night of Halloween is such a fright (10)

So haunting yet such a beautiful sight (10)

Keep in mind that like Leah mentions, each line doesn’t have to have exactly the same number of syllables but it definitely helps solidify the rhythm for the reader. I would suggest deviating by no more than ONE (1) syllable. You can read the rest of Leah’s suggestions HERE.

2. Learn by example.

In other words, read well-made rhyming books. This is why you’re here (I hope), to learn from the best and experienced so they can teach us so we can, one day, teach someone else.

Here are some examples provided by Ethicool’s website. Click HERE to read more.

Ex: Giraffes Can’t Dance by Giles Andreae and The Very Cranky Bear by Nick Bland.

One take away from these books is that I’ve noticed that using lines of approximately 14 syllables seems to be in the sweet spot for a beautiful rhyme scheme.

3. Focus on the story.

Make sure not to stray away from the story just because the end rhyme was "forced” into there, according to Diana Murray. Rhymers should have to learn to juggle a great story with great poetry that could work in tandem with each other. Focus on the story and maintain appropriate rhymes. Move some words around so the integrity of each line aligns with the story. Forcing words in there just because they rhyme appears to be a recipe for disaster. This isn’t Star Wars so get over yourself. You are not the Jedi I am looking for.

You can read more from Diana by clicking HERE.

I hope these tips help at least someone out there. Best of luck and may we continue teaching each other so they, one day, may return the favor!