A Dash of Poetry in Prose – How to Use Poems in Fiction

Photo by Brooks Leibee 

There is no denying that the art of poetry can really intimidate a lot of newbie writers. More than a handful of them would rather default to finding their art in prose because they fear their skills don’t meet up to giants like Poe, Shakespeare or even just the entries found in The Color of Love by Raymond Quattlebaum. 

And yet, plenty of the greatest literary works incorporate poetry. Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking-Glass, had the nonsense poem Jabberwocky. The Lord of the Rings trilogy had more than a dozen poems that delved into the beauty and lore of Tolkien’s Middle Earth. 

So rather than try to escape the need for poetry, it might actually be better to incorporate it and cease dreading the prospect. One does not have to be an impeccable bard to pull off poems in fiction. Any writer can just start with some simple rules.

Rule #1: Poems in Fiction are for Poet Characters

Photo by Антон Воробьев 

Now there may be hundreds of ways that an author might find themselves in need to throw in a poem. However, the most natural way this occurs is when they make a character who writes poetry. These characters can be a kid struggling to write a poem for the first time, or an upper-class noble who writes romantic verses with a vivid imagination. 

Naturally, a good rule-of-thumb is to make sure their poetic style matches their personality and history. Rather than fret about the poem you need to insert, first look back on who the character is. Can you imagine them to be so skilled that poetry is what they practice every day? Or, perhaps it is enough that they have a layman’s grasp of it and you can be comfortable about writing something more basic. 

Character-based poetic styles help in narrowing down the kind of structure they would likely use. For example, if you have a character who is an avid rapper, then there is no need to make them recite a whole sonnet. Likewise, if you think a character is the type to use poetry at highly pivotal moments of the plot, then take time really perfecting the poem you’re inserting into that chapter.

Rule #2: Poems in Fiction Require a Narrative Fit

Photo by Ryoji Iwata

Speaking of which, there are certainly situations where none of the main cast are necessarily poets but will definitely encounter them somewhere on their journey.

This is definitely a good chance to learn from well-known examples of poems in fiction and pay attention to how that’s done. In Harry Potter, for instance, there is a cautionary poem when Harry makes his first visit to the wizarding bank Gringotts. The poem itself immediately serves as a useful narrative tool, creatively relaying to the reader what awaits would-be robbers of a magical bank (even subtly foreshadowing other plot points in the series).

Like any sort of storytelling device, poems in fiction simply need to have good placement in the narrative to mold the depth and complexity they’ll need. Unless poetry is somehow a very central theme to a story’s entire plot, a poem’s purpose can be as simple as advancing it by one step or helping a character’s development in a small way.

If you’re writing a mystery, then a poem could just be written in a way that would provide a clue. If you’re writing historical fiction, then understanding the type of poem that originated from your setting’s culture and time period should be enough. You can certainly try a few ways to make your poems more beautiful, but there’s no need to stress too much about it!

Rule #3: Poems in Fiction Need Not Be Complex

When you know how poetry fits in your characters and your narrative, it’s best to not get too caught up with perfectionism. Poems in fiction don’t have to take you hours to create because you struggle to follow all the rules down to the letter.

In fact, Carroll’s Jabberwocky was written for the very purpose of being a nonsense poem that highlights the surreal mirror world that Alice is in. It is a playful poem with none of the usual ‘depth’ most people think all poems should have. The first stanza of the poem was even written by Carroll initially as a gift to his family.

Start by keeping your storytelling objectives in mind and practice with simple structures. Focus on the fundamentals of writing poetry. You can also try using prompts for inspiration. Don’t feel bad for having to use simple rhymes or words. The key is to have the poem do its part in the story and not force you to reach too far.

And if you’re still unsure about whether a poem is good enough, then take a moment away from writing it. Review your goals for the poem and just assess how much you really need it do.

After all, great poetry itself is rarely an overnight process. You may even discover a few more rules down the road that help you personalize your use of it in your own tales. And at the end of the day, just like poetry, it’s still all about sharing your heart and your vision with your own words.

You can also get plenty of poetry ideas for your own stories by checking out The Color of Love. It’s easily available at Google Books.