#8: How To Write Haiku (Critical)

I'm became really interested in Haikus after reading this week's packet. I would like to eventually try my hand in writing one so I decided to do some more research and I ran across this website that offered some tips.

1. Understand why a haiku is made
Haiku in Japanese is written in a single vertical line with seventeen sound units or mora (not strictly the same as syllables) in a rhythm of five, seven, and five. In English (a stressed language), the ideas can be expressed with a short line, a long line, and another short line.

2. Choose a season
Many haiku seem to focus on nature, but what they are really focusing on is a seasonal reference (not all of which are necessarily about nature). The season is important for coming up with words to use in a haiku. Because the poem has so few words, simple phrases such as "cherry blossoms" or "falling leaves" can create lush scenes, yet still reflect the feeling of the verse.

3. Add a contrast of comparison
Reading most haiku, you'll notice they either present one idea for the first two lines and then switch quickly to something else or do the same with the first line and last two. In English, it is essential for nearly every haiku to have this two-part juxtapositional structure. The idea is to create a leap between the two parts, and to create an intuitive realization from what has been called an "internal comparison." These two parts sometimes create a contrast, sometime a comparison. It doesn't have to be extremely severe; it can be anything from one color to another. In English, punctuation between the two lines can create that contrast, although this is not necessary provided that the grammar clearly indicates that a shift has occurred.

4. Use primarily objective sensory description
Haiku are based on the five senses. They are about things you can experience, not your interpretation or analysis of those things. To do this effectively, it is good to rely on sensory description, and to use mostly objective rather than subjective words.

5. Like any other art haiku takes practice
To learn haiku properly, it is important to take it beyond the superficial or even sometimes incorrect ways it has been taught in most grade schools. It is important to distinguish between pseudo-haiku that says whatever it wants in a 5-7-5 syllable pattern and literary haiku that adheres to the use of season words, a two-part juxtapositional structure, and primarily objective sensory imagery.


http://www.wikihow.com/Write-a-Haiku-Poem