Haiku poems are short but they can be hard to write. But what is a haiku? Haiku is simply an unrhymed and short poem that follows a three-line and seventeen-syllable format. This form of writing originated in Japan, though nowadays people across the world tend to read and write haiku in various languages.
And, because of the unique syllables and grammar structures of different languages, haiku poems have slightly varying formats from different languages. One of the most common formats is the English haiku format. This post provides the key steps to help you to write a haiku.
Haiku explained
There is a chance that you may have written a haiku while you were in your elementary or middle school days. Haiku which is pronounced high-Koo is just a short-form poetry that has existed for many years. Originally, haiku was a part of a larger poetic category called renga.
You should note that renga is a lengthy and linked collaborative poem that usually has several authors. In the seventeenth century, most poets started writing hokku which are standalone pieces. And, by the nineteenth century, there was a poet known as Masaoka Shiki who reformed the genre. One of his reforms was coming with the term haiku.
Traditionally, haiku poems focus on nature. There are many themes that historical and modern poets try to explore, and one of them is seasonal changes. Quite often, a haiku looks at a single moment in time and can also juxtapose two images.
Just like other literary and poetic forms, haiku has also evolved over the years. Traditional haiku always adhered to certain content requirements and structure, but modern haiku usually deviates from these rules so that it can experiment with new formats as well as explore the new subject matter.
One of the defining characteristics of haiku is its concise structure. The structure has five syllables in the first line, seven syllables in the second line, and five syllables in the third line. Take note that if a poem fails to follow this structure, then it’s not a haiku. Besides this structure, there are also a few more rules you have to follow when writing a traditional haiku. One of the rules is that the lines don’t rhyme. Also, Japanese haiku is often written as one line while in English, it can be written in the three-line format.
In Japanese, a haiku has seventeen syllables that are arranged in the 5-7-5 pattern. In most cases, a Japanese word can have the same meaning as English syllables.
Another unique thing about the Japanese haiku is the inclusion of one Kireji. You should note that Kireji refers to cutting words, which is a category of words that can create a sense of closure or a pause. The Kireji is represented by a punctuation mark, such as a dash or an ellipsis. Any English-language haiku writer can decide to use punctuation to fill the Kireji role, though it’s not a requirement. Most poets often leave out the Kireji, especially if it doesn’t work with their themes.
Steps to writing a haiku
It’s worth mentioning that writing a haiku is just like writing about any other type of poem or even other pieces of text as it follows the writing process. The first step you need to take before you write a haiku is to brainstorm so that you can generate ideas. In the brainstorming session, you can figure out what you intend to write, and choose whether your haiku will explore traditional topics, such as changing seasons or any other part of nature. You can also decide to explore something more modern, such as a trending story or your relationship with your sibling.
Once you have brainstormed, you need to pre-write. This means that you should write down your ideas. Prewriting can involve building on brainstorming and outlining. You may not need to write a full outline with a haiku, but you should note how you intend to arrange your haiku or even play with various word combinations so that they can fit the syllabic structure.
Besides, you need to consider the common rules of writing poetry including avoiding cliches and being honest. They may not be the requirements for writing a haiku, but they are essential guidelines.
And, during the prewriting stage, you need to choose whether you want to follow the established haiku structure or write a flexible form of haiku. You should remember that you can change your mind in the long run, especially if the lines you write fail to fit the 5-7-5 pattern.
Whether or not you want to follow the 5-7-5 pattern, it’s a good idea to have enough room to play around with words. You can group words depending on their syllable counts. You should then say them aloud to hear the way they sound together. You should do this whether or not you want to perform your haiku aloud. The main part of your poem is its flow and rhythm, so ensure that you have a beat that complements the words and subject.
When you have a draft, you should allow yourself to cool off. You can do a better editing task once you revisit your writing with fresh eyes. Therefore, if you have the first draft, you need to do something else so that you can relax.
At least 24 hours or later, you can get back to your haiku. You should read it aloud again as well as listen to how your haiku sounds. There is a chance that you can catch awkward strings of syllables or even spot something that you can replace with a stronger word that you failed to notice earlier after completing the draft. You can then make some changes to polish your haiku so that it can become a great second draft.
At this point, your haiku should be ready. This means that you have achieved your goal of writing a haiku once you finish revising your second draft. You can decide to publish your haiku or share it with your network. You can even submit it to a chapbook or magazine for publication.