Writting an epic poem novel, Liek the Illiad, etc

[Garibaldi's Hair]

Without wanting to be too picky ... structure is the choice of the poet, and works within the context of the content. A good poet (like a good songwriter) can use structure to make the poem more than just bare words on a page.

Should it rhyme?
Should it have consistent metre?
Should it be split into even stanzas?
Uneven ones?
Should you use long sweeping phrases, or short, snappy ones?
Or switch between them?
Should the structure change as the tone of the content changes, in order to emphasise those changes?
Or should structure change simply when looking at (or through the eyes of) a different character or race?

And so on ...

You can't really answer those questions until you have some idea where you are taking the words themselves ... after all epic poetry generally tells a story, as you have already identified.

I would have thought that the shape of the words themselves should inform how the poem should be structured rather than working out a structure ahead of time and then trying to squeeze the words into it.

[Phil Harmonic]

No offense taken, I know it's hard to tell.

The whole story is gonna be told as a poem but to break up elements the structure of each part will be different. Content is just where the poem will be, for example um using something know and simple.


Main story written in form:

Roses are red, violets are blue
B5 is cool, those watching are too

Calmly (Character dialogue)
Roses are red
Violets are blue
B5 is cool
those watching are too

Where as the chant a language of it's own is written in structures similar to Haikus.

Every part of the story is poetic in some form, different elements have different form. Is that explained well enough?

I understand feedback with content but I don't even want to start the content till I have how each element is to be structured.

I have not even started with punctuation. Comma after every line, period at the end, no commas, etc.

[Radhil]

I honestly have no idea what I'm looking at here. The word "content" written many times isn't really epic for me.

[AmyG]

I'm not sure what kind of feedback you're looking for; generally critique is more useful when there is some actual content, and not just form/structure.

[Phil Harmonic]

Maybe it helps if I say I'm a Hip Hop artist for which rhymes and poetry are nothing new to me.

[Joseph DeMartino]

Not looking for a market, doing something I want to do.

Hey, I'm not saying you should be or knocking what you're doing. Dr. Johnson might give you a hard time, though.

Joe

[Phil Harmonic]

Not looking for a market, doing something I want to do.

[Joseph DeMartino]

Is there much of a market for original epic poetry these days?

"No man but a blockhead ever wrote except for money" - Samuel Johnson

[Phil Harmonic]

Wondering if I could get any feedback from fellow B5 fans?

Here's what I have so far, please any ideas let me know.

--------------------------------------------------------

Poetic Epic:

Races: (Races are said using their Interlactic names.)

Human (Interlactic and English)
Dragoul (Dragoulish, Low and High Homn are actually Lo'Heimian)
Lo'Heim (Lo'Heimian)

Planets: (Planets are said using their Interlactic names.)

Earth - Humans
Drago - Dragoul
Rodarn - Lo'Heim

Structure of poems:

Main story written in form:

Content, content
content, content

Character dialogue written in form: (Assumed to be interlactic, most common tongue)

Mood: (IE: In anger)
Content
Content

Alien language dialogue written in form: (Assumed to be said in native language.)

Mood: (IE: In anger)
<!/
Content
Content
/!>

Poems/Songs written in form:

Alien: (Assumed to be said in native language, translated to interlactic)

<!/
Content, content
content, content
content, content
content, content
/!>

Common: (Interlactic)

Content, content
content, content
content, content
content, content


Low Homn: (Dragoulish)
5 syllables
7 syllables
5 syllables

High Homn: (Dragoulish)
1 syllables
3 syllables
5 syllables
7 syllables
5 syllables
3 syllables
1 syllables