Tips from the poet Petes
A poem for a surprise
How poem and surprise strengthen each other: giving hints without giving the present away and building up to the moment of unwrapping.
A poem for a colleague
Drawing names at work: how to write a nice poem for someone you hardly know, with safe topics and what to leave alone.
A Sinterklaas poem for children
Short lines, simple words, a rhythm to clap along to and keeping the magic of Sint intact: how to write for a child.
Metre and rhythm, explained practically
Counting syllables, feeling stresses and reading aloud as a test: how to give your Sinterklaas poem a rhythm that reads well.
Opening lines and closing lines
Twelve original opening lines, twelve closing lines and tips for signing off as Sint and Piet.
Teasing without hurting
How to tease in a Sinterklaas poem without it hurting: what is fine, what is not, and how to soften a sharp line.
Printing and presenting your poem
Paper choice, font, margins, a ribbon or wax seal and reading aloud: how to give your Sinterklaas poem a fitting look.
Rhyme schemes for your Sinterklaas poem
Couplets, alternate and enclosed rhyme explained with an example verse per scheme, plus when each scheme fits best.
Writing a Sinterklaas poem in six steps
From blank page to finished poem: a step-by-step plan to write a Sinterklaas poem in one evening that suits the recipient.
Common mistakes in Sinterklaas poems
Forced rhyme, uneven lines, odd word order, too many in-jokes and poems that run too long, each with an example and a fix.