Sonnet as…room, cell, locked box, coffin, scene, frame, window, grave, urn, viewfinder, jewel, cage, snare, net, shell, trinket box, keepsake, weed, instrument, mould, mask, brick, paving stone, coin, chain, braid, creeping vine…
 
Do you want to master the sonnet? This course is not a manual of rhyme schemes and meters, and it’s not a history of the sonnet either; by figuring the sonnet as a series of images rather than just a set of rules, you will learn what really makes a sonnet a sonnet, and see for yourself why the sonnet form is so versatile, enduring and charismatic. With this course, you will understand the spirit of a sonnet, which goes beyond rules and rhyme schemes. Develop your confidence in using the sonnet form, learn how to write a sonnet that enchants, write better sonnets and more of them.
 
Learn in your own time with this 5-part downloadable writing course. Each lesson contains a written lecture on a different aspect of sonnet writing, with a selection of sonnets to inspire you - traditional, modern, conventional and experimental. Explore different approaches and styles using a choice of sonnet writing exercises each lesson.
 
This course is exclusive to The Poetry Master Class, and was written to celebrate the publication of Cat Woodward’s Sueño del Alma: 22 Andalusian Sonnets, published by Broken Sleep Books in 2025.