A big idea or feeling or issue (like love, or heartbreak, or a problem to be solved).14 lines (though there are “stretched sonnets” of 15 and 16 lines, too).How fancy you get is up to you! The basics Here’s a quick list to help you get started. Sonneteers have been bending and breaking the sonnet form for ages, so share whatever you’ve got! Shakespearean sonnets use iambic pentameter and an ABAB CDCD EFEF GG rhyme scheme, but don’t worry too much about all that. It usually takes a turn, called a “volta,” about 8 lines in, and then resolves the issue by the end. Sonnets have been around for over seven centuries, maybe because they’re so much fun to write! A sonnet is a poem of 14 lines that reflects upon a single issue or idea.