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Would you suggest getting comfortable with free-style, and then easing into meter? Or is it better to figure out meter before messing with free-style?

I would suggest meter first because it is easier to understand how to make it work. Free-style seems a bit more “heady” to me, but a lot of meter stuff cross-applies.

In other words, since meter is limited to rhymes and syllables, you don’t need as much head-knowledge. Freestyle is, well, freer, but it takes a greater understanding of how poetry works to make it happen.

As for your other questions, Evelyn’s advice is great (absolutely use both). You can also stick to easy rhymes in the beginning until you feel ready to branch out to bigger ones. Also, read lots of poetry so you know what other poets are doing. The more you imerse yourself in rhymes, the sooner you’ll be able to “get it”.

And yes, I would LOVE to read your poetry and give advice!