Tongue Twister

A Tongue Twister poem, just like how it is known, is a play with words — words that when read aloud and fast, twist your tongue into knots. It is made up of lines/verses that use alliterations or rhyming words within lines. This form does not require end or internal rhyme.

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Sample poem by Sean Ellis:

 six pink minks think finks stink

 six finks think pink minks stink

 six minks in creeks with finks stink

 if six pink minks pick stinking ink  finks

 if six pink minks had six sticks

 with six pink ink finks in six creeks

 then six minks and six finks

 would have sixty six pink minks and six ink finks

then sixty six pink minks

and sixty six ink finks

would make six ink finks stink

cause six pink minks make finks stink

• Write a 4-line, three-stanza Tongue Twister poem on any topic
• The poem is non-rhyming and must have 5 to 10 syllables per line.
• Login to your profile on our website and draft your poem.
• From the drop down under Prompts choose “#PenMuse-66″
• Attach a cover image for your story in LANDSCAPE with the dimensions: 1200px X 675px. Please use pixabay.com, pexels.com or unsplash.com to source lovely covers in jpg or png. In case your story has a cover of poor quality, is watermarked, or is a graphic image, it will delay the publishing process.
• Allow your story to be admin approved within 24-48 hours.

• If you wish to check syllables, then please click this syllable count here.

  Rules: 

• The submitted poem must have a title (Keep it simple with no punctuation marks; all words more than 3 letters must be capitalised)
• There is no limit to the number of entries you may submit-though only the first submitted poem will be qualified for contention.
• Previously published or plagiarised works will not be considered for contention.
• Poems found to have been shared on another platform or blog before the declaration of results stand disqualified from the event, and the writer of such content stands to be disqualified for the next Penmancy event.
• In case a poem is received after the submission deadline, it shall be considered as a guest entry and shall not qualify for the event.

• Entries that don’t follow rules will be published and shared on the page and group but are disqualified for winning.

  Winning criteria: 

• The winner will be chosen on the basis of the judges’ scores (out of 10)
  • creativity/content and originality, [12 points]
  • coherence of form and structure (harmony of words, presentation), [12 points]
  • clarity of imagery and language/grammar, [10 points]
  • emotional impact, [10 points]
  • topic/relevance to the theme, [6 points]
• The entries adjudged by a panel of judges and event organisers shall be binding. Judges’ scores to be deemed final and may not be contested. Final scores are not disclosed to the participants.
• The entries adjudged through this process shall be binding. No scores will be shared with the participants.
• All writers are required to read and comment on 5 stories other than their own and encourage their fellow writers with valuable and constructive inputs. Comments like “nice”, “good work”, “brilliant piece”, etc. do not provide the necessary critique and are not helpful for anyone.
• Timelines-
  • The last date of submission is September 20, 2024
  • Winners shall be announced on September 27, 2024

• The announcement of winners may be postponed or preponed depending on the number of entries received.

The winners will receive the book 'Ekphrasis: Little Book of Myriad Stories' by Dr Guncha Gupta.

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