Janet: But good use of traditional form is simply as natural as syntax - so is bad use. And we grow used to old things, they become naturalised. The fact that they're old suggests that they're of some use otherwise they wouldn't have survived - they're a safe option. But while using old forms I think we should also experiment with discarded ones and test the viability of new inventions. Forms that one can hear have the best chance (e.g. sonnet), followed by those that depend on spelling (e.g. Acrostics), then those that one can only see (e.g. syllabics), followed by those that readers need to be told about. Some forms are more useful to the writer than the reader; they're rules that help generate content but leave no trace. See
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