A PEN is based on word count, not syllable count. A PEN can have one or more stanzas. Each stanza has four lines and a total of nine words:

line one has 3 words,
line two has 2 words,
line three has 1 word,
line four has 3 words.

PENs can be rhymed or not, with a meter or unmetered, and syllable count is strictly ignored. The word count per stanza is what matters. Contractions count as one word: shouldn't, they're, etc. The title does not count toward the word count. (That can be helpful if you're writing a one-stanza PEN, like those above.)

Some time ago, I posted an example of a PEN with multiple verses, found here:

https://www.fanstory.com/displaystory.jsp?hd=1&id=1013360

You need to login or register to write reviews. It's quick! We only ask four questions to new members.