Timothy Steele on Meter

[Seraphim]

All the numbers almost make it more confusing

It takes a bit of practice.  Easier, I suppose, for someone with a bit of musical background, who can look at it like notes on a scale.

It's not for everybody. Many have no interest in the technical aspects.  It is certainly not a prerequisite for writing formal verse.  You can learn all you need by reading poetry and copying the greats.

Some people can learn ‘all they need’ that way; not all. Not many, imo. It’s an important aspect to learning, yes. But there’s so much more to learning than copying what we read. We have to learn why their poetry works, and how they accomplished their results. technical aspects. Great writers didn’t get great by not understanding them. I’ve always viewed writing as analogous to house building. A carpenter with no blueprint, no tools, who has never apprenticed or learned the skills, will rarely build a good house. Technical aspects are a part of writing any genre. Knowledge of them cannot hurt, and most likely will help writers of all skill levels see results in their writing which they like. But if someone doesn’t want to learn those aspects, it is their choice.