Month: September 2018

Alphabet Jam

Sometimes—often—the most interesting things begin with “I Can’t…” That’s exactly what I said when author/teacher/mentor/friend Tim Wynne-Jones shared this prompt at a VCFA session a few years back. But, once I committed to giving it a try, it turned out I could! And best, I had fun! And the results were interesting. With hopes you’ll find it the same, here goes:

Plant a subject you’d like to explore in your mind. It can be as broad as “Sports” or “Weather.” It can be as specific as “My tenth birthday” or “Daisy.” Your choice.
Now, beginning with the letter A, work your way through the alphabet assigning one word to each letter in order: A-B-C-D…end with Z. (X is wild, or if you can, use a word that begins with the “ex” sound.)

There are 2 rules:

1) While the sequence you create might be outlandish, it must make sense—i.e. work as a sentence or series of sentences.
2) You cannot insert or delete letters.

Consider the 26 word sequence you created: Did you stick with your initial subject? Did you veer off in a different direction? Did you surprise yourself?

Now for the magic! Keeping the words in alphabetical order, use line breaks and punctuation to shape your Alphabet Jam into a 26 word poem.

Set the timer for 7 minutes.

Start writing!

Don’t think about it too much; just do it.

*Kelly Bennett and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge over 870 days ago. We now take turns creating our own prompts to share with you. If you join us in the 7-Minute Poetry Challenge let us know by posting the title, a note, or if you want, the whole poem in the comments.

Shadorma

Sometimes when you want to write a poem, it helps to use a poetic form. The Shadorma is a six-line poem with a certain number of syllables on each line: 3/5/3/3/7/5. It’s said to have originated in Spain. It can be written about any subject, does not need to rhyme, and you can connect many together to write a longer poem.

Here are two samples I wrote:

1
Dr. King
used non-violence
to show us
another
way. He had a dream of peace
we still want today.

2
Acceptance
of changing feelings
does not come
easily
for me. I feel the loss of
everything that’s past.

Now it’s your turn!

Set the timer for 7 minutes.

Start writing!

Don’t think about it too much; just do it.

*Kelly Bennett and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge over 870 days ago. We now take turns creating our own prompts to share with you. If you join us in the 7-Minute Poetry Challenge let us know by posting the title, a note, or if you want, the whole poem in the comments.

 

Hurricane Florence

As I type Hurricane Florence* rages. Although I am far from the storm, it’s the only thing on my mind. With each update on the storm’s path and efforts those in the storms projected path are making to prepare, worry mounts. If you are like me, your thoughts and energy are with those in the Southeast—watching, waiting, worrying. As we send our energy and light to all in the storm’s path, let’s focus our creative effort there with today’s prompt.

Write a hurricane poem from the point of the view of a hurricane. Muster all the hurricane language you can—sounds and actions, too. Ask yourself, if Hurricane Florence were an animal or a machine which would she be?

*This is the 5th time a Hurricane has been named Florence. Why? There are plenty of other names that begin with the letter F. Feel free to change your hurricane’s name to something else. And if you do, consider: Does your hurricane want to hurt…or hug?

Think “Hurricane” and get to it!

Set the timer for 7 minutes.

Start writing!

Don’t think about it too much; just do it.

Hurricane Florence Playlist:

Eye of the Tiger by Survivor

You’ll Never Walk Alone from Carousel

And a terrific book:
Another Kind of Hurricane by Tam Smith 

Red Cross and other relief organizations are hard at work supporting evacuees and preparing for the storm. DONATIONS are needed:
HURRICANE FLORENCE RELIEF

*Kelly Bennett and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge over 870 days ago. We now take turns creating our own prompts to share with you. If you join us in the 7-Minute Poetry Challenge let us know by posting the title, a note, or if you want, the whole poem in the comments.

Remember When…

What’s the first thing you think of when you say that phrase?

Do you remember when you were seven? You had some money? You saw a movie? You ate a new food? So many memories! So many different poems you could write.

Pick one thing you remember. Maybe it’s the first thing that came to mind when you read the prompt. Maybe you need to scroll through your memories until you find one that creates a vivid picture in your mind.

Write a poem beginning with the words “Remember when…”. If you get stuck, write “Remember when…” again and go on with another memory. Extra credit for adding colors, smells, sounds, feelings.

Set the timer for 7 minutes.

Start writing!

Don’t think about it too much; just do it.

*Kelly Bennett and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge over 870 days ago. We now take turns creating our own prompts to share with you. If you join us in the 7-Minute Poetry Challenge let us know by posting the title, a note, or if you want, the whole poem in the comments.