Poetry Challenge #54-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, had fun! And the results were interesting. With hopes you’ll find it the same, here goes:
Poetry Challenge #54
Alphabet Jam
Plant a subject you’d like to explore in your mind. It can be as broad as “Sports” or “Weather;” it can be 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:
While the sequence you create might be outlandish, it must make sense—i.e. work as a sentence or series of sentences.
You can not 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.
Tim’s newest book…a must read!
*Cindy Faughnan and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge almost 900 days ago. We now take turns creating our own prompts to share with you.
Join the 7-Minute Poetry Challenge. . . If YOU dare. Click on the Fishbowl link and sign up to receive email notifications from Kelly's blog (aka The Fishbowl)!
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Poetry Challeng #53-Shadorma Anyone?
Sometimes when you want to write a poem, it helps to use a poetic form.
Poetry Challenge #53
Shadorma Anyone?
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 *Cindy wrote:
STRETCH YOURSELF!
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.
*Cindy Faughnan and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge over 870 days ago. We now take turns creating our own prompts to share with you.
Join the 7-Minute Poetry Challenge. . . If YOU dare. Click on the Fishbowl link and sign up to receive email notifications from Kelly's blog (aka The Fishbowl)!
Poetry Challenge #52-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.
Poetry Challenge #52
Hurricane Florence
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?
Set the timer for 7 minutes.
Start writing!
Think “Hurricane” and get to it!
Excellent Book!
Hurricane Florence Playlist:
Red Cross and other relief organizations are hard at work supporting evacuees and preparing for the storm. DONATIONS are needed:
HURRICANE FLORENCE RELIEF
Cindy Faughnan and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge more than 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.
Poetry Challenge #51-Remember When?
Remember When…
I wandered back to 54 Oregon Street--my grandparent's house. It did not look like this then--and it was much larger...wasn't it?
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.
Poetry Challenge #51
Remember When?
Pick one thing you remember. Maybe it’s the first thing that came to mind when you began reading this post. 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.
Remember When? Playlist:
*Cindy Faughnan and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge over 870 days ago. We now take turns creating our own prompts to share with you. (This jaunt down memory lane was Cindy's idea.) 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.
Poetry Challenge #50
“DON’T USE ADJECTIVES AND ADVERBS TO PRETIFY YOUR PROSE!” The warning—BOLD & ALL CAPS—is issued at least once, in ever writing class. So much so, that it’s the title of a Writers’ Digest article expounding the excellence of Raymond Carver via his teacher John Gardner’s leaner-is-neater adverb and adjective-free prose.
If "Ly" were a dog, this is him. Sad.
Following in Carver/Gardner's footsteps has let us to “cast a suspicious eye on these forms of speech because many times they add little to what is already on the page.” As a result those ly-ending adverbs (and adjectives*) we once sprinkled throughout our prose as liberally as we sugared our Lucky Charms have been unnecessarily shunned, ignominiously tossed aside, and relegated extremely disposable.
A sign, at the entrance to the Cooper Hewitt Museum's current exhibition “Design Beyond Vision” (running through Oct. 28th, 2018) caught my attention and caused me to wonder: Where have all the adverbs gone? Long time passing . . . What has become of those lowly, loathsome “Ly”s? They are, frankly, lonely.
Here's the juicy sign. What's missing?
Hence today’s battle cry and prompt: Down with Understated. Let’s bravely go where no adverb has gone before…(or at least not for a long, long time.)
Poetry Challenge #50
Ode for Lonely "Ly"
Let’s write an adverb poem. Begin with the simplest sentence: A subject and a verb. For example: Jack ran. Mary ate. Unicorn flew.
Now ask yourself “how?” or “when?” or “Where?” Answer by adding an adverb. Repeat that adverb and ask “how?” Answer with another adverb. Keep repeating this pattern, asking “how?” or “when?” or “where?” and answering with adverbs, one after the other after the other after the other, until you’ve used all the adverbs you want. Then, bring it to a rousing—or not—finish. As an example, here’s my effort:
“Ly sat lonely
Dejectedly, roundly, slovenly,
Unsoundly, ashamedly, awkwardly, unconsolably
Day after day in the darkest depths of the keyboard, until . . .
Unabashedly, slap-dashishly, left-handishly I asked “how?”
Look at Ly now!”
Set the timer for 7 minutes.
Start writing!
Don’t think about it too much; just do it.
Ode For Lonely "Ly" Playlist:
*Cindy Faughnan and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge over 850 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.
**To paraphrase McArthur and Arnold: “Adjectives! We’ll be back!”
Poetry Challenge #49-Poem Stew
Back when Cindy taught at teen writing camp, one of their favorite activities was Story Stew. "We would call out an “ingredient” and one of the campers would supply it. When we had our seven words, we’d write a story or poem, trying to use each of the words. It was always surprising how different the stories were."
Poetry Challenge #49
Poem Stew
You can find ingredients for a poem stew yourself. If someone is nearby, ask them for the words in the manner of Mad Libs. Or find them in anything around you: books, magazines, newspapers, the room you’re in.) You will need two nouns (something you can see or touch, not capitalized if possible), a color, a place (not capitalized), an adjective (a word that describes), a verb (an action), and an abstract noun (a word that you can’t touch that names an idea: beauty, hope, justice, chance).
Here are some ingredients I found in case you need them: milkweed, laughter, mulberry, market, delicious, yearn, hope.
Set the timer for 7 minutes.
Start writing!
Don’t think about it too much; just do it.
Poem Stew Playlist:
- A Little Pinch of This & That by Giara
- Les Poissons from Littlest Mermaid
- Antevka from The Fiddler on the Roof
*Cindy Faughnan and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge over 850 days ago. We now take turns creating our own prompts to share with you. (This one is Cindy's.) 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.
Poetry Challenge #48-It's Hump Day!
It’s Hump Day—WHOOOO hooooooooo.
If your hooooo, like mine, comes out less robust that’s per other days, even the Oxford Dictionary acknowledges how “Wednesday, regarded as the midpoint of a typical working week, is hump day and perhaps the toughest day of the week."
Getting up and over that Wednesday hump is such a widely shared high hurdle, there’s an International Hump Day Facebook page for folks needing extra support. There’s even a song (and you know we love songs!)
However, rather than wallowing in Hump Day frustration ruinination consternation, we are going to rise to the occasion and use Hump Day as a source of Inspiration:
Poetry Challenge #48
Hump Day
Lots of things have humps. Quickly list as many as you can. Here’s a few to set you thinking:
Hills have humps, whales have humps, camels, too—some one, some two—the Hunchback of Notre Dame had a huge hump which caused him pain, shame & ultimately fame.
Write a poem about one of the humps you listed, or the hump itself. And since the reward following the long trudge up to the end of the Wednesday is sliding through Thursday toward the weekend, bonus points if you shape your poem so it looks like a slide.
Set the timer for 7 minutes.
Start writing!
Don’t think about it too much; just do it.
For more on the history of Hump Day (and that song) read Kelly-Lynne’s most excellent post.
Cindy Faughnan and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge at least 862 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. Scroll down and click on the comments.
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Poetry Challenge #47-Riffing Off The Trend, Daddy-O
At a loss for words? Aren't we all sometimes--which can be a total drag if you're trying to scratch down some lines, Daddy-o...
Have no fear, help is here! There are many excellent sites for Words of the Day. Some of them include trending words as well—words that are the most looked up at that moment in time. For today's stretch, what say we get hip, with-it, happening dude, by riffing off the trend:
Poetry Challenge #47
Trending Poetry
For this poem, you need to collect five words and see what you can do with them.
One of my favorite sites for words for all ages is Merriam Webster’s Word Central. Look at the Buzzwords Archive and grab the first five words. If you need definitions, click on the word. Then write a poem/story/something using those words.
In case you can’t look them up, this week's words are:
“08 / 10 / 2018 celery
08 / 09 / 2018 roil
08 / 08 / 2018 wombat
08 / 07 / 2018 tense
08 / 06 / 2018 temblor”
Feel free to use these words or look them up any day and use what you find to create a way cool-happening-with it-trendy poem.
Set the timer for 7 minutes.
Start writing!
Don’t think about it too much; just do it.
Riffing Off the Trend, Daddy-O Playlist:
- Anything Goes by Cole Porter
- We've Got The Beat by The Go-Gos
- Hip to be Square by Huey Lewis and the News
Cindy Faughnan and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge over 850 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.