Confession time: I’ve been hoarding this one. Long ago I promised to share my 100 Themes poems on this blog, even if they seemed publishable elsewhere. Since then, I’ve held a few back for personal reasons, when it seemed prudent to limit the audience. Other times — like now — I’ve held back because it seemed a … Read more
Fiction writers, does this sound familiar? “I want to write a story, but I don’t have any ideas!” YAWN. Look, I know the feeling. But you can’t use that excuse anymore. Why? Because I’m about to give you a story-generating tool that’ll leave you with no excuses. Except maybe that you have no time. I respect … Read more
In my earlier post on poem starters, I promised I’d write a second article on handling one word prompts. Well, here I am, being as good as my word. One word prompts abound on the Internet, from my 100 Themes challenge to the Wednesday prompts on Robert Lee Brewer’s Poetic Asides blog. They’re a great challenge because they force you to … Read more
Inspiration comes from strange places. In this case, it came from an ad for quests (aka escape rooms) in Novosibirsk. I love this ad (which is actually a placemat at a local cafe) because it’s laid out as a humorous flow chart designed to help you find the perfect quest. In one part (shown below), … Read more
Writer’s block happens to everyone, including poets. If you’re running low on inspiration, try these poem starters to get writing again! 1. Play Dictionary Roulette Take any book or dictionary, open to random page, look away and stick your finger somewhere on the page. Whatever word (or words, or image) your finger lands on — write … Read more