by Bryn Donovan
Set your alarm for two hours earlier than you usually wake up. Put a notebook and pen next to your bed. When you wake up, free-write for about fifteen minutes. (“Free-writing” means “writing down whatever pops into your head, without thinking too hard about it.”) If you woke up in the middle of a dream, use the dream as inspiration; otherwise, just write whatever comes into your head. Go back to sleep. Later, turn your free-writing into a poem.
Go somewhere you won’t be disturbed. If you get interrupted a lot in your home, some libraries will allow you to rent a room with a door you can close to the world. You can also try going to a park.Set an alarm to go off in three minutes. Close your eyes and breathe deeply. Attempt to clear your mind as much as possible, just focusing on your breathing. When the alarm goes off, very calmly fill out a page with free-writing.
Write a poem that’s an email or letter to someone, living or dead.
Write a poem that’s an open letter to a whole group of people.
Do this one with a friend. Each of you writes down two nouns and two verbs. Then you switch with one another and write the best poem you can in twenty minutes using their words. (You can conjugate the verbs however you like.)
I got this one from one of my poetry professors, though I’m sorry to say I can’t remember which one: start with a poem written in a language you don’t speak a word of, and “translate” it into your native tongue.
Rewrite an old poem—19th century or earlier—into a modern one. Make more changes, until you’ve gotten completely away from the source material.
Write a poem in which every line begins with the same word. You can change that in revision…or maybe you won’t want to.
For this one, you’ll need to either write in a notebook or journal, or on your phone. Go to a store that would be a weird place to write a poem—like a convenience store, a department store, or a drugstore—and write a quick poem.
Write a poem that focuses on one color. Federico García Lorca’s poem “Somnambulist Ballad,” translated from the Spanish, or Diane Wakoski’s poem “Blue Monday” might inspire you.
Write a poem designed to get yourself through the hard times. Langston Hughes’s poem “The Island” might inspire you.
Write a poem expressing joy or gratitude. e.e. cummings’s poem “i thank you God for most this amazing” might inspire you.
Write a poem that’s a series of positive affirmations. It’s okay if they’re weird. In fact, it’s almost certainly better if they’re weird.
Write a poem that’s a series of questions.
Write a poem that’s in the form of an interview, with questions and answers.
Write a pantoum. A pantoum is a poem with four-line stanzas. Lines 2 and 4 of the first stanza become lines 1 and 3 of the following stanza. And then lines 2 and 4 of that stanza become lines 1 and 3 of the next one…you get the idea. (Do an Internet search of pantoums to see examples.) Write as many stanzas as you want, but lines 2 and 4 of the final stanza should be lines 1 and 3 of the first stanza.
Write a poem in iambs.An iamb is a combination of an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable. If you have a line written in iambs, the rhythm is like this:
da-DA da-DA da-DA da-DA da-DA
Shakespeare’s sonnets are great examples of poetry written in iambs. Actually, they’re in iambic pentameter, which means there are five “da-DAs” in every line. And of course, they’re rhymed.
But for this exercise, you don’t have to rhyme, and you don’t have to make the lines all the same length. You can have a line with two iambs, like this:
I wonder why
Followed by a line with eight iambs, like this:
our parents left us in the woods that night with no granola bars
Do whatever you want! Just try to get the rhythm right.
Write a haiku—or several.The original Japanese form of haiku is specific to the Japanese language. If you want to know more about that, do an Internet search on haiku and “cutting words.” It’s fascinating!
The English version of haiku is usually a three-line poem in which the first line has 5 syllables, the second has 7 syllables, and the third has 5 syllables. It’s a fun way to write short poems.
Because Japanese haiku frequently focus on a specific image from nature, you might want to try doing the same.
Write a poem that’s a collection of six-word stories.
If there’s a poet you just love, read about ten poems by them. Then pretend you’re them and write a new poem. You’ll think you’re imitating their voice, but you’ll really be learning more about your own…
Or pretend you’re a particular fictional character, and write a poem while you’re pretending you’re them.
Have you ever had the experience of misunderstanding a lyric in a song? Use the phrase or line you thought you heard in a poem.
Write a poem about dawn.
Write a poem about midnight.
Write a poem that argues for something ridiculous.
Write an acrostic poem. The first letter of each line spells out a word vertically down the left-hand side of the page. Even for serious poets who would never try to publish an acrostic poem, this is a great exercise to get creative juices flowing.
Write a poem that includes homonyms—words that have the same sound but different spellings and meanings, such as “presents” and “presence,” “piece” and “peace,” etc.
Tell your subconscious (or your muse, if you prefer), out loud, that it/she/he has a half hour to inspire you. Take a half hour to clean or tidy up. Then write.
Ask a friend for a random subject for a poem. Whatever they say, write a poem about it.
Close your eyes, flip through a book, and put your finger on a page. Whatever word you’re pointing at, use it as a poem title and write that poem.
If you want to force yourself to get back into the writing habit: make yourself write a poem a day for a week.
If you’re really serious about it: make that a poem a day for a month. (If you live in the U.S. or Canada, you might do this in April. Both countries recognize April as National Poetry Month.)
If you’re really, really serious about it: post a new poem every day for a month on social media, even if some of them are pretty bad. (You may get more readers on Facebook than you’d ever get if you published in some literary journals.)
Write a poem that’s a series of imaginary tweets or an imaginary Facebook post.
Read a science article and let it inspire a poem.
Read a business article and let it inspire a poem.
Read an article about sports and let it inspire a poem.
Write a poem that proves, disproves, or rewrites a familiar cliché.
Write a poem saying goodbye to someone or something. It could be a happy poem, a sad poem, or both.
Write a poem confessing to a crime you did not commit.
Write a poem bragging of a triumph you have not accomplished (or not yet, anyway).
Write a poem that uses a word or two that you just invented. Lewis Carroll’s poem “Jabberwocky” might inspire you.
Write a poem about an imaginary or idyllic place. Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s description of Xanadu in his poem “Kubla Khan” might inspire you.
Write a poem set in a real city or other place…but not one that you’ve ever visited.
Write a poem late at night, by hand, by candlelight.
Fill a page with free-writing…with your eyes closed.
Or fill a page with free-writing using your non-dominant hand. (This idea and the one before it can help you tap into less rational, more creative thought patterns.)
Write a poem that’s a list of numbered reasons. Reasons for what? That’s up to you.
Write a poem that’s a list of rules…or rules to break.
Write a poem about a certain food. Kevin Young’s odes to food, including “Ode to Okra,” and “Ode to Pepper Vinegar,” might inspire you.
Write a poem about physical pain you’ve experienced.
Write a poem about physical pleasure you’ve experienced.
Write a poem about being in a hurry. Eliminate punctuation and break the lines in odd places to mimic a fast pace.
If you work a day job, try writing a poem on your lunch hour. The poet Frank O’Hara did this. You can check out his book Lunch Poems.
Do you have a smartphone that allows you to set alarms? For an entire day, carry it with you. Set alarms to go off at odd times every hour. Every time the alarm goes off, write down a few lines of random poetry. At the end of the day, take a look at what you’ve got and see if you can put it together into a poem.
Alternately, get together with writing friends, set a half-hour timer, and write in silence together for the whole thirty minutes. This is a great method for writers who are easily distracted.
Write a poem about mist.
Write a poem about lightning.
If you’re an Internet addict, take a whole weekend off from the Internet and then write a poem. See if the break changes your thinking!
Write a poem that is a magical spell.
Write a poem from the point of view of an angel.
Write a poem from the point of view of a ghost.
Write a poem about the human body (yours, someone else’s, or in general), or about just a part of it.
Write the first draft of a poem using a Sharpie and a big piece of poster board or sheet of butcher paper.
Ride public transit and write a poem. If you regularly ride public transit, take a new route.
Be safe, but: walk in a neighborhood that’s new to you, and then write a poem.
Attend a poetry reading. While sitting in the audience, discreetly write a poem of your own…
Or, write a poem while listening to a speech or lecture.
Write a poem with very short lines—two or three words, four at the most. Gwendolyn Brooks’s poem “We Real Cool” may inspire you.
Write a poem with very long lines. Walt Whitman’s collection Leaves of Grass may inspire you.
Write a poem inspired by a familiar story. Anne Sexton’s collection Transformations may inspire you.
Write a poem that’s a curse.
Write a poem that’s a prayer.
Write a poem that takes place before a fight.
Write a poem that takes place after a party.
Write a poem addressing two people about to get married.
Write a poem addressing a newborn baby.
Write a series of seven short poems—one for each day of the week.
Write a series of twelve short poems—one for each month of the year.
Use a funny saying on a tee shirt or a bumper sticker as the title of your poem.
AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL AND BLOGGING PROMPTS
This section is especially for people who write personal essays, nonfiction, memoirs, or blogs. If you interview others, you may find ideas for questions in this section. And if you manage a social media account, the prompts here could also spark more content to keep your followers engaged. Share a fun fact or two about you—and ask people to do the same.
If you’re an aspiring blogger, or if you’ve been blogging for a while and could use some new ideas, I hope this section will help!
Any writer or creative person with social media accounts knows how important it is to inspire comments and engagement. Here’s one of the great secrets of conversation (and it’s not actually that secret): most people love to talk about themselves. You might find questions in this section that you can pose to your followers.
This section can help with your fiction or screenplay writing as well. If you assume the point of view of a character, write in their voice, you’re likely to uncover new truths about them that will make your story richer.
100 General Autobiographical Prompts
Tell your story about a stroke of luck that turned out to be unlucky, or a time when you should have been careful of what you wished for.
Tell your story about how a setback or unfortunate event turned out to be a blessing in disguise.
Tell your story about a time you lost something important to you.
Write about a time you learned an important lesson.
Write about a lesson you never seem to learn.
Write a letter to your younger self (you choose the age) with advice.
Write about the best time you had in the past year.
Write about the worst time you had in the past year.
Write about a significant change you’ve made in the past five years.
Write about what the number 10 means to you. You can write about a child at the age of 10, a 10th anniversary of something, or about 10 as a dress size, a shoe size, a perfect score... you get the idea.
Write about one way in which your life is better than it was ten years ago.
Tell your story about an amazing place you visited.
Tell your story about a challenging vacation or road trip.
Tell your story about a car you owned or drove.
What part of the day or night is your favorite, and why?
Which meal of the day is your favorite, and why?
Write about one of the weirdest foods or drinks you’ve ever tried.
Write about a past experience of yours that few other people share.
Write about one thing that energizes you.
Write about one thing that exhausts you.
Write about what the color orange means to you. It could be a team color, a school color, the favorite color of someone you love, a color in nature, or so on.
Write about the time you got to meet somebody famous...or write about a famous person you would like to meet, and why.
Write about one of your guilty pleasures.
Write about a way you indulge yourself.
Write about a time you got an exciting delivery in the mail.
Write a letter to someone that you could never send...but you wish you could.
Write about the contents of your purse, backpack, or wallet, or about one item in there.
Tell your story about a time when you were so sad, you felt like you almost couldn’t go on.
Write about the last time you cried.
Write about the last time you laughed really hard.
Write about everything that’s making you happy today.
Write about something you love to shop for...something you hate to shop for...or about loving or hating to shop in general.
Describe an interaction you had with a stranger.
Describe an interaction you had with the police.
What’s one thing you wish people would ask you about? What would you tell them?
What’s one thing you wish people would never ask you about again? Why?
Write about a time when you dealt with someone who behaved in a disturbing way.
Write about a time when you were completely confused.
Write about one thing that confuses you right now.
Write about a time you truly felt like an adult…or, if you’re not an adult yet, write about a time when you felt like you were really growing up.
Tell your story about a time you felt old.
Tell your story about a time you felt like a kid (assuming you are not one).
Tell your story about fire. It could be a house fire, a forest fire, a bonfire, candles...any fire.
Tell your story about water: the ocean, a swimming pool, a bathtub, a drink of water...any water.
Write about a time that someone gossiped or lied about you.
Write about a time when you were dancing and you loved it...or hated it.
Write about what Monday means to you.
Describe your trip to a state fair or amusement park, or write about why you would or wouldn’t like to go to one.
What’s an activity that a lot of people seem to enjoy that isn’t fun to you at all?
What’s something you love doing that hardly anyone you know is interested in?
Write about whether you curse a lot, or not at all...and why.
Tell your story about running. You might have been running after someone or something, from someone or something, or running on purpose.
Write about a memorable time you attended, participated in, or watched a sporting event.
Write about three things (not people) that you can’t live without.
Tell your story about a time you threw caution to the wind… or about a time when, looking back, you wish you had.
Tell your story about a time you felt ignored or taken for granted.
Tell your story about when you had to wait for a very long time.
Write about what you would do with an extra million dollars.
If you had to live in any era other than the present one, when would you choose? Do you think you would like it better than this era? Why?
If you could live someone else’s life for just one day, whose life would you choose? How do you think it would go?
If they were making a movie of your life, what actor would you want to play you? What advice would you give her on really getting the role down?
In a zombie apocalypse, do you think you would survive for a long time, or would you be one of the first to go? Why?
If you had the opportunity to go on a ten-year trip to outer space, away from friends and family (though you would still be able to talk to them), would you say yes or no?
If you had one superpower, what would it be? How would you use it for good—or would you?
If you had a full month to learn something new, what would you learn?
Write about something that you didn’t learn or figure out for a very long time, even though it seems basic or obvious in retrospect.