30 Prompts for NaPoWriMo

NaPoWriMo 30 Prompts for 30/30 2013

1. List the three most inconvenient things that happened to you today. Now write a poem about at least one of them.

2. Write a poem about what you would do if your exboyfriend or ex-girlfriend was transformed into a giant stone animal.

3. Try to remember some of the most memorable poetry readings you have attended. Write a poem saying thank you to those readings and the readers 4. Write a poem from the perspective of someone who dislikes what you do professionally.

5. Write down several ways to break a line in a poem, break a bone, and break news.

6.

7. First Line: “The fifth time I died…”

8. Write a poem that is very positive or affirmative.

Edit your piece changing every positive phrase to negative and see what happens. You can also work this prompt the other way around.

9. Watch a television show or Youtube video without the sound. Write a poem about a) the conversation you think the characters are having or should have OR b) tell the story of what’s going on in the scene based solely on the visuals.

10.Write about two “odd” things in a long term relationship (ex.: a light switch and the wall it’s stuck on or a jar and a lid) 11. Start with a quote, a phrase you say all the time or a song lyric. This is the first line of your poem. Write the line and start freewriting from there. Every time you get stuck or take a long pause rewrite your original line and continue the freewrite. When you finish the piece, leave the first line as is, but remove every instance where it repeats—you should have a moderately cohesive piece.

12.Two things to do with an otherwise great quote. Find a quote that makes a great observation about people or life and either: Write a poem that argues why the observation is completely wrong (ex: I once heard a great piece where someone dismissed the idea that “life’s a bitch”) OR Run the quote through at least 3 languages in Google translator and then back to English (or the original language). Use the new modified version of the quote to write the poem

13.Take a ridiculous and/or “unverifiable” (read: made up) “fact” and write a poem around it. (ex: 1 out of every 3 people believe a statistic is true of you say “1 out of every 3” in front of it.

14.

Write a form poem (your choice)

15. Write about this photo:

16. Write a poem that is strictly dialogue that is only one side of a conversation, be sure to show what the conversation is about an make sure to convey the emotion 17.“In 7 days, God created the world. In 7 seconds, I shattered mine.” Use this quote as an opener or as inspiration for a poem.

18.

Pick a song. Find a line that inspires you in that song and use it in the poem 19. Write around a specific important date. This can be historical (i.e. July 4, 1776) or a date that is significant to you. A take on this could be to write about why it’s important or to write about something mundane that happened while the significant thing was taking place in the background (example: September 11, 2001—I was brushing my teeth and getting ready to start my first day at my new job…)

20.

Pick a word (think about one that is misused or a word you hate). Define it in a poem

21.Write about this photo:

22.

Write a poem of any length incorporating every word from your latest Facebook status.

23.

Write a poem where everything is a lie

24.

Imagine you are about to get into some sort of fight (literal or figurative). You are allowed one weapon. Write about: a. who/what you are fighting b. why? c. what weapon you used d. did you win or lose?

25.

Pick one place from each of the two columns below. Your poem should start in one place and end in the other. Up to you to figure out how to get there.

START jail At a birthday party On the side of a road In a coffeehouse In a hospital Sitting on a bridge Zombie apocalypse Your ex’s wedding Hiding in a closet An empty house

END Inside of an elevator A busy newsroom Your grandmother’s kitchen A train station Inside of a fishtank At a concert At a stoplight A dressing room A convenience store An alien spaceship

26.

Pick a direction (ex: left, right, behind). Do not look in that direction, but write about what’s in that direction (this can be real, imagined, literal or figurative) 27.

While driving to pick up lunch, you accidentally bump into the car in front of you—a light fender bender—that pops open the other car’s trunk. When you get out to assess the damage, you notice that the driver of the other car is none other than your favorite actor. More important, you notice a dead body in the trunk. Who is the actor and what elaborate excuse does he give you to explain the dead body in his trunk?

28.

There’s been a break-in at your house. The robbers took everything—your couch, your clothes, your toilet paper—except for one odd item that they left right in the middle of your living room. This item, though meaningless to the police, is a clue that you recognize and will lead you to the culprits.

Write from there.

29.

You are walking to your car when you pass a boy selling newspapers on the street. He doesn’t look like he’s getting any customers, so you buy a copy, only to discover that it’s dated a week from today. And one particular story makes you realize you need to take action—now. Write from there 30.

Haiku. Write 5 haikus about 1 subject. When you are done, rearrange them in any order to create a single poem