The Girl Genius NaPoWriMo 2014 Prompt Book Happy April and happy NaPoWriMo!! Here’s this year’s list of jump starters for getting through 30/30. These prompts were collected from a variety of sources, sites, past workshops and some of my own design. Feel free to share, pass along the link, and modify if necessary. You do not have to do these in any order and there are more than 30 to choose from. I’ll be posting at least a few of mine on tumblr. You can find me at apoetcalledgenius.tumblr.com Be inspired. 1.
Write a poem that contains at least 5 words in another language (they could be 5 words from the same foreign language or 5 words from 5 different languages).
2.
Write a poem that begins and ends with the same word
3.
Take a walk. Make notes on everything you see, hear, and feel along the way —even little things. For every “block” you walk, write a stanza encompassing your notes from that section of your journey
4.
Write a 6x6. For those unfamiliar a 6x6 is a poem containing 6 lines. Each line has 6 words. Every line must be able to stand on its own as a complete thought. If done correctly, you can read the lines in any order and the poem will still make sense. (6x6 courtesy of Breezy Brisk. For examples see Micro Moments on Facebook)
5.
Grab the closest book. Go to page 29. Write down 10 words that catch your eye. Use 7 of these words in a poem.
6.
Make a list of ten images of things you have seen in the last 24 hours. Think of the nicest thing someone ever said to you. Write a poem about a rainy day and something flooding. Incorporate some of the items from your list. End the poem with the good thing someone said.
7. 8.
Write a love letter to the thing you hate most about yourself
9.
You are a weapon of mass destruction. A bomb, bio-warfare, landmines - no limits. What have you been created to destroy? What was the collateral damage?
10.
Ekphrasis poem: ekphrasis are poems based on or inspired by art. Click or copy the attached link to the Google Art Project: http://www.google.com/culturalinstitute/project/art-project Search through the collections until you find a piece that speaks to you- medium doesn’t matter. Write a poem that does one of the following things: • • • •
Attempts to tell the piece’s story. Find inspiration from the piece. Challenges the story in the piece. Tells the story in the piece from a perspective different than the one portrayed by the piece
11.
Write a poem without using a metaphor or similie
12.
Write a poem inspired by or dedicated to your favorite poet
13.
Think of a significant moment in your life. Tell the story of that event to a past version of yourself (this can be a poem of forewarning, advice or explanation)
14.
Write an elegy [a sad or thoughtful poem lamenting the death of a person] about a part of yourself that no longer exists (ex. a bad habit; a relationship you gave up; a vice)
15.
Write a poem that gets shorter with each line
16.
Write a poem in 10 minutes. Use a timer. It should have at least 100 words. For an added challenge use the word “speed”
17.
Call a friend you haven’t talked to in awhile. Write a poem directly after your conversation
18. 19. 20.
Write a poem that involves cutting, chopping or dividing something Write a poem that involves a voodoo doll Write a poem around a single event that involves all 5 senses.
21.
Write a persona poem from the perspective of any of the following: A fire hydrant A dog at the pound looking for a home Rainbow Brite having a really bad day A writer who can't find inspiration even though the following are happening around him simultaneously: a man threatening to jump off a bridge; a woman is going into labor and a freak storm is raining marshmallows on the city A cartoon character who secretly hates children A grey hair An old school camera with undeveloped film inside A car on its last legs A gift inside a box on Christmas Eve Your last FB status update A lit cigarette A GPS with an attitude problem A starfish that wants to be an actual star (celebrity or in the sky, your choice) 4 walls (as in "if these walls could talk..." write from all 4 perspectives--they do not have to be of/from the same room) Frankenstein's monster trying to find a job
22.
A conversation between‌ Pick any 2 or 3 of the following people and imagine a conversation between them as the basis of your piece: A 3 year old Beyonce A breakdancer Your next door neighbor Jay Z Barbie Cookie Monster Taxi driver A girl who broke up with her significant other 5 mins ago A mime a talent scout The dude you know is too old to be at the club
A disgruntled postman A librarian James Baldwin a man who was just left at the alter Darth Vader Billy Mays The Pope A shoe salesman A long haul truck driver Susan B. Anthony A troll who feels his is simply misunderstood Your favorite author
23.
Systematically eliminate the use of certain kinds of words or phrases from a piece of writing: eliminate all adjectives from a poem of your own, or take out all words beginning with 's' in Shakespeare's sonnets.
24.
Write a 25 line poem where each line is a different version of one single event.
25.
Write a poem consisting entirely of overheard conversation
Take a headline from the lifestyle or science section of today’s newspaper. Use it as the title of your poem. 27. Write a poem that takes place in an enclosed space. 26.
28.
Write a poem about things that are connected or disconnected
29.
Using a word from the next page, fill in the blank and use this as the title of your poem. “Ode to __________” • • • • • • • • • •
Artichoke Clusterfuck Douchebags Microwave Oven Fellatio OCD The Dogwood Tree Socrates Anastrophe Twerking
30.
Think of 20 questions you’ve always wanted to know the answers to. Pick one and write a poem that answers that question. BONUS CHALLENEGE: Use all 20 questions in the same poem
31.
Take the last words of someone famous/notorious and use them as the first line of your piece
32.
Write about seeing someone out of context (ex.: your doctor at a cooking class or your child’s teacher at a strip club)
33.
Write to anyone in the form of a postcard, but from a ridiculous place (ex.: in line at the grocery store, your couch, sitting in traffic). Talk about how much fun you’re having (this can be sarcastic of course)
34.
Pick a color, any color. Write a poem about the color OR a poem in which everything is that color. Here’s the catch: Don’t use the name of the color
35.
Type a word or short phrase in Google search (from the Google home page). As you type look at the autofill entries Pick an autofill and use it as the title of a poem. If you’re stuck on what to start with use: • • • • •
the title of one of the prompts in this book the title of one of your poems a movie title a question—such as “how do I…” your name
36.
Write a poem about two (or more) separate places that have the same name (ex: Georgia the state and Georgia the country; Paris, France and Paris, Texas). You can start the poem in one place and end in the other, do comparisons or contrast between the two or talk about the landscapes— however you approach this is your choice.
37.
List 20-30 short descriptive, declarative statements about yourself (I like poetry, I have an off-beat sense of humor…). When then list is done, go back and change them all to third person—this is your poem.
38.
Write an 8 line poem (unless you are a daredevil, 8 is as far as you want to go with this…) on anything you want, but following this pattern: Line 1: 8 one syllable words Line 2: 7 two syllable words Line 3: 6 three syllable words Line 4: 5 four syllable words Line 5: 4 five syllable words Line 6: 3 six syllable words Line 7: 2 seven syllable words Line 8: 1 eight syllable word
39.
Read the prompt before looking at the chart below (no cheating!) Pick a 3 digit—any number. Using the list on the next page, pick the words that correspond to the number (from left to right) as the title of your poem 0. Bitter 1. Crooked 2. Early 3. Ordinary 4. Voiceless 5. Sticky 6. Bewildered 7.Narrow 8. Massive 9. Faint
0. Cloudy 1. Yellow 2. Curly 3. Freezing 4. Jagged 5. Bizarre 6. Absent 7. Wide 8. Sweet 9. Divine
Ex: 379 the title would be: “Ordinary Wide Bone”
0. Morning 1. Arm 2. Fangs 3. Lights 4. Whispers 5. Decisions 6. Color 7. Opposites 8. Riddles 9. Bone
40.
Use any of these lines as the first line of your poem: Here’s what I ask of you… I believe him to be the Devil… I felt like the saddest story ever told… If only it were all true… Whatever the reason, doesn’t it always end the same… When you walk away, wear sensible shoes… Pardon me, I need a drink… The fifth time she said she loved me… This is how you end a sentence… The day my life exploded… sorry I burned it down… Revolution tastes too much like two day old coffee… So much of me is alive, I scarcely know how to breathe… of course I haven’t found myself yet… On the last day of the coldest summer ever… flowers are actually quite beautiful when they’re dead…
41.
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”) 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
42.
Pick a person from first column and a place from the second column. Using the picks, write a piece exploring what that person is doing in that place A girl scout Audrey Hepburn Scrooge McDuck Marilyn Monroe Angela Davis Captain America Hermoinie Granger Katness Everdeen The Mona Lisa Your grandfather Mario or Luigi Scotty Pippen Barak Obama A poet that you don’t like
A public execution A gas station The passenger seat of your car Floating in the middle of the ocean Hell At an open mic An art gallery A bar mitzvah Using your basement as a hideout spot from the cops Taking tequila shots at your local bar A drag club The grocery store Locked up beside you in jail A fast food joint
43.
Make a list of labels/categories you identify with (i.e. male, LGBTQ, white, parent)—as many as you can think of. Pick ONE. Think of a specific situation or place where wearing this label is to your advantage or where you wouldn’t stand out. Write a list poem consisting of the worst things someone can say to people identifying with that one label. Title is “#___ Things not to Say to _____ when you are______” (ex. 20 things not to say to a parent while standing in line at Chuck E. Cheese)
44.
Find a one liner joke you like. Use the punchline as the first line of your poem and the setup line as the last line
45.
Write a poem to or about someone in your family that you’ve never written about
46.
Use the cut up machine from Language is a Virus (This is an awesome site!!) copy paste a few lines of any poems you have that you consider “unfinished” and see what you can create from the results. http://www.languageisavirus.com/cutupmachine.html
47.
Try writing a poem at a time that is different for you. If you normally write first thing in the morning try writing right before you go to sleep.
48.
Write a poem as a series of tweets—you can write as many lines as you want, but no line can have more than 140 characters.
49.
Craft a piece in which you are interrogating someone or someone is interrogating you. Go for a unique or unusual circumstance or setting
50.
On you next commute or while you are out and about take a moment to really look at your surroundings. Find something that sticks out or seems out of place (ex: today while walking along a back road I saw a baby seat…no baby, no car, just a baby seat). Write a poem around that object. How it got there, etc. etc.
51.
Write a series of haikus or very short poems around a single theme
52.
Write a form poem (your choice). Suggestions: Acrostic, Villanelle, Sestina, Canzone, Cinquain, Ghazal, Idyll, Pecha Kucha (if you are unfamiliar, you can Google any of these)
53.
Put together a poem composed entirely of quotes (they can be from anywhere: books, status updates, things you overhead, advertisement, song lyrics, memes. Feel free to mix and match)