Writing Prompts Inspired by Mary Oliver

Blackwater Pond - Spring time, a photo by Mark Griffith on Flickr.

Happy Birthday to the amazing American poet Mary Oliver!


In honor of her birthday, I would like you to read the featured poem on Writer's Almanac today. It is called "In Blackwater Woods."  Our creative writing prompts for  today will be inspired by her poem.

(Note to Educators:  I have included study questions (at the bottom of the post) for the poem.  Please, if you use them, drop me a note and let me know how it went.  Thank you!)


Free-Write for 5 minutes: Write about something (or someone) that you had to let go of that was very difficult for you.


Poetry and Essay Writing Prompts:  After you free-write, spin those ideas into a poem or a short essay.


Fiction Writing Practice: Write a short scene with two characters by a pond. They can be human or nonhuman.

Study Questions for Mary Oliver’s Poem “ In Blackwater Woods”

1.  How does the poet draw you into the poem?  Is it effective for you?  If yes, why do you think so?
2.  How many stanzas are in this poem?  How many lines are in each stanza?

      3  How many adjectives are in the poem?  What are they?

        4.  How many “ly” adverbs are in the poem? 

      5.  What specific words does the poet use to give us a candle-like image without saying the word "candle”?

      6.  How does the poet use personification?
      7.  How does the the poet use repetition in this poem?  Do you think it is effective?  Why or why not?

      8.  Please write down a phrase or two from this poem that you liked.  Discuss why you think those lines stood out for you. 

      9.  Were there any parts of the poem that you did not like?  Discuss.
     10.  The ending direction of this poem is a straightforward message, which is to let go of mortal things in order “to live in this world.”  Do you agree or disagree?  Why or why not?  Reflect on this question in a short paragraph.

  

Writing Prompts with Bubbles

BUBBLY DAISY
© Pamela Hodson | Dreamstime.com

Today our creative writing prompts will center around bubbles.

Free Write:  Make a list of all the things that make bubbles.  You can turn this into a list poem with a more specific bubble theme OR you can pick one thing from your list and write about that any way you would like. 

Fiction Writing Practice:  Invent a character with the name Bubbles.  Is it the character's real name or a nickname?  If a nickname, how did the character get the name?  Reflect on what the character's favorite food is, what hobbies he or she has, etc. 

After you develop the traits of the character, you are welcome to start a story, of course!

Poetry Prompt:  Write a poem about a place where one can encounter bubbles.  Write about the scene and what makes it magical, special or interesting. 

Creative Writing Prompt About Shoes

Since yesterday marked the birthday of Lyman Frank Baum (writer of The Wizard of Oz), I thought it would fun to have creative writing prompts about shoes.  In the Wizard of Oz, Dorothy is given the shoes of the Wicked Witch's sister to wear as she journeys through Oz.  The movie made shiny red shoes famous, and I remember buying a pair of red sparkly mary jane's for my daughter when she was young so that she could have shoes just like Dorothy. 

Free-Write:  Think about shoes to get your writing started.  Think about shoes you have worn that might have marked a special occasion, shoes you might have lost, shoes that you loved when you were a child, shoes you wanted but could not have, etc.   Go where your mind takes you.

Fun-Write:  Write about a pair of shoes you invent that can do anything.  Write about your design, what do they look like? What can they do?  What makes them special?

Fiction-Writing Practice:  Start creating a character in relation to the shoes he or she wears.  Why does your character wear those shoes?  What parts of the personality can you connect with the shoes he or she wears?

OR

For those of you in progress with a novel, spend some time reflecting on the shoes your character wears.  Write out a scene that references which shoes your character is wearing. 

Poetry Writing Prompt:  Write an ode to your favorite pair of shoes.  They can be shoes you have now or shoes you used to have.