Issa Haiku Writing Prompts

Tiger Lily, a photo by Kristymp on Flickr.

Happy Birthday Issa!
Last year I celebrated the birthday of  Japanese poet Kobayashi Issa by posting some of his haikus and a haiku prompt. In honor of Issa's birthday, today I will post more Issa haiku and challenge you to write haiku again for poetry prompts. Click on the other Issa link for how to write haiku. Enjoy!

amid blooming lilies
many, many prayers
to Amida Buddha

dangling from
the young buck's antler...
lilies

a green paper
mulberry leaf, offered
to the stars



For story or essay prompts today, write from the beginning of one of these phrases (from Issa's haikus): 

Dangling from. . .
Amid blooming lilies. . .

Happy Writing Everybody!

Creative Writing Prompts: The Sounds of Autumn

Hello, everyone.  Today's creative writing prompts involve the background of nature's autumn sounds and the beautiful visuals.  All you have to do is listen and/or look, and then write what comes.  I will provide some starter lines below to help you along, too.   Feel free to write poetry, a song, an essay or story---go where the Muse leads you and ENJOY!

Starter lines:

1.  She loved the sounds of the leaves as she walked over them. . .
2.  Autumn is. . .
3.  They kissed as the leaves fell all around them. . .
4.  Of all seasons he hated autumn most because that was the season when it all started. . . .

Writing Prompts Inspired by the Poem, "Something You Hope You Won't Have to Tell Your Daughter" by Shoshauna Shy

Ultra Concentrated Joy!, a photo by soopahgrover on Flickr.

Today I want to direct you to an interview with poet Shoshauna Shy at Long Story Short. Please read the interview and the enjoy her poems throughout.

Today's creative writing prompts are inspired by Shoshauna's poem, "Something You Hope You Won't Have to Tell Your Daughter." First, read the poem at Long Story Short,. Then pick one of the writing prompts below.

1. Poetry Prompt: In the last stanza the poet refers to simple, everyday things like "the smell of dish soap" and the "swallow of lemonade." Make a list of ten simple, everyday things tied to one of the senses. After you make your list, use at least three of them in a poem, OR pick one phrase from your list to use as a title of a poem. 

Examples:
The buzz of bees
The plop of ice-cubes
The smoothness of velvet
The roughness of wool


2. Essay Prompt: Have you ever been in a situation where you had to tell someone something that was difficult? Write about it.

3. Dialogue Practice: Write a scene where a character tells another either some very good or very bad news.

Happy Writing!

To find out more about poet Shoshauna Shy, please visit BookThatPoet.com 

A Room From Your Past

Creative Writing Prompts Inspired by Ted Kooser:

A Room From Your Past

Today we are going to be thinking not of houses from our past, but rooms.  Start by making a list of 10 or more rooms you remember from your past.   They don't need to be places you lived in; they could be rooms in places you visited, a cottage you might have stayed at, a hospital room, a room from a school, etc.  

After you make your list, and only after you make your list, read Ted Kooser's poem, "A Room in the Past." 

Here are some simple reflections and study questions to help you take in the poem and notice how it works:

Study Guide and Questions to "A Room in the Past" by Ted Kooser. 

1.  Notice how everything describing the poem is concrete until you get to line 5.  What is abstract about line 5?

2.  Look at lines 9 & 10.  There are phrases of time in both.  In line 9, it is "just" to imply something had just happened, but what is the time phrase in line 10? 

3.  Look in lines 13 and 14 and notice how Kooser brings the outside into the room.  What three words are things that are from nature?

4.  On line 14, the poet makes a personal connection by mentioning someone. Who is it?  Why do you think the poet mentions this toward the end of the poem?

5.  In lines 15 - 17, a supernatural and abstract concept are combined.  Then the poem is finished off with a very concrete image, which brings it all to life and makes it all real.  What is the concrete image?

6.  How many adjectives are in the poem?  You will notice there aren't many and they aren't fancy.  Remember, don't overdo adjectives and adverbs in your poems.  Be aware of every one you use to make sure it is truly adding to the poem and moving it along. 

7.  Notice how in line 3, Kooser uses the word "you" to draw the audience in.  Do you think this is effective?


Poetry Prompts:  

1.  Pick a room from your list and work on a poem that includes some elements of nature and/or the supernatural.  Address the audience as "you" in the early part of the poem, just like Kooser did.  Bring a person into the poem (and that person can be you), but not until the poem is at least half way finished.

OR

2.  Write a poem that ends with  "Turning his/her back on the rest of us, forever."  When you are finished, you may want to rewrite your last line so it is not exactly like Kooser's last line, but for now, use it as your guide. 

Fiction Prompt:

1.  Write a story that takes place in one of the rooms from your list.  Add an element of the supernatural to your story.  Write a minimum of 300 words. 

OR

2.  Write a story that starts with an opening scene in the kitchen from the picture. 

Creative Nonfiction:

Write a memory about one of the rooms on your list.  Write a minimum of 300 words.

Creative Writing Prompts Inspired by Little Things

 Tiny Star Flower Power © Digitalfestival | Dreamstime.com

 Little Things by Julia A. F. Carney

Little drops of water,
    Little grains of sand,
Make the mighty ocean
    And the pleasant land.

Little deeds of kindness,
    Little words of love,
Make our earth an Eden,
    Like the heaven above.

"Little Things" by Julia A. F. Carney. Public domain.

The Oak Ridge Boys had a famous line in one of their hit songs.  It was, "Baby, it's the little things that make me love you so."  Today we are going to think about little things and let them inspire our writing.

Fiction Writing Practice Prompt:  Start creating a new character by free-writing two paragraphs.  One paragraph will be about the little things that your character does that are not so positive, or little things that others do that bother the character, or things the character does that might be annoying to someone else.  And the other paragraph will will be about the little personality traits your character has that are very enduring.  Write a scene that shows your character portraying those traits.   

Journal Prompt:  A lot of people buy little things on their vacations as souvenirs.  Many people collect small things like toothpick holders, little dolls, and tiny cars.  Think about some little things you have and write about what your connection is with one of them.

Creative Nonfictin Prompt:  Write about the little things that make you love someone special even more.  How are those little things symbolic to who that person is?  Connect the little things to the special part of that someone you are thinking about.

Poetry Writing Prompt:  

1.  Poems are great for capturing details.  Today, write a poem that captures little details within your theme.  For example, if you would like to write a poem about a person you love, what are the little details in the mannerisms of that person you can capture?  Or, if you would like to write a poem about something in nature, what little details can you include about the theme?

2.  Write about the little things in life you love.

Tip:  Details are effective in writing when there are just enough.  Be careful not to over-do it.  For example, if you are starting a story about when you took your dog camping, you wouldn't spend a whole paragraph writing about every single tree you passed on your walk.  Too many details can bore your reader.  But just the right amount of interesting details will reel your reader in.

Creative Writing Prompts Inspired by the Beatles

Today's Creative Writing Prompts:  Playing Around with the Beatles

Who doesn't love the Beatles?  It was on this day in 1964 that the Beatles held the top 5 popular songs on the charts.   

The top five songs were, in this order: "Can't Buy Me Love," "Twist and Shout," "She Loves You," "I Want to Hold Your Hand," and "Please Please Me."

Here is a flashback of the Beatles for your viewing pleasure, many thanks to YouTube's share button.

Poetry Writing Prompts:  Bouncing off the song titles from the Beatles, here are three possible titles for poems you can write today.  Please write for 10 minutes without stopping. 

How to Buy My Love

Why I love __________ (insert the name of something you like, not a person)

I Want to Hold Hands with ______________ (insert the name of a famous person)

Note about National Poetry Month:  Since April is National Poetry Month, I will be including a poetry prompt in every post this month.  Please feel free to post a sample of your writing that is inspired by the prompts, and as always, feedback on the pompts is apprecaited.  Thanks!


Fiction Writing Prompts:

Here are some story starters bouncing off the word "please":

1.  Of all things that made him happy, it was peanut butter that pleased him most because. . .

2.  Every time she tried to please her mother, she failed.  One time she even tried. . .

3.  After John died, the only thing that could please her was. . .

Journal Writing Prompt:

Write about a memory of holding hands with someone.


Reference on today's facts about the Beatles is from The Writer's Almanac.  Retried on April 4, 2011 from http://writersalmanac.publicradio.org/index.php?date=2011/04/04