Stolen Fiction Prompts!

So you spent April writing poetry (or stories) and are editing, but you want a break from breaking lines. How about breaking a romance trope? Make your soulmates the targets of each other’s desire to kill the other. Perhaps it was a bad roommate situation, an ancient family curse, a harsh book review or an open mic fight to death.

Choose one of the suggestions here, or come up with your own trope. Perhaps you want to make your redshirt the killer, bring back dinosaurs just so you can kill them again or create a dystopia where everyone hates having too much food, comfort and freedoms. If you need more ideas or want a different genre, check out https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Tropes

And if you need a little more realism or what should be fiction, here is this news story: https://www.thegazette.com/crime-courts/former-university-of-iowa-hospital-employee-used-fake-identity-for-35-years/

And here below is a possible hero for your story, someone I think who totally deserved to get away.

Good luck writing! Have fun!

Now Let’s Edit!—Tips and Discussion

So April is National Poetry Month and the write-30-poems-in-30-days challenge, so May needs to be the month of editing. Editing can be a lot less fun than that initial burst of inspiration, but editing gets easier with practice. Many writers have a set of editing rules, some of which are helpful for everyone, and others that are really only helpful for a few people. Looking at what other writers, poets and editors advise is helpful so that you can find what works best for you. Joining a writing workshop and learning others’ processes has been incredibly helpful to me, but can be overwhelming to new writers still seeking to develop their own voice/style.

Btw, some of these tips are useful only for poetry; others can help with editing stories and essays too.

TL;DR version:

1. Set a first draft aside for a period of time before editing.

2. Keep a copy of the original so that you feel freer to cut and make extreme changes.

3. Read it aloud at least twice to find awkward phrasing (and reread lines while revising).

4. Try multiple forms—couplets, block form, quatrains, irregular stanzas, prose poem, etc.

5. Look for the “heart” or “emotional truth” of the poem.

6. Cut unnecessary words and images, clichés and abstractions and look for missing connections or undeveloped imagery.

7. End stanza lines on a strong image or word (verbs are good here).

8. Check that the first words of the lines aren’t all little words like “and,” “of,” “in” and other prepositions and rearrange if necessary.

9. Cut unnecessary repetition and “boring” words but avoid overly complicated language and words intended to impress.

10. Read aloud again, or, if possible, have a friend read it aloud to you to discover awkward phrasing and if another person can follow your punctuation and intended pacing

11. Check spelling and punctuation a final time. Know the rules and break them intentionally.

One suggestion that many recommend is to set that first draft aside so that you can look at it with fresh eyes. I also find this helpful. Sometimes writing out on paper or in a notes app and then transferring it to a word processing program in a day or two is enough of a break to allow me to revise well enough for at least a solid second draft. Sometimes I need more time, especially if I feel that something is missing but cannot pinpoint where.

Btw, It is during this transferring from my Notes app or notebook that I decide on the overall form, breaking the block into stanzas or couplets. I tend to use (or overuse) couplets because they are easier for me to read from a phone or tablet on stage and my imagery/conversational style often falls into shorter stanzas or couplets. I usually try a poem in both couplets, quatrains or irregular stanzas before deciding.

I always keep an original of a poem while editing, and I may have three or four versions of a poem saved in a folder until I have decided it is really finished. By keeping a copy of the original, I am less nervous about making drastic changes and cuts. I can always go back.

Another tip I use is to read the poem or story aloud so that I can see where I stumble, what feels awkward or just “heavy” to me. Sometimes even after reading a poem to myself and editing, I still find a rough spot when reading in front of an audience. The nervousness seems to make a slightly wonky wording worse (great timing, right!)

Once I have the overall form decided—which I still may change later—I look to see what seems to be the heart of the poem. What line/image is the poem’s “emotional truth”—what I want the reader to understand. Check a four or five lives above the ending if you are having difficulty pinpointing it.

From there, I see what can be cut: clichés, any adjectives or adverbs that are just filler, a line that adds nothing, an image that contradicts or doesn’t fit with the rest. I also try to see what is missing or unclear—this can be the hardest for me (I can get stuck in my head and assume readers will follow my line of thought).

Don’t forget to reread lines aloud as you are revising to check the rhythm and flow.

Next revise the ending words of lines to strong action verbs or to complete an image. I also try to check the first words so that the “and’s” and preposition aren’t stacking up. Here is when I also check for unnecessary repetition. I have been told that repeating a words three times is a deliberate choice but twice an accident.

While most poets first learn poetry through the classics, replicating the formal, often archaic language of those poems won’t connect with most modern audiences and won’t feel like authentic voice to them. Poems can be powerful using only common words. You can use a thesaurus to spice up your language and the more words you know, the more tools you have, but make sure you know the secondary meanings of the words you want to try out.

Read it aloud again, focusing on pacing, rhythm, tone and sound (alliteration, assonance, etc.) Use punctuation, line breaks and internal spacing to guide readers on the intended pace and pauses.

Do one last final check of spelling and punctuation. (Please do not apply this process to this blog post.)

Have fun editing! Remember it is all a process. Good luck!

“We Used Our Words”—Prompts Inspired by Franny Choi

It is the last day of April’s 30/30 challenge. I hope it has been a successful challenge for you, whether you wrote all thirty or one. I have two more poems yet to write, but this year is the first in several in which I have even come close to thirty. Perhaps it’s that I have written so little until now that the words were ready to be pulled from their roots.

I thought Franny Choi’s “We Used Our Words We Used What Words We Had” is a great poem to celebrate the struggle to write daily (or the struggle for me anyway). Here is the link to this poem: https://poets.org/poem/we-used-our-words-we-used-what-words-we-had. If you would like more poems by her or to purchase her books, check out her website: https://www.frannychoi.com/.

For the first prompt, write about the words you most often use—your favorites, like the hammer that best fits your hand. Weave these words you often build your poems into a poem, story or essay, noting their origin, sound and weight.

The second prompt is to read the poem aloud and write down the words that most resonate with you. Create a poem or story from those words.

For the third, write a poem about what you have built in your poems, what do you seek to make permanent even as the “tide still tide.”

Note that the version of the poem posted above is different than that posted on poets.org. What changes with the shorter lines, extra spacing, the breaking of the block into couplets. Take one of your poems written today and rearrange into couplets. What changes in its feel, in the atmosphere?

Bonus prompt: write a poem that celebrates your hard work.

Good luck writing! You’re almost there! Have fun!

Love the Living—Prompts Inspired by Joseph Fasano

As you may know, I despise AI—its theft from actual artists and writers, its environmental impact, the pretense that a chatbot can attain sentience or overcome bias if given enough stolen data and most of all, the inhumanity and dishonesty of those promoting it to devalue actual human labor and experience. While there are some applications for it, such as medical researchers using large language models to study partial genome sequences, most is just the newest NFT scam bubble.

Living is to create and learn—whether painting, drawing, writing, analyzing or problem solving—through the process and struggle. And to sometimes fail, and by failing often learning more than by success. To outsource thinking and making choices—necessary for every creative endeavor—is to hire someone else to drink the wine and participate in the evening’s conversation or to hold the hand of a loved one dying in a hospital.

I so appreciate Joseph Fasano for his generous sharing of others’ poems and for his own poems, especially this one. Here is a link to the poem: https://poets.org/poem/student-who-used-ai-write-paper

For the first prompt, describe a list of tasks that demonstrate love of another human or for an animal or for life itself in a story, poem or essay. Perhaps that is caring for a loved one or pet, planting flowers for bees, picking up trash from a creek or beach or climbing a hill to see the best view of sunset.

The second prompt is write a love (but not necessarily romantic love) poem or story using the following list of words: “let,” “fall,” “grasses,” “life,” “precious,” “earth,” “free,” “living,” “miraculous” and “work.”

The last prompt is to write what your “miraculous task” is whatever genre you choose.

Bonus prompt: write an ekphrastic poem or story from this painting, or write about tools from an animal’s perspective.

Bonus, bonus prompt: Write about who you would choose to sit on this porch swing with and what the moment would be like. Describe the wind, the scents in the air, the water of the Gulf, sound of birds, whatever would evoke bliss for you.

Good luck writing! Remember we’ve almost made it through the challenge! Good luck!

Language without Violence—Prompts Inspired by Nickole Brown

So awed by Nickole Brown’s poem I have to share it today. If you want to listen to the poet read her poem, here is the link: https://poets.org/poem/parable.

For the first prompt, do listen to the poet read and write down the particular words that catch you. From your the word list you created, write a poem or story.

The second prompt is another word list, this time writing a story or poem using as many of the words the poet italicized you can: “broken,” “cicada,” “giddy-up,” “whoa,” “good,” “girl,” “shushing,” “that,” “come,” “here,” “now,” “mane,” “wind,” “wings,” “ours,” “let,” “live,” “Please” and “us.”

A third prompt is to use a common saying and explore what its usage indicates about society, perhaps its violence or focus on the body as its metaphor for hierarchies (“head,” “bottom,”) or its ableist origins (“blind,” lame,”). Or explore society’s agricultural roots (pun intended) through its idioms.

For the next prompt, try to imagine how another creature would understand natural phenomena, such as day and night, winter and summer, and the emotional and physical states of hunger, loss, safety and joy in a story or poem.

Another prompt is to write a poem or story using “Touch her there, gently now, touch that” as your first line; as with all ghostlines, erase that line and give credit to the poet.

The last prompt is to write a list poem of how animals tell us “Let us live.”

Bonus prompt: create a new language for the movements sculpted here.

Good luck writing! Have fun!

The Tender of Others—Prompts Inspired by Carla Sofia Ferreira

This is such a tender, loving poem from a wonderful poem shared by another great poet. Particularly now I feel the needs for such poems to read and to share.

For the first prompt, share an experience of kind words given to by a child or student. Be as gentle as you need.

The second prompt is to start a poem or story with the line “Today, ____ tell me that I look like ____,” filling in the blank spaces with your own nouns.

The third prompt is write a poem or story from this word list from the poem: “existed,” “simple,” “tender,” “care,” “heal,” “kindness,” “waffles,” “compliments,” “shared” and “garden.”

For the final prompt, describe how you would like to take care of others, whether living creatures or objects, in poem or story. Perhaps, you would like to fix the loosened spines of books, quilt baby blankets to donate, clear off nature trails and paths, socialize animals so that they can be adopted, cook stews and nourishing soups for others to warm up with, all of the million ways we can give ourselves.

Bonus prompt: write an ekphrastic poem or story based on this photo of from Washington Park in Portland.

Good luck writing! Have fun!

Ghosts, Pelicans and Other Unnatural Creatures—Ekphrastic Prompts

How is the 30/30 challenge going for you? I am a little behind but think I may be able to finish the thirty poems for April. Remember there’s just a few more days left, so keep on writing!

For the first prompt, choose one of the images or let the entire illustration inspire you to write a poem or story.

An additional prompt is to write how and what you would choose to communicate to your loved ones if you could after your passing. Variation: how would you choose to communicate to an enemy.

On a similar topic, what would your chatbot tell people. What “hallucinations” would you imagine it to have?

Now let’s move from the dead to born-again pelicans.

The next prompt is to write a poem or story about this medieval understanding of the pelican, connecting it to other religious symbolism or mythologies, perhaps a persona poem from either the parent or the chick.

The next prompt is based on actual pelicans and their desire to fit the world in their beaks. Explore that hunger in a poem or story.

Write about one of these photos. What are the thoughts of the giraffe? Confusion? Amusement?

What did the pelican in the backseat of the police cruiser do? Was he innocent? Did the cops plant a half-eaten fish near his nest? Write about the trial. Will he be acquitted? Who is his lawyer, Perrican Mason?

Write an ekphrastic poem or story about the monster pictured here, or check out the Wikipedia entry for more about the movie Monster from the Ocean Floor if you wish to know more (photo is from a previous exhibit of the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, MA).

Bonus prompt: You probably have heard of the Loch Ness Monster, Bigfoot, Mothman or other cryptid. Write about one of them (again you can check out the Wikipedia entry on “List of cryptids” for more information), or create your own in a poem or story.

Good luck! Have fun!

Whistpr Daily Word Prompt and Bonus Prompts

I like this account’s daily word & image prompts on Bluesky and hope you will find the prompt inspiring too.

Additional prompt: write a persona poem from one of the sea creatures drawn here: the large fish, a small fish or jellyfish. Does it change your perspective that the cleaner wrasse fish has been shown to recognize itself in mirrors and that there’s “‘a realistic possibility’ of consciousness for all vertebrates - including as reptiles, amphibians, and fish” and perhaps even for insects, crabs, squid and other creatures. Here is the link to the article: https://www.nbcnews.com/science/science-news/animal-consciousness-scientists-push-new-paradigm-rcna148213.

Bonus prompt: what did you say or do to get this reaction?

Good luck writing! Have fun!

Relative Meaning—Prompts Inspired by Amorak Huey

Growing up in a rural Midwestern town, I found this poem so powerful, but of course I am already biased since I so like his writing and his book Dad Jokes from Late in the Patriarchy. I also wanted to discuss a longer poem since I often feature shorter ones.

For the first prompt, take religion, philosophy, sin, goodness or other abstract concept and explain what it means to you, using a specific experience and providing sensory description in a poem, short story or essay.

The second prompt is to describe what “the path through heartbreak” is to you.

For a third prompt, use the lines “a prayer / to be loved that only the devout can hear” as a ghostline. Remember to erase the line and give credit to the poet.

The next prompt is to write a list poem of inane statements, such as the white cow eating green grass and making white milk, to attribute to the hand of God. Perhaps, one could be that corn is holy in that it sometimes remains whole after traveling through the digestive tract.

Write about experience in which “[p]urer, simpler faith never existed.” This could be a moment of deep piety or one in which you earnestly prayed to whoever is listening or to fate itself.

For another prompt, write a poem or story using the following word list: “break,” “wager,” “plume,” “bruised,” “steeple,” “translations,” “gaudy,” “tawny,” “martyr,” “sweat,” “throat” and “devout.”

Bonus prompt: what does that the word psalm originates from the Greek verb psallein, “to pull or pluck” and the noun psalmos “the twanging of a harp.” Write a hymn or sacred poem of your own.

Good luck writing! Have fun!

Great Pantoums for Bad Times—Prompts

Joseph Fasano posts great poetry threads, and his own poetry is beautiful. If you are on the bad place (Twitter), give him a follow. I find the pantoum he shared particularly powerful, connecting to my own writing and subject matter.

For the first prompt, write a poem in which the first line is where you hear the name of a loved one who is gone or mistake a stranger for a loved one. The second line is what you heard or a description of the person you saw, and the third provides the setting. The stanza’s last line is your action in the moment. See where you go from there.

The second prompt is to use the line “I sometimes go months without remembering you” for a ghostline. Remember to erase the line and credit the poet for your inspiration.

“Another Lullaby for Insomniacs” was included in the thread—such a lovely poem.

For the next prompt, write a persona poem of a medical disorder or condition, such as insomnia, anxiety, reflux, asthma, etc. And of course you can use the pantoum form if you wish.

The powerful “The Black Girl Comes to Dinner” was also included in the thread. Taylor Byas is an expert of the pantoum—so much to learn from her.

The next prompt is create a poem or story using the following list of words from the poem: “belly,” “brakeless,” “mirage,” “shimmers,” “brimming,” “tires,” “croon,” “calm,” “face” and “mantras.” Try to switch the nouns to verbs and vice versa.

Bonus prompt: write a poem or story based on this image.

Good luck writing! Have fun!

Earth Day—Prompt and Poem from Jared Beloff

I love this poem and the prompt. Jared Beloff is a wonderful poet to read and to listen to at readings. I still haven’t gotten his book Who Will Cradle Your Head, although it is on my to-buy list. You can buy it and read individual poems on his website (listed below).

Btw, I have really enjoyed all the poems and prompts posted by Moist Poetry Journal.

For a second prompt, write a poem or story starting from the line “our hands swooping” (or rather the image). As with all ghostlines, erase the line and credit the poet for your inspiration.

A third prompt is to write a love poem or story using the following words “kept,” “pockets,” “sprinkle,” “bare,” “curve,” “rustle,” “skin” and “song.”

Bonus prompt: write about a moment under skies filled with birds and their cries. Connect their flight, the sounds of flapping and calls to your own emotional state.

Good luck writing! Have fun!

Fun-guy Prompts

While this is a prompt meant for Bluesky, I think it works for others too (especially the description used). I am a huge fan of mushrooms, lichen and fungus, so I am using today’s prompts as an excuse to post photos of these fascinating organisms.

For an additional prompt, use the following words from description and the alt text: “sprout,” “spores,” “bracket,” “rings,” “skinned,” “caramel,” “hint,” “crumple,” “dampshine” and “tones.”

A third prompt is to research lichen or fungus and see what sprouts (pun intended of course) an idea. Perhaps this article will prompt a poem or story: https://www.discovery.com/nature/the-largest-living-thing-on-earth-is-a-3-5-square-mile-fungus.

Write an ekphrastic poem or story about these cuties.

Or this frilly girl.

Or write about the one below as if it were an alien being. What does it want or do? How does it communicate?

Is there cooperation or competition here?

And, finally, write a poem or story using the photo and the given title (crediting both to William Aegerter).

Good luck! Have fun with fungus!

Revenge Redux—Prompts!

Hey, I found a great revenge poem that I should have included with Thursday’s blog post prompts and added more prompts to that.

The first prompt is to threaten to put someone’s name in your poem or story and why that person deserves to be shamed. If you decide to use the same title, be sure to credit Katie Berta for your inspiration.

The second prompt is to write a list of all the things you wish you had said to a person who treated you badly. Next write a list of crimes by a famous cartoon villain. Now mix and match, using at least three of your imagined retorts with at least three supervillain crimes. Your title should indicate that this is a letter (perhaps unsent) from a superhero or famous “good guy” to the villain.

For the third prompt, write a letter by hand, addressed to someone who hurt or betrayed you. List all the terrible things the person said or did to you. Burn the sheet of paper until only ashes are left. Scatter the ashes on grass, at the base of a tree, on a flowerbed, in a lake or river or the ocean. Now write a poem or story about letting go.

For the next prompt, describe what you wear if you wished to wear the “fur” of your enemy? A mummy-costume of bills and grocery receipts or collage of rejection letters? Maybe dress up as the box for an HP ink cartridge? The Jordache jeans and feathered hair of your fourth-grade nemesis? A suit made of alarm clocks, calendars and to-do lists? A TSA agent uniform in honor of your last flight’s pat-down? A replica of a McDonald’s manager uniform? Be petty.

Bonus prompt: Choose your weapon and explain why in a poem or short story (can be a weapon not shown here in the photo of an exhibit at the Cleveland Museum of Art).

Good luck! Have fun!

The World of Poetry reading on Sunday! And Prompts!

I am so happy to be invited to participate again in this televised international reading. I am astonished to be included with such prestigious poets. I hope you will be able to join. I will post the recording later though.

The first prompt is to write a poem or story that will convey meaning to an international audience. Humor often relies on local or cultural context as do national politics and of course references to pop culture. Tragedy is easier to translate across languages, but overreliance lessens the impact.

For the second prompt, write about being invited to a party of people who completely outclass you (asking for a friend—me, asking for me). What do you do to try to fit in?

Bonus prompt: What do the lions ask you to allow you to passage through the doorway?

Curses and Blessings—Prompts Inspired by Lady Marshmallow

I am still a little stuck for a poem, and Magic 8 Ball is saying, “Reply hazy, try again.” So let’s resort to silliness and see if that sparks something.

For the first prompt, write a list poem of ridiculous, or annoying, curses. One of the best ones I’ve seen is “May all of your shoes be stolen and your house filled with Legos.” Ban someone from the rapture of cheese, the glory of dry socks, the ecstasy of the first sip of coffee in the morning.

The second prompt is to create a blessing that is the equivalent of “May you live in interesting times.” Write a monkey-paw-curling poem or story. Enjoy!

Good luck writing (and please wish the same for me)! Have fun!

Fashion a Poem—Ekphrastic Prompts

I hope you are all keeping up with the challenge. Today did not go as planned. Yesterday’s poem was little more than a draft and today was dry as Saltine cracker in the desert. Since my well of words has dried up, let’s turn to photos.

All of the prompts will be based from the Fashion & Design exhibit at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, MA, which I highly recommend, along with all of the other wonderful exhibits there.

For the first prompt, write a persona poem or story of someone wearing this dress, perhaps a modern siren or mermaid.

The second prompt is to write a poem or story about a god trapped in a dress. What blessings does this deity bestow; what is asked in return? Or just describe the dress and how it would make you feel wearing it.

The photo above displays the headdress of a ruler. Describe the country and disposition of the ruler. Or imagine the weight of that upon your head if you must always wear it. How do you move through doorways, along crowded streets and sidewalks, the world? How does it change your relation to others?

Write a poem or story about a conversation between these two mannequins or two people wearing these outfits. What are their perspectives, motivations or five-year plans?

These are created by Sebastian Errazuriz, 12 Shoes for 12 Lovers (The Gold Digger, The Heartbreaker, The Boss). Imagine what the others in the series look like and write a poem or story about these other imagined shoes and who wears them.

If none of the previous photos interest you, here is another possible subject for an ekphrastic poem or story.

Good luck writing! Have fun!

It’s Adventure Time and Other People’s Prompts

My brain hurts, and I have no idea what I will write for either a prompt or for a poem (so far I’ve kept up with writing a poem a day). To save some of my gray matter (more like dryer lint at this point), I am going to share prompts from other people.

The first prompt is from a roleplaying adventure, but it could work for a fun story or poem—definitely will create a steamy scene (sorry, not sorry).

This prompt below is from Kelli Russell Agodon, whose poetry is beautiful.

2. Write about a poem about a superhero coming to your house and confronting you about something. Somewhere in the poem, you have to state what your superpower is.

For the full thirty prompts posted (which include word lists, a twist on a family recipe and various line restrictions and other constraints), check out her website: https://www.agodon.com/uploads/2/9/4/3/2943768/writing_prompts_by_kelli_russell_agodon.pdf

But if you want another adventure prompt, here is Dice Company to the rescue:

Of course you can always change the stagecoach to a motorcycle and the Bag of Holding to a purse or backpack to make the prompt less fantasy-like for your own writing. Or you could make it more surreal: chased by a deep regret, describe what you throw to help you escape or to finally sate its hunger: your abandoned manuscript runs after you, pages flapping madly, and you throw pencils and ink pens at it until its pages bleed blue. Or something even weirder.

You could use a random generator for a fantasy location and describe it in a story or poem, applying it to your own life if possible.

I definitely could describe myself wandering around a medical center today, late for multiple appointments.

For the next prompt, imagining yourself as a castle, describe the person for whom you’d lower your drawbridge. How would you let the person in?

Moving from castles to forts, personify your own or a former lover’s defenses and boundaries but gradually shift the warlike framing to one of gardening and tending. See what happens as you shift the terminology.

And for the final prompt: Write a story or poem based on this image of group of people/the tunnel.

Good luck! Have fun!

“Graveyard of suns”—Prompts Inspired by Lara Coley

We are at the midpoint of 30/30! I hope you are enjoying the process of writing, if not daily, then more often than usual. Or if you are someone who already writes daily: wonderful!

Such beautiful lines in this poem by Lara Coley, I hope they will inspire your next poem or story. Here is the link if you are interested in her book: https://buttonpoetry.com/product/ex-traction/.

For the first prompt, use the first line “You are disappearing into the shadows of the past” for a ghostline. Remember to erase this line and give credit to the poet for the inspiration.

The second prompt is to imagine all of your body as territory staked to a current partner, former lovers, a child, a pet or even the sun or a plant. Perhaps your lap is designated to a cat, your left hand to pet a dog, your cheeks to redden in the sun. How do the different owners navigate your borders?

For the third prompt, write a poem or story using the following list: “shadows,” “darkness,” “mangled,” “ghosts,” “flesh,” “stake,” “luminous,” “whispering,” “graveyard” and “shine.”

The last prompt is to create a list poem of graveyards. Who or what is buried there? What characterizes each? Which will you go to when it is time?

Good luck writing! Have fun!

Create Your Own Historical Event—Prompts

The artist Eric Pape painted a battle—a naval battle at Gloucester—that never took place. Write a poem or story about a battle or war or some other historical event that could have—but did not—happen.

Bonus prompt: write an ekphrastic poem or story from Eric Pape’s painting.

Good luck writing today! Have fun!

An Ant Farm Full of You—Prompt by Todd Dillard and Poem by Russell Edson

I know I’ve already posted a prompt by Todd Dillard, but I had so much fun writing a poem from this one, and I adore the sample poem he provided. I think this prompt would work for flash fiction too.

Here is the full poem by Russell Edson.

Good luck writing! Have fun with yourself!