Write Better Poetry / 40 posts found
2022 April PAD Challenge: Day 4
Hopefully, you’re on your fourth day of poeming today, but it’s possible this is your first day of writing poems this April. If that’s the case, here’s your chance to catch up! For today’s prompt, write a catch up poem. This is not to be confused with a ketchup (or catsup) poem, but hey, write one of those if the poetic spirit moves you! But I’m thinking of catching up on work, catching up in a race, or catching up on some popular TV or streaming series. Remember: These prompts are springboards to creativity. Use them to expand your possibilities, […]
2022 April PAD Challenge: Day 3
I always say that people who make it through the first three days of the challenge have a much greater chance of finishing the challenge than others. Also, people who make it through the first weekend have far superior odds of completion. Once you finish today’s poem, you can put a checkmark next to both categories. For today’s prompt, write a smell poem. Strong writing uses sensory language, and one sense that is often overlooked is the sense of smell. So write about the pungent smell of teenage socks, the exquisite odor of fresh lasagna, or the coppery scent of […]
2022 April PAD Challenge: Day 2
Welcome back! It’s day two of the April PAD Challenge, and it’s your second chance to write a poem this month. For today’s prompt, write a second chance poem. That second chance could be a second chance at a relationship, at living life, or doing the right thing. Maybe play with whether it’s deserved or not, or just dive straight into giving or taking that second chance. Remember: These prompts are springboards to creativity. Use them to expand your possibilities, not limit them. Note on commenting: If you wish to comment on the site, go to Disqus to create a […]
What Is a Lyric Essay in Writing?
I saved the lyric essay for April, because April is poetry month, and the lyric essay is a little more on the poetic and experimental side of creative nonfiction writing. In fact, most places that talk about the lyric essay reference poetry. Does that mean only poets can write the lyric essay? Well, that’s one of the topics we’ll address here. (What Is a Personal Essay in Writing?) In this post, we’re going to look at what a lyric essay is, including what makes it different from other types of essays and when writers may prefer to use this style. […]
2022 April PAD Challenge: Day 1
Here we are with the first day of the 2022 April Poem-A-Day Challenge! Each day, I’ll provide a poetry prompt and a poem to get things started. You can secretly poem along at home, or you can share your poem in the comments below. For today’s prompt, pick a word that begins with F, make it the title of your poem, and then, write your poem. I don’t know if it’s because today is April Fool’s Day, Friday, or just the first day of the challenge, but today really feels like an F type of day. So figure out a […]
Wednesday Poetry Prompts: 606
This is the final Wednesday Poetry Prompt until May. The reason for that is simple: Starting on Friday (April 1), we’ll be writing a poem every single day of April in the 15th Annual April Poem-A-Day Challenge. Can’t wait to get started! For today’s prompt, write an astrology poem. Make the title of your poem your astrological sign. Write an astrological prediction. Map the stars. Or even get into related (but completely not related) fields, like astronomy or tarot. Have fun with it, because it’s written in the stars that much poeming is on the way. Remember: These prompts are […]
Announcing Poem-a-Day: 365 Poetry Writing Prompts for a Year of Poeming!
I’m really pumped to share a new digital guide for poets: Poem-a-Day: 365 Poetry Writing Prompts for a Year of Poeming! After more than a decade of sharing prompts every Wednesday (and daily in April and November) on the Writer’s Digest website, I’ve accumulated more than a thousand poetry prompts (and example poems). This digital guide collects 365 of my favorite prompts, including topic-based prompts, title-based prompts, and, well, weirder prompts. Poem-a-Day: 365 Poetry Writing Prompts for a Year of Poeming, by Robert Lee Brewer Here’s my introduction to the guide: Welcome to the fun house! We’re about to do […]
Wednesday Poetry Prompts: 605
For today’s prompt, write a forgetful poem. This could take the form of a poem about forgetting an important anniversary or an item (like the keys to the house that you locked on the way out the door). Or play off memory myths like that an elephant never forgets. Or write about forget-me-not flowers. Or, well, I feel like I might be forgetting a few other options as well. Remember: These prompts are springboards to creativity. Use them to expand your possibilities, not limit them. Note on commenting: If you wish to comment on the site, go to Disqus to […]
Wordy 30: Poetic Games
I’m going to be honest; I’m between poetic forms at the moment, and I’m getting ready for this year’s April Poem-A-Day Challenge. But I want to try playing a little poetic game this week. You see, I’ve been playing Wordle the past couple months, trying to guess a five-letter word in 6 guesses (or 30 letters). So I thought it might be fun to try writing a poem in 30 letters. Here’s how it would work: Write a poem using exactly 30 letters Each line should have the same number of letters Each line should use one word As such, […]
Wednesday Poetry Prompts: 604
For today’s prompt, write a spring poem. Regardless of what your local groundhog prognosticated on February 2, the first day of spring is nearly upon us. So it’s a perfect time to write a springtime poem. Remember: These prompts are springboards to creativity. Use them to expand your possibilities, not limit them. Note on commenting: If you wish to comment on the site, go to Disqus to create a free new account, verify your account on this site below (one-time thing), and then comment away. It’s free, easy, and the comments (for the most part) don’t require manual approval like […]