by Nicole | Apr 18, 2014 | Blog, Poetry, Writing
It’s National Poetry Month! Now is the time to celebrate our poet roots and refine those writing skills by creating new work or refreshing/revising some of your previously-composed poems. If you’re a regular reader, you know I love asking if a poem is ever complete… but really, is it ever complete?!
There’s just shy of two weeks left, and I’m going to continue making the most of it by jotting down short poems and attempting to generate fresh lines to work with. Grab your journal, open up Word or your blog, and get some words on the page. Feel free to try the form I’m about to share with you!
I recently discovered Cinquain, which is a form of Japanese poetry. It’s a short poem of 5 lines and 22 syllables. The pattern is like so: two, four, six, eight, two (2-4-6-8-2). (more…)
by Nicole | Mar 17, 2014 | Poetry, Quotes
Listen, real poetry doesn’t say anything, it just ticks off the possibilities. Opens all doors. You can walk through anyone that suits you.
. . . and that’s why poetry appeals to me so much – because it’s so eternal. As long as there are people, they can remember words and combinations of words. Nothing else can survive a holocaust but poetry and songs. No one can remember an entire novel. No one can describe a film, a piece of sculpture, a painting, but so long as there are human beings, songs and poetry can continue.
If my poetry aims to achieve anything, it’s to deliver people from the limited ways in which they see and feel. – Jim Morrison
by Nicole | Mar 16, 2014 | Creative Writing, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Poetry, Prompts, Prose, Writing
I enjoy looking around the web for writing prompts to keep my creative juices going. I have a few favorite places to go that always provide something obscure, fun, dark, or just plain ridiculous.
To me, the prompt isn’t as important as the writing that follows. Don’t do what I used to do – spend entirely too much time choosing a good prompt. The idea is to be taken by surprise and to let your creative mind do the talking. Think of it as improve – don’t plan the piece; write off the cuff. Let your mind take the lead when you choose a prompt and develop it into a story, a poem, a song, a piece of prose, or whatever your soul desires.
Some of my favorite spots on the web to find writing prompts:
Here are some writing prompts I have found online or made up on my own. Get started by writing for 15-30 minutes non-stop using the prompt of your choosing.
To escape a zombie attack, you have to go live in the woods by yourself. Make a packing list. (
Source)
You’re in Barcelona, sitting alone in a small street-side café, when a stranger approaches. He sets on the table a sealed manila envelope and whispers “do not try to follow me.” Confused, you look behind you to see where he came from. He disappears, leaving the envelope in your care. Open it. What’s inside?
You receive a mysterious email and the subject line reads “Everything you know is a lie.” (
Source)
“This discovery will change the world, if it doesn’t destroy it first.” (
Source)
Stay tuned – this will become a regular feature on my blog. If you’d like to feature some of your own writing prompts, just email them to me or drop them in the comments. Happy writing!
by Nicole | Feb 9, 2014 | Life, Quotes
“All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
