Writing Prompts!
by Barbara Westwood Diehl
Baltimore Review recently had a table at the Bridgewater International Poetry Festival. During breaks between readings, I asked participants to write a writing prompt on a 3X5 card to share with Baltimore Review readers. Many were happy to comply. (I think my candy basket helped.)
Thanks to everyone who made the festival a great experience!
Billboard in a field: “Love is a hammer that breaks the hardest heart.” Write the backstory, 1st person, from POV of the person who put the sign up.
- George Perreault
Cut out words from magazines or newspapers. Sort into envelopes—NOUNS, VERBS, OTHER (adjectives, adverbs). Pick three or more words from each envelope. Write!
- Heather Banks
Have a conversation with an abstract concept.
- Sam Brown
My truth matters because . . .
- Julayne Lee
Go outside. Pick up something. Write down 5 adjectives, 4 nouns, 3 verbs, 2 adverbs, and 1 word in another language that describe the object. Use 10 of the words from these lists in a poem that is about a family member.
- Cassie Premo Steele
Take a bunch of your first lines and mix them up. Pull a few themes together. Edit, add to as needed. Works with last lines too!
- Annmarie Lockhart
What is the one question you’re most afraid to answer truthfully? What is the answer?
- Robin Gruendl
Listen to music, any song, and write the first things that come to mind. Idea is from Doug Van Gundy’s workshop at BIPF.
- Courtney Anderson
Go to the last “Findings” page of Harper’s Magazine that gives one or two-sentence summaries of science and social science studies. Pick a couple that blow you away. Then write.
- Ed Zahniser
Consider a moment in history—yours, your extended family, your nation, the human race—look at that moment and where you are now. If you like, shape the poem as thesis, antithesis, synthesis.
- Stan Galloway
Write a poem with scenes from all four seasons without mentioning any of the seasons.
- Jeff Schwaner
Write a poem using a line from your favorite song as the end words. Seek inspiration from a favorite photograph.
- Nicole Yurcaba
Write a six-line poem. Each line must begin with an active verb. Present tense. The final line does not need to start with an action verb.
- Chris Gaumer
Take the first piece of art you see, write a poem or prose with the art in it at least three times.
- Elizabeth Akin Stelling
Hand out Wallace Stevens’ “Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird.” Challenge the class to write, in the style of Stevens, the last 13 months of the past year, ending in the current month.
- Kirk Judd
Take a color and make it a person.
- Cheryl Denise
Write a poem that consists of instructions for traveling from the Bridgewater festival back to your ordinary life. End it with the first noise you hear after you open the door.
- Lesley Wheeler
Pick a critical review of a literary work and write an erasure poem using that review as a response.
- Sally Toner
Write a letter to a famous poet that challenges one of their most famous works. Get absurdly angry and offended.
- Doug Van Gundy
Pick a theme/opening phrase and three random paint chip colors, and write a poem using all the words.
- Courtney Anderson
Write five nouns with your dominant hand. Turn the paper over. Write five verbs with your non-dominant hand. Now make a poem.
- Sherrell Wigal
Stick a finger at a random place on a printed page and base the poem on what the words say to you.
- Linda A. Dove
Write a hilariously bad personal ad.
- Dan Veach
What would a well tell you?
- Hiram Larew
As for me, I had Baltimore Review Summer Contest cootie catchers at my table, which were almost as popular as my candy basket. Maybe they'll inspire you. Or download a cootie catcher template and create your own writing prompts!
Excellent, Barbara. Thank you!
By Stan Galloway on Jun 20 2018