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Word Warm-Ups
Just as you would stretch before you go running, you need to warm
up before you start writing poetry. Here are some of my favorite
exercises to help you stretch your mind:
-
Word
Play
Pick a word, any word, and think of all the words that rhyme
with that word. Try first with one-syllable words, and then
with words of two or more syllables.
-
Object
Observations
Pick an object — a pencil, a brick wall, a clock, a tomato
— anything. Then write down everything you notice about
that object.
- Synonym
Silliness
Think of an adjective, such as happy, soft, tall, or sleepy. Then
write down all the words you can think of that have the same meaning
as that adjective. This list will help a lot when you're trying
to describe things.
Here
are a few tips for you to follow that have always helped me with
my writing. I recommend that you try them!
- Write as often as you can. That's what writers do —
they write.
- Carry a notebook and jot down your ideas immediately.
- Keep a diary or journal — and try to write at least
a little in it every day.
- Write first about the things closest to you — yourself,
or your family, friends, and pets. It's a lot easier than writing
about things you know little or nothing about.
- If you're writing poems, don't worry about trying to make
them rhyme. It's much more important to say what you really
want to say.
- Try writing two or three different poems about the same subject.
Use different points of view.
- Look in
the mirror and write about the person looking back at you.
Write about how that person is feeling at that moment.
- Take a walk around your neighborhood — and write
about the things you see there. Don't forget to take notes
in your notebook.
- Don't expect to get things right the first time. You
do sometimes, but it's definitely the exception. Rewriting
is an important step.
- Sometimes, no matter how hard you try to write, nothing comes
out. Forget about writing for a while, and go off and do something
else. Then try writing again later.
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