More Writing Topics

1. Go to the Animals page and think about Lowell's and Hettich's uses of personification. Then write your own personification poem. For example, write a poem in which you personify a kind of weather as an animal or person.



2. If you don't want to write a personification poem but you do want to write about an animal, think about writing a poem from an animal's point of view. You might want to write about that animal's encounter with a human (maybe yourself) or experience of a natural event (a storm, a fire, a sunny day).



3. If you don't want to start out with a poem, do a ten-minute free-write (where you just write for ten minutes without stopping, erasing, or crossing out what you've written. Just let the words flow and think about corrections later) about an animal or person.

1. Go to the Color page, link to each of the colors (red, orange, yellow, etc.), and then do a free-write about the color or image you find most striking. Afterward, read what you've written and see if the objects, events, people, feelings, or memories you jotted down surprise you. Does they give you a new understanding of the color?



2. Pretend you're inside the image you've chosen to write about. How do you feel in this place? What do things look/smell/sound/feel/taste like? What kinds of things will happen here?



3. If you were a color, what color would you be? Choose a color or combination of colors and explain why (this doesn't need to be a poem if that's too difficult).

1. Go to the Texture Swatches page and link to your favorite texture. How would you describe that texture in words? Be original--it's not enough to say that the bark is rough. What does it look like? How does it feel on your skin? What does it remind you of?

1. Go to the Words page and link to the pages of favorite words and phrases. Pick 3-5 words from the favorite words list and try to use them all in the same poem. Challenge yourself by picking very different words (for example: baboons, binoculars, flash, and sift) before you begin your poem or story. Then see how creative you can be in weaving them together.



2. Chose a phrase from the Phrases page or chose your own favorite phrase from one of the poems. Then use that line or phrase to begin a poem of your own. You'll be surprised at how quickly your poem deviates from the original!