Creative Writing Prompt: And the Title Is…

We will regularly feature Creative Writing Prompts in the poetry section of Novel Novice. Because writers should write, right? And every lover of reading – even if fiction is your usual bag – should give poetry a shot at least once in their life.

Writers also get writer’s block. So to help you get scribbling – whether you’re sitting in front of the TV, in a quiet corner of the house, or sipping cocoa at the local bookstore – we want to push you in various directions. No matter how these exercises turn out, the important thing is to write. It may not be gold on the first draft, but there could be nuggets of beauty in there.

Creative Writing Prompt: And the Title Is…

• Pick the name of a book featured on Novel Novice – it can be your favorite book or one you’ve never even read before. Choose the book because the title intrigues you or sparks some images.
• This book title (or a variation of it) will be the title of your poem.
• Type/write that title at the top of a blank page.
• Write a poem of at least 20 lines that does not intentionally end rhyme.
• Important: The poem should have nothing to do with the actual plot of the book. The book/poem title is your inspiration.
• See where the title takes you…

Remember – write like a five-year-old, revise as the poet. Translation: write without thinking about it or editing as you go or worrying what other people might think of you if they read your words.

How did this exercise make you feel? Did you find it encouraging or constricting to work with a specific title from the beginning?