Creative Writing Prompt: Bad, Banned, and Beyond

Creative Writing Prompt #16
Bad, Banned, and Beyond

Sometimes it feels soooo good to do something bad… or, at least, something that’s perceived to be bad.

Earlier this week, Sara posted about the American Library Association’s top 10 challenged books of 2009. Twilight made the list, as did To Kill a Mockingbird. These things are bad? These books that have won prizes and brought together millions of people with one common love… how can that be bad? But some people think they’re worth complaining about.

Well, the blessed reality is this: We have the freedom to read what we want… and we also have the freedom to say and write what we want.

So today, write a poem that includes something that’s typically considered “forbidden” in your world, whether it’s something you don’t allow yourself to indulge in or an activity your parents never permitted when you were a child. If you usually keep it clean when you speak, try inserting a swear word – or at least moderately foul or charged language – into your poem. Step outside of your comfort zone and give yourself permission to be “bad” in your poem, even if you don’t dare get into mischief in real life.

Check out all of our National Poetry Month posts!