In case you weren't aware of this, Lewis Carroll's original Alice's Adventures in Wonderland had a sequel called Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There. These days, the two tales are usually combined into one book and called, more simply, Alice in Wonderland. At any rate, it's in volume two of this fantastical tale... Continue Reading →
Every reader and lover of books has a writer who has changed their life. For some, it's Stephenie Meyer, author of the beloved Twilight Saga. For others, it's Harry Potter's "mum," J.K. Rowling. For me, it was Jan Beatty. Poet. Many, many years ago, a busy, sometimes moody, would-be writer, college junior sat down to... Continue Reading →
We have come to the end of our writing weekend, but hopefully this little series of exercises has inspired you to get on a regular writing routine. Because it does feel good to be creative every day, doesn't it? In case you missed them, check out the borrowed text and secrets/truths prompts of the past... Continue Reading →
Hopefully you were sufficiently inspired by yesterday's creative writing prompt about borrowed text. Onward! Creative Writing Weekend - Prompt #2 Write what is secret. Then write what is shared. Experiment with writing each in two different ways: veiled language and direct language. Experiment as well with the form of the poem: use verse and prose.... Continue Reading →
This has been a poetry-infused week for me. I'm hoping to continue that momentum this weekend and plan on writing and revising until I have at least five solid final drafts of poems. So I thought I'd invite you to do the same. Novel Novice will have a new creative writing prompt for you, starting... Continue Reading →
While I believe that "app" is one of the most over-used and ridiculous words in the vernacular these days, I'm happy to announce that Poets.org has launched the Poem Flow app featuring: New daily poems Accumulating in-app library Moving or static text Adjustable font size Accessible offline Easy share options Clutter-free screen Literary trivia Even... Continue Reading →
Everyone has someone or something to love, whether it's your boyfriend or girlfriend, your best friend, your mom or dad, your dog, the teddy bear you sleep with every night, or your favorite slice from the local pizza shop. This creative writing prompt is about writing a love poem. Now, plenty of people hear the... Continue Reading →
What holiday is more suited to poetry than Valentine's Day? Poets.org always pulls together a great collection of poems and poets to feature for specific occasions. Check out their categories for Cupid's day: Poems for Sweethearts Anniversary Poems Poems for Friendship Love Poems And if you're feeling a little negative about hearts and flowers and... Continue Reading →
Writing poems are all about revision. When I first started putting down verse, I was very anti-revision. To me, poetry was a moment of experience! A thought came to me and I scribbled it down and voila! Magic! A spontaneous explosion of feeling and meaning right there on the page! It would be inauthentic of... Continue Reading →
Most poets make use of epigraphs in their poems from time to time. An epigraph is the quotation that comes after the poem title before the verse begins, or it's the quote you may see at the beginning of a chapter or section of a book. Two things to remember: 1) An epigraph sets the... Continue Reading →
Novel Novice 