Creative Writing Prompt #9 Cancel It Out Write a series of lines such that every other line "cancels" the line that comes before it. For example: "I come before you/to stand behind you." Can you use these lines to create one entire poem? Or are they better as individual lines that can be inserted into... Continue Reading →

Creative Writing Prompt #8 Saying the Unsaid Write a poem consisting entirely of things that you would like to say to someone, but would never dare say out loud. Write one poem addressing multiple people (without actually using their names), or write several poems addressing one person per poem. It can be a parent, sibling,... Continue Reading →

Creative Writing Prompt #7 ABCs Write an alphabet poem in one of two ways (or both ways!) Write a poem of 26 words so that each word begins with the next letter of the alphabet. Write another alphabet poem but scramble the letter order. Write a poem of 26 lines so that each line begins... Continue Reading →

Creative Writing Prompt #6 Harry Potter Style Ok, this isn't about Harry Potter per se...but it wouldn't hurt for you to channel a little HP, Hermione Granger, or even some super-hot Cedric Diggory when considering this creative writing prompt! Write a poem in the form of an incantation, a charm, a spell, a conjuration. Make... Continue Reading →

Creative Writing Prompt #5 Shhhh Write a poem that's meant to be seen and not heard. See all of our National Poetry Month goodies

Creative Writing Prompt #4 Free Verse Project No one ever said you were restricted to writing on paper or on your computer. If you're looking to make your mark with poetry, consider using other mediums to spell out your verse... like sand, dew, chalk, flower petals, coffee grounds, toys, balloons... Poets.org's Free Verse Project encourages... Continue Reading →

Creative Writing Prompt #3 Prose or Poetry? Some people have made an entire career out of writing their poems in prose form. (Russell Edson, for instance.) Some people shun the form entirely. I say, give it a shot at least a handful of times. While a prose form will work for some poems and not... Continue Reading →

Creative Writing Prompt #2 Translation from Sound Whether or not you speak a different language, the idea of this exercise is to literally translate the following paragraphs into English. Literally. If the word is "quand," then translate it into what you think the word should be by how the word sounds - is it wand,... Continue Reading →

During the month of April, we will be celebrating National Poetry Month by providing one new creative writing prompt daily. We urge you to challenge yourself to complete every single writing prompt... think about it. If you make that happen, you'll have 30 drafts by the end of the month, at the very least. More... Continue Reading →

We have a bevy of writing contests going on right now ... and we want to share them all in one place, so you can see what the contests are about, when they're due, and what the cool prizes include! *          *          * The Lonely Hearts Club Writing Contest Choose ONE of... Continue Reading →