How to Exercise Your Poetic Muscles

Just as a weight lifter exercises his muscles daily, so too must a writer.  John Hewitt lists several ways to get the creative juices flowing.  Here are ten of them:

1.  Make a list of poems with memorable lines.  Re-read them and determine why they stand out.

Far from the madding crowd's ignoble strife

Their sober wishes never learned to stray

Along the cool sequestered veil of life

They kept the noiseless tenor of their ways.

(Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard, Thomas Gray)

Note:  Far From the Madding Crowd is also a novel by Thomas Hardy.

2.  Every poet has written a bad poem, if not several.  Write the worst poem possible filled with cliches, pretentious words and a "beat the reader over the head" theme.  Write several if you have to.  Get it out of your system.  Now you are mind is free to write your "masterpiece".

You stood in the classroom

lean and lanky

and told us your genius poem

"Roses are red

Violets are blue"

I like tractors.

(The Coffee Shop Times, Starr)

3.  "Listen to criticism and try to learn from it, but don't live or die by it."  Everyone is a critic.  Sometimes people have constructive criticism.  Others are simply nitpicking.  Try to distinguish one type from the other.  Learn from the constructive advice and then move on.  Read the following blog: http://positivewriter.com/how-to-give-constructive-writing-criticism-that-actually-helps/.

4.  The bigger the theme, the more important the details are.  Use vivid language.  Employ all five senses.

http://www.weblogtheworld.com/countries/northern-america/america/america_ca/city-losangeles/four-ted-2013-speakers-who-appeal-to-our-sensory-selves/

5.  Write a poem that is the opposite of what you believe.  Suspend your belief system, just for one day.

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6.  Listen to talk radio.  Great characters emerge from such sessions.

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7.  Every line of your poem should be important.  If your poem has three great lines, it should be three lines long.

Whitecaps on the bay

A broken sign board banging

In the April wind.

(Richard Wright)

8.  When your write a great poem, immediately write another one.  Go with the momentum.

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9.  Write in different places to gather inspiration ex. park, street corner, alley.

http://www.wiseinkblog.com/writing-2/13-inspirational-places-to-write-that-isnt-a-cafe/

10.  Publish a poetry journal or website.  Get the word out about your writing.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/108313630/large-poetry-journal-diary-notebook

*To read all of John Hewitts' suggestions, visit http://www.poewar.com/poetry-writing-tips/.

*For a list of creative writing prompts for poetry, visit http://www.creative-writing-now.com/creative-writing-prompts.html.

How to Find Inspiration for Your Poetry

"Ideas come from  everything." (Alfred Hitchcock)

As I said in a recent post, keep a journal of ideas to serve as inspiration for your poetry.  Write down your emotions and descriptions.  The Writers Relief website recommends keeping a file for newspaper and magazine clippings, sketches and quotes to use as inspiration for your writing http://writersrelief.com/blog/2008/03/poetry-finding-your-inspiration/.

Wikihow suggests visiting a place that can serve as a setting for a poem.  Why not take a trip to a forest or garden, waterfalls or river?  "Find the natural rhythm of everyday life," suggests Wikihow (http://www.wikihow.com/Get-Inspiration-for-Poetry).  Use all five senses to take in the experience.  Brainstorm words and phrases to describe the experience ex. active verbs and vivid nouns.

Nature isn't the only source of inspiration.  Visit your local park or cafe.  Take a bus or train ride. Write down your observations.  You'd be amazed at how underneath the ordinary lies the extraordinary.

Keep your sense on alert at all times, even in your own home.  Keep a notebook at your bedside to record dreams or ideas that come to you in the middle of the night.  Go online to find writing prompts ex. "What if?" scenarios.  Scan the newspaper and magazine headlines for ideas.  Study paintings or photographs.  My poem "Sunset over the Ice" is based on a famous painting by Frederic Church. Study your scrapbooks; maybe a vacation photo will spark a memory.

Perhaps you have a family member who inspires you.  I wrote a poem about my husband's grandma who survived the war called "On Prussian Plains" which I read at her funeral in 2007.  Think of a special spot you like to visit.  I wrote a poem about a bridge that Rob and I like to stand on when we visit St. Mary's.  Study old postcards.  I found a postcard called "Greetings from Holly Beach" which spurred me on to write a poem about Hurricane Rita.  There's a map on the wall of my in-law's cottage called "The Ghostfleet of Long Point".  I penned a poem of the same name.

Maybe an injustice has taken place which has moved you to write a poem.  Oprah Winfrey talked about a young black mother of ten being gunned down on her way home from work as she searched in a ditch for her wallet.  Her story inspired me to write "Justice for Johnnie Mae".  An occasion is also a good reason to write a poem.  When my cousin Jeff got married I did a bit of research on his new bride and wrote a poem about the new couple.  

Note:  For more inspiration, read The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron.

http://imgarcade.com/1/pretty-sunset-pictures-with-trees/

Ten Tips to Writing a Chapter Book That Sells

Chapter books are geared to children ages 7 to 9.  Chapter books run generally 4,000 to 10,000 words in total.  They bridge the gap between picture books and middle grade novels.  Here are some steps to follow when writing a chapter book.

1.  Decide what will happen.

Map out your plot, setting and characters.  Write an outline on the computer or put your ideas on index cards and post them on a bulletin board where they can be easily seen.

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2.  Organize a list of chapters

Know ahead of time which events will happen when.  Chapters headings should give some indication of what will happen in the chapter.  Keep them short.  Blogger Kathleen Temean recommends each chapter should be 400 to 1,000 words in length.

http://www.theinconvenientchild.com/ContentsLow.jpg

3.  Do character sketches

Who are your characters?  What do they do?  What changes will your main character undergo?  Make sure he or she is three-dimensional.  Kathleen Temean says that your protagonist can be mischievous, can make mistakes, but shouldn't be amoral.  Avoid anthropomorphic characters (animals with human characteristics).

http://www.wikihow.com/Write-a-Character-Sketch

4.  Picture the setting

While plot and characters are often the focus of an author, setting is often neglected.  However, setting "provides the backdrop against which your dramas ultimately play out," (http://www.writersdigest.com/tip-of-the-day/discover-the-basic-elements-of-setting-in-a-story).  If the setting is a real place, heavily research it.  If it is a fictional place, it can always loosely be based on a real place.  Setting can give your story mood, meaning and theme.  Keep it in mind as you string your story together.

http://www.betterstorytelling.net/images/article_images/setting_265x265.jpg

5.  Plan out the Plot

According to Jennifer Jensen, a chapter book plot should be "dramatic, but not nightmarish".  The plot can be fast paced, but not too complex.  Keep it clear and simple.

http://femketuition.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/general-story-plan.png

6.  Establish a Theme

"An effective piece of writing contains a single, dominant message," says blogger Chip Scanlan.  What is my story really about?  You should be able to narrow your theme down to one sentence.
Keep your theme uppermost in your mind as you write your story.

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7.  Get inspired

Avid readers make avid writers.  Read 100 chapter books to get ideas.  Jennifer Jensen recommends the following series:

-Junie B. Jones
-Judy Moody
-Ruby Lu
-Mallory
-The Magic Treehouse
-Flower Fairy Friends
-Fish Face

I also recommend the series:

-I Survived (ex. the Chicago Fire, the Nazi Invasion, the Battle of Gettysburg, etc)

http://www.amazon.com/Survived-11-Great-Chicago-Fire/dp/0545658462

8.  Start Writing

According to Kathleen Tremean, a chapter book should include lots of dialogue.  Sentences and paragraphs should be short.  Language should be vivid.  Infuse your story with humour, which should be age-appropriate.  Don't forget to include some illustrations.

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9.  Edit, Edit, Edit

Give your book to a few people, ideally children who are your potential audience, to read.  Ask for feedback.  Look for constructive criticism.  Wait a month or two.  Go back to your manuscript and implement some of the suggested changes.

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10.  Be Patient!  Don't give up!  Wait for the right opportunity to publish your manuscript.  Good things come to those who wait.

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For more information, read https://kathytemean.wordpress.com/2010/09/29/writing-chapter-books/.