This week: Poety Topics: What to Write About Edited by: Dawn Embers  
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Poetry Newsletter by Dawn
A talk about finding a topic when planning to write a poem. Some contests have themes or specific topics and others require a form. And there is always the open prompt option which is the gift of the world and so many choices to make. |
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There are many fun elements to writing poetry and reasons people put words down onto the page.
With poetry there are options. One can write with a purpose or a reason. One can even just decide to write a poem and put whatever they are feeling on the page. Here on WDC, there are a number of contests that accept poetic entries. Often for a contest, there is going to be a prompt. I like prompts. They are a spark of inspiration, a sense of direction, or even just a specific technical requirement used to provide a challenge. And there are different prompts to consider using if hosting a contest or even to use for you own writing inspiration.
Open Prompts
The issue I have with an open prompt for any writing challenge, including poetry, is that there are too many options. I'm not very good at making decisions. If I can write anything, there is a big risk that I will end up writing nothing. For me, it's the same problem in other areas of life. Even something as simple as picking out a place for dinner. If I have all of the options, I don't know what to pick. I can spend an hour staring at the Uber Eats app on my phone, trying to pick a place to order food from, but in the end, I order nothing. I rarely enter a writing contest that has an open prompt because I have too many ideas/options.
Topical Prompts
This is very different from the open because it gives a specific requirement on what to write. When given a topic, there is still a certain level of flexibility. How you view the topic of hunger or beauty within a poem will be different than what someone else will write. Adoption, childhood, sleep, death... topics can be very specific or can have a wider range of options. Nature, for example, is a fairly wide ranged option when it comes to a topic. Many many many... many poems have been written about nature. Some forms even are preferred to have that topic, like a specific type of haiku. However, there is still much one can write about nature if wanting to create a poem. Broccoli might have a smaller range for a prompt, yet I'm sure there can be some different creations if given that topic.
Form Prompts
While stories can have characters, music, image inspiration (things that can also be used to inspire poems), when it comes to poetry there is a technical form of prompts that I enjoy. When a specific form is required, it helps give a technical direction. Each from has specific requirements to follow. Some are more challenging than others. Part of what I enjoy from this kind of poetic prompt is the challenge that having to fit within the constraints of a form provide. Some may be too restrictive and difficult, others far too easy but still fun in the right moment. Some restrictions include: rhyme, syllable counts and meter. If following a form, make sure to read through the information first and if possible, put some information about the form at the end of your static item so the reader can learn more about what you used.
These are just some elements that can be used either in a poem contest prompt or just as inspiration to write a poem. It depends on the reason behind wanting to write a poem. Inspiration and topic are important with poetry.
What kind of prompt do you prefer? Anyone up for writing a broccoli poem?
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| | Cat (E)
Cat in a box haiku. 2nd Place, Bard's Hall Contest, May 2023.
#2296186 by Beholden   |
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Do you prefer to be given a theme, topic or specific form when trying to write a poem?
Roses are red
Violets are blue
I tried to write a poem
You should write one too
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Poetry: May 31, 2023 Issue [#11991]
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