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NaPo Prompt Central



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Prompt Central Thread


Welcome to the Prompt Central! Just like we did in previous years, we will have a variety of types of prompts for you to pick from and if you have anything you would like to add, feel free! If none of these tickle your fancy, you can also check out all of the wonderful Inspo for NaPo threads which will have their own links in this thread as well.

Without further ado, here's an index to help you jump to the type of prompts you love.

- Poetry Crew


Index


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Other Prompt Centrals


Some websites craft together a complete list of 30 prompts just for NaPo! You could try to go through the whole list or pick and choose what looks interesting for you.

The Prompts

Use a Prompt from this list of 30 writing prompts by Kelli Russell Agodon : 30 Poetry Prompts
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Try your hand at a Prompt from this 30-day Writing Challenge by Scribendi: 30-Day Writing Challenges
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Try a Prompt from this 30 Days of Writing List by Thought Catalogue: 30 Days of Writing Prompts
  





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Specific Poem Challenges


Write a poem without nouns that is at least 12 lines long.
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Write a poem without verbs that is at least 12 lines long.
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Make 7 sets of rhyming words, then use those as your end words to make a sonnet. (Sonnet form is set in the rhyme scheme abab, cdcd,efef, gg with iambic pentameter) Here is Lumi's article on Iambic Pentameter if you need additional help figuring out that aspect of it.
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Follow this poem prompt progression:
Spoiler! :

1. Begin the poem with a metaphor.
2. Say something specific but utterly preposterous.
3. Use at least one image for each of the five senses, either in succession or scattered randomly throughout the poem.
4. Use one example of synesthesia (mixing the senses).
5. Use the proper name of a person and the proper name of a place.
6. Contradict something you said earlier in the poem.
7. Change direction or digress from the last thing you said.
8. Use a word (slang?) you’ve never seen in a poem.
9. Use an example of false cause-effect logic.
10. Use a piece of talk you’ve actually heard (preferably in dialect and/or which you don’t understand).
11. Create a metaphor using the following construction: "The (adjective) (concrete noun) of (abstract noun) . . ."
12. Use an image in such a way as to reverse its usual associative qualities.
13. Make the persona or character in the poem do something he or she could not do in "real life."
14. Refer to yourself by nickname and in the third person.
15. Write in the future tense, such that part of the poem seems to be a prediction.
16. Modify a noun with an unlikely adjective.
17. Make a declarative assertion that sounds convincing but that finally makes no sense.
18. Use a phrase from a language other than English.
19. Make a non-human object say or do something human (personification).
20. Close the poem with a vivid image that makes no statement, but that "echoes" an image from earlier in the poem.
This exercise was devised by Jim Simmerman, who used this exercise to also write a poem which you can look up if you'd like.

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Participate in the "Poem Prompt" Poetry Thread, responding to a prompt from the thread. Poetry Prompt Attack
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Grab an old poem and rewrite it
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Look for the first word you see around you that is not on the computer screen. Write a poem using that word in it.
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Write an Abecedarian
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Write a Terza Rima
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Write a poem that rhymes abab cbcb dcdc ...
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Write a Nonet
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Find notes from school and use them to write a poem.
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Write a Kyrielle
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Close your eyes and think of the last thing that made you really angry, write about that!
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Write a Sestina
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Talk to a friend about something that's troubling you recently and then break it into a poem.
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Write a poem that uses refrains
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Write a Quatern
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Go get a book and write a Found Poem from the first chapter
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What was your last dream? Write it into a poem.
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What was the last thing you did which embarrassed you? Write that as a poem.


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Theme Prompts

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Find someone in your life that you find interesting, love, hate, or know nothing about, and try to write their point of view on you.

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If you were the most powerful person on earth, what would you do?

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If you only had 5 units of love you could give, who would you save it for?

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Use metaphor to explore the differences of two ideas such as "love and war" or "empathy and sympathy"

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What was the message of the last thing you watched? Use that as a theme for your next poem.

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Dogs. Your theme is dogs.

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Use animals who take on meaning such as owls, foxes, dogs, eagles, snakes, etc. as a theme.


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Quote Prompts

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Songs for Inspiration

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A Gallant Gentlemen - We Lost The Sea

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You Were Cool - The Mountain Goats

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Roger Miller - England Swings

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Lindsey Sterling - the arena

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Shawn Mendes - Stitches

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Jeanne C Riley - Harper Valley PTA

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The Story of My Life - Astronautalis

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Marianas Trench - Rhythm of Your Heart

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SOJA - Everything Changes

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Amadeus Electric Quartet - Earth Song


  





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Sat Mar 31, 2018 7:29 pm
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Random Generators

Here are some links you can check out to generate some inspiration. These are the types of things you can look through now to start getting ideas, or come back to later when you feel stuck.

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Poetry Soup Forum
Along with a host of other tools, this resource has a Famous Quotations list and a "Poem of the Day" that can be used to generate inspiration.

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Random Quotation Generator
This link has limitless random quotation for your reading pleasure.

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Random Image Generator
There are plenty of random image generators on the internet, this one's nice because the site says all the images are suitable for all ages.

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Random Song Generator
Want a random song, but don't want to wait until YouTube finally gives you something that you haven't heard already? This website will recommend songs from a variety of genres.

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Poetic Line Generator
And of course, we must include YWS's own Poetic Line Generator. Try clicking through here and see if you run across a gem.

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Random KittenGenerator
You can always use a cute picture to help you generate an idea too! Try to write a poem about whatever picture comes up.

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Random Cat
Here's another picture generator for cats. Try to write a poem about whatever picture comes up.

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Random Doggie Generator
Here's one for dogs! Try to write a poem about whatever picture comes up.

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Random Animal Generator
Here's one for any animal! Try to write a poem using whatever animal it picks. For an added challenge get a few of them and write them all into one poem.

  





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Sat Mar 31, 2018 7:37 pm
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The Inspo for NaPo Journals


alliyah

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BlueAfrica

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TheBlueCat

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Kanome

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Nobunaga

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Mea

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pal

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Aley

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Lizz

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E

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bluewaterlily

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killeham

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niteowl

  





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2019 Poetry Prompt Party


Ready for a Poetry Party?

Grab those party hats and a slice of cake - the Poetry Party is officially open!

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Inspiration Activity Hunt
Here are the instructions from the 2019 Inspiration Activity Hunt that you can still use for inspiration this year!

1. One of the best ways to achieve your goals, is to identify them! Think about what your goals are for this NaPo and then post in this thread -> here (the goals might be how many poems you want to write, themes or structures you want to try, or some type of technique you want to improve on. More ideas here
(if you'd like you can share your goal on your wall with the hashtag #NaPoGoals too)

2. An important tip for writing good poetry, is to read good poetry. For this activity find a poem by a non-YWS author and post in the Poem of the Week Thread .

3. Find a poetry structure (like sonnet, pantoum, abecedarian) that you think you'd like to try for NaPo - and post below (you might give other people some ideas too). Here's a list from Writer's Digest that has 100 different poetry forms if you need some ideas! 100 poetic forms for poets

4. Identify one poem that you've previously written that you'd like to use as inspiration - either as a re-write, borrowing a line from, or using a theme from it. Comment with the title or link below with maybe a sentence about why you chose it.

5. Look outside, describe the first thing you see with as many adjectives as you can think of, take at least a minute. Now when you come back to this prompt write a poem about whatever you saw outside /without/ using any of those words. It'll help you stretch descriptions beyond the obvious.

6. There is sometimes no better advice to break writer's block than to simply write! Participate in either of these to forums to complete this step:
-> Haiku Challenge
-> One Word Group Poem

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Individual Collection
(sometimes it helps to just have a collection of poetry starters, some sort of collection of pieces of inspo that you can use for inspiration when you're fresh out of ideas, try gathering a few of the items below - to complete the "challenge" you need to get one of each, but feel free to gather as much inspo as you think you'll need)

7. Find a Quote from someone famous that you think could inspire a poem. You could browse Brainy Quote if you're stuck.

8. Find a Prompt from the Prompt Central that you like, and save it for later. (Prompt Central )

9. Check out the Poetic Line Generator and see if you can find a line you'd like to come back to.

10. Go to page 30 of a book near you, write down the last line on the page - come back to the line later and try to use each word in a poem.

11. Sometimes a good way to get inspired is going outside of your normal genre of writing. Go to this Laffy Taffy Jokes Website find one that you think is funny and leave it to inspire you later. Maybe you'll write a humorous poem? Maybe it'll turn into a tragedy? We'll see how April goes!

12. Write a metaphor that doesn't make sense, without trying to figure out its logic. For example: chickens are like crayola crayons, or ice cream tastes like train crashes. The more bizarre the better!

Hopefully you have some good places to start you poetry now! Feel free to keep collecting or do some poetry brainstorming below! Thanks for participating in the Inspo Hunt!


Bonus Poetry Activities

Here's some bonus poetry activities you can look at if you want to get those poetry gears turning and keep the Poetry Party rolling - try participating in all of these if you are brave enough!

*Find me a Poem Challenge (find a poem based on the prompt)
Find me a poem...

*Prompt Attack (write a poem based on the prompt)
Prompt Attack -- Version 2.0

*Poetry Discussion on "The Bonnie Blue Flag" (join the discussion)
The Bonnie Blue Flag

*Poem Spot [-on the spot] (you must write a poem if you click the thread)
Poem Spot - [ on the spot ]

*Write the Worst Poem you can (just follow the instructions of the title)
Write the worst poem you can.
  





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2020 Poetry Prompt Party

Welcome to the poetry prompt party -

here's how it works! You are sent on a scavenger hunt of sorts to collect poetry prompts & poetry activities that might be useful for you during NaPo. To complete the inspiration activity hunt just collect the links and prompts in a space below. You don't /have/ to use the poetry prompts for actual poetry writing, but if you do happen to collect all 30 prompts let me know and I'll send you 250 points! :) Enjoy!Link to WFP Poetry Prompts

INSPIRATION IS ALL AROUND YOU

1. Find a song on your playlist that you think is poetic - give it another listen and be attentive to any poetic devices the song uses (ie. rhyme, metaphor, hyperbole, imagery) write some of those lines down. You can use them to inspire a new poem or simply use this as an exercise in recognizing poetic devices used in your daily life.

2. Look outside, describe the first thing you see with as many adjectives as you can think of, take at least a minute. Now when you come back to this prompt write a poem about whatever you saw outside /without/ using any of those words. It'll help you stretch descriptions beyond the obvious.

3. Sometimes poetry is in the extraordinary, sometimes it's in the ordinary. For this exercise think of the most ordinary thing you've done today (ie. making breafast, tying your shoes, brushing your teeth) now describe it with as much detail as you can! Take at least a minute. See if something poetic comes from it?

4. What's the lastest book you've been reading? Open it to page 35 and write down the first 10 words that jump out to you. Try writing a poem with at least half of those words in NaPo.

5. Find a Quote from someone famous that you think could inspire a poem. You could browse (Brainy Quote) if you're stuck. Feel free to collect a few.

6. Memories can be a fruitful starting place for poetry writing. Think about an important memory or milestone from your life, jot down a couple thoughts about why it was important and return to these during NaPo if you need a starting point for a new poem.

CHALLENGE YOURSELF

7. One of the best ways to achieve your goals, is to identify them! Think about what your goals are for this NaPo and then to complete this challenge post in this thread -> NaPo Goals (the goals might be how many poems you want to write, themes or structures you want to try, or some type of technique you want to improve on.

8. Write a metaphor that doesn't make sense, without trying to figure out its logic. For example: chickens are like crayola crayons, or ice cream tastes like train crashes. The more bizarre the better!

9. Find a poetry structure (like sonnet, pantoum, abecedarian) that you think you'd like to try for NaPo - and post below (you might give other people some ideas too). Here's a list from Writer's Digest that has 100 different poetry forms if you need some ideas! 100 poetic forms for poets.

10. For a lot of people, NaPo is a chance to work on improving a specific poetic technique. Did you know that YWS has a whole forum dedicated to poetry writing resources? Identify a poetic tecnique or goal that you have for NaPo and then find an article either in the knowledge base (viewforum.php?f=152 ) or from the internet that can help you work on that technique.

11. While not everyone has a "theme" for NaPo sometimes having poetic continuity can be a good way to develop a sense of poetic voice. Jot down 5 or more things that you think describe your current poetic voice, and 5 or more things you'd like people come away with when they read your poetry. Return to this when you're stuck in NaPo. (Read through this article on developing your Poetic Style if you're not sure where to start -> Inspo for NaPo )

12. What is a poetic style that has formerly intimidated you? Prose poetry, songs-lyrics, sonnets, humorous poetry, ACROSTICS? Whatever it is write it down and then write 3 reasons why you /are/ able to write that type of poetry - give yourself a little pep-talk that you can reference later, and if you're feeling like a challenge actually try to write one of those during NaPo!

EXPLORE THE SITE

13. Did you know YWS actually has a whole thread of prompts? Find a Prompt from the Prompt Central that you like, and save it for later. (Prompt Central

14. Sometimes we get so caught up in trying to write the "perfect poem" that it stops our creative process right in its tracks. For this excercise write the worst poem you can (and only use 5 minutes at most) - this is an excercise that can actually be really helpful to generate some new ideas that aren't bound by your own perfectionism. Post your wonderfully-the-worst-poem in the Worst Poem thread if you'd like ->
Write the worst poem you can.

15. Check out the Poetic Line Generator and see if you can find a line you'd like to come back to.

Sometimes the best way to break writer's block is simply to write! For the last three in this section simply post in the thread according to whatever it's rules are (and bring the link of your post back so you can claim you've completed the challenge) keep these links in mind later during April when you need a poetry activity!

16. Post in the -> Haiku Challenge

17. Post in the -> One Word Group Poem

18. Post in the -> Poem Spot [-on the spot] (you must write a poem if you click the thread)
Poem Spot - [ on the spot ]

EXPLORE OTHER POETS

19. Have a favorite poet? Collect one of their poems that you'd like to use for inspiration during NaPo - you can use it for inspiration by writing a reply, using their same theme, or trying to mimic their style. If it's a poet that's not listed in the Poets of the Week thread go ahead and make a post for them! (Poet of the Week)

20. Read the Poem of the Day from Poetry Foundation -> https://www.poetryfoundation.org/ this can be a good way to explore a new poet! Write 2 things you liked about the poem, 2 things you didn't, and 1 line or phrase you think you could use for future inspiration. If you loved thepoem consider sharing it in the poem of the week thread -> The Poem of the Week

21. Some of the very first poems we read are nursery rhymes. What is one that you remember? How would you go about writing one yourself?

22. It might seem counter-intuitive but one way to write good poetry is to actually be attentive to what you think makes poems "good" by reviewing them! For this challenge find a poem on YWS that you'd like to leave a review on. Or consider a poem that you've recently really enjoyed on YWS and write down three reasons you liked it - use this for guidance during NaPo. (Also if you want to share or read some great YWS poems -> we have a thread for that! (YWS Poems to Read)

23. One of the benefits of doing NaPo on YWS is that you can write poetry together with the rest of the site, this can help you find inspiration and encouragement in itself, find someone else's NaPo thread and leave a comment! [you can do this before NaPo begins and can remember to make comments during NaPo too, to spread that inspo and encouragement]

24. You also count as a poet - collect the first poem you wrote or the first poem you posted on YWS. Could you revise this for NaPo? Could you make a twist of it's theme? Leave the link or title of your first poem to complete this challenge.

MORE POETRY CHALLENGES

25. Write five sentences about your favorite color. Use this as a prompt to write a color poem.

26. Some people wrongly say that all poetry boil down to either love poems or nature poems, let's prove them wrong. Think of a topic that has nothing to with love or nature that you could write a poem about.

27. Sometimes the people closest to us can serve as a great poetic muse! Think of someone you're close to and something poetic about them.

28. Name three rules that you think have to apply to all poems. Got your list? Now imagine writing a poem breaking all three of those rules. Use this during NaPo to get out of your comfort zone.

29. What are three words that describe you, two adjectives that describe where you're from, and your favorite verb. Now put all of that into google images and the first image that comes up you can try using for inspiration! Good luck!

30. Ask someone else for a poetry challenge - a friend, neighbor, mom, dad, cat, internet, your YWS wall, whatever - and write the challenge down so you can use it during NaPo!
  








If a story is in you, it has to come out.
— William Faulkner