Young Writers Society

Please subscribe to this thread for all NaPo updates including updates about Workshops, Poetry Jams, and other YWS events. This thread will also get inspirational posts from some NaPo volunteers throughout the month.

Discussion here can be about anything National Poetry Month related!

Hey everyone,

I wanted to break the ice and get some discussion rolling. One of the things we'll be doing in this thread is posting things that can help you get prompts or inspiration for when you're stuck, so I thought I'd share something that I do to get poems going.

Whenever I'm hitting a brick wall with poetry, I pick a topic that gets me really angry, and then I pick a structure. A lot of structures are pretty easy to work with poetry, so it doesn't hinder me as a writer when I pick one of them. For example, an Acrostic poem is something that is pretty open and easy to manipulate.

Acrostic poems are poems that spell things with the first letter of every word. This is a really popular style to use for introducing people to poetry and usually the first one you would try would be your name, or username in this case.

Another easy poem structure type is a Cinquain, which is strict with what types of words you have to use, but gives you the freedom to make a "bad" poem without feeling like you're failing because they're all following the same pattern. Usually they actually turn out pretty neat too. The Cinquain structure is

Line 1: Noun - 2 Syllables
Line 2: Description of Noun - 4 Syllables
Line 3: Action - 6 Syllables
Line 4: Feeling or Effect - 8 Syllables
Line 5: Synonym of the initial noun - 2 Syllables

This is a little bit harder since you're limited in syllables [although you can just say "words" rather than "syllables" if syllables are a mystery to you] and you are limited to the types of words you have to use, but they can be a lot of fun when you're really annoyed or angry about the subject you focus on with your first noun.

So, if you're stuck on what to write for these first few weeks, try a structured poem! You can find all the different structures through some of the resources we've collected. Poetry Prompts Central

I hope that everyone's writing is going well so far! Aley's ideas about tapping into a specific idea or emotion are I think really good for when you get stuck. A prompt I used yesterday for a poem was to flip to a random page of a book and then write down the first 10 words you see. Depending on what book you're reading this is a really good way to branch out into some weird word choice!

Good luck this week everyone in your writing everyone! I believe in you!

Inspirational Prompt: Age Ain't Nothing But A Number...Or Is It?

"When you're fifteen and somebody tells you they love you, you're gonna believe them..." So goes the chorus of "Fifteen" by Taylor Swift. According to the song, fifteen is all about self-discovery and heartbreak. I know I thought I was a lot smarter at 15 then I actually was, haha. Whether or not you're a fan of Taylor Swift, you can't deny that looking back on how you felt or what was going on at a certain age can be a great inspiration for a poem.

On the other end of the "age-inspired music" spectrum, we have "When I'm 64" by the Beatles, a speculative tune about what the speaker's relationship with their beloved will be like when they're older. "Will you still need me, will you still feed me, when I'm sixty-four?" Fun side fact: I read an interview Paul McCartney did the year he turned 64 and he talked about how that seemed super old and that they didn't really think they'd be doing the rock and roll thing after 30. Anyway, the point is that you can also be inspired by the future side of the age spectrum. What do you expect your life to be like at 47, for example? Bet you've never thought about that age .

Tags Are Here

Hello everyone!

There are now tags available for your NaPo threads!

If you want comments, or you don't want comments, you can now tag your thread to tell us!

To put a tag on your thread edit the first post, and you'll see a new box at the top with a drop down menu. Select either "Comments Welcome" or "No Comments" and then hit submit!

This will help us with some of our events like the Garden Club to ensure that if you do not want comments on your poetry, you won't get it.

If you have any other tags you would like to see, speak up! I'd love to hear them. You can respond directly in this thread.

Hey guys!

I'm going to be throwing a Jam to catch people up to NaPo in about an hour! Come check back for the link. I'll make another post. We'll be talking about motivation and where to find it before we get started with the writing so if you're a little late, no biggie!

The Jam will start in about half an hour! Here's the link https://aley.writerfeedpad.com/81

We will be doing some early-bird chit chat until the half hour is up.

Poetry Jam with @Nikayla and @Lumi!

Jam and Butter

Cranberry Jam (another Poetry Jam y'all)

What? There are only 10 days of NaPo left?!

Well we're nearing the home-stretch for NaPo and whether you're going at your own pace, right at 20, or way ahead of everyone else I wish you the best of luck in the last 3rd of your NaPo writing!

There is one more full day of NaPo left!

Today is the day to catch up if you've fallen behind your daily goals for poems, and one of the last days to scramble for badges. If you want to get a badge for NaPo, you have to post your accomplishments in the Contests Thread so we can all see your amazing results!

For me, this is the hardest time of NaPo because I always feel like I'm not far enough along with just a little over 24 hours left to go. With Review Day scrambling to claim my attention, and the end of the month stuff collecting, it's difficult to find time.

My best recommendation if you have poems to write is to take an idea you love, and write all of your poems about that one thing. If you have to do prompts for the prompt badge, somehow work your theme into the poem. If you write a line you absolutely love, write it in a second version of the poem as you try to develop your language with re-writing rather than editing.

Not only do you get more poems, but you get more practice starting off poems and you can create a series of poems about one topic which people appreciate.

So, with one day to go, let's talk. How has your NaPo experience been?

Can't believe I'm almost done with my first NaPo! The first few days were pretty slick (I even had multiple poems a few days) but the last week left me running out of ideas and time! I've really enjoyed reading what everyone else has been posting - so much good stuff in just one month!!

@Aley a question about the contests.... the directions I believe say that some days for the "Poem a Day" can be off as long as the majority are posted on the day they're supposed to. If say I missed April 25th but got everything else would I still be eligible for the "Poem a Day" contest? If not that's cool, just wanted to double check!

Congratulations to everyone who posted poetry in April and good luck in the final days!

Yes, as long as the majority are done 12 hrs apart then you can use them

Thank you everyone who participated this year in NaPo!

We are still eager to hear from you about your thoughts on how NaPo ran, how you did in NaPo and any ideas you have for next year, so let's talk.

- What did you think about NaPo?
- What ideas do you have for next year's NaPo?
- Did you get 30 poems in April?