Task 31: Couplets

Write two lines of poetry that rhyme and make sense. For example:

December is a month of goodwill

But too much food and you'll be ill.

Suggested topics: False teeth, grasshoppers, rain, poetry, pimples, madness, swimming pools, rhubarb, toucans

Taken from: http://education.maritime.history.sa.gov.au/documents/PoetryWordgames.pdf

Task 30: I can't

For this exercise you are given a format to work to and must write restrictions and consequences within that format. The first line begins with `I can't'; the next line begins with "Cause'. The poem may or may not rhyme. For example:

I can't go out alone

'Cause the bogeyman is about.

I can't whinge and moan

'Cause I get into trouble.

I can't say, 'No way, Mum’,

'Cause Mum's the boss.

I can't cheek Dad

'Cause he gets very cross.

Taken from: http://education.maritime.history.sa.gov.au/documents/PoetryWordgames.pdf

Task 29: One-Rhyme

The aim of this game is to write the longest piece of verse using only a single rhyme. The first

line begins with the letter ‘A’ and each subsequent line must start with a consecutive letter of

the alphabet. For example:

A was an ape, a hairy thing

B was a ballerina who'd rather sing

C was a cord, a long thin string

D was a dog, mangy and barking

E was an eagle, a bird on the wing

F was food we were asked to bring, etc

Task 28- I’m sorry, but

 There's a wonderful poem by William Carlos Williams in which he apologizes for eating someone's plums. He ends the poem with “but they were so sweet”.  Write a tongue-in-cheek apology. They're sorry for something, but at the end there's always a reason why they enjoyed doing what they're expressing sorrow for. An example of this is 'I'm sorry I broke your window, but it's the first time I ever hit a home run.'

Task 27: Everything Including the Kitchen Sink

List all the details you can remember about a place that's very familiar to you. It might be the bedrooms, the closet, a classroom, or the kitchen sink. After you make the lists, work the details into poems.

Task 26: Random Nouns

Pick one of the sets of three random nouns and see if they can be woven into your piece of writing. You may write either a poem or a short story if you write a poem it should be 10 lines minimum if a short story it must be a page or longer and contain a beginning a middle and an end.

Set 1:

evil
fishing boat
spaghetti

Set 2:

evil
train
cockroach

Set 3

Club

Rose

Crow

Set 4:

Holiday

Spider

Earth

Set 5:

Failure

Dance

Lighthouse

Task 25: Animal Character

Pick one of the following animal characters to write about:

A proud caterpillar, who is always late.

A gentle cricket, who is the local police officer.

A young hedgehog, who cries a lot.

A naughty fly, who has a nosy little sister.

A giant dog, who loves skimming stones.

A wise fly, who often tells fibs.

A pink dog, who loves parachuting.

A nosy squirrel, who dances everywhere.

An educated squirrel, who is always singing.

Literary Theory: Post Colonial Theory

A video from before I started Graduate School Nostalgia.

Task 24: The First Line #2

You must write a story that has a beginning, middle and an end. The story should be a minimum of one page long and must begin with one of the following first line:

They still had a long way to go when it started snowing . . .

It is a truth universally acknowledged . . .

It was just for one night . . .

Task 23: What Happens on the Way? #1

One cold winter's day, a family goes on a journey by motorbike. They are going to look for treasure. For this story I want you to write a story about what happens to the family along the way. Your story should have characters and a cohesive plot. A minimum of one page. 

Task 22: A Character #2

The aim of this prompt is to start you off with a character outline and you invent a story with this character Pick one of the following:

Character 1#

This character is a man in his late twenties, who is very foolish. He comes from a comfortable background, lives in a mansion and tends to be a little gullible

Character 2#

This character is a woman in her early thirties, who can be quite considerate. She comes from a poor background, lives in a fisherman's cottage and tends to have difficulty saying No.

Character 3#

This character is a man in his late thirties, who can be quite rebellious. He comes from a comfortable background, lives in a converted barn and tends to be a hoarder.

Character 4#

This character is a woman in her late forties, who can be quite eccentric. She comes from a wealthy background, lives in a social housing scheme and tends to eat too much.

Character 5#

This character is a woman in her eighties, who is very eccentric. She comes from a wealthy background, lives in an architect-designed home and tends to be rather lazy.

Task 21: 300 words of dialogue

Write about 300 words of dialogue. Remember to give the dialogue a title. Show the difference between the two speakers only through the language they use (i.e don't use 'he said', 'she said', etc.)

If you need some inspiration you can begin by using some of the following lines:

"Somehow we need to persuade him to part with a million dollars."

"There's something I need to get off my chest."

"Spare some change, please?"

"Well? What happened? I want all the details!"

Poem #94 A Space to fly a kite

A space to fly a kite

Big at joy, between the boom

Between concrete walls

Crashing the neighbors windows

Into a streetcar

Play our open truth

Lives poignancy. 

Poem #93 Inequality is hardly noticeable in the state of nature

inequality is hardly noticeable in the state of nature

she looks conceited probably cause she’s taking a dump

she was wearing a hat and a camouflage shirt

Why does everyone got so much beef

Inequality is hardly noticeable in the state of

Because didn’t you know what she did last year

Missing out on all the educational opportunity

She did a lot of stuff I’m going to tell j separate

Inequality is hardly noticeable in the state

I never had to look for my id

That games going to be lit

Eventually I’m going to have to do that poster

Inequality is hardly noticeable in the

Shut up no one cares

I need a piece of tape

What for

Inequality is hardly noticeable in

My phone it cracked again

Just had to be in a video

Are you serious, what time is it any way?

Inequality is hardly noticeable

Do you have a charger

Na man who puts catchup on mac n’ cheese

Do you have shit with him

Inequality is hardly

She’s telling x that he’s but he’s my cussing

I heard their suppose to be a brawl before the game

20 bucks shits going down tonight

Inequality is

Don’t lie, I swear dog

Don’t sit at the top

Sit at the exit

Inequality

I run that

Shake his hands,

Gonna go to the game tonight

That’s what I go . . . Catch hands with everyone

Poor thing got rings

Bought at the dollar store

Decked him

Task 20: A Character

The aim of this Task is to start you off with a character outline and you invent a story with this character. Pick one of the two characters write a story that has a beginning a middle and an end is at least one page long make sure that your story is descriptive of this character and represents how he or she would behave in a given situation.

Character 1#

This character is a man in his late thirties, who can be quite foolish. He comes from a comfortable background, lives in a caravan and tends to always say the wrong thing.

Character 2#

This character is a woman in her late forties, who is very uninhibited. She comes from a comfortable background, lives in a penthouse apartment and tends to be a hoarder.

Poem #92 Friend

here he has had a good moment

To some mounted laughter

Raising the ordinary

I saw circles with Neighbor touch

Move my eyes up or down

Publishing kisses

Main stage productions

Poem #91 An army of niceties

Writing cards, showing at a pot luck

With overlay sweeten pastries

some bread, an army of niceties

taking down heads being abated by age

haven’t got anything better to do

than talk about everyone  with a verbal finger

cause I forgot to clean the glasses

and my words feature wrinkles

Poem #90 Consent written in a smaller font

Wedding favor taking down books,

Carrying flattery and heavy promises

Consent write in a smaller font

And I stop wearing my glasses

Lost them at the side of “how are you”

Poem #89 Effects of a Radical Cure

Swimming constipation a seasonal exercise

Effects of a radical cure

Choose your favor among rotten words

Hasty remarks, Made by accident

I once promised myself to be voices economist

Now sit down among others I cannot see

Cut faces smiles and eat at my own table

Poem #88 Thin voice of a lumpy wish

Learn me today. Different today than yesterday

A thought stuck into my mind little hollows

Tell me in the thin voice of a lumpy wish

Happy today between moments friend

Only to recall at the music in the windows

Loved by your thoughts

When you must’ve might’ve hadn’t

Everyday mold when adrenalin calls

Of a blow and a speed of some other need 

Poem #87 Touch a Ratified Recession

Touch a ratified recession

Shot round on every side

The advantage of common benefit

Sit near the fire of uncomfortable air

Being scorch before the cold catches

In the case of sickness:

Nursing rooms of warmed dangerous

Spread in temper yesterday’s stamp

Disease but this upward draught

In both the eyes less flame burnt

Poem #86 Working Part of the Time.

How did they get it?

From here to there?

Fertile air between breath,

Happy vivid verdant

He has it, up in the air

She said to go.. which way?

Path of my hands

Search trues rhapsody

Voice can grow glad,

Hold out needing

Did you see it? The two of us?

Quiet out in the open

Working part of the time

Task 19: Two Poems

Acrostic Poem

You can choose from the list of topics bellow a one word topic the letters of which should be written vertically down the left hand side of the page. You must write statements about the topic starting each line with the letters that spell out the topic. For example, for the topic

`Parents':

Parents are always

Active and caring,

Running after you

Every day of your life

Needing to take care of you

Tender when you're sick

Shouting when you're naughty.

Suggested topics: Families, sports, graffiti, bedtime, planets, Africa, chopsticks, telephones, carpets, winners, Easter

Adverb Poem

You must choose an adverb. The adverb must be used as the first word of each line of the rhyming poem. For example, for the word `quickly':

Quickly horses move around the track

Quickly planes fly to Rome and back

Quickly pigs gobble down their dinner

Quickly I declare, `I'm winner!'

Quickly lightning zips up the sky

Quickly birds in formation, fly,

Suggested adverbs: Lazily, sadly, bravely, merrily, optimistically, stupidly, crazily, sleepily,Slowly

Found on: http://education.maritime.history.sa.gov.au/documents/PoetryWordgames.pdf

Task 18: A Setting

The aim of this exercise is to help you describe a setting. The words describing the setting are not great literary prose (I'll leave that to you) but they give you an idea of what details to include. Your story must include a description of the setting and take place in one of the following setting:

Setting #1:

It's noon.
There's a blizzard forecast.
You're in a small town.
There's a lively feel to the place.

Setting #2:

It's the middle of the night.
There's a storm brewing.
You're on a desert island.
There's a hostile feel to the place.

Setting #3:

It's evening.
There's a band of heavy cloud.
You're in an airplane.
There's an electrifying feel to the place.

Task 17: A Line of Dialogue

You must write a story that has a beginning, middle, and end, is at least one page long and includes one of the following lines of dialogue anywhere in the story please highlight the line in your story:

"He was unconscious when I found him"

"Sorry, its just that I get very nervous when someone else is driving."

"You've only heard his point of view. You never asked mine."

"If you leave now, you lose everything."

"Thank you for agreeing to help. My son is in a difficult position."

"Could you be happy here with me?"

"You embarrassed me this evening."

"What have you done with my pills? I need them!"

"Have you read the newspaper stories about my wife?"

"I knew you wouldn't be able to see it through."

"I don't often get the chance to talk to someone like you."

"I'm sorry if it upsets you, but I'm going to marry her."

"He couldn't have died at a worse time."

"Just give me my cut of the money and I'll be out of here."

"You don't want to live in a society like this, yet you don't want to do anything about it!"

"But this is the only thing that's made the last three years bearable."

***(Bonus if you manage to include all of them in a cohesive story.)

Poem # 85 Picture our only work

Picture our only work,

Melt man, celebrate decay

Crap concert

Laugh home eternity

Picture our only work

As a hairy guy from hello

Smoke score

Like you well, Ask away

Picture our only work

feel fight light love

How true life like a kind look

Picture our only work

good god

Work which comb fashion

Fast n’ funny 

Task 16: The First Line

You must write a story that has a beginning, middle and an end. The story should be a minimum of one page long and must begin with one of the following first line:

1.  He sat absolutely still as the footsteps got louder

2.  He hadn't seen anything like it in twenty years of teaching

3.  There was a strange wailing sound coming from the next room

4.  He opened the door to find her standing there, crying.

5.  The footsteps were moving away

6.  The pen hadn't been worth stealing

7.  As she stopped to catch her breath, she looked back

8.  She was beginning to realize how far down in her memory she'd buried her teenage years

9.  She took a deep breath and said to her boss -

10.         He was stunned - the stranger in front of him looked exactly like the girl he'd been dreaming about 

11.         She was carried along by the crowd

12.          Please try to persuade him to come, for my sake

13.         She felt for the lock in the dark

14.         The text message simply said 'very clever'

15.          It would only be a fling - she wasn't about to break up the happy home

16.          They had to work together so they were going to have to learn to get along

17.          As he flicked through the letters, a small, handwritten envelope caught his attention and his heart began to thump

18.         He wanted her job and it would be easy enough to

19.         The two girls tried to open the rusty metal box.

20.         The pink glove lay on the ground, almost covered

Poem #84 Big boys better anyway

Sit sordid dream beneath

A bitter elaborate ache

Grown with TV,

Play stop.

Go friend

Above ugly trudge- fast boy

Pant storm wind feet’s language luscious

Let the sky pour rain

Hug home hero

Good gift faithful eyes

Alliances black blue

Trance a video word,

Competitors empire

Please me you,

Or a drunk diamond death

Eat chocolate meat, celebrate decay

Big boys better anyway.

Poem #83 Pension plan

choose another stay at leaf and verso

escape from himself, the accountant

at a impermanent apartment

in prose fiction printed before high school

fountaining a romance over any event

Salon to his romance a local dinner with

A Fairview of the waitress

Handmade cookies from the grocery 

Poem # 82 Shame Published Him the regular film of her fantasies

Maria,

In two letters from himself

Charm sounds in a fascinated little heart

Casting calls from a kind kisses

Shame published him,

The regular film of a her fantasies

famous enterprises, piracies

His biggest sham,

A schoolboy well-attended

with his rambles paper clipped his ears

direct the smaller shows

during his stay at Marias Theatrics. 

Task 15: Shopping List

Write a shopping list appropriate to a particular person. The list must be written in full rhyme. For example, a plumber's shopping list might read:

                   

A rubber plug

A metal lug

A very small spanner

A daily planner

A pair of pliers

A selection of wires

Suggested subjects: A teacher, a new mother, a gardener, a teenager, an artist, a footballer, a witch, a bride-to-be, a child starting school for the first time.

Found at: http://education.maritime.history.sa.gov.au/documents/PoetryWordgames.pdf

Task 14: Grave Poems

For this task I want you to write a suitable epitaph for three people.

For example:

Shirley Moore

Here lie the remains

Of Shirley Moore

No Shirl

No more.

Or:

Here lies the body of Jonathan Blake;

 Stepped on the gas instead of the brake.
~ Pennsylvania Tombstone

Or:

Here lies the body
Of Margaret Bent
She kicked up her heels
And away she went
~England Tombstone

Or:

To save your world you asked this man to die:
Would this man, could he see you now, ask why?
~Unknown Soldier

Or:

Here lays Butch.
We planted him raw.
He was quick on the trigger
But slow on the draw.
~Arizona Tombstone

Or:

Bill Blake

Was hanged by mistake.

~Colorado Tombstone

Or:

Here lies the body of our Anna
Done to death by a banana
It wasn't the fruit that laid her low
But the skin of the thing that made her go.
~Unknown Tombstone

Or:

Captain Thomas Coffin
Died 1842, age 50 years.
He's done a-catching cod
And gone to meet his God.
~A fisherman’s tombstone

Or:

Here lies Lester Moore; Four slugs from a .44; No Les No More.
~ Tombstone Arizona

Or:

Mary Weary, Housewife
Dere Friends I am going
Where washing ain't done
Or cooking or sewing:
Don't mourn for me now
Or weep for me never:
For I go to do nothing
Forever and ever!
~House wife tombstone

To inspire you to Write Three Epitaphs of your own here are some suggested subjects: Fred Pound; Kit, a cat; Moya Young; a house-painter; an optometrist; a zoo-keeper; a greengrocer, Les Best; a motorist; a big game hunter; Trent Trend, fashion designer; 

Taken from: http://education.maritime.history.sa.gov.au/documents/PoetryWordgames.pdf

Poem #81 Strong Eyebrow Game

Directed digressions

holds an audience

A recent youth

wilting flower in a sidewalk crack

No, parishioner

A peppered morality

Eating fatty fries by the freeway

Often credited with a smile 

Only signed his first name

paper horizon of the seven Sins

no  prudence

no  justice,

no temperance

no courage

but a pompadour hairstyle

makes Amateur street photography

on the toilet

With a Varsity jacket

and a strong eyebrow game 

Poem #80 the nicest thing someone ever said to me

each of the lines

I would always call you,

about God or the universe or

the horizon of the ocean with longer lines

and see what happens

fly around in words

on the radio to any channel

letter of the alphabet

your letters of the alphabet

the nicest thing someone ever said to me

get a life, F*** you.