Writing Exercise : Blackout Poetry

I play this whenever my husband buys a newspaper (which is rare, so it's extra fun!)

You select a short article in the paper and try to use the words to form a haiku, funny sentence, or poem, then you blackout the rest of the paragraph, leaving just your poem - plus it looks very arty-farty this way.
Alternatively, you can also circle or highlight the words - this is useful if you've chosen a long article.
It's a great way to write without writing, use your creativity, and in my case kill time at the hospital!

I have seen a few posts about people using this exercise, and I think it's absolutely fantastic! The article you've chosen may include some words or themes that you'd never write yourself, but the result is your handy work. It's borderline effortless - but you are putting your creative writing to good use!
I don't recommend using books because you shouldn't deface an author's hard work in order to complete a writing exercise; newspapers and magazines have enough wacky articles with interesting themes, and you can do whatever you like with them!

I'll be uploading some of the blackout poetry I've created to Instagram in the near future, just for fun. So keep a look out!