Poetry : Buoy, I'm Glad I'm Not The Sea

Poetry : Don't Mind Your Beeswax

Writing Poetry For Children

I'm going to attempt writing a poetry book for children!
The books I have out for children rhyme, so I'm hoping to apply this to a book full of nonsense!

I once made a plan to create a book called 'Nursery NERRORtives' - which was a mashup of well known nursery rhymes, that weren't typically how they ended. In all honesty, they were utter nonsense, but they worked. Children learn nursery rhymes, and can join in - but the idea was that it was unexpected - which was apparently hilarious.. I am hoping to go through the rhymes again and see if they could be improved, ie. changing them into something silly.

I was inspired by Michael Rosen, I follow him on Twitter, and he is so passionate about exposing children to poetry and rhymes. I already write rhyming stories for my children's books, so this new project will be interesting. I'm not slapping a deadline on this, as I already have loads written, it just needs perfecting. I am excited to go through these notes again, hopefully creating more twist endings.

I will be needing littlies to be my beta readers, so when I've made some progress, I'll be needing little readers to give me some feedback. If you're interested, when I put the call out, please contact me on the form below.

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!

Unplanned Poetry

Yesterday, I wrote a poem without feeling motivated or prepared - but I was inspired.
I became infuriated when reading multiple posts online with the same , and apparently I respond by making poetry.
Who knew?
You can create incredible things from frustration, anger, sadness, jealousy, etc. You don't have to feel happy and positive for inspiration to come along and help you create. Emotions are important when creating, as there's a drive of passion behind a project.
So, yesterday I was beyond angry, and the more I read, it riled me up more - but because I can't actively do anything about the issue that sparked my frustration, I sat and wrote this poem.

I've said it before, and I will say it again, writing poetry can help your mental wellbeing. I got all of my negative emotions out, and it resulted in something I'm quite proud of. The poem did have a title, but it was a little on the nose - so for now it's untitled.
Hope you enjoy it!