written and posted by members of Lancashire Dead Good Poets' Society

Monday 21 November 2011

TV Guide.


Evening all,

I have no real excuse for not posting this writing task earlier, I just forgot about my early start. Sorry about that.

Anyway, this week's theme is Writing Exercises which I think could actually work in favour of my timing after all. I wrote this task for the Hodgsonberry festival event three of us attended at a local high school way back in July. I have actually aimed it to be a start point for some year 8s but I'm sure you can get along without my assistance and write something on your own, after all, there is nothing on TV tonight...

FINDING INSPIRATION: A WRITING WORKSHOP

When looking for something to inspire, it is easy to get lost in your own head, especially with a blank page in front of you. You are not stuck for ideas, you just think you are. Your body and mind have experienced thousands of different words and senses today and you have only just thought about it. With this in mind, before you start writing remember that 5 minutes of jotting is almost always more fruitful than an hour of thinking.

Today, we are looking at Objects. Objects can be great for inspiring you. They have been made, been lived with, been used and, somewhere along the line, probably seen or done something pretty wicked. Remember, there is a story behind everything.

Pick up the object. Turn it over. Ask yourself everything you can think of about it. Here are just a few to get you started

· What is it?

· Who does it belong to?

· Have you seen it before?

· What colour is it?

· Is it smooth?

· Does it smell?

· Does it say anything (i.e. is it religious, does it represent anything else)?

· Where did you pick it up?

· What has it seen?

· What does it do?

· Why does it interest you?

Think about all of these questions. Have a look at the POEMS idea below. Do you have enough ideas to piece together a picture now? Find a PERSPECTIVE you would like to write from and you are just about ready to dazzle with poetry.

P is for People: Who are the characters in the poem?

O is for Objects: What do they symbolise? Find 3 interesting things to say.

E is for Emotion: Is the mood sad, happy, reflective, angry...?

M is for Message: Is there something you’re trying to say?

S is for Setting: Where is the poem set? Why here? What does this add?


Note: Nobody writes amazing poetry on a first draft. Never be afraid to cross out and re-write a line. You will know when a line fits, trust your instincts!

Thanks for reading guys, S.

4 comments:

Ashley Lister said...

I will genuinely steal this one. Wish I could have been in that class.

Ash

Lindsay said...

Damn this blog and it's formatting problems, copy and pasting stuff shouldn't throw up these issues in this day and age it really shouldn't. Thanks for the exercises I find them really useful to get started and come up with some ideas. :)

Damp incendiary device said...

Great workshop idea Shaun. We need a class to experiment with!

Anonymous said...

Ash, if it had copied over properly, that all fits on a nice side of A4- and you're welcome to use it. Hodgson should have a copy knocking about somewhere too :)
Vicky, we still haven't heard back from the teacher. Given up hope a little really (maybe too busy to chase).
Lindsay, I think you might have heard the poem I wrote from this myself: Pocketwatch. Anyway, have a go- it at least gives you an excuse to hold on to the old tat you collect over the years... "inspiration dear, I couldn't throw that"
S