Allyson Whipple

Category: Prompts

  • Weekly Writing Prompt: Misbehaving

    Create a piece about breaking rules. Which rules were broken, and why? What was the outcome? Did your character/speaker (or you) get away with it, or get caught? Was there punishment involved? Guilt? What was the fallout, both short-term and long-term?

  • Weekly Writing Prompt: The Nagging Villanelle

    Think of a phrase you hate to hear. Maybe it’s something your parents said over and over to you about doing your homework or cleaning your room or not going out dressed a certain way. Maybe it’s something a spouse or significant other says (or used to say). Maybe it’s something your toddler is constantly repeating and you just don’t know why.

    Make this phrase one of the refrains of a villanelle. (It can be either the first or the second.) Try to find some catharsis from this poem. Or maybe you can shed some humor on the situation. Either way, enjoy!

    For more information about writing a villanelle, check out the description from the Academy of American Poets.

  • Weekly Writing Prompt: Alive!

    Image credit: Allie Brosch, Hyperbole and a Half
    Image credit: Allie Brosch, Hyperbole and a Half

    On this date five years ago, I was riding my Linhai scooter down a major Austin street, and was hit head-on by someone making an illegal left turn. I had a major concussion, needed stitches in my lip, and had to have my front two teeth replaced. Had I not been wearing a helmet, I would be dead. I always commemorate March 15th as a turning point in my life, and take this day to be grateful that I am still here writing poetry. 

    Today, write about a near-death experience. Even if you haven’t had one, make one up. Stretch the truth, warp the details. Maybe a paper cut developed gangrene. The subject doesn’t have to be you, either. It could be a loved one or a fictional character.

    After you write your experience, go further, writing about the sense of gratitude that you or your character has. Even if you’ve had to struggle since then, what are you happy about? What insight has this experience yielded for you or your subject.

    Bonus challenge: write this as a Petrarchan sonnet, with the octave being the near-death experience and the sestet the place where you cultivate gratitude.

    (PS – There’s one day left to register for Poetry March Madness! In celebration of being alive, anyone who signs up today will get in for 50% off. It’s just $10 if you register today!)

  • Weekly Writing Prompt: Visual Round

    2014-12-12 11.16.24

    I took a photo of this at the Hope Outdoor Garden in Austin, Texas, December 2014.

  • Weekly Writing Prompt: Have Some Lines

    I have a file on my computer where I put lines I loved from poems that otherwise didn’t work and got discarded. I like to peruse this list of lines sometimes, to see if they generate fresh ideas. This week, I thought I’d take a stanza from a poem I got rid of, and offer it up to you. Steal it, modify it, do whatever you want. It’s yours!

    I’m not sure if there are
    really this many stars out
    here, or if it’s just
    the double vision from the beer.

  • Weekly Writing Prompt: Love Letter

    Write a love letter to someone unappreciated, disliked, or even hated: your dentist, the bill collector, the teacher who failed you in high school, the person at the office who stole your lunch.

  • Weekly Writing Prompt: Black Sheep

    When we think of the family members who taught us the most, wise grandparents or a loving mom and dad comes to mind. But we can also learn important lessons from those who were different. Most families have some sort of black sheep. Think about the person in your family who didn’t quite fit in with the rest of your clan. What did you learn from them? What could they teach you that everyone else couldn’t?

  • Weekly Writing Prompt: Sleep On It

    Right before bed, jot down an aspect of your story or a line of a poem you’ve been struggling with. Make this the very last thing you do before turning out the light. In the morning, look at what you’ve written down. Sit down with your writing and start working on this trouble spot. See what a good night’s sleep has helped you work out. (This should be done as soon as possible after waking up. Set a reminder on your phone if you have to.)

  • Weekly Writing Prompt: Dream Journal

    Start keeping a dream journal.

    I recommend keeping your dream journal in the bathroom, in easy reaching distance of the toilet. A dream journal is too easy to ignore by the side of your bed. If you wake up groggy, you will stumble out of bed and ignore it. If you keep it in the bathroom near the toilet, you will have roused yourself enough to be capable of jotting down a dream. And you will be in a convenient sitting position. (I am not joking. This really works.)

    If you’re wondering why this week’s prompt is to keep a dream journal rather than a specific prompt for a poem/story, just wait. Keeping a regular dream journal can lead to a wealth of wonderful new material, delivered straight from your subconscious.

  • Weekly Writing Prompt: Forgetfulness

    Write a piece focused on forgetfulness. Perhaps write a list poem consisting of the things you forgot last week/month/year. Or writer a story or nonfiction piece focused on a certain instance of forgetfulness.