11/19/20

2020 Writing Exercise Series #321: Title Mania Plus 50

   


The Notebooking Daily 2020 Writing Series is here! These are daily writing exercises for both prose writers and poets to keep your creative mind stretched and ready to go—fresh for your other writing endeavors. The writing prompts take the impetus—that initial crystal of creation—out of your hands (for the most part) and changes your writing creation into creative problem solving. Instead of being preoccupied with the question "What do I write" you are instead pondering "How do I make this work?" And in the process you are producing new writing.

These exercises are not meant to be a standard writing session. They are meant to be productive and to keep your brain thinking about using language to solve simple or complex problems. The worst thing you can do is sit there inactive. It's like taking a 5 minute breather in the middle of a spin class—the point is to push, to produce something, however imperfect. If you don't overthink them, you will be able to complete all of the exercises in under 30 minutes.

#321
Title Mania Plus 50

For today's writing exercise you will write a piece of poetry or prose which uses one of the following as its title. Before you write, first read the poem from which the titles are selected. For a bonus challenge use the additional exercise of five random constraints.

Today's titles come from the amazing poem "Poor Pigeon, Poor Dove" by K.A. Nielsen recently published at The Collidescope. Go read it first!


Titles:
  1. Down Our Beers
  2. Moral, or—Trying
  3. Where Feathers are Missing
  4. Help Me Kill Something
  5. With No Knife
  6. Happy Dumb Bright

Bonus Exercise: Three Things
(Your piece must also include the following three 'things')
  1. A Baseball Stadium
  2. A Glacier
  3. Lime Jell-O
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If you'd like some background music to write to, try this "Road to the Dream" lofi mix by our buddy Dreamy.