9/23/19

Fall Writing Exercise Series #23: Title Mania Plus with a Accordions 04


The Notebooking Daily Fall Writing Series is a 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.
#23
Title Mania Plus with Accordions 04

For today's writing exercise you will write a piece of poetry or prose which uses one of the following as its title. For a bonus challenge use the additional exercise of five random constraints.


Titles:
  1. En Route
  2. Cobwebs, Dust, Broken Windows and Other Signs
  3. Recklessness
  4. Floating on the Lake, 4 a.m.
  5. A Christmas Present Shaped Like a Baseball Bat

Bonus Exercise: 5 Random Constraints
  1. Your piece must include at least one paragraph or stanza that is four words or fewer.
  2. You must include at least five words which begin with the letter combination "Fl".
  3. You must include one section of at least four consecutive words (from / to /) from the poem "Hotel Monterey" by Yongyu Chen with its great enjambment from the newest issue of Diode Poetry Journal.
  4. You must include a homophone that has at least three different meanings, and it must be used at least three different ways.
  5. You must describe something being planted (literally or metaphorically).


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If you'd like some background music to write to, try this mix of Norwegian folk music (accordion trigger warning).