9/9/19

Fall Writing Exercise Series #9: Title Mania Plus with Torpedoes 02


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.
#9
Title Mania Plus with Torpedoes 02

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. Christmas on Fire
  2. A Seemingly Endless Line of Irritated Customers
  3. Clapping Off-Beat
  4. Newport Beach, 1983 
  5. A Vacant Lot

Bonus Exercise: 5 Random Constraints
  1. Your last sentence must include an em dash (alt-0151).
  2. You must include at least five words which begin with the letter combination "Wr".
  3. You must ask and answer at least two questions.
  4. You must include at least ten words that rhyme with "Heat" (I recommend before starting your piece making a list of 20ish you might use and keeping it handy when composing).
  5. You must describe the flavor of something salty.


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If you'd like some background music to write to, try the Tom Petty album "Dam the Torpedoes".