Every Wednesday our creative writing prompt challenges you to pick up your pen and indulge your author self! Take a look at the image below and write a story about what comes next...
This session’s curriculum has been Poetry Palooza! Students have thrown themselves headlong into odes, alliterative poems, free-form poems, riddle poems, nature poems and more. Students have sharpened their metaphors, honed their personifications and written through all five senses. The results speak for themselves. From: Odes inspired by Pablo Neruda
Ode to the Pool
cool mysterious you cool me down on hot days but you splash too much even when I do not want you to often I am scared of the secrets you hold in the depths of your figure but I cannot stay mad forever.
-Ciel
From: What frightens us. Poems inspired by “Life Doesn’t Frighten Me At All” by Maya Angelou.
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No, no, no. I’m not afraid of heights. Bats or rats climbing up the wall. I am brave. I do not fear I shall drown. Spiders creeping up my back, bears getting ready to attack. No, I am brave. The dark, a fire being lit, snakes all around, are you afraid? I’m not. No, I’m brave. If I’m lost, no one around, I’m not afraid. The deep dark water under a beach, the dragon chasing me. I’m not afraid. I’m brave, brave, brave.
-Leila
From: Nature poems inspired by Mary Oliver
Things in Nature
The wind blows, I turn, behind a tree a golden dust is blown from its birthplace a plant, light green feathers bending down to help bugs go to higher ground. I walk one step – crunch the debris and undergrowth – stop as I go. Three more steps and I’m there. The tree is large, red, majestic. I float towards it, pulled against my will.
-Clara
From … : Nature poems inspired by Mary Oliver
Mist
Hiding the lock from the key, it is a mystery without an answer. The cool water spreads like a wave, hung, suspended, shrouding the reality from the familiar. Clouds are thoughts, full of desperation and hunger, layering the earth with beads of sweat as I shudder… the smell crisp and damp, beginnings and endings. The darkness behind you and the light ahead, a scale close to tipping. The world is mist, impermanent, ever shifting.
-Jo
From: Odes inspired by Pablo Neruda
Ode to Joshy
Scared hopeful lingering in the town as the Boy with the bread You sacrifice your skills and hope for falling help Desire flickering behind your crystal eyes Glory thoughts Calloused fingers Broken nails. You reach your head through the heat and your generosity is not forgiven and it never, ever will be.
-Mattie
From: Riddle poems
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You can walk down and around me. I bridge the gap between the view of a bird and the view of a snake. You can see me but I cannot see. On me your foot you place. At the end of me opposites lay the rich and the poor try to stay out of each other’s way. I am a gate and a barrier to two different worlds and from me you can see little boys and little girls.
-Ari
From: Alliteration poems
Purple
Perfectly perfect purple purpleness Pleasantly pleasant purple puffiness Purply pens purpleness perfection Purple paths perfectly pathy Penny Purple pummeled Pat Purple Purple Perfect Perfection Purpleness.
-Malayna
From: What frightens us. Poems inspired by “Life Doesn’t Frighten Me At All” by Maya Angelou.
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When the darkness closes in, When happiness seems to vanish, When the world seems to jolt and swing. When the shadows overwhelm you, When the shouts penetrate, When the voices scream and your ears bleed. When the sky seems so dark, When the stars seem impossibly far, When the candlelight in your eyes is blown out, You stumble for something to grab, the comfort of a friendly hand, Hope is that object, that hand, that comfort, that gets you through the day.
-Ruby
From: Riddle poem
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My mask reveals everything you see me in the dark but not in the light my tail is ringed with black wings. My environment is cities and forests I’m vicious with a square, rounded head your trash can is my bed.
-Cate
From … : What frightens us. Poems inspired by “Life Doesn’t Frighten Me At All” by Maya Angelou.
Life Doesn’t Frighten Me At All
Big red spiders being a rollercoaster rider life doesn’t frighten me at all. Flaming hot fire, I ain’t no liar, life doesn’t frighten me at all. Big waves may gobble me up, and all I say to strangers is ‘sup for life doesn’t frighten me at all. Sleek slithering snakes terrorists that aren’t fake for Pete’s sake, life doesn’t frighten me at all. When I have to say goodbye I don’t cry I just sigh life doesn’t frighten me at all.
-Jake
From: Odes inspired by Pablo Neruda
Ode to S’mores
Sticky creamy S’mores are made with Graham cracker, marshmallow, and chocolate and when they combine a tasty superpower. When you are hungry at a camp S’mores are just the thing the fun thing is that you have to melt it in the fire pit of doom then you bite into it it melts in your mouth and you feel relieved.
-Cayele
From: Odes inspired by Pablo Neruda
Ode to Clocks
You are very loud when I am trying to sleep. Without you I would be late for everything or never arrive.
-Paola
From: What frightens us. Poems inspired by “Life Doesn’t Frighten Me At All” by Maya Angelou.
Life Doesn’t Bother Me At All
Schoolgirls bragging little siblings nagging life doesn’t bother me at all. Itchy, itchy toes get sprayed with the hose life doesn’t bother me at all. Loud gum smacking sarcasm lacking life doesn’t bother me at all. Broken pencils uneven stencils life doesn’t bother me at all. Fluttering bugs too-tight hugs old men singing high-pitched ringing life doesn’t bother me at all. Balloons loud popping budget-free shopping life doesn’t bother me at all.
-Olivia
From … : Repeating lines and the personification of abstractions
When Joy Goes Home
When joy goes home Dad starts to scream Trees start to fall My life gets worse and worse. When joy goes home Mom starts to cry Buildings start to crumble My life gets worse and worse. When joy goes home Sister pounds the ground Everything is breaking up My life gets worse and worse. When joy goes home Brother kicks the furniture Everyone is dying My life gets worse and worse. Then joy returns Trees grow back Buildings stop crumbling Dad stops screaming Mom stops crying Sister stops pounding Brother stops kicking Everything comes back together Everyone lives My life gets better and better.
-Sonia
How do we, as parents, create an environment at home that will encourage our kids to write? Not just the kind of writing they are assigned as homework, but creative writing for fun, discovery and self-expression.
Robert Frost once said that he lived life twice: once when he experienced it and a second time when he wrote about it. By writing down our experiences, we are not only finding out more about ourselves, we are making our mark (literally and figuratively.) When kids see their words on the page, a switch gets turned on and they light up – they have taken an idea and made it come to life.
I read somewhere that the urge to write is innate – it’s what drove our ancient ancestors to write on cave walls and tablets and it’s what drives our children to scribble on paper before they can talk. So creating a home environment that supports this natural inclination can be as simple as having lots of paper and pencils around, and creating a physical space where writing can happen.
Pam Allyn, the founder of literacy organizations LitWorld and LitLife, has taught children around the world. From her experience she recently wrote a book about the writing life of children called, “Your Child's Writing Life: How to Inspire Confidence, Creativity, and Skill at Every Age.” She’s devised an easy to remember acronym to guide parents in supporting the writer inside their children:
WRITE - Word power, Reading life, Identity (or voice), Time, and Environment.
According to Allyn these five elements go a long way to giving kids the confidence to put pencil to paper.
In our “Take My Word For It!” classes we witness kids’ natural inquisitiveness, and potent imaginations – we put a pencil in their hand and stand back! They already have their ears and eyes open to the world and are soaking in so much -the page is the perfect container for their musings, emotions and flights of fancy.
In addition to plentiful pencils and paper and a writing spot, talk with your kids about what they write, share it with family members, post their pieces on the refrigerator. Point out things you noticed such as a descriptive phrase, an intriguing setting or some interesting dialogue.
Our philosophy is to create opportunities for kids to recognize the power of their imaginations, to learn how to harness their ideas and then to shape them into poetry and stories. We want them to know we are a witness to their writing life, and that what they have to say matters. Whether or not your child aspires to be an author, creating an environment at home that fosters writing has benefits that will last him a lifetime.
- By Sondra Hall Founder and Director, "Take My Word For It!"
Every Wednesday our creative writing prompt challenges you to pick up your pen and indulge your author self! In a series of photographs, refugees were asked to pose with their one most important thing. Below, a woman poses with her taupe (or shawl), which she used to carry her baby granddaughter. Write about your one most important thing and why it is so important to you...
Our curriculum this session at Joaquin Miller was "It’s a Mystery!", and we worked on character development, crafting setting, creating tension, and using concrete details. See some of our favorite excerpts below!
From: The most valuable _______ in the world was stolen!
The Chip
It all started on a very hot, humid day: April 24th at 5am. Joe felt a sharp, heated pain n his face, and suddenly he was engulfed in total darkness. A silent scream emerged from the brown burlap sack. "Be quiet in there," said a gruff and hostile voice. Joe didn't want to get hurt, he kept his words to himself.
Joe woke up in a rusty, dirty building. With his head throbbing in pain, he let out a small groan. It was accompanied by a sharp pain in his chest. "Where am I?" he groaned. "That doesn't matter. What matters is that you give me the potato chip," said the hostile voice. "What chip?" said Joe. "Har har," said the voice, "Give me the potato chip!" "Okay," said Joe, and he pulled out a small, crisp, yellow chip that smelled great. "On one condition," Joe said. "Oh," said the voice, "What is that?" Joe smiled and said, "That you give me a cookie." To be continued...
-Hunter
From: Mystery Prompts: This is the story I’ve never told
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This is the story I've never told. I am dead, or at least I was dead, and the only people who know this story are my parents. If it hadn't been for my best friend Juliet, I wouldn't be here today. It all started when I was five. I had a disease that made me not able to run. I kept it a secret, knowing that people would make fun of me. I had tests done plenty of times, but nothing like this: I was at school when I felt someone pushing my back, but it wasn't someone -- it was something, my bones to be exact. I decided to ignore it and keep playing, but it got worse. It started to feel like someone was kicking me in the back. I decided to tell a teacher, and that was when I started to scream I was in so much pain. The next thing I knew I was lying on a hospital bed, drinking cool sips of water and trying to sit up but it hurt too much. I would later learn that my muscle had turned halfway in the middle of my back. My dad told me that I might die. Later, Juliet came and held my hand, and somehow I stayed alive. Just like magic, though if you want to the doctor's version I made an incredible breakthrough.
-Julia
From: It Was Missing! writing prompt
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It was missing... Where is it? Where could it be? Help! Where am I? It is so dark and creepy. Oh... I'm in my room with the lights off doing a puzzle. But it's missing, I have to find it. I've looked everywhere. I turn on a light. The scene is going black and white. A few hours later I see something and pick it up with my very strong fingers. Just as I thought, it's a pig hair. Wait, do pigs even have hair? It's Dr. Dumpling, the stuffed pig. But suddenly, there is a THUD! I look outside and see a big ball of homework, my worst nightmare, coming towards me. To be continued...
-Marco
From: Creating an unexpected setting (a haunted house that’s safe and fun, a park that’s spooky and scary, etc)
An Unexpected Farm
When Little Jimmy was going to his cabin in Tahoe, he passed a farm that had a blue barn and smelled like rotten hay. Suddenly, as if by coincidence, the car stopped.
"Oh god," Papa Joe said, "The engine blew! Well, I guess I've to fix it. Go play with the chickens, Jimmy."
"Okay," said Jimmy.
Jimmy walked toward the barn. The air tasted wet from mildew. He went inside and heard the sound of horses, sheep, and all the things that were supposed to be on a farm. But when he went further in to investigate, the barn was empty. There was nothing.
"What?" Jimmy asked himself.
To be continued...
-Jordan
From … : Creating an unexpected setting (a haunted house that’s safe and fun, a park that’s spooky and scary, etc)
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There was a creepy old medieval castle covered in spider webs with eyeballs dangling in them, and spikes and dark horses inside. I was afraid to go inside, but then in front of my face I beheld the most amazing things: a pink unicorn, round bunnies, fluffy pandas, and a large golden dumpling.
-Gavin
From: Creating an unexpected setting (a haunted house that’s safe and fun, a park that’s spooky and scary, etc)
The Circus
When you think of a circus, you think of clowns, tents, shows, and elephants. But not this circus. This circus is different. The clowns wore only black costumes. You can smell heavy smoke, and the tents are full of dirt and bugs. The only food is vegetables, and that tastes like mud. There are no clean bathrooms, only port-a-potties that look like little abandoned jails. The sky is a dark shade of gray. This circus has the best, happiest name in the world, so a lot of people want to visit it. But right as they come in the gate, they leave. The children think it might be a joke, but the parents all say "Get out of there! It's dangerous!" The word spreads, and the circus tries to advertise all of the good things about it. But the advertising backfires. People complain and complain. Eventually it should shut down, but the circus has a secret that no one knows...
-Morgan
From: Mystery Prompts: Deep in the woods
A Wild Question
Deep in the woods of all woods there lived a mouse. Just an ordinary mouse. She was finishing middle school when she discovered that she was incredibly strong. Over the summer she practiced throwing twigs and could even set her own records. The first record she ever made wasn't very strong, it was four inches. She did six inches the next day. In the morning, she got up at 7am and jumped into a stream to rinse off. She dries off while eating breakfast, usually two blackberries and a pine nut, then she runs to the pond and back. Then she throws a mound of pebbles, until there is only dirt where the pebbles were. To be continued...
-Marley
From: Broken Fairytales (retelling fairytales to create tension)
Cinderella: A Broken Tale
In a closeby land lived a hideous guy... or was it a girl? Anyway, there was an upcoming hideous pageant and the winner would earn a hideous prince or princess. But the competition was big. Cinderella's ugly, digusting, pimple-faced stepsisters were so hideous they had bought 50 rags with their prize money from last year's pageant. Cinderella wanted to make the worst impression, so she ran a mile in her filthy rags until they had yellow sweat rings. But it wasn't enough. She wondered if she could ever go to the pageant. Then, all of a sudden, her hideous fairy-dead-mother appeared to grant her three wishes with her magic. The first was to make her ugly. The second was to have the most hideous ride to pageant, and the third was to win it all. The fairy-dead-mother warned her to be back by 4pm. Off Cinderella went, but she forgot about the deadline to return. To be continued...
-Samantha
From: The most valuable _________ in the world was missing
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The most valuable person in the world was kidnapped. He was either stolen by Dr. DuckBunnie or the evil society called The Kids. The one thing we know is this: it happened at 5:30am in his underground mansion. But Mr. Pebble was on the case. Mr. Pebble was a fat man with a pudgy nose. He had no hair, and his arms and legs were too short for his body. But best of all, he had a power that made him turn into a pebble so he could dodge bullets and disguise himself. Mr. Pebble went to Dr. DuckBunnie's lair to investigate. It was an old shack covered in mildew. When he in, it transformed into an underground mansion. He checked all of the rooms, except one. When he went into the last one, there was a pressure plate, but fortunately he leapt out of the house just before it exploded. Next, Mr. Pebble went to The Kids' society in Austin, Texas. He walked in expecting nobody, but The Kids were waiting for him. They tied him up in a chair. The rope was old and super tight across his fat stomach. Mr. Pebble quickly turned into a small yellow pebble and hopped under the chair. Then he realized what had happened: Dr. Duckbunnie and The Kids had teamed up to kidnap the most valuable person in the world! To be continued...
-Luke
From: Broken Fairytales (retelling fairytales to create tension)
The Two Little Pigs... and the Sassy One
There were these three little pigs who needed houses. One pig said, "My house will be made of dirt." The other pig said, "Mine will be made out of rocks." The two pigs came across another house that was made of steel. They stared and stared at it, and they wanted to steal it. But they couldn't think of how, so they went home to watch the Cinderella Talk Show. In the meantime, Sally the Sassy Pig took over the steel house and placed a flag at the top. When the first two pigs returned, the wandered inside the house and saw Sally sitting on the couch. "Sally!" they cried, "This is our house!" But Sally ignored them.
In another part of town, Wolf was asking himself what he should steal that afternoon. He happened to go by the pig's house and saw the steel. A light bulb went off: "I can steal the steel!" Wolf thought to himself. To be continued...
-DJ
Every Wednesday our creative writing prompt challenges you to pick up your pen and indulge your author self! Write a story about meeting a civilized animal (really civilized!) How did you meet? What is his story? Are there others? Let your imagination run wild!