On Prologues

Here’s a great blog post about prologues in novels. It provides an interesting and balanced view.

When I was a kid I skipped prologues. I wanted to get to the story. (I still do.) All readers are different, though. Some people love them.

Where to Begin? When, Where and How to Write a Prologue.

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Day Seven, NaPoWriMo: Write a Sevenling

By Nakahara Nantenbo (Andon, No. 85, p. 59) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Today’s poem on Robert Brewer’s blog is a sevenling, and it’s a lot of fun. Click on the link to read the rules. My attempt is below.

2013 April PAD Challenge: Day 7 | Write a Poem a Day Until May | WritersDigest.com.

Zen

 

one wide brush

one block of ink

one roll of rice paper

 

one minute

one emptiness

one stoke

 

mastery

WD Poetic Form Challenge: Write a Rondel

Hurry, tommorow is the last day to submit your Rondel to Robert Brewer’s Poetic Asides blog.

Read what others have submitted, then post your own. It’s engrossing.

WD Poetic Form Challenge: Rondel | Poems | Poetry | WritersDigest.com.

Here’s mine:

The snow drifts down
like feather lace,
a wild goose case
confounds the town

draping a gown
of ivory grace,
a wild goose case,
the snow drifts down.

Between verb and noun,
between form and space,
between plot and place–
love and renown–
the snow drifts down.
Linda J. Armstrong, 1/9/13 All rights reserved.

2012 November PAD Chapbook Challenge: Day 18 | Glosa Poem | Poetic Form | WritersDigest.com

Today’s prompt is from Carol Stephen. It is a form called the Glosa.

Visit the site to read the complicated directions and to see some of the amazing responses.

2012 November PAD Chapbook Challenge: Day 18 | Glosa Poem | Poetic Form | WritersDigest.com.

Here’s my attempt:

 

so much depends

upon

a red wheel

barrow

(William Carlos Williams)

 

snow clouds drift

over

our valley

after

stair-step summer

ends

bitter winter

comes

weather bends

so much depends

 

on fickle

sun

swinging south

along

with bird flights

begun

weeks ago,

wedging

over lakes spun

upon

 

with visual

echoes

of industry

withdrawn,

a dormancy

deal

of last flash

gold

to mold-meal

a red wheel

 

turning through

eons

in coursing blood

and genes

in water and

marrow

cycles shifting in

farmer’s

slicing harrow;

barrow

 

so much depends

upon

a red wheel

barrow

From Out of the Past: An Easy Form

This morning I was reviewing my current writing assignment.

I had decided to provide examples of many poetic short forms for teachers to use in lessons, even though this will not be not the focus of the publisher’s product.

I wrote the following poem following a word substitution format.

Thinking about the little verse during my revision process, I decided it was too abstract for fifth and sixth graders and replaced it, but it seemed a shame not to share it with someone, so here it is:

Languages: flowing rivers between thoughts

Rivers between flowing thoughts: Languages

Flowing thoughts between languages; rivers

Between languages, thoughts; rivers flowing

Thoughts—rivers; languages flowing between

If you want to write one of your own, use find and replace in Word. Noodle with the results until you get something that pleases you.