Write Your Own Joy: 3 Poetry Prompts

Hey there fellow poets and writers. Are you ready to write some joy-filled poetry? Below are 3 prompts from my book Write Your Own Joy: 31 Poetry Prompts. Each prompt has “ways to play” suggestions below it – great for beginner poets looking for a little more structure or anyone wanting to try a different style or a new way into their poem. If you enjoy the prompts and want more, head over to Amazon for the ebook (read for free if you have KU) or paperback versions.

Sending you love and joy, Kim x

Prompt 1 (from Week 1, Day 2)

Write a poem about an item of clothing that feels special to you.

Ways to Play:

  • Think about the texture of the item: Is it hand-knit, chunky or fine, rough or supple? How can you describe that texture?
  • Where is the item from (store? hand-me-down? heirloom?) Is there anything special about how you came to have this item?
  • What feelings does this item evoke? Why is it special to you?

Prompt 2 (from Week 2, Day 11)

Write a poem containing these three words: beauty, towards, walk.

Ways to Play:

  • If you usually write free verse, try creating a simple rhyme scheme for yourself to follow today (for example: AA, BB, CC or ABA, CDC). Conversely, if you usually write in rhyme, try free verse or even a prose poem here.
  • Try creating a poem with three stanzas and use one of the words in each.
  • Or, use all the words in the first line of your poem.

Prompt 3 (from Week 4, Day 26)

Make an acrostic poem using the word POETRY as your base. An acrostic poem takes the base word and uses each letter as the first letter of each line.

For example:

Poems are fun
Or serious, or both
Each one a new moment
Transformed,
Retold, just for
You.

Ways to Play:

  • Make it a longer poem by either repeating the word POETRY three times or expanding the base word into a term: POETRY ROCKS; I LOVE POETRY; POETRY IS PERFECTION.
  • Instead of starting each line with the base word, end each line with the appropriate letter. (For example: the final word of the first line would end in a “p,” the final word of the second line would end in an “o,” and so on.)
  • Focus on one of the senses and explore its relationship to the word or idea of poetry. (For example: how does poetry sound? What does poetry look like on the page?)

Want more prompts? Get your copy of Write Your Own Joy: 31 Poetry Prompts on Amazon.

Read more about Write Your Own Joy here.

Find more free prompts on the For Writers & Poets section of my website.

Pen illustration: Farida Zaman

Write Your Own Joy: 31 Poetry Prompts is out now in ebook and paperback formats. Read for free on Kindle Unlimited! For beginner or more experienced poets.

Receive occasional news, poetry and writing prompts, as well as resources to use at home or in the classroom by signing up to my free newsletter.

#WriteWithJoy #PoetryPrompts #FindYourJoy #BeginnerPoets #CreativeWritingJourney #EverydayInspiration

Halloween writing prompts for children’s writers

Hey there fellow writers and poets!

Are you looking for some not-too-spooky prompts to spark ideas for new poems or stories? Read on for 3 Halloween inspired prompts, each with 3 “ways to play” ideas to get those creative pumpkin juices flowing.

Prompt 1

Write a poem or story from the point of view (POV) of a Jack O’Lantern outside your/a door on Halloween night.

Ways to Play:

  • For a poem, play with structure or form. Create a rhyme scheme for yourself or create a fast-paced list-style poem with everything the Jack O’Lantern sees.
  • For a story, brainstorm some different stakes and potential conflicts before drafting. What does Jack O’Lantern want? Need? What’s getting in the way? Why does it matter so much to them?
  • For either a poem or a story, play with the setting and mood. What’s special about this door? This Halloween night? What mood or feeling do you want to create and how can you evoke that through the setting?

Prompt 2

Write a poem or story titled “The Last Pumpkin.”

Ways to Play:

  • Brainstorm where the pumpkin is – a pumpkin patch? A grocery store? A craft shop? Then brainstorm why it’s the “last” pumpkin – was it forgotten? Did it roll away or escape? Is it unwanted or doesn’t want to leave?
  • Play with tense and/or person (pronouns). For example, if you usually write in the past tense, try the present or vice versa. If you usually use the “I” (first-person pronoun), try 3rd-person (they/she/he) or even 2nd-person (you).
  • For either a poem or a story, try to surprise the reader with a twist ending!

Prompt 3

Write a poem or story about an unexpected Halloween costume.

Ways to Play:

  • Dig deep on the “fish out of water” element of fiction writing for this prompt – in what way is this particular costume unexpected for this particular character? Remember: your characters don’t have to be human!
  • Try some sound play in your story or poem. Work in some alliteration, assonance, or rhyme that connects to your character or theme in some way. For example, if your main character is a snail, you might work in the /s/ sound, the /l/ sound, or even the /eɪ/ vowel sound.
  • Challenge yourself to try out a different technique or style. If you’re a poet, try writing a story. If you’re a picture book writer, try writing a poem or a story under 150 words. If you usually write serious stories or poems, try some humour and vice versa.

Happy Writing!

Write Your Own Joy: 31 Poetry Prompts is out now in ebook and paperback formats. Read for free on Kindle Unlimited! For beginner or more experienced poets.

Receive occasional news, poetry and writing prompts, as well as resources to use at home or in the classroom by signing up to my free newsletter.

Timmy’s Lonely Night

Suggested grades (Canada): Grades 2 or 3; ELL, grades 3 or 4; ESL, CLB 4 (fluent basic)

This educational resource includes:

  • Original “Timmy’s Lonely Night” story by Kim T. Harrison
  • Pre- and post-reading questions
  • Choice of 3 post-reading activities
  • Printable worksheets for all activities, including points and rubrics for assessment purposes
  • PowerPoint with video embedded, Google Slides
  • Video of story

Curriculum tie-ins: Science: animals (movement, behaviours); Language/Skills: creative writing, inference, critical thinking, verbs (past simple), indefinite pronouns (no one, anyone, everyone, someone, something)

Topic tie-in: Halloween

I hope you find this resource useful. If you have any comments or feedback on the resource, please let me know. I’d love to hear from you.

Watch a video of the “Timmy’s Lonely Night” story here (3 minutes):

Download a PowerPoint version of the resource (note: the YouTube video link is embedded in the PowerPoint.):

Download a PDF, black & white, printable version of the resource (includes assessment rubrics for text response and creative writing activities):

Make a copy of the Google Slides version of the resource:

Please note: you will be prompted to save the Google Slides as a “copy” when you click on the link below.

Happy teaching!

Write Your Own Joy: 31 Poetry Prompts is out now in ebook and paperback formats. Read for free on Kindle Unlimited! For beginner or more experienced poets.

Receive occasional news, poetry and writing prompts, as well as resources to use at home or in the classroom by signing up to my free newsletter.