Archive for the ‘About WoPo’ Category:

Day One – A Beginning

Written on February 1st, 2019 by adminno shouts

So it is time to get writing and creative – so sharpen pencils, crack open the new ink, power up or awaken those devices and write!

The idea is that from now until the end of the month you set a side some time to write… each and everyday. Sometimes this isn’t so easy and that is where strategy comes in – write smart! Record voice memos on your phone, jot things down in pocket note books and take some sort of device/pad with you to do so – you’ll be amazed at what can happen during a coffee break at work, or whilst stuck at the train platform.

This doesn’t mean you have to write all ideas down as soon as they strike, some people like to mull ideas and let them merge and split and take shape in their mind before ever setting them down in words. If you are such a person, or even if you are not and you just didn’t get a chance during the day, then the bedtime recap could be the thing! Take the notepad/phone etc. to bed with you (warning insomniacs this might not be brilliant for your sleep patterns but is often a very creative time!).

Now on this first day make sure you have your writing supplies set and that you peruse the various writing exercises in the archive, more will be appearing during the month but it’s always nice to have a rummage through some of the old stuff!

Well what are you waiting for? Go get writing!

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A Poem A Day Challenge

Written on January 28th, 2019 by adminno shouts

February is our writing challenge month here at WoPo – the idea is that you try and write a poem a day everyday. Why do this? It is an exercise in getting you to write, to help those just starting out, or those writers who are struggling with productivity, or to generate ideas, or for those who just want a break from other forms of writing, or want to try something new.

The challenge works well to develop good writing practice and has been used by poets, spoken word artists and song writers.

During the month posts will go live on this website to help inspire and egg you along in your endeavours. We have writing prompts and exercises as well as guest poets telling us all about their own personal journeys and how they have gotten where they are.

There is a closed Facebook group for those who would like to share their poems and get feedback from others, as well as a Facebook page where news and prompts are posted.

Exercises new and old are also popped out onto twitter via TheMonsterBlogs.

Images and inspirational quotes that we think might be useful are also shared on the WoPo board on Pinterest – be aware that images on Pinterest are not our property and if you wish to use an image in a publications you will need to talk to the artist who created it or at least check out what license the image has been published under. Images on this website are generally tagged with their copyright status and artist, the key is to ask!

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Poetry Writing Time 2018!

Written on February 1st, 2018 by adminno shouts

It’s that time of year again when poetry madness takes over the brain! That’s right it’s WoPo Time and that means it’s Write Time!

But where to begin? January is often full of left over Christmas and manic exercise binges and the drudgery of trying to catch up with all the work that slipped during the festive period – however it is no longer January, it is February and that means it’s time to switch on the creative brain.

What better way to do this than to take up a writing challenge?

A poetry writing challenge – such as the one we run here at WoPo every February. The rules are simple – try and write or compose or create something poetic each and every day for February. They can be rhyming, free verse, picture forms and songs, they can be a specific form such as sonnet or limerick or a study of form, serious, funny, political…. and so on.

Some people find a theme and roll with that other have to fish around each day to find some new inspiration and this is all find and good and how it should be! Creativity is a muscle – the more you use it the easier it gets so if you are a beginner or have not written anything for a while do not worry overly if you are off to a slow start, you will get there and actually we all have our own preferred methods of working you might just not have found yours yet! And that is part of what WoPo is about – it is about giving you tools to explore the means to write and create yourself, don’t expect to get something amazing straight away or every time just enjoy finding new ways to get that initial spark going.

To help with this there will be exercises and inspiring ideas going up on this blog through out February, along with guest poets explaining why their writing processes and what drew them to poetry.

There is a Facebook Page and Facebook Group – the group is closed so you will have to request to join but this is so that if you want you can post poems for feedback or just to share, the feedback is from the group in general though and not a critique clinic. Also follow twitter handles @TheMonsterBlogs and @Saffy, not to mention the Pinterest Board!

This means it is time to get writing so sharpen those pencils, refill the ink and top up your charge, grab a beverage of choice and get writing and remember – when in despair that February is a short month even on a leap year!

Now what are you waiting for there is an archive of exercises to get going with!

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It’s The Write Time!

Written on February 1st, 2017 by adminno shouts

Today is the first of February which can mean only one thing! That’s right it is poetry writing time 🙂

Though we here at WoPo put out writing stimuli and exercises to get the old muse going, through out the year, February is the month we run our very own poem a day challenge.

The facebook page is here and the twitters @TheMonsterBlogs and @Saffy will have tips and hints and beautiful images to help you write. There is also a Pinterest Board full of beautiful imagery and quotes to help inspire you to write.

The hashtag is #wopo and don’t forget the archive for useful writing resources.

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We Shall Begin

Written on January 31st, 2015 by adminno shouts

February is the month in which we here at WoPo run a poetry writing challenge. So for the next month there will be daily posts including writing exercises and guest bloggers and maybe a give away or two.

But why take part?

Sometimes it can be hard to carve yourself out a writing space or time, and sometimes without practice ideas either start to crowd the brain or disappear altogether. Writing challenges in general help you to develop a writing method. If this is your first such challenge then you may need to tweak it slightly to suit but keep with it!

Poem a day writing challenges can be extremely productive. You can follow the exercises posted here or just set yourself a certain amount of time to sit and just write – do not worry overly about the quality of the poem or piece of writing. You may not like what you are writing, think it is cheesy or too dramatic – write it anyway and then put it away for six weeks, maybe even make a box to post your poems in so you can’t go back and look at them.

You may find later on that the work is not as bad as you thought it was and a bit of editing will have it all ship shape and ready to go!

Perhaps you’ll need to merge poems or split them up into two or three separate pieces or just delete 2/3rds of what you have got.

What ever happens you will end up with more poems than you started with 🙂

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NO Fools

Written on April 1st, 2014 by adminno shouts

It is the first of April and that can mean only one thing! It is time for a poem a day challenge, so hopefully you are all recovered from February. And no this is no April Fools, go and check out NaPoWriMo were there will be give aways and poetry prompts all month.

Here at WoPo we will continue with the lots of writing inspiration and have some lovely guest poets coming up.

For those local to Cheltenham UK there is the wonderful Cheltenham Poetry Society which runs until the 6th.

Time to get writing – go on shoo.

And it’s All Over!

Written on February 28th, 2014 by adminno shouts

That is it peeps! Well done to all those who have taken part. Thank you to the guest bloggers for your inspiring words and to those who gave books for the give aways.

But the end is never the end, for some there is the editing to come, for others submissions or blogging about what they have achieved but all should take note that they can write and should write. It is supposed to be good for the soul

Keep writing, hopefully the challenge has helped set up some sort of writing routine for you.

And to celebrate do not forget your web-badge of completion!

For those of you who have the poetry bug the next Poem a Day challenge is in April for NaPoWriMo, we will also be posting general exercises and tips for you through out the rest of the year – good luck and keep writing!

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That Time of Year Again!

Written on February 1st, 2014 by admin16 shouts

It is the first day of February and that can mean but one thing! That is right – it is poetry writing time!

The challenge is to write a poem a day for the whole of February (hint even in a leap year that is only 29 days so chillax).

To sign up just leave a comment below on this post.

Each day there will be an exercise or inspirational post to help get the creative juices flowing. If you wish you may put your poems in the comment fields of the posts or a link to your own blog or website with the poem on. However if you are planning to submit the poems to publishing companies and competitions do not post them. You retain copy right over any poems you have written that are posted on this site.

There will also be web badges and give aways during the month.

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Goodbye NaPoWriMo

Written on April 30th, 2013 by adminno shouts

It is the end of yet another poem a day challenge – April’s National Poetry Writing Month. Hopefully you have collected quiet a few first drafts and that the resources here have been helpful.

Put those poems away for a bit now – maybe get out the ones you did at the beginning of the year and begin to look through these older poems. Once you have forgotten what it is you’ve written you can read the poem with fresh eyes – a poem that seemed awful is a goodun and a precious piece is seen as the tripe it actually is.

Now it is editing time.

Regular writing exercises and tutorials on form plus guest bloggers will be appearing on this site too help you.

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How the Sound

Written on April 26th, 2013 by adminno shouts

The sounds of words are very important in poetry, oo, ah, sssssss and so on. Think about the sounds that actually make up our language, pretend you teaching a small child how to spell and give the letters their sound not their name.

Now pick some sounds and work with them, make them harsher than normal, alter how loud or soft they are, how long you draw the sound out for.

Now put several sounds together, how do they fit?

Can you get the sounds to express a mood?

Play around with this and you are verging on the world of Tonal Poems were the sound is the main facture.

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