Archive for the ‘Exercises’ Category:
Written on February 2nd, 2019 by adminno shouts
Minecraft enchanting table photo by Sarah Snell-Pym
Ever fallen into a game or story so hard that the world becomes somehow tangible? If so what is that world like? How does it feel to you? Is it a place you want to retreat too or run as far from as possible? What made it so realistic and could you create something better yourself?
Spend sometime dotting down the answers to these questions – the answer can be no but expand on that no, if you think made up worlds are stupid tell us why this is the case. Fill those notes out don’t just leave one word answers.
Once this is done think up five of your own questions about our interactions with stories and made up spaces such as games – what drives us to them? How much money and time is spent in or around these constructs?
Once this is done have a look at the answers and see if there is a general thread running through them, if there is take this thread and use it as a starting point for your poetry. If not continue to expand the answers and see if you can join them all up into a continuous flow of writing i.e. turn it into paragraphs instead of bullet points (or at least run on sentences). In doing so you may find that a natural poetic structure arises, if not keep playing with it until one does!
Written on February 25th, 2018 by adminno shouts
These green tanks look like they are waiting for something!
What are they waiting for? Are they friendly?
Write about the tanks for 5 mins
Written on February 23rd, 2018 by adminno shouts
What does this image of a building site say to you? Is it destruction or creation? Write for 5 mins about the image, if you are stuck then start by just describing the photograph.
Written on February 15th, 2018 by adminno shouts
Machines can often appear insect like, the premise has fuelled many a story. What does this image say to you? If this machine was an insect what type would it be? What habitats would it live in? What intereactions if any would it have with humans? How big is it actually?
Answer these questions and then spend 10 minutes writing about the mechanical insect!
Written on February 13th, 2018 by adminno shouts
This tank is waiting to go into place in a soon to be housing estate, it has a kind of cyberpunk vibe with its luminous colour and obvious industrustrial but what sort of buildings will it serve? What stories lurk within this new hub of life in the land of suburbia?
Create 10 lives that will be being lived in this housing estate – what are their futures, presents and futures? Are they traded in their circumstance or striving to break free, are they happy or snidely impatient with the world around them?
Once you have their profiles, create a list 3 scenarios that these characters would find themselves in and write about how each one would react and the consequences of their reactions.
This exercise is especially useful for comedic rhyming poems with strong narrative i.e. you tell the peoples stories!
Written on February 9th, 2018 by adminno shouts
This is Robo Rob who is part of a board game to help teach children about the basic concepts of programming but Rob also does jobs and could be called Bob… so what do you think this little robot might be getting up to? Make a list and create a list of rhymes to go with it. Once you have your lists start constructing a rhyming adventure for our robot friend here!
Written on February 8th, 2018 by adminno shouts
This exercise works best with a group of people, each of you brings a book, using a dice you select pages and then lines to read out, take it in turns to read a line each but make it seem as if the the line from one book follows on from the other. Record the session and then go over it to find interesting juxtapositions of words and phrases, these can be used as a starting point for a poem.
Warning the exercise causes excessive laughter!
Written on February 6th, 2018 by adminno shouts
Look at your hands, or pictures of hands….. what do you see? How are they constructed? What colour are they, are they rough hands or cubby young hands? Are the nails dirty? Bitten? Painted fabulous colours? Are the hands covered in sleeves or henna, jewellery?
What have the hands done? Who and what have they touched, made created, destroyed? Are they loving hands? Neglected?
Think on all these things and what the hands could be – do the hands belong to you? What if they didn’t? What if they had a life of their own or where replacements, how would they behave?
Do they work properly and if so what are they used for?
Spend 20 mins writing on the theme of hands, do not worry if you abandon several ideas, just keep writing whilst the timer is ticking – you may find some poetic forms appear in the writing, take these and edit them into full pieces.
Written on February 5th, 2018 by adminno shouts
A fun exercise that can really help if you are stuck just staring at a blank screen or piece of paper, is to collaborate!
Find another poet or would be poet and either sit in the same room as them or set up emails or online chat to work with them, then start brain storming ideas and writing pieces for the other to look at. You can sit and write it completely together or you write a bit and send it to them and they write a bit and send it back. This is a fabulous way to work especially for longer works such as epic poems.
Collabs are great though you may need to have patients with your collaborator and remember that they are being equally patient with you!
Written on February 3rd, 2018 by adminno shouts
This image is from an archaeology dig at St Mary’s DeCrypt, a church that included an old school wrong – but what do you see? What do you think the history of these objects are? True histories? Magic? Remembering…. look at the photo and then set a timer for five minutes and write about the image and the objects for five minutes, do not over think it just keep writing for that time even if you start multiple ideas. Then spend 20 minutes analysing what you have written, extract any phrases or sentences that you like and construct a poem around them.
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