enchanting table MinecraftMinecraft 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!