Thursday, October 16 - RAIN

Ahhh....it seems never ending, this deluge of water. Rain, rain, go away....

As much as I don't like the rain, I will admit that it's a necessity to life on Earth.  However, rain makes me sad; it can literally ruin my day.  While some days, I love the rain....days I can stay curled up in bed.  A good thunderstorm on the safety of a covered front porch or a screened deck is actually relaxing.  And yet, getting out and about in the rain with small children is actually a form of torture.  I guess I have a love/hate relationship with the water that falls from the sky.  However, if precipitation comes in the form of snow, I'm all for it.  These are just my rambling thoughts!  What do you think of rain?  How does it make you feel? Do you enjoy it at times?  When?  Do you always dislike the rain? 

Wednesday, October 15 - I remember when...

Today, I give you a story starter and that's all. Begin a short story, faux newspaper article, poem, song, etc. with the phrase "I remember when..."

Friday, October 10 - Pet Peeve

Ohhh....so many peeves...where to start???

Tuesday, October 7 - The Flip Side

To continue working with persona poetry, think of something that has happened to you recently that was stressful, traumatic, or unpleasant, something that perhaps made you mad.  Write a poem about this event as you experienced it, regardless of anyone else's perspectives or feelings.  Then rewrite the poem from the perspective of someone else involved in the situation.  This new poem may not reflect the truth (or maybe your side didn't reflect the truth), but sometimes it's important to remind ourselves that everything has a flip side.  

Monday, October 6 - Persona Poem

Imagine, for a moment, that today you aren’t you. You don’t have to drag yourself from bed to go to school or prepare for an eight hour work day. You no longer live in your house or in your town. You don’t have a dog. Or now you inexplicably have dozens of them. Today, you can be anyone you want. Yesterday you were 16, but today, you might be 73, a different sex, work a different job, drive a different car. Your sister stole your inheritance. Your car broke down. You’re a pastry chef or a spy. Today, you’re the astronomer Williamina Fleming discovering the Horsehead Nebula or Jack the Ripper prowling alleys. Only one thing is certain: you are finally free of the chains that have plagued you your entire life—“just be yourself”—because today you must be someone else. 

What a relief!

The desire we all have at some point in our lives to run away from ourselves isn’t one we can regularly indulge—at least not without serious repercussions. But through writing and reading persona poetry, we can put on masks (or personae, in Latin) and see with different eyes.   

Complete the Persona Worksheet and write a 15 line Persona Poem.  This poem should be about someone who is alive or who once was, a historical figure, a deceased relative, a Hollywood actor or actress, etc.  Your Persona Poem MUST be about a PERSON other than yourself.  

Thursday, October 2 - The Frog Prince

The Frog Prince gets a new spin!  If you are unfamiliar with the story, read it here. 

The Frog Prince by The Brothers Grimm

After you've familiarized yourself with the fairy tale, FRACTURE it.  Have fun with it and definitely think outside of the box.

Wednesday, October 1 - Fairy tale characters

Have some fun with characters you know and love from the fairy tale genre.  Feel free to try to fracture them if you want.