Poem Writing Game

I learned this game from my friend Darcy. Basically, you write out a set of 10 constraints and give yourself 2 min to respond to each – write them out, toss them in a pile, draw one at random, start the timer, write, repeat.

Just like the songwriting game, the goal is to get yourself out of your head. You can use this as a warm-up, or, if you like what you come up with, shape it up into a proper poem.

I’ve loaded this up to generate a set of constraints from the ones I’ve used over the past few months. Every time you refresh the page you should see a different combination. Feel free to use these or create your own!

Prompts:

  1. describe fear
  2. rhyme 2 lines
  3. describe your favorite tree
  4. use the word "______" in 8syl
  5. describe a victory
  6. use a color, an animal, and an -ing verb
  7. rhyme 2 lines
  8. describe something out the window using a mathematical term
  9. write in 5,7,5
  10. use a mathematical term in an 8-syl line

I’d love to hear what you come up with – either ideas for constraints or what you create. Drop me a line or comment here to share!