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 the feeling of a color you see
  2. use a word/sentence/phrase you overhear
  3. use "______" and syballance
  4. describe something you hear
  5. describe something out the window using a mathematical term
  6. write in 8,6,8,6
  7. describe a victory
  8. use a shape, a color, and an insect
  9. use a mathematical term, a color and an -ly adverb
  10. use a taste, an -ing verb, and syballance

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!