The Quaratine Diaries: Write Something

Start a notebook, or keep one going. Mix images and words, doodles and lists. Track your thoughts, experiences, ideas. Take a break to focus. Who keeps a notebook? I'm glad you asked. Check it out.

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Create a Found Poem
1. Spine Poem: Variation on the Patchwork Poem in that it's a found poem. Use books or DVDs or CDs... Anything where you can read the spine, and put the titles in order to make a poem. See Sauve's left and typed on Instagram.
2. Song Lyrics: Same concept. Choose lyrics from 2-4 songs by the same artist (or not) and choose some to put in a new order to create a totally new poem.
3. Headline poem: Same concept - collect news headlines and order them in a way that makes a poem.

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Use poems as inspiration:
1. Read Maggie Smith's poem "Good Bones". Choose a line that resonates with you and write about whatever comes to mind.
2. Watch "Native Tongue" by Micah Bournes. Think about what you may want to unlearn...
3. Watch "When Love Arrives" by Sarah Kay and Philip Kaye. What does love mean, look like to you?
4. Read "The White" by Patricia Hampl. Freewrite what you can do with / about colour...

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Use your life as inspiration:
1. Write down the line "I have outgrown..." Then answer it. What have you outgrown? Think about simple concrete things, and move toward more grandiose, abstract things. Notice Ms. Bussey's momentum by checking her poem out on Instagram.
2. See this grid left. Create your own categories and go through the last however many years. Ex. Song, Word, Crush, Food, Line, News, Haircut of 2018 and so on, and fill in the grid with pics or doodles... If any of these ideas inspire you to write, go for it!
3. Check out "My Youth in 27 Records" by QuestLove. Think about what music means to you. What music? By Whom? Why? How would you organize your musical autobiography?

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If you weren't in Creative Writing, check out this page, and try any of the exercises listed here.

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