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Poetry Prompt: Word Games

By Heather Eure 16 Comments

word_games_prompt
Children play word games to improve vocabulary, video games to learn problem-solving and hand-eye coordination, and sports to learn teamwork. Not that they think of it quite this way. Games are growth tools, disguised as fun.

Games can help us grow and improve our poetry, too.

The video game, Elegy for a Dead World was created to encourage players to write prose and poetry while they explore three worlds inspired by the British Romantic era poets: Percy Bysshe Shelley, John Keats, and Lord Byron.

  • Shelley’s World is based on the poem, Ozymandias.
  • Byron’s World, based on the poem, Darkness.
  • Keats’ World, based on When I Have Fears That I May Cease to Be.

The game creators say:

Each world offers multiple sets of prompts, each intended to inspire you to write a different story about it. Elegy might ask you to write a short story about an individual’s final days, a song about resignation, or a poem about war.”

Once you’ve completed your story, song, or poem, you can either share it with other players or copy it in digital or print media to keep for yourself. Game available for purchase here.

Try It

Magnetic Poetry is a popular novelty kit which has helped make poetry accessible by inspiring people to create brief poems from a collection of word magnets. Every visit to the refrigerator has poetic possibility. There’s also an online version. For this prompt visit the magnetic poetry website, click the poetry set of your choice and have fun creating a poem from the words provided. Take a screen shot or copy the words to your poem and post your masterpiece in the comment section below.

Featured Poem

Thanks to everyone who participated in last week’s poetry prompt. Here is a haiku from Laura we enjoyed:

Once we played Yahtzee
on the porch during a storm.
Thunder rolled like dice.

—by Laura Brown

Photo by martinak15. Creative Commons via Flickr.

Browse more Games Poetry
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___________________________

How to Write a Poem 283 high How to Write a Poem uses images like the buzz, the switch, the wave—from the Billy Collins poem “Introduction to Poetry”—to guide writers into new ways of writing poems. Excellent teaching tool. Anthology and prompts included.

“How to Write a Poem is a classroom must-have.”

—Callie Feyen, English Teacher, Maryland

Buy How to Write a Poem Now!

  • Author
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Heather Eure
Heather Eure
Heather Eure has served as the Poetry Editor for the late Burnside Collective and Special Projects Editor for us at Tweetspeak Poetry. Her poems have appeared at Every Day Poems. Her wit has appeared just about everywhere she's ever showed up, and if you're lucky you were there to hear it.
Heather Eure
Latest posts by Heather Eure (see all)
  • Poetry Prompt: Misunderstood Lion - March 19, 2018
  • Animate: Lions & Lambs Poetry Prompt - March 12, 2018
  • Poetry Prompt: Behind the Velvet Rope - February 26, 2018

Filed Under: Blog, Games, poetry prompt, poetry teaching resources, Themed Writing Projects, writer's group resources, writing prompts

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Comments

  1. Andrew H says

    October 12, 2015 at 1:45 pm

    http://i.imgur.com/H3VJpE7.png?1

    Reply
    • Heather Eure says

      October 12, 2015 at 10:53 pm

      “through frantic language” — love that! Hope it was a fun exercise for you, Andrew!

      Reply
  2. Jen says

    October 14, 2015 at 12:16 am

    Magnetic poetry online? This could be life changing… or at least writing method changing. 🙂 Sorry, not sure where to share the screenshot and my brain is too sleepy to figure it out right now… but I made this.

    My symphony swims
    the delirious blue wind
    in a peach and honey smeared sky
    like a sea whispering dreams
    of sweet rose forest springs
    we will sing the shadows away

    Reply
    • Andrew H says

      October 14, 2015 at 5:21 am

      “We will sing the shadows away”

      Not quite sure, but I really like this line. It is very…. emotive, I suppose? Anyway, really like it!

      Reply
      • Jen says

        October 14, 2015 at 9:41 am

        Thanks! I have no idea what this means… I was just stringing words together that sound nice. haha. 🙂

        Reply
    • L. L. Barkat says

      October 14, 2015 at 12:12 pm

      I agree with Andrew about the shadows line. It strikes me as a very good line to lift and use in a villanelle. Try it?

      Reply
      • Jen says

        October 17, 2015 at 10:26 am

        Hmmm… I’ve never tried a villanelle. I’ll have to consider this! 🙂

        Reply
    • Heather Eure says

      October 14, 2015 at 1:14 pm

      Glad we could direct you to the online version, Jen! I also agree with Andrew and L.L. It is a good line worth exploring further. Magnetic Poetry is a helpful tool, isn’t it?

      Reply
      • Jen says

        October 17, 2015 at 10:29 am

        It is. I’ve never had much luck with it before, but I think I had a breakthrough playing with the online version. I found myself just picking up words I liked and trying to make them fit into something. So fun! I think I’ll try the geek edition next. 🙂

        Reply
  3. Sandra Heska King says

    October 14, 2015 at 3:04 pm

    She’d walk lonely on the sun
    above this dark rain
    make some secret verdant sanctuary
    and leave him long
    soon
    or never breathe again.

    Reply
    • Heather Eure says

      October 16, 2015 at 10:09 am

      “…or never breathe again.” Love that, Sandra!

      Reply
  4. Rick Maxson says

    October 16, 2015 at 6:29 am

    Here’s mine:

    https://www.pinterest.com/pin/323274079481401506/

    Reply
    • Heather Eure says

      October 16, 2015 at 10:12 am

      “Be as you are bright bough” is a dreamy line. Did you find it easier to write a poem with the words chosen for you or more difficult?

      Reply
      • Rick Maxson says

        October 18, 2015 at 7:24 pm

        This was harder. I kept needing a word that was not there. I cheated (if it’s cheating and asked for more words. I found it interesting that the game had pronouns for which there were no appropriate verbs.

        Reply
  5. Joy Lenton says

    October 17, 2015 at 5:05 pm

    I’ve never tried this before but I had a go with a ‘nature poet’ set:

    Resting on dark rock
    where wet stain lingers
    like blueberry oozing juice
    quiet brown bird flies soft
    toward pure light of sun
    She follows her intuition
    knowing she’ll soon thrive again
    but she’s not sure when

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Games Poetry Prompt: Sports - says:
    October 19, 2015 at 8:04 am

    […] to everyone who participated in last week’s poetry prompt. Here’s a poem pieced word by magnetic word from […]

    Reply

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