Keep in Mind

Try capturing a single moment or a small detail instead of the big picture.

Words and lines of poems are meant to be changed, placed differently, revised and reworked. A poem might be pretty good the first time, but it might turn out great by the time you get to the 3rd or the 20th try.

How to start? Write one word. What images do you imagine?

Brainstorm: Write single words, entire phrases or ideas. Here’s an example: Jacks.

Jacks make me think of playing outside. They look like stars. Clusters of stars. Silver stars. You toss jacks in the air. What happens to them? They fall down. (rain down? tumble down?) They land on each other’s backs (or shoulders) or—piggyback style. Keep going. (See the poem “Jacks” from Lemonade Sun and Other Summer Poems: