This Writing Lesson was originally exclusive to Patreon Supporters and was part of month theme: Unexpected Inspiration. This was the Week One Lesson.

I’m going to have us delve into four unexpected sources for writing inspiration! This first week’s inspiration is poetry. I’ve assigned two readings, a poem by Gary Soto that I love and a fun piece that I wrote to stretch my writing muscles. Next, I have a writing tip about creating metaphors and similes. To complete our week’s lesson, I’ve included a fun writing prompt/activity. Enjoy!

This Week’s Reading Suggestions

1. “Oranges” by Gary Soto

~ Reading tip! Keep an eye out for how Soto builds setting, how the writing lets you know the age of the characters, and what senses are activated as you read! 

2. A fun poem that I wrote! What am I playing around with in the title?

Jourdan Zephyr

Autumn in Portland, Oregon, 2020

rain on oiled streets – 20 x 2 words

Silver droplets

Making vibrant ripples

Blending rainbow oils 

Painting our streets

A slippery mosaic

Wet sneakers slopping 

Through parking lot ponds

A gasp and shiver 

As the rain drops

Race their way down 

The upturned collar 

Of coats and jackets

This Week’s Writing Tip 

Poems are really well known for their masterful use of metaphors and similes. A fun way to hone your metaphor and simile skills is to practice comparing really weird things. The stranger the better! Some of them might not make sense, but keep going! Eventually you will start putting together metaphors and similes that are really powerful. 

An example of what you can do! →  

Comparisons: 

Orange peel = alligator skin

Shag carpet = moss floor

Citrus juice = perfume

Comparisons in Action:

I curl my toes into the soft moss of my shag carpet as I peel off the dimpled alligator skin protecting the orange fruit underneath, releasing a perfumed spritz of citrus that activates my saliva glands, my mouth flooding in anticipation of the moment I devour its exposed juicy flesh. 

This Week’s Writing Prompt/Activity 

One of the best lessons that poetry can teach us is how to be selective and purposeful with our word choice. Poems say a lot with very little. Every word must carry its weight. I think every writer benefits from reading and writing poetry since the practice carries over to any writing style making you a more efficient and effective writer. 

Prompt/Activity – 

*This activity focuses on the editing side!

Pick your favorite weather event and write about it! Sun, snow, rain, storms, windy days, anything goes! Write as much as you can for as long as feels right. When you’re done go back through and cut out as much as you can. Really take your writing down to the barest number of words you can without losing meaning. Really stretch yourself! You may have to add words to make things make sense after cutting things out but that’s okay. The goal is to keep the overall word count as small as possible while still retaining meaning. Make sure every word is doing work! Have fun!