BUT WHAT DO I WRITE?

 

Some Ideas

(These ideas and more are found on pages 50-51 in Write Source 2000.)

 

My worst day…An unforgettable dream…The hardest thing I’ve ever done…The one best hour of my life…A day in the life of my pet…A time I rebelled against authority…Something that almost made me cry…If I were in charge, I’d…What defines me as a friend…My favorite teacher…Someone in class I secretly admire…A time I said the wrong thing…A way I have changed since I was little…I get so mad when…My wish list…One of my favorite relatives…My coach…Someone I like to spend time with…My locker…My bedroom…An item from my childhood…How to make the perfect…Why I cheated…My definition of a good time…Something that’s unfair…Diary of a…A letter to the editor…Something that deserves our support…A time I got lost…A favorite place…Stage fright…The music I listen to…Heroes…Something everyone should do at least once…I hope that…Television…I interviewed…The most interesting thing I’ve ever done…Someone who overcame a great obstacle…Someone from history…A sport…My earliest memory…The moment I had been waiting for

 

Idea Table

Pick as many as you want, and write something that includes all of them.

 

a time machine

a hidden passage

a key

an argument

a fire

a dream

a phobia

an accident

the Internet

a restaurant

a barn

a power blackout

an explosion

a police officer

a cliff

a boat

a violent storm

a shopping mall

a cemetery

a diamond

a gun

a million dollars

a war

a bomb

 

Forms of Writing

It’s not just poems and stories…

 

Journals                        Logs                             Diaries                          Essays                          Poems

Myths                           Plays                            Short Stories                Anecdotes                    Letters

Songs                           Jokes                           Parodies                       Reports                        Reviews

News Stories                Interviews                     Editorials                      Comic Books               Pamphlets

Commercials                Sketches                      Research Papers           Petitions                       Instructions

Novels                         Screenplays                  Radio Scripts

 

Poetry Forms

 

Read pages 204-207 in Write Source 2000 for lots of different poetry types.

 

Some Themes to Start With

 

Heroism•Revenge•Courage•Poverty•Greed•Obsession•Faith•Patience•Grief•Evil•Responsibility•Love

Hatred•Supernatural•Jealousy•Friendship•Prejudice•Guilt•Memory•Illusions•Fear•Achievement

 

 

P.S.—So You Think You Want To Be A Writer?

Check out these internet resources for professionals and want-to-be-professionals

 

MERLYN’S PEN is writing for young people, by young people, at www.merlynspen.org. 

Something similar is TEEN INK, at www.teenink.com. 

BLACK ON WHITE is at www.blackonwhite.on.ca (for beginners, but not kids). 

WRITERS WRITE is at www.writerswrite.com  (links and information for professional writers).