Guidelines for Letter Poems
Dear Student: Letter poems begin and end like the letters you are used to reading and writing. That, however, is where the similarity ends! In this letter poem exercise, you are not writing to thank someone for a birthday present, exchange news or ask for something. You are writing a letter of encouragement to yourself. 1. List words of encouragement and praise 2. Imagine what your biggest supporter would say to encourage you. 3. Draft a letter to yourself. One page is the minimum length! Write several drafts, until you have one you’re satisfied with. Now you are going to change your letter from prose to poetry... 4. Now get down to the nitty-gritty. Grab your red pen and start slashing. Look at every sentence and get rid of unnecessary words or phrases. Eliminate adverbs! Most of the time, they just prop up weak verbs. Instead of saying “very hungry,” say “famished.” Instead of “walked slowly,” say “strolled” or “ambled.” Substitute tired, overused words and cliches with something new and original.. 5. After you have cut and condensed, expand again! Can you find places where a metaphor or simile would conjure up an image, a picture, a sensory experience? *Assignment idea is from here. Comments are closed.
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