The best poem writing prompts come not just from the head but from the heart. Start with your memories and consider anyone else’s. Consider other perspectives or environments you can recall or that interest you and see where it takes you. These writing prompts and the following are great places to start and follow through with turning great ideas into unique and meaningful poems for you. Give it a try!
For this poem writing prompt, consider the most powerful, impactful memories in your mind. This prompt is most impactful and successful if you use not only a powerful memory but also one that stands out and you can recall with a great amount of detail in comparison to other life memories. Take some time to really flesh out all the details you can about this particular memory. Once you have a memory in your mind, consider the most sensory details.
Think about all the individual details of the memory and flesh out what the different details, moments, and scenes looked like. What did they smell like, and even taste like, if applicable in any way? Touch the objects of the memory and truly work to go inside of the memory as best you can for the greatest recollection and a really detailed final poem. These details will give great color and feel to the poem, the moments described, and essentially be really effective in bringing any readers in.
Take a moment to close your eyes and slowly relax your body and mind. This may take several moments but the effect and results will be worth it toward this poem writing prompt. Imagine what is your idea of a perfect setting. Really work to picture all the colors and distinct details of your surroundings and how the environment affects you emotionally and physically. What is located in this area? What surrounds it. Work to give concrete sensory descriptions as with other prompts. Be as detailed as possible for better immersion and influence.
It can be also very successful to picture any possible moments or memories related or reminiscent of this environment and setting. What are other details you can recall and relay, such as the time of day, the setting and placement of the sun or the moon? Relay what the temperature was like, including the humidity, wind, frost, or snow, for some examples. Concrete seasonal environments and memories can make for great writing material.
Consider what your favorite media pieces are. What you are most interested in or this would make for a really colorful, immersive poem writing prompt will go best here. What are songs, movies, tv shows, and video games are you really interested in and/or connected to emotionally? What brings up the strongest memories and emotions for you? One of the keys to strongest, most successful writing and poetry specifically is to use the material that means the most to you. These are the things you feel most passionately about and can thus write best.
From this chosen source of media, consider the individual characters or players involved. Which are the most impactful for you and is there a more specific one that stands out for you in particular? Write a poem from the perspective of this person or thing. What are they feeling in a particular stand-out moment or scene? Really work to get in the sense of their personality, relationships, reactions, and responses to other people, things, and environments for a really character-immersive result.
What is the life of a plant or tree like? What are some of the species or types of plants, flowers, or trees that you find yourself most interested in. What inspires you or interests you about them and use this for a poem writing prompt. You can also take this idea to new levels of interaction, fantasy, and imagination. Consider how they might interact with other plants, trees, animals, or even people. Write from a scene or moment of intense emotion for the chosen plant.
How would that plant feel in a particular season? What if its livelihood or home were threatened? How would birth, death, or just general aging feel for this plant? If you were a plant, what would you think about and what would your self and life perspectives and ideas look like? These ideas can make for great eco poems ranging from fantasy to environmental impacts and global warming.
Think of your favorite adventure story. What aspects of the tale do you find captivating, and what kind of outcomes do you enjoy? Considering this, try and make your own tale of riveting adventure, fleshed-out characters, intriguing adversaries, and relentless thrill. Keep in mind that it is okay to take inspiration from other sources, and nothing has to be completely original in every aspect! What original ideas or plot twists can you bring to a used or more familiar tale?
In what world does this adventure take place, and who are your characters? What riveting obstacles will your character or characters face, and how will they overcome, or even fail? Are there pebbles in their shoes along the way so-to-speak or an unexpected ally? Is the adventure treacherous, or is it a simple task, and will they trounce any big evil (or good) monsters or enemies? The best part about this prompt is that it is only limited by your imagination, leaving an infinite world of possibility at your fingertips! Consider a series with similar characters or topics.
Have you ever considered a poem writing prompt where you are in a completely foreign environment or even a planet that you are unfamiliar with? What do you think life might be or could be like on a different specific planet, star, or moon? Flesh out what the people or beings look like, sound like, talk like, and how they interact or form relationships. What are their goals, ideas, events, or perspectives on their lives, environments, and maybe even toward Earth?
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