Writing Assignment 9

Goodness, where has the time gone? I hope you are already started on a new poem because our next work shopping session is just two class sessions away.


Have no fear you hopeless romantics, Dr. Love is here. Today we are going to work on your ability to write love poetry. Valentine's Day is just around the corner and I want to help each and everyone of you sweep that special someone off their feet.

So without further ado, lets get started. This time we are going to do things in a step-by-step style.

1.Remember that speed writing activity you did before the first work shop day? What we going to do is similar, I want you to write for a minutes straight about falling in love for the first time, or how you feel when you are together with that special someone.
2.Next, go through what you have written and circle every verb you see.
3.Look at these circled verbs. Do any of them seem rather week? If so, then replace them with stronger sounding verbs. Love is all about extremes. You don't 'kind sorta like them', you ADORE them and can't live without them.
4.You know what this poem needs now? Metaphors. Love and metaphors go together like steak and baked potatoes. You need to think of some metaphor representation of your love. Usually right before I get a restraining order placed on me, I like tell that special someone that “our love is like the deep blue sea.” This out course is a reference to the depth of my love. Looking back I should have compared that love to a creek, its shallow.
5.Now that you have some romantic metaphor in mind, try to work it into your poem somewhere.
6.Finally, love poems are typically packed full of words that evoke the sense. Try to add some imagery into your poem. Don't just tell him or her that you love them, show them with words. If you need some help then just out those sensory words I posted a while back. I would however strongly recommend that you refrain from using words like 'putrid' or 'slithering'. Rarely are those words considered flattering.
7.Finally, get a guitar and stand outside your loves window and recite this poem while playing guitar poorly at around 3 A.M.
8.Don't call me to bail you out of jail. You should have known better than to listen to me in the first place.

There you have it, Dr. Love's 8-steps to romantic poetry. For your assignment tonight, I want you to follow steps 1-6. If you perform step 7 then be sure you've read step 8, because your on your own.

BTW keep these poems clean and wholesome. Somethings are better left unsaid.

Good Luck.