Are you feeling the February slump in creativity? Need an idea that would combine creative writing and art in the same class? Or maybe you just need some fresh inspiration to get rid of writer's block. The goal of these projects is to twist the imagination and wring out some unique words. These creative writing projects are for middle school students, but even an adult can enjoy them. We're going to look at making magazine letters, old-fashioned valentines, and black out poems. Let these ideas spark your interest and creativity.
Magazine Letters
My mom introduced this idea to me years ago. She'd hand me paper, glue sticks, a few magazines, a scissors, and tell me to make sentences out of magazine words to form a letter. The restrictions of using magazine words and phrases creates a humorous letter to send someone.
Here are several tips to help you get started:
Just start cutting out words, phrases, idioms, etc. that catch your eye.
Cut out pronouns (I, me, we, you, us), conjunctions (and, for, but), articles (a, an, the) and verbs.
Pick a person you want to send the letter to and think of what would interest them as you browse the magazines for words and phrases.
Start placing some words into sentences. Then look for specific words to fill in the gaps.
Don't be afraid to add a few "penned words" as well.
Send it off in the mail to make someone's day!
Old Fashioned Valentines
When I was in fourth grade, my teacher had each of us students write Valentine notes for our classmates. I reminisce and chuckle over the messages penned so long ago. One family I know created a tradition of giving each other Valentines every February. With their permission I am sharing their fabulous ideas with you. Using puns and idioms is always a great place to start when creating Valentines. Adding a personal message and your own creativity offers heartfelt meaning to the note.
* We all love it when wording mistakes make it even more humorous. The line in the card above is supposed to say, "I would say heart, but we both know MY belly is bigger."
~ Special thanks to the Horst family.
Black Out Poetry
This method of creativity has existed for years, used by poets and writers alike to escape writer's block. Take a newspaper print or an old book page, and a permanent marker. Start by scanning the text. Find a word or two that jumps out at you. Outline those words, then select other words that create a line. Begin obscuring the other text behind black ink. The poem can be as simple as a captivating thought or poetic imagery. Don't over think or it will create stress rather than relieve it as intended.
I hope these ideas were helpful. We'd love to see your creations.
Happy February!
~ Jennifer Yoder
Comments