Beginnings can be special and traumatic times, they can be gentle or violent and sometimes both. Think about beginnings, such as the birth of you or your child or the universe, of cultures of art movements, of science.
So start your writing off with “In the beginning…” and see where it takes you!
Write for at least 5 minutes without stopping to assess what it is you are putting down on the paper!
As you have probably gathered from some of the other exercises, the senses are very useful for creating strong imagery.
First find a lemon, then on the top of separate pages write down these questions:
What does it look like?
What does it smell like?
What does it feel like?
What does it sound like? (sound can be a bit tricky but ping it with your fingers, drop it or cut it, or just hear its silence!)
What does it taste like?
How does it make you feel, does it stir any memories or associations for you?
Now answer the question – fill up as much of each page as you can, the more material you have the easier constructing a poem from it will be!
Scour your house and find five objects with different textures on them, then set these up in your preferred writing area.
Now examine them, touch them, and if it is safe to do so taste them! Are they rough or smooth? Think about the associations you have with specific textures.
Write all this down and mix in a few colours. From the resulting jumble of phrases there may well be something a poem can grow from 
If you are really lucky you might even get a poem right off – happy composing
The night sky has always held the human mind spell bound, the glittering array of stars peppering the inky sky has been a source of many rich myths and legends, entire religions have grown out of that vastness.
The moon itself has many personae and associated powers and without it in the sky our world would be very different.
The night sky has always beckoned us onwards whether through exploration of the mind’s own darkness within or to reach up to the very depths of space and build giant metal birds to do so!
But with all this beauty and all this history it is something the modern town dweller often misses. And even out of the towns with their majestic orange glow there is often little incentive to wander out into the crisp cold dark.
However – even on overcast nights the sky can be dramatic and beautiful as anyone who’s seen the moonbow will attest. So go find a patch of night sky and really look at it – look at the stars, look at the wisps of cloud, sip that hot chocolate as purple storm clouds pour freezing rain down on you. Remember these sensations, this experience and now go and write!
Historical figures are normally surrounded in some sort of mystique, whether for the good or the bad – think King Arthur and his round table, or Gengis Khan. Pick an historical figure and spend half an hour looking them up on the internet.
Sometimes just the imagery is enough – the rich vibrant textures or the fact that so little is actually known about the person they are a shadow; myth and deeds and nothing more!
So start writing about whom ever you choose
If you are stuck for a Historical figure why not choose Ada Lovelace as March sees Ada Lovelace Day where people pledge to write about women in technology on their blogs and what not! If you have a poetry blog you could save the poem and send it live then And there are plenty of other historical female technologists to choose from too like Caroline Herschel.
Good writing to all.
Occasions are a rich source of inspiration – think about all the parties, funerals, weddings, graduations etc… that you have been too. Pick one; recall how emotionally charged the event was, what were people wearing, saying, was there background noise or an ominous silence?
Yummy cake or cheap beer? What did it smell like? Rose petals? Cigarette smoke?
Take the feelings and the imagery and write! Maybe use it as an extended metaphor for the process of life or some such
Collect together some sweet wrappers – these are often pretty coloured foils or transparent coloured plastic – think of what a treasure box they can make.
Of how they inspire the magpie instinct in us.
Look at how the light catches the creases and the metallic sheen of them. The sweet burnt sugar smell that often lingers and even the annoying stickiness!
Write these musings down and you might be surprised at what you find!
Look at this beautiful photo – showing what you would think of as an ancient mandala type pattern – instead this is part of an electricity pylon. Think about how the photographer has made the mundane and even ugly into something of mysticism and wonder.
(Picture kindly donated for use by WoPoWriMo by Ella Gale please do not use the photo for anything other than the writing exercise – if you want to use it for something else ask Ella!)
Think about the strong black lines and their contrast to the background.
Or write about it in anyway you want – look at it and let it inspire you!
Do you love coffee? Do you hate it? Do you worship hot drinks of all varieties or think that caffeine is the worst discovery ever made?
Think of the different types of coffee; of bitter and rich, golden or brown, of a head of warm white froth or the smooth glide of the latte going down.
Preferably have a cup there in front of you so you can smell it – yes even if you hate the stuff!
Now write… go on! Pick up that pen!
Go for an afternoon to either a museum or art gallery – in the UK at least a lot of these are free for the most part. Again carry a note book or something to record information on. Look at the exhibits – does anything jump out at you – that painting over there, the steward asleep in their chair.
Record these little snippets – any interesting facts you read about an object. If your an artist you might want to to make a quick sketch.
This gives you snippets to take away with you to write from another day. But you can also find one exhibit or gallery that touches something – if this happens or even if you think it just might be happening – sit down and write – don’t worry about structure or spellings – just pour the thoughts onto the page – you can edit it when you get home.