Day 8 – Magic

She kissed his lips and took his life

And gave him a new one full of ice

His fingers blue as he played with his gift

Hoarfrost alive building on his finger tips

Snow blew around in a blizzard of his

Drawn to the woman who granted him this

He looked into her eyes searching for answers

Should he be scared of this new power

*****

Someone was coming, it was not safe

Quickly she took him in her embrace

Down into the water their bodies crushed

Safely hidden from the intruders eyes

Her kiss feeding him oxygen, keeping him alive

And what was this, upon her neck

The little slits looked like gills

Her pupils stretched like a reptiles

Day 8’s challenge

For Day 8 the challenge was to “write poems in which mysterious and magical things occur. Your poem could take the form of a spell, for example, or simply describe an event that can’t be understood literally. Feel free to incorporate crystal balls, fauns, lightning storms, or whatever seems fierce and free and strange.”

I loved this challenge and had so many ideas, I couldn’t focus. I thought about a statute coming to life, that is the perfect manly figure, capturing the hearts of women but he can’t be touch or you’ll turn to stone and he has a graveyard of statues of women that hadn’t been able to resist him. I will save that story idea for another day…

Instead, I wrote the poem based on one of my favorite scenes from my novel Drift (querying as Jewel of the sea). The whole novel is on Wattpad for feedback and the chapters this poem relates to are titled 26. Don’t Tell and 27. Revelation.

The version I’m sending for query has been edited a lot and has different chapter names but I still value any feedback you can give me. The novel is marked private so only followers can view (to prevent pirate/mirror sites).

If you don’t have Wattpad, you’ll be pleased to know that I have posted the two chapters to my blog. Click here to read.

April 7, 2018 Ally Aldridge Writing

Day 7 – Suspense

Full of excitement

Anticipation

Wish I could rush

To the moment I’m waiting

Day 7’s challenge

For Day 7 the challenge was “In our interview, Kyle Dargan suggests writing out a list of all of your different layers of identity. For example, you might be a wife, a grandmother, a Philadelphian, a dental assistant, a rabid Phillies fan, a seamstress, retiree, agnostic, cancer survivor, etc.. These are all ways you could be described or lenses you could be viewed through. Now divide all of those things into lists of what makes you feel powerful and what makes you feel vulnerable. Now write a poem in which one of the identities from the first list contends or talks with an identity from the second list. This might turn out to be kind of a “heavy” exercise, emotionally, but I hope you will find the results enlightening.”

This challenge feels a bit deep and revealing and I just don’t have the time. I was at a party this morning and another this afternoon. Busy, busy, busy. I decided to just write whatever I feel like…

Now, I have that blank page feeling…

With no idea what write…

But finally, I came up with something short and sweet. I hope you enjoy ?

April 2, 2018 Ally Aldridge Writing

Day 2 – Perspective

I will not amount to much

I have no style

I am not smart

I invest in others

Trust too much

***

Your nature’s sweet

You’re very kind

But you lack ambition

Have no drive

You don’t even try to fit in

***

What they lack in confidence

They may up in persistence

Unique and cool

Accepting of all

Laughing off being a fool

Day 2’s challenge

For Day 2 the challenge was to write a poem changing the point of view. At first I had no clue what to write the poem about, then I thought about it from a fiction writers perspective.

Click here to read my article on Point of Views.

This challenge made me think about the reliability of characters especially in first person as it is all about how they see themselves and the world. It can be very bias. By flipping view points in a story you can give the reader a completely different experience.

I love writing in first person and find writing in third person the hardest. I enjoy experimenting and pushing myself to try new things.

Let me know what you think and if you gave this challenge a go.

March 30, 2018 Ally Aldridge Writing

Poems for April

April appears to be the month for celebrating all things poetry. I am aware of two groups promoting poetry celebration in April so I shall start by introducing them.

April for Poetry

Academy of American Poets – National Poetry Month

The Academy of American Poets founded National Poetry Month in April 1996. The celebration is used to acknowledge the achievements of American poets, share poems and encourage support and awareness of their work.

Click here to find out more about the celebration.

Maureen Thorson – NaPoWriMo

It was started in 2003 by Maureen Thorson, a poet living in Washington, DC. She was inspired by NaNoWriMo – hence the similar name. It stands for National Poetry Writing Month. The challenge is to write one poem a day for the 30 days of April.

Click here to find out more about how to participate.

Taking the challenge

So, I am going to dare to take the NaPoWriMo challenge. It might not be great to start with as it is a while since I’ve written any poetry but I hope we will see an improvement towards the end. I also hope that I find time to participate everyday.

Please let me know if you are taking part or have a poetry blog. It would motivate me to see what you are doing and I would find it inspirational.

Tag: Poetry challenge