Day 5 of 30: Say It New

A prompt from the poet Victoria Redel

Today we’re re-sharing a prompt from the poet Victoria Redel. One of the things about great writers is that they don’t always make for great teachers, but Victoria is a true blend of both. She has an especially interesting prompt for us that promises to twist you out of your old mental ruts and usual creative grooves.

—Suleika

P. S. Since April is National Poetry Month (as if our month of journaling wasn’t enough!), you should take a peek at her Instagram where she reads a poem each week by a poet no longer with us.

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L'Oiseau De Ciel (The Sky Bird) by René Magritte

Day 5. Say it New by Victoria Redel

At times these days I just don’t quite know what’s what. I’m in my same house. It still looks the same. Same bed. Same desk. Same chair. I wear the same black or white tee shirt. But then I turn my head, look up from a book and the day goes odd and the house and desk and bed and chair get strange too. As if they are not quite what they have been. Just like that Byrne song? “How did I get here?” Byrne asks. The day is the day but what does a day now mean? I want to write but am not sure how or what. Some things want to be said, might need to be said in new ways. And I am not sure what I need to say. Still I want to speak of joy. Of all the small joys. I want to be of use too. How do we find the words we need to give to the self or to a friend?

Here is a prompt that helps me feel my way on a path that tricks me to say it new and speak new truths. It is a prompt I’ve done in each class I’ve taught. And I don’t think that’s a lie. I will say it’s one that first gets groans and  “no ways” and then turns out some of the best work in each class. Folks tell me that long since the class, they still use the prompt when they hit a rough patch in their work. It helps to trick the self to think “form” and not “what they should say.”  It’s great to use this weird prompt when you want to write what gets you scared. Let’s say it lets you walk in at an odd bend. But, look, there’s no need to write fear prose or a fear poem at all. It could be a love piece.

Your prompt for today:
Write at least one full page of prose or a poem. It can be a made-up tale, a scene, a thing you’ve just done or seen. It can be a dream. But the one thing you can’t do is use a word that’s more than one syllable. 

Huh? Wait? What! No way! Come on, it’s fun. Trust me, it is. And, sure, it is tough. At least when you start.  But your voice will jazz in new ways. The beats of the words will pop in new ways. You will have to walk this way and that and bend and stretch to find your way to say the thing you need to say. Which means you will write in new ways.  Which is cool. It will not sound as odd as it seems. (Just look… the one word in this whole long prompt that is not one syllable… is the word “syllable.”)

P.S. If you need more of a boost, here are some more words to use:  wood, whir, first, red, brush, trace, friend.

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