Skip to main content

2024 April PAD Challenge: Day 17

Write a poem every day of April with the 2024 April Poem-A-Day Challenge. For today's prompt, write a Not Blank poem.

For today's prompt, take the phrase "Not (blank)," replace the blank with a new word or phrase, make the new phrase the title of your poem, and then, write your poem. Possible titles might include: "Not the Only One," "Not Like This," "Not Without Eating One More Piece of Pie," and/or "Not Sure What I Was Saying."

Remember: These prompts are springboards to creativity. Use them to expand your possibilities, not limit them.

Note on commenting: If you wish to comment on the site, go to Disqus to create a free new account, verify your account on this site below (one-time thing), and then comment away. It's free, easy, and the comments (for the most part) don't require manual approval.

*****

2024 Poetry Writing Virtual Conference

Later this month, be sure to check out the 3rd annual Writer's Digest Poetry Writing Virtual Conference with four great presentations put on by award-winning poets covering a variety of topics, including how to put together poetry collections and bring fresh insight to familiar ideas.

Click here to learn more.

*****

Here’s my attempt at a Not Blank Poem:

"Not Without Consequence"

intentions are a fragile crutch
i've set upon a dusty hutch
within a room that gets poor light
so days look similar to nights

and without time to keep me close
i loose the pulse of former ghosts
that haunt me when the wind blows right
through my intentions like a knife

Tao Leigh Goffe: Embrace Rejection

Tao Leigh Goffe: Embrace Rejection

In this interview, author Tao Leigh Goffe discusses how an email out of the blue led her to write her new book, Dark Laboratory.

The Siren Song of Memory: Avoiding Sentimentality in Fiction When Using Material From Our Past, by Lucian Childs

The Siren Song of Memory: Avoiding Sentimentality in Fiction When Using Material From Our Past

Award-winning author Lucian Childs discusses the tricky act of mining our memories for fiction while also avoiding sentimentality, including five strategies for making it work.

Writing Mistakes Writers Make: Writing Like a Publisher

Writing Mistakes Writers Make: Writing Like a Publisher

The Writer's Digest team has witnessed many writing mistakes over the years, so we started this series to help identify them for other writers (along with correction strategies). This week's writing mistake is writing like a publisher.

Subtext and the Art of Dramatic Tension in Fiction, by Zeeva Bukai

How to Use Subtext and the Art of Dramatic Tension in Fiction

Award-winning author Zeeva Bukai shares five storytelling elements that have helped her add subtext and dramatic tension to her writing, including examples of adding subtext in fiction.

Megan Collins: On the Complexity of Heartbreak

Megan Collins: On the Complexity of Heartbreak

In this interview, author Megan Collins discusses the surprising amount of fun she’s had promoting her new thriller, Cross My Heart.

Finding Strength in Rejection: Turning Setbacks Into Success as a Writer, by Deanna Martinez-Bey

Finding Strength in Rejection: Turning Setbacks Into Success as a Writer

Author Deanna Martinez-Bey shares how to find strength in rejection by turning setbacks into success as a writer.

Why Writers Shouldn't Fear Distraction but Embrace It, by Liza Monroy

Why Writers Shouldn’t Fear Distraction But Embrace It

Author Liza Monroy discusses why writers shouldn't fear being distracted. Rather, they should embrace it.

Symbolic Drive: Using Allegory in Fiction, by Erika Swyler

Symbolic Drive: Using Allegory in Fiction

Bestselling author Erika Swyler discusses how allegory is "a vital form for political critique, an elegant genre in its own right, and a reliable engine for the novel."

Edward Underhill: Spite Keeps Me Going

Edward Underhill: Spite Keeps Me Going

In this interview, author Edward Underhill discusses how wanting to go back in time inspired his new LGBTQ+ magical realism novel, The In-Between Bookstore.