“We are always learning, synthesizing, and applying new thought patterns as we grow.” – dimitrireyespoet.com
In a recent workshop I discussed writing schedules with students. Mind you, this is a conversation that comes up often as we always seem to be chasing that carrot of balanced time between our social lives, work, possibly school, and our hobbies which include writing and I always have a different way of arriving to the same answer of commitment. But commitment is a 9 letter word and if my commitment was a cat that started life over each time I’d pick up and drop a schedule, well— I wouldn’t have a cat anymore.
But I did mention that when I fell into a groove I lived in that groove and enjoyed it for as long as I could and a few students are at the point where they’ve felt the same way. Since I deal with this question so often I naturally became interested in our subconscious thought process of making decisions that lead us from the stage of incubation (thinking) to articulation (expression). Many of us who consider ourselves professional writers are generally students until death. We are always learning, synthesizing, and applying new thought patterns as we grow. The way in which we tend to enjoy turning education and learning into a game led me to the creation of the Poetry Card Game.
It’s quite simple and essentially breaks down one of the many ways we arrive at experimenting with new forms and concepts where the one objective is to draft a new poem.
HOW TO PLAY
There are 3 decks of 15 cards each.
The 3 decks consist of FORM, CRAFT TECHNIQUES, and SUBJECT.
- Shuffle and randomly select a card from each deck.
- Lay the cards out in front of you like so….
3. This is your objective. So for example, this objective is to “Write a(n) acrostic poem about news or a current event using the repetition technique.”
4. Give yourself, your party, or class a set time to write (I’d aim for 5-25 minutes, remember they’re just drafts!) and get to work!
5. Afterwards, I suggest leaving some time to share as a group or if you’re alone, contemplate the experience and take note about what came easier or harder for you in the writing process.
And that’s it! You can choose to work this game into your own writing time or do so with friends. I tried this in our workshop yesterday and it worked out beautifully.
Ways to make the game easier?
Easy:
Allow yourself to reshuffle the decks and pick another set if the objective was too difficult.
Easier:
At the beginning of the game, choose which group of cards (FORM, CRAFT TECHNIQUE, or SUBJECT) and pick a card from that deck. Randomly select a card from the other two decks.
Easiest:
Choose what you’ll write about by selecting a card from each deck.
As an educator in-person and online, this simple set up allows enough customization to service classrooms everywhere. Whether you teach children, teens, or adults this is an amazing way to have students brush up on known and/or skills while offering just enough of a challenge.
MAKING THE GAME
Materials:
– Paper, weighted paper, cardstock, cardboard, etc
– Markers
Optional:
– Scissors
– Glue
– Ribbons
– Tape
– Crayons/ Paint
Steps: *tips included after steps*
- Decide what material the cards will be made out of. You can use regular paper, cardstock, cardboard, or any other material that can be written on.
- Decide how many options you have in each deck. I suggest at least 5 in each of the 3 decks for a total of 15 cards. This will keep the game interesting. You can add more later.
a. I found myself struggling with the forms after number 12. Theoretically one should be able to write a poem with any combination of cards but it helps to think about possible forms, craft techniques, and subjects that will compliment each other when combined. - Once you’ve decided the number of cards in each deck write ‘Form’, ‘Subject’, and ‘Craft’ on each individual card until you have the correct number of each.
- Then, research different craft techniques and forms for each card. Each card (on the opposite face of the card name) should have a title at the top with enough room for a sentence or two that’ll define the card. Some good examples are italian sonnet, free verse, cinquain, metaphor, alliteration, rhyme.
5. Once you’ve come up with your Craft Technique and Form cards, think of themes for your poems. This can be as simple as “A poem about something being full,” or, “A poem in which the speaker loses something of value.” Make sure to have a good range between easy and difficult options. Write them on the cards.
Tips:
- Write out the ideas on paper first. You may even want to make a mock up on regular notebook paper first then transfer them over to the nicer cards when finished. I found myself doubling back and changing cards and descriptions several times.
- Have an off-balanced ratio of easy and hard cards for an enjoyable game, having 60% of the cards being what you’d consider ‘easy’ to somewhat of a challenge.
- If you are using this competitively with experienced writer friends or yourself as an exercise and turn to the card game for a challenge, feel free to make the game more difficult by choosing techniques and forms you don’t usually turn to.
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