One of the worst things to happen to a poet (or any creative) is the onset of writer’s block. For me, it’s like hitting a glass wall- I can see the inspiration on the other side, but the glass is preventing me from reaching it.

It’s super frustrating.

Thankfully, there are several ways to combat writer’s block. You can watch a movie, listen to music, play a video game, look at pictures, or read a book (such as my 20 Fun Ideas for Content Creation guide).

However, my favorite way is by using writing (or poetry) prompts.

Writing prompts can focus your mind, introduce new scenarios, and inspire you to look at things differently- all things that help us stay creative in the face of writer’s block.

So, without further ado, here are:

5 Poetry Prompts to Help Your Creativity Flow

1. Pick an item of nature (tree, rock, flower, bird, cloud, etc.) and write a poem from it’s point of view.
2. Create a poem around a favorite season (like Autumn).
3. Write a Ghazal about soup (or other food item).
4. Write a Sonnet about your favorite fictional character.
5. Write a poem about the item on your left.

Five doesn’t seem like enough, does it? Ok, have five more!

1. You’re a queen who’s lost her kingdom. Write a poem about your feelings and plan for the future. Are you resigned to your fate? Will you plot revenge? Only you know!
2. Go to the Louvre website and pick a collection. Then, write a poem about what you see/feel/learn about it.
3. Grab the nearest book and turn to a random page. The first full sentence you see is now the beginning of your poem.
4. Write an Acrostic poem using your name (or your pets name).
5. Grab an old newspaper and create some Blackout Poetry.

There you go! Ten poetry prompts to help you smash through writer’s block and get the creativity flowing. Enjoy, and remember not to think about it too much.

Some of our best work happens when we let the creativity take over, so pick a prompt and let your mind do the rest!