Written Tales is open for submissions — poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction. No themes, just bring your best work.

Selected writers are published on the site with a dedicated author page — a professional home for your work you can share anywhere. Paid members can request updates to their page at any time.

Want more? Take on one of our writing challenges. Challenge submissions are featured on both your author page and the Written Tales Challenge Series page — double the exposure, same submission.

No AI. No simultaneous submissions. 1,500 words max.

Paid members submit free. Everyone else, $5 keeps us independent.

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The past lingers in the corners of our lives: dusty, half-remembered, waiting to be rediscovered. Some doors stay shut for years, their hinges rusted with time, but what if one creaked open tonight? What would you find on the other side?

• A child’s shoe abandoned on a warped wooden staircase.

• A key that doesn’t fit any lock you own.

• The scent of rain-soaked earth in a room with no windows.

This challenge asks you to step through that door and explore what lies beyond. Is it memory? A ghost? A version of yourself you thought was lost? The emotion is yours to shape: dread, wonder, sorrow, or something nameless in between.

What waits behind the door you’ve refused to open?

🔹 Prompt: The Forgotten Door

✍️ Write a short story, personal essay, or poem about a door that shouldn’t exist. One that appears where it wasn’t before, or one you’ve avoided for years. Who left it there? What happens when you cross the threshold? Lean into sensory details: the weight of the handle, the sound it makes when it opens, the air that rushes out.

🖋️ Word Count: Up to 1,500

📌 Deadline: Open; submit when ready

💬 Need Some Inspiration?

• “The Key Under the Mat”—a door that only appears at 3 AM, but the key burns your fingers.

• “The Basement Door”—your childhood home never had one, so why is it there now?

• “The Neighbor’s Apartment”—you hear knocking, but the other side of the door is all bricks.

🎯 How to Submit

Select “Member Challenge” under “Submission For” when submitting via the

🔒 Member-Only Form

(Reminder: You must be a paid subscriber to access this.)

🎁 Selected entries may be published in an upcoming newsletter or considered for future digital chapbooks.

🖤 Written Tales

Where your stories matter.

📬 Not a Member Yet?

Support indie publishing and unlock access to exclusive challenges, free submissions, and publication opportunities.

Subscribe now

Sometimes the most powerful memories come from what’s been left behind.

• A worn jacket in the back of a closet.

• A voicemail never deleted.

• A name scratched into wood.

For this Member Challenge, we invite you to write about an object left behind, something ordinary or strange that carries unexpected meaning. Who left it? Why? What echoes from it still linger?

The heart of this prompt is emotional residue. Memory. Discovery.

What do we carry that isn’t ours?

🔹 Prompt: What They Left Behind

✍️ Write a short story, personal essay, or poem centered around an item someone else left behind. Use it to reveal something hidden, unresolved, or true.

🖋️ Word Count: Up to 1,500
📌 Deadline: Open; submit when ready

💬 Need Some Inspiration?

• A woman finds her sister’s diary in a moving box.

• A man discovers a strange locket under the floorboards of his new apartment.

• A child keeps finding notes in library books, always signed with the same name.

🎯 How to Submit

Select “Member Challenge” under “Submission For” when submitting via the

🔒 Member-Only Form.

(Reminder: You must be a paid subscriber to access this.)

🎁 Selected entries may be published in an upcoming newsletter or considered for future digital chapbooks.

Every object tells a story.

The one left behind might be yours to write.

🖤 Written Tales
Where your stories matter.

📬 Not a Member Yet?
Support indie publishing and unlock access to exclusive challenges, free submissions, and publication opportunities.

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We’re looking for poems, flash fiction, and short stories that cut deep, say something real, or leave a mark in 500 words or less.

If you’ve been sitting on a piece that still haunts you or if you just finished something you can’t stop thinking about, this is your sign.

At Written Tales, we publish work that sticks. The raw, the refined, the strange, the sharp. And we read everything that comes in.

🖋 What We’re Reading Now:

• Poetry (all forms welcome)

• Flash Fiction

• Short Fiction (under 2,000 words)

• Creative Non-Fiction (under 2,000 words)

🧾 Yes, There’s a $3 Submission Fee

That’s less than a coffee, and it helps us keep the lights on, read seriously, and avoid spam. It also means your work is entering a space where quality matters and where the slush pile isn't thousands deep.

Want to skip the fee?

Our paying members submit for free forever. Become a member here.

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✍️ Ready to Submit?

👉 Send us your work here
(Submissions are open year-round and read on a rolling basis.)

🎯 This Week’s Optional Prompt

Theme: The Edge of Something

Write about a moment of tension, change, danger, or quiet beginnings. A toe over the line. A word unsaid. A clock about to strike.

Submit poetry or prose (under 2,000 words) inspired by the theme, or send your strongest work regardless.

👉 Send us your work here

Sometimes the scariest moments are the ones we avoid.

A door we didn’t open.
A path we almost took.
A life that could’ve been, but wasn’t.

For this week’s Member Challenge, we want you to write about a choice left behind. A literal or symbolic door that remained closed. What was behind it? What stayed hidden?

The heart of this prompt is mystery and reflection. What changes when we don’t act?

🔹 Prompt: The Door You Didn’t Open
✍️ Write a poem or short story (fiction or nonfiction) about a moment where someone almost did something… but didn’t.

🖋️ Word Count: Up to 1,500
📌 Deadline: Open—submit when ready!

💬 Need Some Inspiration?

• A character walks past the house they grew up in, key still in hand.

• A woman ignores a text that could have changed everything.

• A man carries a letter he never delivers.

🎯 How to Submit

Select “Member Challenge” under “Submission For” when submitting via the Member-Only Form.

(Reminder: You must be a paid subscriber to access this.)

🎁 We may publish your piece in an upcoming newsletter and include select entries in future digital chapbooks or compilations.

Some doors stay closed forever—but the story doesn’t have to.

🖤 Written Tales
Where your stories matter.

For this week’s Member Challenge, we invite you to write about a moment where silence changed everything. Maybe it saved someone. Perhaps it ended a friendship. Maybe it burned a world to the ground.

Whatever the outcome, the heart of this challenge is tension—how something so small can shift everything.

🔹 Prompt: The Quiet Rebellion
✍️ Write a poem or short story (fiction or nonfiction) about a moment when silence was the boldest choice someone could make.
🖋️ Word Count: Up to 1,500
📌 Deadline: Open—submit when ready!

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💬 Need Some Inspiration?

• A soldier who refuses to follow orders… but says nothing.

• A daughter who doesn't correct a lie at dinner.

• A traveler who witnesses a crime and walks away.

You can write this in a gentle, angry, or joyful tone. Whatever voice you choose, make your silence sing.

🎯 How to Submit

Select “Member Challenge” under “Submission For” when submitting via the Member-Only Form.
(Reminder: You must be a paid subscriber to access this.)

🎁 We may publish your piece in an upcoming newsletter and include select entries in future digital chapbooks or compilations.

Let your words speak in silence.

🖤 Written Tales
Where your stories matter.

Hello Writers and Readers,

We’ve got some important updates about how submissions work at Written Tales — all designed to help us stay sustainable while continuing to spotlight powerful creative voices.

🎉 What’s New:

✅ Submissions are now open year-round
✅ We accept poetry, short fiction, and short non-fiction (1,500 words max)
✅ Reprints are welcome (just include the original publication info)
✅ Responses within 14–21 days

🧾 New Submission Options:

• Paid Subscribers can submit at any time for free via our Member-Only Submission Form
  (You must be logged in to access this form)

• Non-Members can still submit for a small fee — just $3 or more — via our General Submission Form

💡 Your support helps us keep Written Tales alive and thriving. We’re a solo-run indie magazine, and every subscriber and donation directly fuels the stories and poems we publish.

👉 Want to skip the fee and unlock extra perks? Become a paid subscriber today.

Subscribe now

Thanks for being part of this creative journey. Your stories matter.

— Kevin
https://writtentales.com

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Sage advice on remembering what you read. The tips offered in its short video are invaluable. One point I will mention is never underline or highlight. Instead, after you're done reading, you pick the length, go back and take notes about your thoughts. Do this, and watch your memory soar to the next level.

Another Read You Might Enjoy

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Service Includes:

• Proofreading: Correcting grammar, punctuation, and spelling errors.

• Line Editing: Enhancing clarity, flow, and style; refining syntax.

• Highlighted Feedback: Identifying problematic sections with comments and suggestions.

• Rewriting Assistance: Providing improved versions of sections directly in the document.

Ideal For: Poets and short story writers.

Turnaround Time: Up to one week+, depending on the manuscript’s complexity.

Pricing:

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Service Overview: Transform your manuscript into a professionally formatted e-book or print-ready PDF, ready for self-publishing. You retain all royalties.

Pricing:

• $50: Formatting for Kindle e-book and paperback up to 10,000 words.

• $100: Formatting for Kindle e-book and paperback up to 20,000 words.

• Custom Quote: For manuscripts over 20,000 words, please contact us for a personalized quote.

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Service Overview: Let us handle the setup of your book on major self-publishing platforms. We ensure a seamless process so you can focus on your writing. You retain all royalties.

Pricing:

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Book Cover Design Service

Service Overview: Provide your book’s title, subtitle, and author name, and receive 3-5 custom-designed covers to choose from. Once you select your preferred design, you'll receive the final cover in the required format for eBook or print.

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4. Submission: Provide your manuscript as a Word document (no PDFs).

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A.I. is entirely out of control, and as long as we go along with it, we will bring our own demise. I would recommend not buying anything created with A.I., period.

Rethinking Traditional Prompts

In today's world of writing, finding prompts to spark our creative endeavors can be a bit challenging. And at times they become brick walls, writer's block on steroids. To overcome these hurdles, it's time to explore a few unconventional prompts with one goal in mind. To push our boundaries, and help us unearth new storytelling possibilities.

Embracing the Unexpected

One effective strategy to spark our imaginations is to embrace the unexpected. And what do I mean by this? It's time to consider ideas that challenge the norm in surprising and fun ways. 

For instance:

• Craft a love story set in a future where emotions are prohibited.

• Write a dialogue between two inanimate objects, exploring their unique perspectives on the world.

• Create a poem inspired by a scientific theory, turning complex ideas into lyrical masterpieces.

These kinds of prompts will help us step outside of our comfort zones. It encourages us to experiment with elements thatfeel awkward at first. But, remember, the goal — disrupt our thought processes so we can unlock the untapped potential within our minds. Which takes me to the next point.

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Engaging the Senses

Writing prompts shouldn't be confined to words alone. Instead, try to engage through visual or auditory prompts. This adds a new layer to the creative process. A few examples include:

• Describe a city scene using only sounds or words that imitate noises. Show the energy of the city without saying what it looks like. 

  • For example: Ka-ching! Honk! Swish-swish. Footsteps patter. Ding-dong! Sizzle. Zoom! The city hums with life – a symphony of cars, people, and urban rhythms.

• Craft a story inspired by a painting or photograph, capturing the emotions it evokes.

• Write a character monologue based on the taste and aroma of a memorable meal.

In Closing

The beauty of these prompts, they'll encourage us to shake the dust off our routine and push us into uncharted writing territories. So, embrace the unexpected, challenge the norm, and witness creativity flow from our pens in ways we never imagined.

I can't wait to read what you drum up from these prompts.

Happy writing my friends!

If you liked this feature, check out:

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You can purchase Written Tales Magazine in print or digital format or become a paid subscriber and download your favorite editions. To view our upcoming stories & poems, please visit our publishing schedule calendar.

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For a poem to stand on its own, I agree with Jacques Derrida in his essay "Signature Events" that successful communication is effective if it can exist in the writer's absence. Even if we attempted to enforce restrictions, the reader's perspective outweighs the author's. Tommy Pico adopted text language into the traditional written form of poetry, not having sentences in horizontal succession. He used a lot of metaphors and extensively focused on images relating back to the central theme. However, it is not enough, at least in my belief, to spew out random observations without any intention of giving them a tent stake.

As far as the creative process goes, jotting down ideas as they unfold is the key. Then, get far, far, far away from the draft. Push it deep down where all your repressed memories go and let them search for air. I learned from a classmate, Mac, to begin with, a concrete setting. The poem is then told backward, giving the reader the illusion they are unearthing something, an equally accomplished gravedigger. Poetry relies less on little pebbles being placed super close together and more on placing intentional boulders. It is then the job of a poet to provide structure close enough, not close enough where one can't fall in, but providing life preservers for those who can't swim (and being okay if they drown).

It is that voice that is inherent in all of these principles. The culmination of one's experiences transforms ordinary moments into cosmic reflections. We can use all of the techniques in the world, but you cannot create something out of nothing. There is conductive magic in poetry, where vulnerability is the conductor.

Taya Boyles is a writer based in Richmond, Virginia. She is currently a senior pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in English at Virginia Commonwealth University. Taya's publishing journey started at just eight years old and has come a long way from misspelling glue.

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Poetry is an interesting art form. It can stir the soul, excite our senses, or drive a person to reflect on the words the writer shared. Others have applied this form in sharing news of current events. They bring issues to light with metaphors that interest the mind.

So then the question remains, where can we discover inspiration for writing poetry?

Nature and The Outdoors

We'll first head to an often overlooked resource filled with wonders, mother nature. While we live in a busy world, we neglect our surrounding scenes. If we'd slow down for a moment and observe, we have books of poetry to record.

The changes in the seasons and its vivid colors make for beautiful prose. Or seascapes with a sunset as waves crash against the shores. A delightful scene ready to be written. And, if we zero in on the neglected details, the pen can weave new worlds we ignore daily. Everything from the little ant who brings food home to its clan, or the delicate blossom as the bees dance upon her petals to collect pollen.

buzzing all around —
she dances on the flowers
gathering pollen

— by Kev, Haiku

No matter where our gaze takes us in nature, a poem awaits. All we must do is slow down and observe its beauty as we embrace our senses. It’ll open our world to share the smallest details, which goes unnoticed.

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Human Emotions & Experiences

Our human experience holds a treasure trove of poetic prose we can tap into at any time. We can draw from the love we feel towards our significant other. Or observations of those around us. To share these experiences and feelings through words, we can experiment with metaphors. It gives us the ability to express those little moments we capture in a glance in new and thought-provoking ways.

So when a little writing encouragement is needed, look around and consider how the experiences or events witnessed, pull on our heartstrings. Then we can convert them to stanzas and be amazed at the outcome.

Personal Reflections

The world within us offers a plethora of writing material. Our thoughts, memories, and personal reflections serves as a fountain of inspiration for poetry. These observations allow us to express our inner most feelings with others. It offers our unique perspectives and insights into how we view the world.

But, even more than our feelings, let’s not forget about how we view the surrounding objects. Maybe we notice a vase in a window and want to express its form, the vibrant colors, or a memory it resonates from our past. No matter what the reflection, our pens can capture these beautiful images in poetic form.

One example which comes to mind is from the master of Haiku. He took the mundane and turned the scene into words of enchantment.

The old pond,
A frog jumps in:
Plop!

— Matsuo Bashō

From this brief poem, the picture unfolds through the observation he made many centuries ago.

When we sit and reflect on the world and the memories within, it not only inspires us in the creation of new work, it allows for self-reflection and discovery. It unveils truths rooted deep in our minds that give us the ability to shed light on the human psyche and the physical world.

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Conclusion: A World of Inspiration Awaits

In closing, I hope these few areas will help drive inspiration and the encouragement to write every day. With each new memory, experience or object seen in nature, a poem waits for the world to read.

The next time a little motivation is desired, we only need to look to our senses and engage. We can explore our inner world and embrace the beauty and wonder around us.

From this day forward, let the magic of inspiration guide our pens!

Happy writing,

Kevin

Editor & Founder of Written Tales

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In the last article on poetic form, we looked at the Quatrain.

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This week we’ll look at a flexible form, the Minute poem. It gives poets a lot of control over the emotion or narratives they want to share through poetry. To showcase the works created from these series, our writing member community will have the opportunity of being featured on our main Written Tales site and this newsletter.

To submit your work from last week’s Quatrain challenge or this article, I've created a member community form to submit your entries.

Meet The Minute Poem

Through the Minute poem, poets can express their feelings and ideas in a brief and compact way. It contains 12 lines divided into three stanzas of 4 lines each. Each line has a set syllable count and rhyming pattern. This form originated from an interesting challenge by the American poet Verna Lee Hinegardner in 1968. The goal, pen a poem within a minute if you dare. But luckily, the 60 seconds wasn't encased in stone; only the pattern was. Despite its brevity, this wonderful little jewel offers poets a unique creative outlet.

The Structure

With only three stanzas, the poet must concentrate on word selection, rhythm, and syllable count. The first line of each stanza consists of 8 syllables, with each additional line consisting of 4.

• 8-4-4-4

• 8-4-4-4

• 8-4-4-4

With the rhyming scheme of aabb ccdd eeff.

This provides the poet with a perfect challenge to test their mastery of the written word—a concise format filled with imagery. Yes, rules, I know, but you can do it.

Here’s my attempt. I’ll go first.

When Sickness Comes

When sickness comes the soul relies (a/8)
Not on goodbyes, (a/4)
But love and hope (b/4)
Not twisted rope. (b/4)

For in their dreams they reign supreme (c/8)
In this life’s scheme. (c/4)
It's when they pray (d/4)
They see the way. (d/4)

Into the light, their soul floats by, (e/8)
No tear to cry. (e/4)
Their faith shines bright (f/4)
Into the night. (f/4)

Minute Poem by Kev

The Challenge

Are you up for a Minute Poem Challenge?

If yes, I challenge you. Write a poem using this form and submit your creation. If you accept, use the phrase “Minute Poem” for the name of the series in the form.

If you're a paid subscriber and don't have access to the submission page, please shoot me an email or use the contact form, and I'll get it sorted out. Thank you.

Leave a comment, as I enjoy hearing from each of you.

Happy Writing!

Kevin

If you need help with editing your amazing writing, check out Pro Writing Aid. We use and love it. Sign up with our link, and you will receive 20% off and help support the Written Tales. Some links in the article may contain Amazon affiliate links. Sales generated from these links help support our site.

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In the last article on poetic form, we looked at the Villanelle Poem.

This week we’ll look at a flexible form that gives the poets a lot of control over the emotion or stories they want to share through prose. To showcase the works created from these series, our writing member community will have the opportunity of being featured on our main Written Tales site and this newsletter.

To submit your prose from last week’s Villanelle introduction or this article, I've created a member community form to submit your entries.

The Quatrain

A stanza in a quatrain poem consists of four lines with fifteen possible rhyming schemes. One stanza can be considered the complete poem or part of a longer prose. It affords the writer to mix and match the rhyming scheme and line length as well as chain stanzas together.

Nostradamus

One writer of the past used this form extensively to share his visions with the world. The 16th-century prophet Michel de Nostredame (Nostradamus) used this form to deliver his famous prophecies.

Example

CENTURIE VI.

LXXI.
Quand on viendra le grand Roy parenter
Avant qu'il ait du tout. Pâme rendue :
Celuy qui moins le viendra lamenter.
Par Lyons, d'Aigles, croix, couronne vendue.

— abab

• The Complete Prophecies of Nostradamus

Emily Dickinson

A more current poet also used the quatrain form in most of her work, Emily Dickinson.

• The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson

Example

Because I could not stop for Death –
He kindly stopped for me –
The Carriage held but just Ourselves –
And Immortality.

— abcb

Do you see the pattern in the above two poems taking form?

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The Quatrain Structure

With the Quatrain form, there are fifteen different rhyming schemes, with the most in the following patterns:

• aaaa

• aabb

• abab

• abcb

• abba (envelope rhyme)

• aaba, bbcb, ccdc, dddd (chained rhyme)

Each stanza normally follows the same pattern, but it doesn't have to. And as mentioned earlier, a single stanza can be the entire poem. Due to the quatrain flexibility, it is an excellent form to produce a myriad of emotions and truths for your readers.

When writing multiple quatrains, some poets use a certain structure in addition to the rhyming scheme. They create a poetic story by setting each quatrain to take the reader from the opening to the conclusion, just like in short story writing.

The Quatrain Sequence

1. The subject.

2. Develops the theme.

3. Sum up the theme.

4. Conclusion

One example of this is seen in Robert Frost's poem, "Neither Out Far Nor In Deep." Not only does he use the above sequence, but also follows an "abab" rhyming pattern throughout.

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In the first quatrain, he sets up the poem's subject. It revolves around people and the sea. Everyone loves the ocean and is drawn to it, no matter where they're from. We can all relate.

The people along the sand (a)
All turn and look one way. (b)
They turn their back on the land. (a)
They look at the sea all day. (b)

Next, the theme. A ship in the distance and the waves it rides upon.

As long as it takes to pass (a)
A ship keeps raising its hull; (b)
The wetter ground like glass (a)
Reflects a standing gull (b)

Then he ties into the above stanza to sum up the theme. Even though the land has more variety, the sea, with its waves beating on the shore, mesmerizes us all.

The land may vary more; (a)
But wherever the truth may be— (b)
The water comes ashore, (a)
And the people look at the sea. (b)

And the conclusion. Only certain things can be found at sea, which draws us all to it. It's the unseen that peak our interest.

They cannot look out far. (a)
They cannot look in deep. (b)
But when was that ever a bar (a)
To any watch they keep? (b)

Other poets who used this form in their work include:

Langston Hughes, Let America Be America Again
Alfred Lord Tennyson, In Memoriam
Thomas Gray, Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard

The Challenge

If you’re up to it, I challenge you to write a poem using this form and submit your creation. If you accept, use the phrase “Quatrain Poem” for the name of the series in the form.

If you do not have access to the form, please shoot me an email or use the contact form and I will get it sorted out. Thank you.

Leave a comment, as I enjoy hearing from each of you.

Happy Writing!

Kevin

If you need help with editing your amazing writing, check out Pro Writing Aid. We use and love it. Sign up with our link, and you will receive 20% off and help support the Written Tales. Some links in the article may contain Amazon affiliate links. Sales generated from these links help support our site.

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In the last article on poetic form, we looked at the Ottava Rima.

This week we head into a fun form that gives the poets a chance to experiment and play with words. To showcase the works created from these series, our writing member community will have the opportunity of being featured on our main Written Tales site and this newsletter.

To submit your prose from last week’s cinquain introduction or this article, I've created a simple form to submit your entries.

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The Poetic Form

The Villanelle poem was originally called a villanella and villancico. They were Italian and Spanish dance songs during the Renaissance era. It wasn’t until the late 19th century when French poet Théodore de Banville defined the Villanelle as we see it today. Even though these poems didn’t take hold in French circles, they gained popularity with English-speaking poets such as Elizabeth Bishop, Dylan Thomas, W. H. Auden, Oscar Wilde, Seamus Heaney, and Sylvia Plath.

Despite its challenging structure, the Villanelle poem allows poets to experiment. By working with language and repetition, they play with rhyming patterns and syllable count. It creates unique powerful variations on the poetic form.

Structure of a Villanelle

The Villanelle is made up of 19 lines, with five tercets (three-line stanzas) and a final quatrain (four-line stanza).

Its rhyming scheme consists of:

a(1)ba(2)
aba
aba
aba
aba
aba(1)a(2)

Where the first and the third lines in the first stanza are repeated in alternating order throughout the poem, they then appear together in the last couplet, the last two lines).

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Example of a Villanelle

One of the most famous examples of a villanelle is Dylan Thomas's "Do not go gentle into that good night." This poem was written in 1947, and it is a powerful meditation on aging, death, and the human will to survive.

Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night

by Dylan Thomas

Do not go gentle into that good night, (1a)
Old age should burn and rave at close of day; (b)
Rage, rage against the dying of the light. (2a)

Though wise men at their end know dark is right, (a)
Because their words had forked no lightning they (b)
Do not go gentle into that good night. (1a)

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright (a)
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay, (b)
Rage, rage against the dying of the light. (2a)

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight, (a)
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way, (b)
Do not go gentle into that good night. (1a)

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight (a)
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay, (b)
Rage, rage against the dying of the light. (2a)

And you, my father, there on the sad height, (a)
Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray. (b)
Do not go gentle into that good night. (1a)
Rage, rage against the dying of the light. (2a)

The Poems of Dylan Thomas

The House on the Hill

Written in 1987
By Edwin Arlington Robinson

They are all gone away, (1a)
The House is shut and still, (b)
There is nothing more to say. (2a)

Through broken walls and gray (a)
The winds blow bleak and shrill: (b)
They are all gone away. (1a)

Nor is there one to-day (a)
To speak them good or ill: (b)
There is nothing more to say. (2a)

Why is it then we stray (a)
Around the sunken sill? (b)
They are all gone away, (1a)

And our poor fancy-play (a)
For them is wasted skill: (b)
There is nothing more to say. (2a)

There is ruin and decay (a)
In the House on the Hill: (b)
They are all gone away, (1a)
There is nothing more to say. (2a)

From the Selected Poems of Edwin Arlington Robinson

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If you’re up to it, I challenge you to write one and submit your poetic creation. If you accept, use the phrase “Villanelle Poem” for the name of the series in the form.

Leave a comment, as I enjoy hearing from each of you.

Happy Writing!

Kevin

If you need help with editing your amazing writing, check out Pro Writing Aid. We use and love it. Sign up with our link, and you will receive 20% off and help support the Written Tales. Some links in the article may contain Amazon affiliate links. Sales generated from these links help support our site.

Last week’s article introduced the cinquain poem. I hope you had a little fun writing a few of these beautiful gems. To showcase the works created from these series, I added a new feature for our writing member community. Pieces derived from the series will have the opportunity of being featured on our main Written Tales site and this newsletter.

To submit your prose from last week’s cinquain introduction or this article, I've created a simple form to submit your entries.

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The Poetic Form

With this said, it's time to meet another poetic form, the Ottava Rima. This poem was created in the late 13th & 14th century. It first appeared throughout Spain and Portugal due to its Italian origin. Later, it found its way to England. Giovanni Boccaccio, a writer, and poet helped establish the form in the 1300s. The themes contained within this form consist of subject matter encompassing religion, heroic epic tales, cultural events, and adventures. Most of the early work I’ve seen surrounded religious topics.

The Ottava Rima consists of an 8-line stanza with 10-11 syllables. Each line must contain the same syllable count. The rhyming pattern for a single stanza poem follows: ABABABCC.

If more than one stanza, the pattern changes:

• Two, ABABABCC, DEDEDEFF

• Three, ABABABCC, DEDEDEFF, GHGHGHII

And it continues in the same fashion with each additional stanza.

When writing in this form, be careful of the words used for rhyme. Words ending in "ly" make it easier.

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Example 1.

A crystal palace sat atop a hill,
Secluded from society with trees.
A technique the Japanese did instill
When men did murder in the third degree;
In the moat, non-tame beast waited to kill;
In which implied a savage killing spree.
And when they were done a clone would become
Ungodly excrement of human scum.

Heaven forbids if these men were alive,
The menagerie would start their next feast.
But thanks be to God they did not survive;
Rough as their fight may have been, they decreased.
They meditate; their souls begin to thrive
Round their obelisk where they lay deceased.
And even in death where their bodies rest,
The beast are seen possessed, from the hill crest.

by Kev, two stanza poem.

The pattern in the first rhymes hill, instill and kill on lines 1, 3, 5. Line 2, 4, 6 uses trees, degree, and spree. Line 7 and 8 use become and scum. Each line employs a 10-syllable count.

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If you’re up to it, I challenge you to write one and submit your poetic creation. If you accept, use the phrase “Ottava Rima” for the name of the series in the form.

Leave a comment as I enjoy hearing from each of you.

Happy Writing!

Kevin

If you need help with editing your amazing writing, check out Pro Writing Aid. We use and love it. Sign up with our link, and you will receive 20% off and help support the Written Tales. Some links in the article may contain Amazon affiliate links. Sales generated from these links help support our site.

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Throughout the week, I'm blessed to read many submissions from writers around the world. And I enjoy each one. But, one issue I see too often, they're still in draft form. This includes both poetry and short stories. The root cause seems to stem from a lack of exposure to different genres. Therefore, the authors only produce what's in their comfort zone and they don't push their creative edge.

In the poetry category, too many use free-verse as a crutch. They believe it's a free for all where anything goes. That's a fatal misconception. Even within the free-form style, rules exist, which most are unaware.

To help challenge writers in their creative process, I'm might create a series of these types of articles. But, I need your feedback if it's something you'd like offered by Written Tales.

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To begin, we'll start with different poetry forms. The forms help

• increase vocabulary,

• get the thought process flowing,

• work with meter and prose,

• and most important, help you become a better all around writer for readers to enjoy.

Why start with poetry?

It embraces the mind to think through metaphors instead of telling the reader. You'll show readers and not tell them verbatim. You'll use comparison to create an image in the reader’s mind. It'll force the use of a thesaurus. A critical tool in all written forms. Last, the syllable count. This alone makes writing poetry not only challenging, but fun.

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Cinquain Poem

We'll kick the series off with the cinquain poem created by Adelaide Crapsey. She lived from 1878 to 1914 and enjoyed the Japanese tanka and haiku forms. They offered beautiful imagery in short, bite size prose. And from these styles, her cinquain was born.

But, like all other forms, the Cinquain has rules which help you consider each word with care. Remember, there's only twenty-two syllables across fives lines to complete the prose.

• Line 1 consists of two (2) syllables,

• line 2 four (4),

• line 3 six (6),

• line 4 eight (8)

• and line 5 two (2).

They can be written with multiple stanzas, chained, or written in reverse (2, 8, 6, 4, 2).

Like the tanka, where the third line becomes the pivot point, the cinquain uses the last line to reiterate the first with a synonym.

a word or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word or phrase in the same language, for example shut is a synonym of close: “the East” was a synonym for the Soviet empire | “shut” is a synonym of “close”.

— American English Dictionary

A good place to begin the adventure is:

Line 1: Noun (2 syllables)
Line 2: Description of noun (4 syllables)
Line 3: Action (6 syllables)
Line 4: Feeling or Effect (8 syllables)
Line 5: Synonym of the initial noun (2 syllables).

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Example 1

Image; (noun)
Perfect outlines (description)
Swirling around my mind. (action)
Never again replicated (Effect)
Artwork (synonym)

by Kev, single stanza

Example 2

Female — (noun)
	Pretty lady,
	Smile for me my baby;
	Harassment on the city streets
		— Object (synonym, noun)
			Just eye candy
			Treated with great disdain;
			Sexual objects for profits
				— Enraged (synonym)

by Kev, chained cinquain

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As you see from the examples, these little poems can cover any topic. But the fun is in the rules. They make you think and pick each word with care.

If you enjoyed this article and would like me to continue this series, let me know. Heck, I might even add a section on the main website to showcase your creations. But again, I need your feedback.

Happy writing!

Kevin

As an editor, I interact with many writers throughout the day. Many have asked, what’s the best way to improve your writing?

Going back over past emails, I've consolidated to share the advice in this article.

1. Reading

The most important way of becoming a better writer, read across different genres. If you mainly read fiction, try books on history or biographies. The more diverse the reading, the more dynamic the writing as it allows us to see different styles.

2. Dialogue

When creating dialogue, try to write as we speak.

Instead of writing:

Jim said, “Hi Sally?”

Sally replies, “Hola, Jim.”

Make it fluid. Give a brief opening and let the dialog bring the characters to life.

Jim and Sally approached one another, and before Jim could slip past her, she replied, “Hey man, what’s up? Where you headed?”

“To the store. Gonna pick up some cigs.”

“Cool, mind if I come?”

Without hesitation, Jim makes a run for it.

3. Reference Books

Keep a dictionary, and thesaurus on hand. With these two items alone, it’ll improve writing tenfold. The dictionary helps as it increases our vocabulary and the understanding of the words.

One way to practice with this approach, pick a random word as a prompt. Then use the word directly, or the theme of the definition in a poem or short story.

If it’s a verb, focus on action. If a noun, describe the definition without using the actual word. This helps to focus on the meaning of what we write.

In this example, we’ll use the word flower.

flow·er (noun)

1. the seed-bearing part of a plant, consisting of reproductive organs (stamens and carpels) that are typically surrounded by a brightly colored corolla (petals) and a green calyx (sepals).

We’ll write a short poem describing the life and death of the plant. We won’t mention the word flower. But describe it with words to show and not tell.

She shines under the golden light:
Embracing the warmth with her might.
Her stem buckles under the breeze,
As thirst devours her lush leaves.
Her petals fall upon the earth,
The land devours, no rebirth.

A thesaurus helps us find words with more profound meanings. It helps to take our writing to the next level.

Take a piece you've written in the past and replace the words. Revise it with a thesaurus in hand. Search for stronger words to increase the emotion or feeling.

Example

Before

Jim ran to the store to buy a bag of chips. He was hungry and needed to eat.

After

Famished, Jim sprinted to the store to quell his hunger. He purchased a bag of chips and devoured them in one bite.

4. Prompts

Whenever there’s a chance to engage in prompts, do it. We can find them all over the web

• Written Tales,

• Twitter, 

• and allpoetry.com

Example

A while back I engaged in a twitter horror prompt. The challenge, write a poem or story with up to 280 characters based on the word mayhem.

Rather than using the word verbatim, try to use the definition or theme in your story.

In 266 characters, I came up with this.

Gunfire ripped through the forest. Bodies shredded. I dove under the Stryker and opened fire. It’s hell on earth. And then, silence. I stood, backtracked fifteen paces, tripping over an officer’s severed head. The terror on his face never left me. That soldier was me.

The only way to improve one’s writing is to write. Find a prompt and dig in. You never know what you will come up with.

I hope this has help give a little inspiration into the creative writing process. If you have a story or poem you’d like to share, submit it. You’ll never know what could become of it.

Editing Help

if you need help with editing your amazing writing, check out Pro Writing Aid, we use and love it. Sign up with our link and you will receive 20% off, and help support the Written Tales.