Writing Challenge
Don’t Know What to Send Us?
If you’re thinking about sending us a submission, but aren’t sure that you have something to send - you can always try our standing writing challenge.
We’ve seen other journals do this challenge and liked it, so we swiped the idea for our site.
It’s easy. Use a random word generator to pick three to five random words. This one is useful:
Then write a poem that contains each of the words at least once.
In your submission, please clearly indicate that you took on our writing challenge and which random words you incorporated into your piece. We’ll give extra consideration to your submission for taking the time to write something new!
An Example
The Suit, by Rohan Buettel
While the norm is to damn,
take the lean with the crude,
yet the force of your kick
leaves the spring still afloat
in your breast as you walk,
though you lose on the floor.
At your desk wear a mask,
steal a mile while you feed,
in the ditch hear a boom
as the real takes a toll.
At the tail β press your will,
near the edge, seek to squash.
Show the flex of a duke
on the course that you graze,
hide the bleed as you dip,
dig the pile looking sharp,
still as well at the end
as you need, you must shine
on the shelf, on the rack
for your goal is to lie.
Author’s Statement
A random word generator was used to produce forty nouns with the objective of using two of the generated words in each line of the poem in the order in which they were produced.
Looking at the words produced, the idea came to write the poem in dimeter anapaests, with the random noun (or part of the noun where more than one syllable) on the stressed syllable.
About the Author
Rohan Buettel lives in Canberra, Australia. His haiku have appeared in various Australian and international journals (including Frogpond, Cattails and The Heron’s Nest). His longer poetry most recently appears in The Elevation Review, Rappahannock Review, Penumbra Literary and Art Journal, Mortal Magazine, Passengers Journal, Reed Magazine, Meniscus and Quadrant.