Lions and Pirates and Bears, Oh My

"Be careless, reckless! Be a lion, be a pirate, when you write." --Brenda Ueland


Do you follow rules? When we were young, the adults told us to be nice, to play fair, not to bite our friends. Now adults, we wear watches, stop at the yellow light, haul the recycling to the curb. We are good people. So, when we sit down to write, we are careful. We spell check. We use complete sentences. But writing, good writing, is messy. I mean: muddy, gooey, slimy, sticky messy. Writing will leave ink marks on the upholstery, it will scratch the wood. It will not always be good: That's OK.


This week, meet your messy inner writer--play with your words. Fling mashed potatoes on the wall. Disobey. Be a lion, a pirate. Here's a pirate activity: Steal a line from a poem. Use it as a jumping off point for your own piece--you can use it as a title, a line inside your poem, or an epigraph.

Share your poem here, if you like.