Phase Two: McCullochs Photo Project

Creative Writing/ WINTER 2016

DUE DATE: Friday, May 6, 2016

The Creation of Poems

It is now at this point that you begin to pull from the photos you have taken ideas and thoughts that will
be the basis for a EIGHT (8) poems. Please note that you MAY compose more poems than the required
minimum.
You will need to take your poem through the stages of writing that we have experienced and discussedfree writing, expanding, peer editing, and final revisions before declaring the poem finished.

I expect each poem to be a quality, well-written work that has had much care and
time put into it.
PLEASE note that the regular day-to-day work will continue, along with several chapter and
assigned poems.

A few pointers:
1)

AVOID THE OBVIOUS.

DONT STATE WHAT THE PICTURE OBVIOUSLY SHOWS. LET THE

WORDS ENHANCE THE PICTURE AND THE PICTURE ENHANCE THE WORDS
2) TAKE OWNERSHIP OF THESE POEMS.TAKE YOUR WORDS PLACES YOUVE NOT BEEN BEFORE.
PLAY WITH FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE AND NEW WORD CHOICES.
3) SHOWCASE YOUR ABSOLUTE BEST WORK HERE. IMPROVE ON WHAT YOUVE BEEN WORKING ON.

TWENTY-FOUR, Photo-inspired Poem Exercises

Remember you only need to write TEN (10) poems.
If you have another direction you would like to take the poem based on the pictures inspiration, just run it
past me. Almost every time you approach me with an idea, I will approve it.

Poem One/Picture One: A Close Up of Someones Face

Option One- Begin your free write considering the person. What are the extraordinary characteristics of
this person? What is important about them? Avoid the obvious or the cheesy, but get specific and
detailed about the intricate things that make this person unique.
Option 2- You could write about people in general. Perhaps the expression on this persons face says
something to you about life, about living.
The key to this picture is to be inspired by the close-up of the person, or a person. Whatever comes from
this is fine, just avoid the obvious (He is smiling. She is sad).

Poem Two/Picture Two: A picture of someones eyes, hands, or feet

Whatever your picture is for this photo, each foot, or eye, or hand can symbolize something greater
than the body part. I took a picture of my bare foot next to my son Logans. This can suggest a son
following his fathers footsteps, generations, family, father and son relations, and so on. What does your
picture seem to symbolize? Freewrite in several directions on what Picture Two could represent.

Poem Three/Picture Three: An anonymous picture of a crowd

This can easily develop into a poem on society, or just a descriptive poem capturing the various and
intricate details of what is happening in the picture. Perhaps you can write a poem about what lead up
this moment or what various people will do following that moment. Again, avoid the obvious and head
towards deeper investigation, deeper reflection on society.

Poem Four/Picture Four: A piece of garbage, trash on the ground.

Again, this can quickly head into the symbolism of garbage. This can begin as a freewrite on
what other garbage lurks in our lives. You dont have to focus on your specific piece of
garbage in the picture. Instead, consider what garbage represents. As always, write until you
are beyond the obvious.

Poem Five/Picture Five: Your hobbies

This one should come easy. Begin free writing about your hobby. Why is it important? What
does it mean to you? How will it impact the life you have yet to live?

Poem Six/Picture Six: Take a picture of a road or path running off into the distance.
Again, this is symbolic in nature. Your path may be a beginning. It may be in the middle of a journey.
It may lead to a certain ending. Avoid jumping immediately on the Robert Frost Two paths diverged into
the woods routine. Paths are not always about ending high school and beginning college. Perhaps, what
is off of the path is more important. Think about that and free write about your path/road. Perhaps the
road/path does not involve you at all, but it may be someone elses path.

Poem Seven/Picture Seven: Your choice of a nature shot

Re-capture in words what your photo captures in sight. Move beyond just sight, though, and engage all of the readers
five senses.

Poem Eight/Picture Eight: Capture someone smiling, or more preferably laughing.

I think smiling/laughing are important aspects of life. Dont worry about who is laughing in your
picture. Free write with the thought of laughing, smiling. Just let your mind and heart and pen lead you.
You may end up describing some of your best/funniest moments. Just center around the art of joy.

Poem Nine/Picture Nine: A picture of the sky (either day or night.)

What does the sky represent to you? Begin there and see where your thoughts and photo take you.
This does not have to be a poem with tons of sky metaphors. Start with your photo and see what real or
fake stories you have to say centering around the sky or the horizon.

Poem Ten/Picture Ten: A picture that represents WINTER.or SPRING (ummm

hopefully)
Free write capturing the senses and images of WINTER. Simple, simple, good. Like SNOW MEN, snow
falling (maybe not that one), sledding, grass becoming green (hopefully soon), flower blooming, etc.

Poem Eleven/Picture Eleven: A picture of your favorite place

Write snapshots of memories that capture why this place is important. Strive to capture the spirit of
your favorite place. Capture the senses (all five) and the emotions connected. Use ample detail and
ample literary devices (metaphor, similes, imagery).

Poem Twelve/ Picture Twelve: A unique perspective of your house

What is home? What does a house come to represent? What does family mean? Whether the
answers in your free write are positive, negative or neutral, see where your thoughts take you.
If this doesnt work, try capturing your thoughts on the specific place your photographed. Perhaps you
took a picture that use to be home to a tree house. Write about memories that surround that place and
see where they take you.

Poem Thirteen/Picture Thirteen: A picture capturing victory, loss, and/or

competition.
What does victory, or loss, or competition mean? Answer this in a free write connected to your frozen
moment (your picture). Or write a descriptive passage leading up to the moment that you have in your
picture. Or.write a descriptive passage about what happened AFTER that moment in your picture.

Poem Fourteen/Picture Fourteen: A childs toy or item from your childhood.

Reflect on your childhood. What was important from it? What do you miss about being a child again?
What do we lose as we grow older? Tackle some of these questions and refer to your pictured item in your
final draft of your poem .

Poem Fifteen/ Picture Fifteen : A picture OF an item that represents YOU best.
What defines you in a picture? For me, it could be a picture of my family or my Bible. Once I have a
picture that captures best WHO I am as a person, I now write a poem about WHO I AM.

Poem Sixteen/ Picture Sixteen: EATING AND FOOD!!So much happens around the dinner tableeating (duh!) but also conversations, interactions, family
bonding, and friendships. Sure, you could write a sonnet about spaghettis and meatballs, but what about
the conversations and themes that occur around the dinner table?
Another approach would be to write symbolically. This might sound weird, but it works. For instance, a
picture of a jalapeo could move into a freewrite and ultimately a poem about having spice in your life.
Pictures of salt and pepper shakers could accompany freewriting and a poem about not living a bland
life.
A final approach would be to write about memories connected to certain food dishes. Perhaps a
pictures of a stack of pancakes could be about memories of dad making hotcakes for the family on cold,
winter mornings.

Poem Seventeen/ Picture Seventeen: SIGN PICTURES:

Sure when you drive around in your cars, the STOP sign means something. The RED LIGHT means
something. The fork in the road sign means something. Freewrite about the LARGER, more symbolic
meanings of these signs hold for YOUR LIFE. Perhaps, you have reached a BIG DECISION in your life (or
just came from making that decision.about a relationship or how to handle a tricky situation). Use that
picture of a sign that indicates a fork in the road.

Poem Eighteen / Picture Eighteen: LIGHT AND DARKNESS:

Freewrite about the larger implications of light and darkness. Light so often represents good or
hope or happier times. Darkness often represents evil or depression or uncertainty. Connect
these symbols with events from your life.

Poem Nineteen/ Picture Nineteen: UPCLOSE AND PERSONAL WITH HOUSEHOLD

ITEMWhat is the metaphor or symbol lurking with the object you took a picture of? A sponge next to a bottle of
soap could speak about cleaning up ones life. A welcome mat could serve as an invitation into your
heart, your soul, your life. A blender could represent how mixed up your life or a friends life has become.
Lipstick could serve as vehicle to discuss the drive to appear beautiful.

Poem Twenty/ Picture Twenty: GRAVESTONES, STATUES, ABADONED HOUSESAbandoned house pictures can provoke freewrites about the emptiness in homes that actually have
people living in them. Gravestone pictures could provide an opportunity to explore your thoughts on life
and death, the power of living a life of legacy.

Poem Twenty-One/ Picture Twenty-One: FAMILY PET IN ACTION

Animals can exhibit such great human-like qualities. They can also show us what it means to love or to
be scared more than we recognize within our own hearts. Look at your animal picture. Dont freewrite
about your love for FIDO, but freewrite what emotions or behaviors lurk there.

Poem Twenty-Two/ Picture Twenty-Two: CHILDREN AT PLAY/PLAYGROUNDWe forget a lot about what it means to be young and full of youthful dreams, energy, and ambitions.
Freewrite about youth or the lessons learned there that still hold true into adulthood.

Poem Twenty-Three/ Picture Twenty-Three: CITYSCAPESFreewrite about the significance of the place or sign you took a picture. Perhaps this will be a narrative
poem OR it will be a memory poem. Also, you can approach this freewrite similar to the POEM SIX or
POEM SEVENTEEN where you look at the symbolic nature of your city picture. For instance, the dead end
nature of an alley might hold some power in your freewriting.

Poem Twenty-Four/ Picture Twenty-Four: BODIES OF WATER-

Water has its own symbolic significance and can be used in many ways for metaphors. What could your
water picture represent to you? Perhaps your water picture will take you back to fond memories at the
beach or swimming with your siblings.