This is a great warm-up to do around Halloween, but can really be done at any time. Spend ten or fifteen minutes (or longer) building a fantastical monster! List these body parts on a big sheet of paper, each part getting it's own line. Like this:
Head
Mouth
Eyes
Nails
Hair
Teeth
Feet
Legs
Horns
Once you have a decent number of body parts, 10 to 15, write a monster poem where each body part is a line of the poem. The best way to do this is to turn each line into a simile, for example:
Head like...
Mouth like...
Eyes like...
This warm-up can do wonderful things for opening up your imagination and wildness with use of language. Create a monster you've ever seen before! Surprise yourself with your rich, detailed language. I encourage you to be funny, disgusting, and scary all at the same time. Here is a line trade-off Monster Poem, written by a group of teachers:
Hair like a green and purple shag rug
Eyes that are yellow and red
Nose of flaring smoke and bubbling fire
Mouth that is open ready to eat something yummy
Barely any neck at all, like a pigeon
But perfect shoulders that everyone envies
A large stomach protrudes from beneath her shirt
Knees that knock together as she walks
Feet are swift but smell of rotten cabbage
Clown like red shoes that she does a tap dance with
Ankle bracelet jingles with every step
YOU ARE READING
101 Writing Warm-Ups to Start Your Day
Non-FictionLooking to improve your attitude toward writing? Look no further! In this book, I will show you some fun techniques that will get your fingers moving and your ideas flowing. 101 short, easy warm-ups that will only take you 10-15 minutes per day!
