Splinters for December 2020

For December, consider one of the following to spur your writing.

1. Write your own version of “Christmas Is….” For examples, see this month’s features Glass Rain and Through the Looking Glass.
2. If you are a musician, consider writing a song for the holiday season. For many years, the songwriter/poet Rod McKuen wrote something each Christmas to share with his family and friends.
3. Write a fictional story or a family memory.
4. Write a poem which might be used to send as a card to friends or family, perhaps go a step further and make the card.
5. Try writing a cinquain like that by Margaret Roxby in this month’s Glass Rain. Try one of these versions of this 5 line poem.
   5. Count stresses or beats within the meter, using 1 for first line, 2 for line 2; 3 for the next then 4, finishing with 1 stress for line 5. Pattern being 1-2-3-4-1.
   6. Syllable version. Line one has 2 syllables, for each succeeding line add two syllables, returning to 2 syllables for the last line. Pattern of 2-4-6-8-2.