Posts Tagged "Valentine’s day"

Hallmark Romantic Verse Competition Returns for Valentine’s 2011

Hallmark Romantic Verse Competition Returns for Valentine’s 2011

BRADFORD, England, January 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ —

– UK Wide Search for the Best Twittermantic

– Winner Receives a Luxury Romantic Break Away

After the huge success of last year’s Twittermantic competition, which saw more than 600 entries, Hallmark Cards is again giving the UK’s wannabe Shakespeares the chance to show off their poetic side in a national creative writing contest, launching today. But in the true spirit of a modern day Romeo or Juliet – the romantic verse must be composed in just 140 characters on the popular social network site, Twitter!

The competition, which back by popular demand, is being launched by Hallmark’s online personalised card service, Hallmark.co.uk (http://www.hallmark.co.uk/), as part of its build up to Valentine’s Day, with a luxury weekend break away on offer for the winning Twittermantic!

The best entries collected before Valentine’s (February 14th) will be judged by an online public vote and by a panel of experts, including poet and published author, Christine Miller.

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What Do You Want to Write About……………?

What Do You Want to Write About……………?

I’ve had a lot of messages from people telling me they haven’t written anything for many years, or that they dry up when they pick up a pen, or that the blank paper/screen stares back at them like a mean teacher as if to say ‘who do you think you are, writing poetry, writing prose – writing anything!’

If you’ve ever had that feeling, here are a couple of  ideas for getting started. Remember that writing words can easily be about play and enjoy yourself.

NUMBER ONE:

Pick a topic – any topic, the first thing that comes into your mind, everything is a possibility …..simply say to yourself “I want to write about…(in the instance of writing a Valentine’s verse, then Love rather naturally springs to mind) and start. It’s the same with most things in life – just begin. Getting started is (I know it sounds ridiculously simplistic) the key. Don’t edit your thoughts or words, let them spill out – you can come back and refine them later….

NUMBER TWO:

Pick some random words: for example, I’ve got a piece of paper near me which says ‘Identity Card’ and the words that catch my eye on the computer screen are ‘Save Draft’…. What could I do with those?

Here goes:

My identity as occasional  bard
Is sending you a Valentine’s card.
I thought of you and sweetly drafted,
So cherish and save  these words I crafted.

It doesn’t have to be a  rhyme, it can be anything – just get started. You could  say something like:

What do I think about identity Cards? Will they really make us more secure, and save us from possible terrorists attacks, stop illegal immigrants, will they help prevent extremist cells from drafting in new, impressionable recruits?

See if this gets your creative juices flowing – look at what’s around you and start writing about it  – you may be surprised how easy it can be to get into the flow!

FOR YOUR FREE GUIDE TO WRITING SHORT POEMS, LEAVE A MESSAGE HERE OR EMAIL ME ON POETRYGUIDE AT GOOGLEMAIL.COM

Sharpen up your writing tools

Sharpen up your writing tools


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Guide to Writing Short Poems

Guide to Writing Short Poems

Following on from yesterday’s post about my judging  the Twitter Valentine’s poetry competition hosted by Hallmark, I’m delighted to announce that my special 6 page guide to writing short poems is now ready – it’s packed with great tips and will tell you how some famous poets (including the Poet Laureate, Carol Ann Duffy) compose their works!  This guide is valued at £7.50, but it’s yours for free as a Valentine’s Special.

pot-cover1

Leave a message here requesting a copy or send an email to poetryguide@googlemail.com giving me your full name and the email to which you want the guide sent.

When you’ve written your Tweet poem, post it at Hallmark and be sure to let us know and come back to post it here too!

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Valentine’s Poetry Twitter Competition

Valentine’s Poetry Twitter Competition
A Valentine's Message

A Valentine's Message

Valentine’s Fun & Romance on Twitter

Hallmark Cards are running a great competition, of which I’m really delighted to be a judge,  where you can win a £500 holiday – simply by composing a 140 character Valentine’s message your verse can be any style you like – funny,witty,  romantic, serious, light-hearted….whatever best captures the thoughts and sentiments you want to express to your Valentine. You can find out more here:  Hallmark

Get your entry in by January 29th for a chance to win a £500 holiday for two in a romantic cottage…..

Shortly, I’ll be posting some tips on writing poetry to help you be inspired.

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