From Prose to Poetry:

1. From Prose to Poetry: • Found Poems

2. Vocabulary • Free Verse • Condensed language • Tone

3. Vocabulary • Free Verse- poetry with no specific rules or set structure • Condensed language • Tone

4. Vocabulary • Free Verse- poetry with no specific rules or set structure • Condensed language- powerful language w/o filler words • Tone - author’s attitude or feeling toward the subject

5. Found Poems: Example • There was a change in the weather for the worse. The air became unbearably humid and Stanley was drenched in sweat. Beads of moisture ran down the handle of his shovel. It was almost as is it was so hot that the air itself was sweating. A loud boom of thunder echoed across the empty lake and he could tell there was a storm way off to the west, beyond the mountains. Stanley could count more than 30 seconds between the flash of lightning and the clap of thunder. That was how far away the storm was. Sound travels a great distance across a barren wasteland.

6. THINGS TO COME: • A change • for the worse. • air became humid • beads of moisture run down • the shovel, • the air was sweating. • thunder echoed • across the empty lake…

7. Step 1: Select Text • Pick prose with descriptive language • Dialogue • 1-2 paragraphs

8. Step 1: Select Text • There was a change in the weather for the worse. The air became unbearably humid and Stanley was drenched in sweat. Beads of moisture ran down the handle of his shovel. It was almost as is it was so hot that the air itself was sweating. A loud boom of thunder echoed across the empty lake and he could tell there was a storm way off to the west, beyond the mountains. Stanley could count more than 30 seconds between the flash of lightning and the clap of thunder. That was how far away the storm was. Sound travels a great distance across a barren wasteland.

9. Step 2: Choose Words • Read the text and look for 50-100 words that stand out • Details • powerful or interesting words • Words that convey the tone of the text • Avoid articles or “filler language”

10. Step 2: Choose Words • There was a change in the weather for the worse. The air became unbearably humid and Stanley was drenched in sweat. Beads of moisture ran down the handle of his shovel. It was almost as is it was so hot that the air itself was sweating. A loud boom of thunder echoed across the empty lake and he could tell there was a storm way off to the west, beyond the mountains. Stanley could count more than 30 seconds between the flash of lightning and the clap of thunder. That was how far away the storm was. Sound travels a great distance across a barren wasteland.

11. Step 2: Choose Words • There was a change in the weather for the worse. The airbecameunbearably humid and Stanley was drenched in sweat. Beads of moistureran down the handle of his shovel. It was almost as is it was so hot that the air itself was sweating. A loud boom of thunder echoedacross the empty lake and he could tell there was a storm way off to the west, beyond the mountains. Stanley could count more than 30 seconds between the flash of lightning and the clap of thunder. That was how far away the storm was. Sound travels a great distanceacross a barren wasteland.

12. Step 3: Arrange List • Make a list of the words you found • keep in order • Double Space

13. Step 3: Arrange List • change in the weather for the worse • air became unbearably humid • drenched in sweat • Beads moisture ran down handle shovel • air itself was sweating • loud boom of thunder echoed across empty lake • storm off to west • beyond the mountains • count more than 30 seconds between flash of lightning clap of thunder • Sound travels great distance across barren wasteland.

14. Step 4: Eliminate • Dull, Unnecessary words • Cut out at least 1/4 of the words • make sure everything remaining matches the subject/tone

15. Step 4: Eliminate • change in the weather for the worse • air became unbearably humid • drenched in sweat • Beads moisture ran down handle shovel • air itself was sweating • loud boom of thunder echoed across empty lake • storm off to west • beyond the mountains • count more than 30 seconds between flash of lightning clap of thunder • Sound travels great distance across barren wasteland.

16. Step 5: Adjust Words • Rearrange if necessary • Change tenses, possessives, plurals • Can add 3-4 words

17. Step 5: Adjust Words • change for the worse • air became humid • Beads moisture ran down shovel • air was sweating • thunder echoed across empty lake • beyond the mountains • 30 seconds between flash clap • Sound travels great distance across barren wasteland.

18. Step 5: Adjust Words • A change for the worse • air became humid • Beads OF moisture RUN down the shovel • THE air was sweating • thunder echoed across the empty lake • beyond the mountains • THIRTY seconds between flash clap • Sound travels great distance across barren wasteland.

19. Step 6: Adjust Structure • Line Breaks? • Punctuation? • Rhythm? • Key Words? • Bold or Italics?

20. Step 7: Title • a word or phrase • Conveys tone • Subject

21. Review: • Select text • Choose Words • Arrange List • Eliminate Words • Adjust Words • Adjust Structure • Title