I’m going to try something different today and hope you join in. Most of us have attempted writing haiku in school because we were forced to.
As a writer, I’ve discovered that the act of writing haiku is a highly effective way to keep your skill-set sharp and it also totally crushes the effects of writer’s block by opening up new channels of creativity.
Incase you've never heard the term haiku or have been out of school for a very long time (like I have) and the memories are hazy...the definition of Haiku is as follows:
Haiku is a very short form of Japanese poetry. Traditional haiku consist of 17 total syllables, in three lines of 5, 7, and 5 syllables respectively.
This post is meant be highly interactive. I encourage you to write your own haiku in the comments below (first line should be 5 syllables, second line 7 syllables, third line 5 syllables)
Here’s mine:
If wishes were stars
we would wear shades at midnight,
shielding lovelorn eyes.
Now try yours in the comments below!
(Gif sourced from Giphy.com)
One participant will be chosen at random to receive a free autographed copy of my book on writing, One Word At A Time, Finding Your Way as an Indie Author. Over twenty years of lessons I’ve learned as a writer (most of them, the hard way) are included in this book.
Please visit my website to sign up for my author newsletter. My newsletter subscribers will receive exclusive updates on new book releases and other special offers.
A tilt of the glass
he savors the nectars touch,
lost in emptiness.
Hmm..,I could use a book like that!
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I like this one the most out of the others
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@macksby the natural
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Awesome.
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I reread this one again this morning. It's still awesome. Great job!
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@macksby, you're a winner! Can you please email me your address again at [email protected]? Thanks!
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WOW... I don't know what to say -- I'd like to thank the academy... lol.
Thanks, @ericvancewalton!!!
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Run to the forest
Make your home among the trees
Relish creation
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Nice!
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When I go to sleep
I know I will wake up soon
with work on my mind
Fitting for me tonight, Eric, though not too poetic. :)
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Ah, @fairytalelife, this describes perfectly the blessing and the curse of the creative. : )
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I want you to know
That somewhere, deep inside you
Something bright does glow...
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I love Haiku.
I will love to read that book.Here is my try,
Determination
Can make the impossible
Possible for all
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#2
Invisible wind
Your damage is visible
Making history
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I like it!
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Thanks eric.
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very nice!
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You're a winner of the autographed book, @mindfreak! Can you please email me your address at [email protected]? Please use subject header, "Haiku Contest". Thanks and congratulations!
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The world is a dream
Nobody ever escapes
Dream yourself a way
:)
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Ok, I'll try.
Here sit, broken hearted,
Came to s..t, but only f..ted.
Sorry. Poor attempt at humor. Writing was never my strong point, (but practicing!)
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Hey, WTH, at least you tried!
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I'll get better. I promise.
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Thanks for the vote! :-)
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Cross the Rubicon
A new world of no return
Trust in the outcome
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Many men have sought,
why he is to live today.
Can he find true peace?
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Ha ha ..... good one ........here I try my HAIKU ---
life is nothing
dream is everything
but, there is no existence
of dream without life.
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Sunlight still warms me
Kailyard empties day by day
Autumn winds are here
Still don't have a permanent address, so could you ask for the epub version, please? And this entry is just for fun. Also, I suspect, that I might happen to be in Amsterdam, so that is probably a good way to circumvent the whole shipping thing. You will be doing a signing there, right? :-D
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Wonderful, @xanoxt! The publisher gave me the wrong file for the eBook version of this and say they accidentally deleted the ePub file when our contract ended. Since you won the first Impromptu Haiku contest I'll bring a hard copy with me to Amsterdam for you. Are you staying at the Volks hotel?
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I am not sure if I am comming yet, but come October, I'll know. I'll probably be doing it via couchsurfing or somesuch. Almost 300 euro for three days is a bit steep for me. I'd rather spend those money on more adventurous pursuits, as usual. :-)
I'll let you know when I know for sure, so you wouldn't have to lug a book around for no reason, in case I can't go.
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Spring afternoon rain
Time of lambs and daffodils
And I have a cold
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What a fun challenge. Not sure if this works but here we go..
A Haiku, oh no
Are you kidding me
Please not a Haiku
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No, it doesn't work,but I think this does
A Haiku,Oh no
Do you really want a Haiku?
Please... not a Haiku.
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Ok. Second try.
Wisdom is learned,
Youth is wasted on the young,
Glad I'm old.
Getting better?
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Much better!
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First I was wordless
But now I try much harder
To finish Haiku
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Nice!
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Facebook gave nothing
But Steemit's a source of gold
Here, the promised land
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Nice (and true)! You just have one extra syllable in L2. Still, a nice one.
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Yeh, caught that too late! Fixed though. I'll try another.
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Sorry but I have to respectfully disagree.
The restriction on syllable counts is largely a myth, probably caused by poor translation from the original Japanese. Instead of 5-7-5 you could do 4-6-5 or even 1-7-4. The biggest dependency is that it have a sort of explosion of meaning at the end (often referred to as an "Aha!")
There are other strictures of varying importance (A "season" word in the first line, the "cut" word, etc) but what I take as the very biggest is that it should not simply be a single sentence split up into lines of the right syllable count. At least one of the lines should be a separate thought, preferably one that changes the meaning of the others.
Really good haiku makes you stop and think for a second (or more). Done well, it's a very powerful form. But to really get it, you have to get beyond the syllable counting nonsense.
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I've read about this discourse on Haiku syllables as well, @irvingprime. For the sake of this exercise I wanted to work within the 5-7-5 syllable structure for the challenge of it. You bring up a good point about the "Aha" moment at the end, all good haiku have this element. I mainly use the form as a writing exercise. I've found if you do this enough you become much better at expressing your ideas in a more condensed way, with less words.
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You are absolutely correct about haiku helping to learn to "condense" expression. It is very good practice for distilling thoughts down.
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What fun! I love Haiku. Here's mine:
Friendships are ne'er born
But reaped from love and kindness
That enrich the soul
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Very nice! Truly poetic
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Eric Vance Walton
talented indie author
inspires me daily
(as long as you read "inspires" as two syllables, I think it works)
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Thanks, @geke! : )
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This is awesome. I will give it a try. :)
But what if I won?
could you deliver the book
away from your home.
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The rain now washes
A heart's sad past remembered
Hearts heat becomes Steem
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The rose has no thorns
That nature has not given
We come as we are
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Let us make a wish
and forget our loneliness
fall sky shooting star
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