Plant Your Poetry Prompt Calendar - April
FREE MONTH for all subscribers. Daily prompts, a supportive community sharing poems and a live writing session to steer you into your flourishing writing life!
“And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” Anais Nin
What another amazing month of writing a poem a day for March on the theme of Awakening. Even though I have been busy with a newborn and juggling the many plates that entails - your poems in the community chat have warmed and lifted me, and have made me so proud and happy that we are all here, showing up for ourselves and each other and expressing what it means to be human.
Firstly I would just like to say hello to all those of you who are joining this writing community for the first time, you are so welcome and we hope that you will go gentle on yourself and take whatever you need from the garden we are tending to here. This month is completely free for all subscribers to celebrate National Poetry Month and it being one year since my book Plant Your Poetry: 365 Poems and Prompts to Grow Your Writing Habit was published.
For those that are new here, Plant Your Poetry on Substack is a follow on from my book Plant Your Poetry and aims to extend beyond the community of writers who have purchased the book and have been writing together on facebook every day for the past year. I hope to harness the magic power of that community over here on Substack to help more writers wishing to grow their writing practice.
Last month’s theme was Awakening and I will be sharing some of the incredible poems you have written in the writing session today. There was a lot of awakening to be had this past month for me as my Husband and I were plunged into parenthood. So many different elements began to awaken within me, so many fears and strengths unfurled almost instantaneously and it has been messy and painful and beautiful all at the same time. Some of my poems, which I am writing every day with you, have tried to articulate the beautiful chaos that is being a mother.
I hope this month motivates you to continue with the prompts I’ve carefully curated for you over this next year, although if you only write one more poem than you did yesterday and dip in and out - you are an absolute winner for being here.
A reminder for everyone: there is a subscriber only chat available where you can share your words daily as you write them, I will be posting a new thread today and at the beginning of each month and you can reply to the thread with your poems, that way they will be easy to find and others working their way through the prompts can offer their support and encouragement towards your beautiful lines of poetry. I will be reading every piece that is written and will highlight poems that resonate on the 1st of the next month.
If this is your first time writing with me or Plant Your Poetry, here are a few helpful tips on how to begin and how to keep going:
Download and print out the monthly prompts available below. Stick them up somewhere you will see them often
Look at the daily prompt earlyish and carry it around with you
Set a timer for 10 minutes and write whatever wants to be written on that prompt, little to no editing as you go will give it an easier flow
Don’t beat yourself up if you miss a day, love yourself back on track
If you aren’t inspired by a particular prompt, use a different prompt that jumps out to you instead - there is no right or wrong way to do this
Keep a special journal or dedicate a folder or notebook specifically for these prompts and poems to keep everything in one place
Share your words where you can - you will be seen, encouraged and supported
Nothing matters except the goal of writing for 10 minutes on the prompt today.
If you are struggling, seek support and tell about it
Write with a buddy, share the prompts between you, write on alternative days and send them to each other, or meet up to write where you can, accountability is your best friend
Know that you deserve this and you are someone who can do this sort of thing.
Underneath the writing session below are downloadable and printable pages of the Plant Your Poetry Prompt Calendar so you may stick the prompts up somewhere in your sacred or creative space to write, meditate, or ponder on. It may feel satisfying to tick off the prompts as you go.
I’m so excited to go on this journey with you - let’s dive in!
How was this writing session for you? Please do let me know in the comments :)
Download the calendar below for April and stick it up somewhere where you will often see it. When printing out the documents, you should do so landscape. There is a section at the top and bottom to allow for hole punching and keeping all of the sheets together with a string or clip when they’ve all been printed. If you have any questions, just pop them in the comments. :)
I can’t wait to see what poems emerge from this months prompts! Please do share with anyone you think would love to go on this journey with us.
All that’s left to do is write.
Louise,
A Poet on the Road xx
Hi Louise, thank you for welcoming free subscribers into the community this month! This is my first exposure to you and your work and, I must say, you seem really lovely. I struggle with consistency as a writer for many different reasons and your approach to daily writing for 10 minutes is like a breath of fresh air. My question is: do you edit your poems after the 10 minutes before sharing? Right now my work is nowhere close to being done; however, I am intrigued by what seem to be the beginnings of something…
Thank you Louise, what a joy it was to watch your video and listen to some awesome poetry being read, and to write for 10mins, this is the first time I have taken part, but I will definitely be back for more. My attempt wasn't quite what I wanted it to be, but it was a start, and I loved your encouragement. Thanks again😊