This Haiku Writing Challenge is Made for You!

Count on your fingers like a kid and write playful poetry this April!

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April is National Poetry Month, and we’re celebrating by writing nine haiku during the first, second, and third weekends of April. No previous writing (or baking!) experience is required. I’ll guide you through the whole process (and offer tasty pie recipes too)!

You might wonder…what does pie have to do with writing haiku?

I’ll let you in on a little secret. Pie and haiku are a perfect pairing because both are fun to share and easy to make (if you’re like me and avoid making your own crust).

How do you participate in the challenge?

• It’s easy! No need to sign up or learn haiku beforehand.

• If you’re subscribed to Power Lines, you’ll receive Friday emails on April 4th, 11th, and 18th with everything you need for the challenge. Just read the emails and start counting syllables on your fingers.

• Every email teaches you how to write haiku with prompts, tips, and directions for sharing your sweet little masterpieces.

• If you’re already a haiku master, I also include tips for furthering your creative process!

An Encouraging Note About Scary Sharing

I know sharing your writing can be scary, but please know that this is a place for celebrating and sharing the process of writing haiku without any negative response.

If you don’t want to share your haiku publicly, I’ll include details for how you can still participate and get snail mail presents.

Oh, did I forget to mention that I send snail mail presents to challenge completers? I DO! They are tiny but cute!

Writing haiku makes life better!

Yes, that’s a strong claim, but I can make it with certainty—at least for my life. I love the process of slowing down to notice the world around me. I love counting syllables on my fingers like a kid who still knows how to play. I love the calm that comes over me when I write three tiny lines that take me out of my squirrelly head!

And speaking of squirrels…here’s a haiku about wild squirrels in our backyard. Haiku masters claim that a haiku doesn’t exist until it’s shared and I’ve found that’s where real haiku happiness grows!

Next Steps

If you decide to participate, there’s nothing more for you to do until April 4th. You’ll automatically receive challenge emails on Fridays in April. (If you prefer to get ready before the challenge begins, here’s advance access to printables you can put on your fridge right away!)

If you’re on the fence, I encourage you to lurk and see what it’s about. Maybe I can lure you over to the short and sweet poetry side of life. It only takes three lines and seventeen syllables without a punctuation mark in sight.

Always writing haiku and I hope you do too,

Lorrie

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P.S. If the challenge isn’t for you, ignore the April emails and look forward to May 2nd when regular Power Lines posts resume. Alternatively, you can toggle your notifications so you only get regular Power Lines posts.