If you follow me on Facebook & Twitter, you would know I love playing with writing prompts – it’s a good way to tap into my unconscious knowledge. Starting Dec 1, 2017, I offer a Prompt A Day on my blog.
Ariel’s List
I am also offering a free monthly list of Poetry Prompts; these are different than my daily prompts offered. This is available on Pinterest
Ariel’s List January Pinterest version
Ariel’s List February Pinterest version
Ariel’s List March Pinterest Version
Ariel’s List April Pinterest Version
Ariel’s List May Pinterest Version
Ariel’s List June Pinterest Version
Ariel’s List July Pinterest Version
Ariel’s List August Pinterest Version
Ariel’s List September Pinterest Version
Ariel’s List October Pinterest Version
Ariel’s List November Pinterest Version
Ariel’s List December Pinterest version
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Archived Prompts
Jan 27 “They who dream by day …”
Jan 26 “She never looked nice. She looked like art …”
Jan 25 Give yourself credit …”
Jan 24 “There are far far better things …”
Jan 23 “A year from now you’ll wish …”
Jan 22 “It’s kind of rebellious to …
Jan 21 “Life always offers a second …”
Jan 20 “Dreams don’t work unless …”
Jan 19 “Hey, flower child ,,,”
Jan 18 “If we did all the things …”
Jan 17 “Deep in their roots, all flowers …”
Jan 16 “Everything you can imagine …”
Jan 15 “You are never too old …”
Jan 14 “The artist is nothing without …”
Jan 13 “Do One thing a day that …”
Jan 12 “A poet’s work is to name the unnameable …
Jan 11 If we were meant to stay …
Jan 10 “The main thing is to keep …”
Jan 9 “We’re supposed to change.”
Jan 8 “She turned her can’ts into cans ,,,”
Jan 7 “Hide.” “How are we supposed …”
Jan 5 “Once upon a time, the sky…”
Jan 3 “Whatever possessed you to do that …”
Back! Jan 1 “It’s crazy how one person …”
Aug 18 Jack London “The most beautiful stories start with wreckage.”
Aug 16 a.y. “We are writers, my love. We don’t cry. We bleed on paper.”
Aug 14 Lord Byron “A drop of ink may make a thousand think” 
Aug 13 Margaret Atwood’s “You need a certain amount of nerve to be a writer.”
Aug 9 David Foster Wallace “A writer’s job is to comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable.”
Aug 7 “Dedicated to everyone who wonders if I’m writing about them. I am.”
Aug 6 Edward Albee “Good writers define reality. Bad ones merely restate it.”
Aug 5 Atticus “When making art, it’s important not to hide the madness.”
Aug 3 Virginia Wolfe “Read a thousand books and your words will flow like a river”
Aug 2 Isabel Allende “Write what shouldn’t be forgotten”
Aug 1 Ernest Hemingway “Write hard and clear about what hurts”
Jul 2 ThaliaJun 21 Eumaeus / Summer Solstice
Jun 5 Hades / National Running Day
Jun 4 River Styx / National SAFE Day
Jun 3 Achilles / National Egg Day
Jun 2 Agamemnon/ National Cancer Survivor Day
Jun 1 Cassandra / Global Day of Parents
May 18 diva
Apr 30 She concludes …Apr 22 She finds a better way …
Apr 20 She weathers the rain …
Apr 16 She pulls on the tides …
Apr 13 She stands in the sun …
Feb 4 rantipole
Dec 31 “all my rowdy friends have settled down from Hank Williams’ All My Rowdy Friends
Dec 30 “last night I left hickeys on her neck” from Emiinem’s Killshot
Dec 29 “say what you need to say_ from John Mayer’s Say
Dec 28 Red Buddha’s Forbidden City
Dec 27 “so I throw my cards on your table” from Bob Marley’s Is This Love
Dec 26 Kwanzaa begins / “seven letters – seven truths” from Beth & Scott Bierko’s Matunda Ya Kwanzaa
Dec 24 Christmas Eve/ Christmas Canon by Trans-Siberian Orchestra
Dec 23 “things aren’t always just what they seem” from Jack Johnson’s Upside Down
Dec 22 “time had a way of making me see” from Foreigner’s Until The End of Time
Dec 21 Winter Solstice / Rosewynde’s When Snow and Frost is All Over
Dec 20 “hold the line” from Toto’s Hold the Line
Dec 19 “little boy blue and the man in the moon’ from Cat Stevens Cats in the Cradle
Dec 18 Native American Flute music “Sacred Wind by Jan Michel Looking Wolf
Dec 16 “that’s alright, we got all night to set the world right” from Neil Diamond Cracklin Rosie
Dec 15 “whether I’m right, whether I’m wrong” from Langhorn Slim Be Set Free
Dec 14 “I sat on the roof and kicked off the moss” from John Elton’s Your Song
Dec 13 “you had one eye on the mirror” from Carly Simon’s You’re So Vain
Dec 12 “even a plant, with no uncle or aunt” from Elmo & Patsy’s Percy the Puny Poinsettia
Dec 10 “I hear the Laughter, I taste the tears” from Richard Marx Right Here Waiting
Dec 8 Bodhi Day / Indian Music
Dec 7 “your faith was strong but you needed proof” from Jeff Buckley/Leaonard Cohen Hallelujah
Dec 4 “veni, veni” from Mannheim Steamroller Veni, Veni
Dec 3 “as winter winds litter ‘ from Mumford & Sons Winter Winds
Dec 2 “it’s time to begin, isn’t it” from Imagine Dragons It’s Time
Dec 1 “that don’t impress me much” from Shania Twain That Don’t Impress Me
Nov 30 National Computer Security Day / steps to protect
Nov 29 National Lemon CremePie Day/ grab a seat at the counter
Nov 28 National French Toast Day/ dad cooking breakfast
Nov 27 Giving Tuesday / your favorite charity
Nov 25 International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women / orange
Nov 24 Small Business Saturday / act local
Nov 23 Black Friday / it came without boxes
Nov 21 World Television Day / the world through your TV
Nov 20 Universal Children’s Day / save the children
Nov 19 International Men’s Day / man, oh man
Nov 18 Mickey Mouse Day/ National Princess Day / Cinderelly’s friends
Nov 17 one of the following: International Survivors
Nov 16 National Fast Food Day / happy meal
Nov 15 cleaning out the fridge Day
Nov 14 World Diabetes Day / managing.
Nov 13 World Kindness Day / past kindness
Nov 12 Veteran’s Day / while you were gone
Nov 11 Veteran’s Day/ we owe a debt
Nov 10 counting on ol’ Sergent Bert
Nov 8 STEAM: Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Math.
Nov 6 We knew when my brother was coming. Everybody knew.
Nov 5 the redhead in your life
Nov 4 Daylight Savings Time / saving the light of day
Nov 2 NovPAD 2/30 when the dead was the living
Nov 1 NovPAD 1/30 the novel I wrote
Oct 30 can someone explain to me, in small words, why I am be
Oct 29 a person who has lost their arm now feels someone touching their phantom limb
Oct 28 the only one to notice the nightmare they had left behind
Oct 27 “What the Heck is that?” “my cat” “Cats don’t have eight legs”
Oct 26 a demon kidnaps you with “you’re going to help me settle a bet”
Oct 25 history taught by a vampire
Oct 24 someone got bitten by a vampire but didn’t realize it
Oct 23 what do you do if someone dies & their spirit becomes a ghost AND their body became a zombie
Oct 22 a demon that writes (helpful) messages in blood on your mirror
Oct 21 poison appleOct 15 I’m not saying the kid is a werewolf but he could so 
totally be a werewolf
Oct 14 now remember, if you hear ominous chanting, the appropriate response is to run
Oct 13 use the first line of a nursery rhyme as the first line of a dark narrative.
Oct 12 “I’ll Kill You” “Darling, I’m already dead”
Oct 11 start with ‘the silence woke her’
Oct 10 the fence around the orphanage is to keep the public safe from the kids
Oct 9 never let the spirits count down through the numbers, it’s not safe
Oct 7 it’s just you and whatever human-lizard hybrid the genetics lab discarded here
Oct 5 whatever possessed you to do that should possess you more often
Oct 4 half her herb garden was for cooking; the other half could kill you
Oct 2 the monster in the cabinet
Oct 1 International Day of Coffee
Sept 30 it was her own lack of control
Sept 29 his hair was still a mess
Sept 28 “a drop of ink may make a million think” Lord Byron quote
Sept 27 outside the cabin, it was a bitterly cold night
Sept 26 a statue dedicated to you
Sept 25 I measure my life in pages)Hunter S Thompson quote)
Sept 24 write what you wished you had said
Sept 23 I haven’t been human for two hundred years
Sept 22 I’m looking for a place / National Public Lands Day
Sept 19 your siblings as toddlers
Sept 18 you stumble upon old home videos
Sept 17 come, you masters of war
Sept 16 the apocalypse started six years ago, nobody noticed
Sept 15 that is a terrible, horrible, incredibly foolish idea, lets do it
Sept 14 PhoenixSept 13 the story started when the bomb exploded
Sept 12 it wasn’t the fire that she was afraid of
Sept 10 a fugitive spirit sprints through a graveyard
Sept 9 how to follow your dream
Sept 6 the claws of a cat, the purr of his pause
Sept 5 the truck is missing
Sept 4 how clouds move in the sky
Sept 3 the ending of the state fair
Sept 2 give an otter a phone
Sept 1 finished painting
Aug 31 conversations between book characters
Aug 30 what kind of noise was that
Aug 29 your Scottish Aunt Tammy
Aug 28 these times are hard but it will pass
Aug 27 the three things he could never tell her
Aug 26 she’s the kind of magic you marry
Aug 25 When someone’s heart breaks, it breaks a piece of our world. This creates fissures, valleys, even cracks in pavement
Aug 24 not until we’re both human again
Aug 23 the sky knew the weight of angel armies on the move
Aug 22 this was perplexing; he never had someone fail to die before
Aug 21 the cost of not following your heart is spending the rest of your life wishing you had
Aug 19 describe your loved one’s eyes without using color
Aug 18 stop saying things that make me want to kiss you
Aug 17 an extra hour occurs at midnight but only a handful of people experience it
Aug 16 there used to be six of us; now I’m alone
Aug 15 a villain is just a victim whose story has not been told
Aug 14 on a scale of one to Australia – how dangerous are we talking?
Aug 13 whatever happens, whoever comes knocking – I’ve been here for at least an hour
Aug 12 it’s crazy how one person can make you feel a thousand different ways
Aug 11 stories fairy tales don’t tell
Aug 10 I’ve lost count of how many times you have died in front of me
Aug 9 he had a list of things he needed to do; the very first was always “confess”
Aug 8 how much dirt fabric can hold
Aug 7 each living person is assigned the dead to watch over them
Aug 6 that’s the sad thing – you did, once
Aug 5 you will notice only one of them
Aug 4 a good thought this time
Aug 3 prophecy written in sharpie
Aug 2 I don’t go looking for trouble, but I do enjoy befriending it
Aug 1 I’m either going out for ice cream or to commit a heinous crime
Jul 30 an alphabet in the city
Jul 29 scrubbing down the floors
Jul 28 we all boil at different degrees
Jul 27 monsters also fall in love
Jul 25 they weren’t counting on the bears
Jul 24 the world’s only hope is Jerry (the comic book cashier)
Jul 21 the devil still owes me 50 bucks
Jul 17 lost gods make the worst hitchhikers
Jul 12 the ghost assigned to watch over you
Jul 8 the house has been thoroughly ransacked
Jul 6 Go to your nearest book, turn to page 22. Use the second line of the second paragraph
Jul 5 conversations between people who don’t exist
Jul 3 “You don’t strike me as a professional criminal.” “That’s why I’m so good at it
Jul 2 The streets weren’t safe after dawn
Jul 1 I decided to stay here even though you told me not to
Jun 30 repercussions … Alternatively, there’s a World Beat Festival photo prompt
Jun 29 Write an acrostic poem using your full name and three words that describe
you—good and bad— for each letter
Jun 28 First memory that you have
Jun 26 Start with “Once upon a time” or “Long ago in a land far away.
Jun 25 What’s in your hand?” “It’s mine. I found it.
Jun 24 Witton Farm photo prompt
Jun 23 Springer Botanical Garden photo prompt
Jun 22 only 20 words for the rest of your life
Jun 21 why is there a shoe in the road?
Jun 20 how you handle a rainy day
Jun 19 write hard and clear about what hurts” Hemmingway
Jun 18 favorite childhood book
Jun 16 Bush Pasture Park photo
Jun 11 rest of your life in a museum
June 10 rest of your life in a library
Jun 8 what trouble can we get into
Jun 3 Photo prompt Gaiety Hollow
June 2 Photo prompt kingwood Garden
May 30 en plein airMay 26 sleeping in strange places
May 24 you as five objects
May 20 there it was, our island
May 18 what animal lives under your skin
May 17 really deserved a good scolding
May 7 how your mouth feels when you say “I Love You”
May 4 May the fourth be with you
May 3 lyrics to your favorite song
Apr 30 pieces of an earlier poem
Apr 22 wild card (your choice)
Apr 12 moments before midnight
Apr 1 start (of 2018 PAD challenges)
Mar 29 Franklin D Roosevelt
Mar 20 International Day of Happiness
Mar 19 singing at the vernal equinox
March 13 you opened an umbrella indoors
March 8 International Women’s Day
Mar 3 animal persona (World Wildlife Day)
Feb 28 red caps
Feb 27 polar bear
Feb 22 George Washington / birthed today
Feb 5 African heiritage & health
Jan 31 super moon / State Of The Union
Jan 21 Women’s March /Art Action Day
Jan 15 Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Jan 2 60% off coupon
Dec 21 silencing the internet, taxation without representation, & proof of aliens
Dec 17 chocolate-covered anything
Dec 13 mother, on her birthday
Dec 10 You are the ghost in your house
Dec 5 last time I saw my father
nwpoetariel
Ariel, Pacific NW poet 
November 12, 2018 at 9:38 am
I just came here from Pinterest. I want to get back into writing poetry so I might do your November prompt list although I’m late to the ball game. But I would still like to challenge myself, I might just do them all as Haiku’s. 🙂
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November 12, 2018 at 12:16 pm
Awesome! ANd don’t worry about being late to the game. Just jump in where we are. if you want you can do the earlier prompts but don’t stress it if you don’t. I’m thrilled to have your company!
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