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  1. Skibbs

    Skibbs Member

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    A Haiku to Start a Novel...

    Discussion in 'The Craft of Writing Poetry' started by Skibbs, Oct 23, 2017.

    When I write solid blocks of writing (I'm a poet inside), I like to find a way to introduce both poetry and the setting. So, I tried experimenting with haikus, which (for the non-poets) are three-line poems, with the first and third line holding five syllables, whilst the second line holding seven.

    Onto the point, I tried a couple of these at the start of my writing, and I found the work quite well as individual sentences that hook the reader. So, I was wondering if other people could come up with examples of these starters, to see if they work for the majority of the forum. I'll start:

    The rain grew weary, while the sun set quite slowly, covered by clouds.
     
  2. ChickenFreak

    ChickenFreak Contributor Contributor

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    Haiku is just about the only kind of poem I ever consider writing. And mine are hardly ever serious. An example:

    Chips, murder, and steam.
    A book and a crinkly bag
    in the bathtub. Wrong?

    It could start a novel. Maybe.
     
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  3. big soft moose

    big soft moose An Admoostrator Admin Staff Supporter Contributor Community Volunteer

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    Haikus are easy
    But you have to plan ahead
    otherwise you may not...
     
  4. Skibbs

    Skibbs Member

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    Could that be the start of an Agatha Christie like novel? Perhaps it could be a circular narrative? I love it nonetheless.

    Newspaper folded,
    The man stood up from the chair,
    He could smell bacon...
     
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  5. GrahamLewis

    GrahamLewis Seeking the bigger self Contributor Contest Winner 2023 Contest Winner 2022

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    Currently Reading::
    Zen Flesh, Zen Bones
    A blown fuse.
    And in the boring darkness
    Everyone lit up.
     
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  6. Nicholas Chavez

    Nicholas Chavez New Member

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    Sands flow silently
    Time fades before the sun now
    A millennium
     
  7. Some Guy

    Some Guy Manguage Langler Supporter Contributor

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    If you throw in a toaster!
     
  8. PumpkinToast

    PumpkinToast New Member

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    On his last full breath
    The universe sang a song
    Everything was born

    It has a Phoenix element to it. From death life arises.
     
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  9. jannert

    jannert Retired Mod Supporter Contributor

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    One of the most fun things that I ever experienced at a writer's workshop was haiku. Our instructor had us each write a haiku. Then, to our astonishment, he passed everybody a pair of scissors. We had to cut our lines apart. Then he mixed up all the first lines, and we had to each draw one. Ditto the second lines, then the third lines. So we each ended up with a mismatched first, second and third line. And then he had each of us read 'ours' out loud. Hilarity ensued. But in fact, some of them carried profound meanings as well. I think we learned more about haiku that day than anybody imagined we would.
     
  10. jim onion

    jim onion New Member

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    Haiku and senryu are the only forms of poetry that I feel like I'm decently good at.

    If Tolkien can fill The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings with countless songs and shanties, I think one can get away with starting a novel with a haiku.

    ---

    Blow out the candles;
    I wish this is my last wish.
    Birthday irony.
     
  11. PoemNerd212

    PoemNerd212 Contributor Contributor

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    He spit the words out,
    his goodbye like broken glass
    falling from his lips.
     
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  12. Some Guy

    Some Guy Manguage Langler Supporter Contributor

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    I thought immediately of Tolkien when I read the title of this thread.
    I oft think the day of my birth will be the day I die.

    It's good to hear from you, Poem!
    What do you think of the last three words as, "... at her feet." to finish with the focus on her?

    Good stuff, peeps! :agreed:
     
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  13. PoemNerd212

    PoemNerd212 Contributor Contributor

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    Thanks for the suggestion. There's a reason, though, why I didn't mention a second person in this. I'll just leave it at that ;)
     
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  14. Some Guy

    Some Guy Manguage Langler Supporter Contributor

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    Right. Understood. I look forward to the next one.
     
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  15. PoemNerd212

    PoemNerd212 Contributor Contributor

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    You hit the water
    with a crack and a whimper,
    and maybe a sigh.
     
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  16. Paryn

    Paryn New Member

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    Highway
    frog
    splat
     
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  17. Paryn

    Paryn New Member

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    Speed limits hiding
    whirlwinds behind the bumper
    frogs on the asphalt

    A little truer to form, lol
     
  18. Radrook

    Radrook Banned Contributor

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    Neverending groans
    The Earth is in agony
    Transmission over
     
  19. deadrats

    deadrats Contributor Contributor

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    Sure this can be fun, but I fail to see this approach really adding much to the prose. A lot of these examples don't really seem like strong hooks or the bast way to open a story. I'm sure it can be done and has been done before. But when writing clarity is as important if not more important than creativity. Go ahead and try it if you feel like it's working, but don't be surprised if these are the first things cut in the editing process. And, personally, I'm not a fan of gimmicks and that's what this sort of seems to be.
     

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