Just for Fun -- Fantasy Haiku

For some early summer fun, I challenged our venerable fantasy writers to create a fantasy haiku. Here's the word cloud they had for inspiration, with a directive to use at least two words.

Take a look at what they came up with:

Arms raised to the sky
Shorts wet with the playful surf
A mermaid is born
--Miriam Forster, CITY OF A THOUSAND DOLLS

Angel in my yard
a crack of lightning and smoke.
sundress in ashes.--Lisa Amowitz, BREAKING GLASS (Spencer Hill Press, July 2013)

Beach, sea, sunny air         
But the thunder gods gather

To make me their heir.

--Ellen Booraem, SMALL PERSONS WITH WINGS

blistering climate

ice is but a memory

eternal solstice

--Tricia (PJ) Hoover, inspired by SOLSTICE (Tor Teen, June 2013)

immortal pharaoh

thunder smashes obelisks

king tut can't relax

--Tricia (PJ) Hoover, inspired by TUT (Tor Childrens, Winter 2014)

Hot island breeze swirls,

as sorcerer chants and spins

web of black magic

--Lena Goldfinch, inspired by island-set YA fantasy WIP, working title SONGSTONE or GIRL OF BLOOD & STONE

Princess sees visions:

ocean voyage, stolen girl,

boy who flies as hawk

--Lena Goldfinch, inspired by YA fantasy WIP, working title AIRE

I think writing haiku can provide a fun break for novelists. It's a way to take a short break from the work at hand and refresh. Novels are labors of love, lasting anywhere from many months to years to write. Haiku and other poetry forms can give novelists a chance to write something short. The constraining rules can stump the old left cortex, allowing you to shift over to your free-wheeling right brain, which can boost creativity. 

Also, it's just plain fun, for anyone. Give it a try! And feel free to post in the comments. :)




Lena Goldfinch is the author of The Language of Souls, a short-but-sweet tale that will "appeal to teens who enjoy fantasy with a side of sigh-worthy romance". She lives in New England with her husband, two teens, and a very spoiled black lab. You can visit her online at www.lenagoldfinch.com.