The Real Throwback Thursday: Writing Your Family

You may think a solid #TBT involves that killer hairdo you had three years ago, or that epic hike you took with friends. But if you think about it...there's no bigger opportunity to ~throw it back~ than thinking about your family history. Which means that if you're in need of some new poem ideas, your family is the perfect place to look.

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Yeah, you wish your family was this cool.

We've talked before about writing what you know. Writing about your family is a great way to write what you know; after all, what do you know more than your childhood, or your parents? 

We've talked about the big WHY: why do you write? Preserving part of your family's history in poetry is a great reason to write. Writing about your family allows you to strengthen your connection--whatever it may be--to your bloodline. It's a way to honor your ancestors, or address an emotional event that occurred in the past, however recent.

Have we convinced you that writing about your family and its history is a great way to generate new poem ideas? For today's short and sweet writing prompt, you've got a few options:

1. Place yourself in the shoes of a family member at least one generation ahead of you. Freewrite on their life- what were they doing? What was their view of the world? What was happening at that time in history? Do some research (aka, call your mother) if you need to.

2. Write a letter to a family member, imagining that they are the same age you are now. What should they do differently? What should they know that they don't? 

3. Illustrate the fullest extent of your family's history in a poem. Bonus points if you use a form! (Extra million bonus points if that form is something circular like a villanelle.)

Happy writing (and, perhaps, reminiscing!)

Tell us: do you find it easy to write about your family? Do you find it difficult? Is there one moment in your family's history that you gravitate towards? Is there a member of your family that appears often in your writing? Let's talk about it in the comments!