Weekly homework

Due to an overwhelming positive response, homework will once again be activated in #poetry. It will commence from the 13th of February and be set out in semesters: it will run for an 8 week period, then have a 4 week break before starting again for another stint of 8.

The current assignment is due Sunday 13 March, 10pm GMT. Write a traditional haiku. It must have the syllabic pattern 5-7-5 and must be about nature.

You can view the requirements and some of the submitted poems from previous assignments in the Homework Archives.

Call it an assignment, call it a poetic jumpstart, call it your own creative juicer ... yes, something to get those creative juices flowing! We like to call it the return of Sunday Homework in #poetry.

The Particulars:
The homework is now set out in a semester style. It will run for 8 weeks, then take a break for 4, before returning again. While a semester is in progress, homework will take place in #poetry at 10pm GMT every Sunday. Homework is by no means compulsory: if you wish to give it a go we wish you all the luck, if you don't then that's fine, all we ask is you don't mock the users who do try it.

First, remember that the most important point to Sunday Homework is to spark your own word muse. The goal is simple: to spawn NEW writing. We realize that the writing levels of #poetry users vary, and that beginning writers will usually be more comfortable with getting their thoughts and feelings down onto the page, whereas more advanced writers will worry about line structure, sonics, and other such factors of the writing craft. This is not only fine, this is what we're hoping will happen and what we will encourage. That's why there aren't any requirements regarding writing level or expertise, only that you write something NEW from each homework assignment you choose to undertake.

Details:
An assignment is given each Sunday, and anyone interested in participating has a week to produce a poem based on the prompt of the assignment. The assignment might be a first line (Write a poem that begins with, "My feet..."), or it might be a set of words that you must use and/or a set you must not use (sometimes played live in the channel as "da game"), or it might be a theme and a form (write a cinquain about a favorite animal) or it could be something else entirely. The point is there will be a writing prompt given, and if you want to participate, you'll have a week to come up with a poem based on the prompt. If you can be in the channel at 10pm GMT to /play your poem, that's great, ifyou can't, you can just get your poem to Dan`` in one of several ways. You can email it to homework@undernet-poetry.com or submit it via the handy-dandy web form, or if you see Dan`` on channel you can talk to him about having it DCCd or played in private or heck, we can probably even hook you up with smoke signals if that's what it takes. If you aren't going to be present to /play the poem(s) yourself, please be sure to let him know if you have any special instructions, and if you'd like to have the poem archived on the website's Homework section and/or the !homework/!channelpoem triggers.