A Creative Writing Activity: Using “Moving” Words

In my novel in verse Little Cat’s Luck, a golden leaf falling outside her window tempts indoor cat Patches to venture outside—where she finds all sorts of danger and adventures. One of the approaches I use to make the book feel fresh and surprising for readers is to make some of the words “move” on the page. The movement reflects the action happening in the story at the time (there’s an example above). Why not try this fun tactic in one of your creative writing lessons, when you’re focusing either on poems or on stories told through verse like mine? It’s a way to get students thinking in a new way about the meanings of the words they choose, as they consider what possibilities exist to make them move across the page.