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LINDSEY’S WRITING PRACTICE

Posted: January 7, 2026 | Author: | Filed under: Lindsey's Writing Practice, Poetry, Writing, writing exercise | Tags: , , , , |20 Comments
Woman with giant pencil standing next to stack of giant papers. Bookshelves in the background. Text: Lindsey's Writing Practice with Lindsey Martin-Bowen

Imagery: Here’s one method to capture a reader’s attention—and evoke feelings. In fact an entire poetry movement was formed around this element: The Imagist Movement.

House shaped sign: A Mermaid Lives Here

A MERMAID LIVES HERE

She flicks her tail

mornings,

sprays me with

sea foam

when I

so want to sleep one

more hour

before arising

Again flicking

her tail, she leaps in

the bathtub

so smoothly

—Lindsey Martin-Bowen

Penned by William Carlos Williams, the following poem is an example of the Imagist Movement, wherein the poem was “the thing.” In other words, Imagist poets ignored symbolism, rhyme, rhythm, and other poetic elements and focused upon creating an image.

Consider this your opportunity to attempt writing an Imagist poem. Using your own words, copy merely the style—and perhaps the “beat”—of the WCW poem (on the left) to create yours. And remember to enjoy writing this.

THIS IS JUST TO SAY

I have eaten

the plums

that were in

the icebox

and which

you were probably

saving

for breakfast

Forgive me

they were delicious

and so sweet

and so cold

—William Carlos Williams*

*WCW also wrote numerous short stories that included other essential elements in writing, such as dialogue, action, symbolism and so forth. He was also a physician, who wrote between appointments with patients, some of whom he used as sources for characters in his fiction.

One of my college students (a sophomore) wrote the poem (below). I submitted it to the campus literary magazine, Shorelines, which published it:

I have ruined

your lipstick

that was hidden

in your purse

the coral

shade you wore

only

to special events

I’m sorry it

was just so rich

and soft

and so bright

—Melissa Brower

Please feel free to submit your imagist poem to me. Happy New Year, too. May 2026 bring you joy, prosperity, and other blessings.

If you would like to try your hand at this, please submit your efforts in the comments below, or post it on your own blog and link back to this post, then submit the link to the post in the comments below. We’d love to see what you come up with.

About Lindsey Martin-Bowen

On Halloween 2023, redbat books released Lindsey Martin-Bowen’s 7th poetry collection, CASHING CHECKS with Jim Morrison. Her 4 th collection, Where Water Meets the Rock, was nominated for a Pulitzer; her 3rd, CROSSING KANSAS with Jim Morrison was a finalist in the QuillsEdge Press 2015-2016 Contest. In 2017, it won the Kansas Writers Assn award, “Looks Like a Million.” Writer’s Digest gave her “Vegetable Linguistics” an Honorable Mention in its 85th Annual (2017) Contest. Her Inside Virgil’s Garage (Chatter House Press 2013) was a runner-up in the 2015 Nelson Poetry Book Award. McClatchy Newspapers named her Standing on the Edge of the World (Woodley Press/Washburn University) was one of the Ten Top Poetry Books of 2008. It was nominated for a Pen Award.

Author and Poet, Lindsey Martin Bowen

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This segment of “Lindsey’s Writing Practice” is sponsored by the Midnight Anthology Series and WordCrafter Press.

Midnight Roost: Weird and Creepy Stories: 20 authors bring your nightmares to life in 23 stories of ghosts, paranormal phenomenon and the horror from the dark crevasses of their minds. Stories of stalkers, both human and supernatural, possession and occult rituals, alien visitations of the strange kind, and ghostly tales that will give you goosebumps. These are the tales that will make you fear the dark. Read them at the Midnight Roost… if you dare. https://www.amazon.com/Midnight-Roost-Kaye-Lynne-Booth-ebook/dp/B0CL6FPLVJ

Midnight Garden: Where Dark Tales Grow: 17 authors bring you 21 magnificent dark tales. Stories of magic, monsters and mayhem. Tales of murder and madness which will make your skin crawl. These are the tales that explore your darkest fears. Read them in the Midnight Garden… if you dare. https://www.amazon.com/Midnight-Garden-Where-Tales-Anthology-ebook/dp/B0DJNDQJD3

Midnight Oil: Stories to Fuel Your Nightmares: 14 authors bring you 16 dark tales that explore your deepest fears. These are the stories which nightmares are made of. Tales of monsters, mayhem, and madness which will make you shiver in the dark. Read them while you burn the Midnight Oil… if you dare. https://books2read.com/Midnight-Oil

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20 Comments on “LINDSEY’S WRITING PRACTICE”

  1. Cindy Georgakas's avatar Cindy Georgakas says:
    January 7, 2026 at 9:28 am

    LOVE THESE!!!!!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    • kayelynnebooth's avatar kayelynnebooth says:
      January 7, 2026 at 6:50 pm

      You should give this exercise a try, Cindy. I’d love to see some participation with Lindsey’s column. Care to be the first to jump in?

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
      • Cindy Georgakas's avatar Cindy Georgakas says:
        January 8, 2026 at 5:48 am

        Gosh it’s so tempting, yet I’ve got lots on the back burner at the moment. Thanks a bunch! ♥️

        Like

        Reply
      • Lindsey Martin-Bowen's avatar Lindsey Martin-Bowen says:
        January 10, 2026 at 5:53 am

        Thank you.

        And I’ve written thank yous, responded to blogs, and replied to nearly all those who “like” this month’s column. I’ll get to the other three as soon as I can. It’s almost 4:30 AM here—and once again< I haven’t had time to go to bed yet.

        One of the reasons is because Microsoft Outlook threatened me it was about to erase most—or even all of my saved messages in my email box. (Yes, I’d accrued almost 8,000—of which it sent me. I deleted 7600 of them.)

        But I recall seeing an email you sent I guess a couple of days ago—and now I cannot find it anywhere. (Last night, I spent more than an hour looking for it.)

        In short, you had mentioned me doing a review of a book (I can’t recall the name and can’t find that email anywhere—sigh) and posting it by January 15. If I do that, it will need to be more like an etended “blurb” to meet that deadline. (I intended to write an entire review of Midnight Garden and post it on the first Wednesday in February (the 4th). Or would the new review replace that one for February?

        I hate to make excuses; thus, I may not have informed you of this: Two years ago this coming June, my right eye suddenly went crazy. I awoke one morning and if I closed my left eye, my right eye’s images were greatly distorted. (Whether outside or inside, EVERY vertical line, such as a telephone pole, a vertical lamp or the vertical portion of a doorway or window contains a “baby bump” when viewed with that right eye alone. Plus, a dark shadow covers the top portion and around the eyes of everyone—including myself when I look in a mirror while my left eye is closed.

        Obviously, I went to an optician, who tested me and discovered I have a tear in my right eye’s macula (also termed a “macular hole”). The optician sent me to the sole ophthalmologist in Oregon who can perform the operation to repair this, in which she would peel my eyeball. She’s in Portland—a five-hour drive away.

        Further, I leaarned that the U of Oregon’s Health and Sciences Division, housing Casey Eye Institute (where that ophthalmologist practices) charges between $15K to $20K for the operation, which I ws supposed to undergo last July. Yet I couldn’t for a couple of reasons:

        *
        I must remain under a 2,000-foot elevation for the operation and for up to three months thereafter. I cannot stay in my daughter’s house.
        *
        My sister is a nurse anesthetist in Wichita, Kansas, and works with another woman ophthalmologist who offered to perform the operation without charging for her services. (Of course, I’d still have to pay hospital expenses. Even if Medicare pays 80%, they will be pricey.) But I must figure out how to get to Wichita without flying there—and I must take my chihuahua, Chia, with me because I will stay with my sister for at least two months.

        In short, this is why it takes me so long to read—and why digital works are more difficult to read (and more expensive to print than just buying a book). So I can’t write as quickly now. I’m also trying to rid my house of clutter (mainly my office with its million stacks of papers and hundreds of books) so I can SELL it for the price its worth—even in this buyers’ market. (You see, for both my eyes and my asthmatic l need to live in an elevation lower than 2,000 feet. Pendleton—where my daughter lives—is 800 feet downtown and 1,000 feet in its hills–the same as the Kansas City area where I grew up, but finding a house there has been tough.)

        In short, I hated to pester you with this—and I’m working as hard as I can but I’m undergoing challenges here that interfere with my available time.

        Nevertheless, if you can find that email about me reviewing a woman’s novel, PLEASE re-send it. I’ll be happy to write it but cannot promise to finish it by January 15. Sorry about that. Or would you prefer I wrote that review before the Midnight Garden review?

        Best always,

        Lindsey

        Dr. Lindsey Martin-Bowen, JD
        Poet and Novelist
        Professor, Writing,
        Criminal Law, Procedural Law
        American Ct. Systems,
        Blue Mountain College

        [cid:f354712b-21cb-443d-849d-e26757a358c6]

        redbat books https://www.redbatbooks.com/checks.htmlhttps://www.redbatbooks.com/checks.html?fbclid=IwAR0m_KlcMiOmJmp7HCV3b1UVOXDYK618KAjXbXmW4lfWNl3mPcRyWQqtzzA

        Liked by 1 person

        Reply
        • kayelynnebooth's avatar kayelynnebooth says:
          January 10, 2026 at 12:22 pm

          No worries Lindsey. Although I believe you have the option of downloading a PDF, I did not have a print copy available. It is part of my effort to get The Ones Who Stayed With Me reviews on release day, the 13th to push the memoir up in the ratings. You are not obligated to review, but you are welcome to at your convenience, if you like. Reviews are welcomed any time. 😘

          I gotta ask though. Why didn’t you just email me?

          Like

    • Lindsey Martin-Bowen's avatar Lindsey Martin-Bowen says:
      January 7, 2026 at 9:44 pm

      Thank you, Cindy.

      Please try writing an Imagist poem. I’d love to see yours, too. (And with your permission, I’d like to post it in a fuuture column.
      Now, I’m about to check out your posts.

      Thank you once more.

      Dr. Lindsey Martin-Bowen, JD
      Poet and Novelist
      Professor, Writing,
      Criminal Law, Procedural Law
      American Ct. Systems,
      Blue Mountain College

      [cid:650c4446-cd82-4060-9449-4c02e64a0e82]

      redbat books https://www.redbatbooks.com/checks.htmlhttps://www.redbatbooks.com/checks.html?fbclid=IwAR0m_KlcMiOmJmp7HCV3b1UVOXDYK618KAjXbXmW4lfWNl3mPcRyWQqtzzA

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply
    • Lindsey Martin-Bowen's avatar Lindsey Martin-Bowen says:
      January 7, 2026 at 9:58 pm

      Hi again, Cindy.

      I enjoyed reading your posts and especially relate to the first and last one. (My hint to lighten spirits during the Christmas season (or anytime during winter): “Miracle on 34th Street” and “It’s a Wonderful Life.”

      And yes,indeed, I’ve been suffering under this regime, too. But staying busy writing columns for LINDSEY’S WRITING PRCTICE, poems for my next collection, and prepping my upcoming novels, have helped me keep going—despite such horrors as the ICE person murdering a woman (who was driving away and no threat to him, as the video exposed). Thanks for sharing your thoughts and photos. I love that one of your family.

      Best always,

      Dr. Lindsey Martin-Bowen, JD
      Poet and Novelist
      Professor, Writing,
      Criminal Law, Procedural Law
      American Ct. Systems,
      Blue Mountain College

      [cid:1ef2fa66-2d7d-4d44-9694-3e5f449a4b16]

      redbat books https://www.redbatbooks.com/checks.htmlhttps://www.redbatbooks.com/checks.html?fbclid=IwAR0m_KlcMiOmJmp7HCV3b1UVOXDYK618KAjXbXmW4lfWNl3mPcRyWQqtzzA

      Like

      Reply
  2. Cindy Georgakas's avatar Cindy Georgakas says:
    January 8, 2026 at 5:54 am

    Awww thanks for taking time to read them and your hints… mine might more look like lock the door at the moment. lol.
    😂
    Those are great ones but were more on the Frozen, Grinch movies now with the wee ones.

    Omg I know that was truly horrifying watching that!
    Good for you on your continued writing journey.

    I’m happy you enjoyed my photos and blog posts.
    Let’s stay in touch!
    ♥️🙏😇

    Like

    Reply
  3. robbiesinspiration's avatar robbiesinspiration says:
    January 9, 2026 at 10:05 am

    Hi Lindsey, let me see if I can write a poem like this. It appeals to me.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  4. Robbie’s Inspiration – Poetry catchup for Tanka Tuesday, W3, Esther Chilton’s Writing Challenge and Lindsey’s Writing Practice – Robbie's inspiration says:
    January 10, 2026 at 10:43 pm

    […] You can read more about how to write an imagist poem and find examples here: https://writingtoberead.com/2026/01/07/lindseys-writing-practice-3/ […]

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  5. robbiesinspiration's avatar robbiesinspiration says:
    January 10, 2026 at 10:44 pm

    I had a go at writing an imagist poem. You will find my poem here: https://robbiesinspiration.wordpress.com/2026/01/11/robbies-inspiration-poetry-catchup-for-tanka-tuesday-w3-esther-chiltons-writing-challenge-and-lindseys-writing-practice/

    Liked by 1 person

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