A collaborative poem, written by two or more people, can be short or continue as an ongoing project. There are many different ways to write collaborative poems, from creating them with friends to posting them online. Learning write collaborative poetry is fun and easy to do.
Instructions
1. Write a Renga which is a Japanese form of poetry that consists of short verses of alternating lines three or two lines each throughout. One person begins by writing one stanza and then passes it on to the next person, continuing until both are satisfied the Renga is complete. Some Renga have been as long as 100 lines or more. People have used this form of poetry as a word game at parties.
2. In traditional Renga the first verse should have something in it about a season of the year, such as winter snow or autumn rain. Other things typically used in traditional Renga are mentions of flowers, the moon and love.
3. Think of subjects that you and a friend, or friends, can write about and then decide to either write one line each or one stanza each and combine them. Another way to construct a collaborative poem is to write a line or stanza and hide it, giving the next person only the last word of your stanza or line. The person you give it to does the same and turns it over to the next person. Repeat as many times as you like until you've finished your poem. Unlike the Renga there are no rules for subject so you are free to write about anything you like.
4. Go online where you can partake in a collaborative poetry exercise. There are many websites that specialize in collaborative poetry exercises (see Resources).
