Writing Prompt: re-spelling

The first step is the hardest but richest: think of a vernacular with an alternate sense of spelling to standardized English. Re-spellings often—though not necessarily!—invoke alternate or coded experiences. This might be a dialect, specialized language or shorthand, antiquated or speculative language, developmentally or neurodivergently coded spelling, or something which elides all these and appears wholly made-up. The point is, think of the reading practices and rules you’d like your piece to invoke in a reader. Even for the most idiosyncratic of re-spellers, there are still references to the standards they deviate from. Which standards are you looking to deviate from? 

Re-spellings intersect with persona. A reader inevitably asks, why is the poet writing like this? What kind of speaker is this? This doesn’t mean the speaker isn’t the poet, but merely that a shade of  language is being emphasized. Ask yourself: Who would speak like this? What kind of speaker are you imagining or what aspect of yourself? Write three sentences as I-statements describing the speaker (e.g., “I am both medieval and contemporary”).

Next, create a list of fifteen words that simultaneously invoke your chosen vernacular as well as standardized English spelling. It’s in these moments of overlap that multiplicity and a sense of the poetic relationship emerge. For me, the word-pairing of field/feel was one. Brainstorm some words where such overlaps occur. As you start to write these, new connections will emerge. For instance, once I had feeld it led me to reel. Not every word needs to be ripe with multiplicity in your re-spellings but try to have a good core that resonate with multiple connotations.

Now think of a recent event from your own life that resonates with the speaker you previously chose. For myself, one scene was window-shopping at a nearby mall, which encapsulated something very old—like wandering the market square—and something very contemporary. What scene from your life might translate or “carry across” the speaker you’re effecting with your new vernacular?

You should now have a scene, a list of words, and a few sentences characterizing your speaker. Scaffold out your poem using the tools you’ve gathered. How many words from your list can you include? Do new words emerge? Try to integrate at least one of your I-statements as well. You may want to translate it into your new world or you may want to keep it as is. 

Poems are like putting together a puzzle, but for an image you made up and cut into shapes that you also made up. This is true of any poem, but especially true of re-spellings. As you come up with words, they’ll give you ideas; as you have ideas, you’ll come up with words. Follow that back-and-forth process as you revise. Re-spellings require a sense of play, possibility, and openness. See how your materials lead you to new and possible places.