The Tanka as Article

Remember my post about the 100 word essay? By writing the "totality" of your article in 100 words, you were forced to think about the essence of what you wanted to say. I also suggested that it was a great tool for jump-starting stalled writing.

Now, try an even more compressed form- the Tanka. The Tanka the longer form from where the Haiku originated. It is a poem with 5 lines consisting of a predetermined number of syllables:   5-7-5-7-7 (well, Onji in Japanese, but this is the English form).

Try writing your "article" in this format. Try writing a couple of ideas for articles in this format- see if your creativity is not sparked. Use it as an outline or abstract. Play.