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Multigenre Prompt

The Refrain

By Lexi Rosen

Let’s write using refrains! Choose a phrase, then start each sentence of your piece with it. This can work for poetry, flash fiction/nonfiction, or even longer pieces if you wanted to see how far you can take the phrase!

Some phrases for you to choose from, if you need one:

  • I want to tell you
  • Back then
  • Next week
  • I had wished that
  • The story goes

Use any phrase that speaks to you. Be sure to play around with varying sentence structures to keep the repetition fresh. And for an extra challenge, change up the refrain just slightly at the turn of the piece—slight deviation at the volta tends to go a long way.

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