Acrostic
A text whose line initials spell a word or message when read vertically.
In a common acrostic, the first letters of successive lines spell a word. The device can serve as a dedication, puzzle or writing constraint, creating a second reading down the page.
The challenge is to make the lines work together rather than merely satisfy their assigned initials. The hidden word may relate to the subject without being stated directly.
Example
No lamps along the lane Inside, one window glows Gone is the evening rain Here, only the river moves Till morning finds the road
In the workshop
Write the word vertically, then find a scene that connects the lines.
Related terms
Put this term to work
The writing studio novelists were missing
Outline, characters, places and objects, the links between them, mind map, storyboard, export: everything lives in one place. Plus an AI that knows your story, whenever you want one.
Free to write and to export. No credit card asked.