Acrostic
Poetry & prosodyA text whose line initials spell a word or message when read vertically.
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 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.
In the workshop
Write the word vertically, then find a scene that connects the lines.
Put this term to work
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