creative writing about a lighthouse

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lighthouse - quotes and descriptions to inspire creative writing

Lighthouse of yonder rock that harkens into the oceanic arena, there is tell that you were born of starlight rather than built by hands of men. Yet I say to the storytellers of the deep that it is through the hands of men that the stars make heaven's way.

In the turret of that lighthouse bright, I placed my writers desk. I called the scene of those waves, the stormy and the calm, my home. Yet in truth it was only half a truth, for without you I am half a soul, at least I feel that way. So until you can fly over those bonny waves, here I sit, imagining that I am whole.

The lighthouse stood as a great guardian of land and a friend to those navigating sea waves.

The weathered paint of the lighthouse was evidence of its humble valour, how it stood resolute upon the rock to tell of dangers others couldn't see.

The lighthouse was bathed in rainwater and brine, the pure and the salty, season in and season out. Around it were the rocks both proud of the waves and submerged. It had been a long time since there were real steps to the door, ones that could be traversed with ease, and so they waited for the tide to pull the sea out a little further, to wait until all the rocks could breathe fresh coastal air.

Day or night, the lighthouse lit up my heart, for it was a thing of beauty, a poetry, a part of this coastal soul.

Starlight calls from the heavens, lighthouse glow replies from Earth, together lighting up the night.

There is a heartbeat in that lighthouse that gets converted to a steady beam upon the nightly reign of the moon.

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Regular news and insight from our many poets, writers, educators and facilitators

01 May 2021

Posted by Tabby Hayward

LIGHTHOUSE POETRY

11-14 group - 15 attending 15-18 group - 12 attending

This week, we were continuing with our theme of lighthouses, but looking at poetry about lighthouses...

To begin, we thought about personifying a lighthouse - personification is when you describe something which isn't human as if it  were  human, giving it qualities/characteristics/features which only a human would have. Looking again at our lighthouse pictures, the young writers picked one and asked themselves...

If this lighthouse were a person, what sort of a person would they be? How old would they be? What gender? What would they look like? What would they wear? What sort of personality would they have? Introverted or extroverted? Calm and peaceful or bad tempered?  How would they feel? Lonely? Bored? Contented? Frustrated? Joyful? What could they see? What could they hear?

Putting all this together, the young writers wrote a short poem/poetic description introducing their lighthouse character!

Here’s Annie’s ‘lighthouse person’ poem:

Glowing smile and bright eyes, Her hair as bright and yellow as that of a light, A small bucket hat sits upon her head, Hair swaying in the wind as she passes, A cotton dress comes down to her ankles, Whiter than snow itself, She wears a red belt across her waist, Red and white bracelet upon her wrist, Alone and desperate, Unable to move, She guides those on adventures but longs for an adventure herself, Soon enough her eyes begin to dull, The white dress stains, Her smile is no more.

And here’s Aurora’s description:

The giant sighed, feeling the holes in his old fleece splash like the waves of the never-ending sea. His knees dug deep into the soft rock beneath him, keeping his great body solid in the gales that often froze him near to death. His breaths were drawn heavily, as if they were being pulled by some great rope in a violent tug of war, groaning under the massive lantern that laid upon his cold back. Cold despite the huge flame that hissed and spat where he held it, warding off doomed ships and unfortunate sailors.                                                                                                       What happened to the days gone by? What happened to the children who would run up, red-faced from their play at school, carrying garlands of valley flowers and warm-knitted blankets to keep him on his age-old mission? Alas, they had long since grown up, and they now knew of the ancient crime that chains him to this blasted cliff. And so none would go near him, leaving his white-and-red jumper to rot on his heaving chest, only withered black stalks hung from his aching neck, no-one to comfort him.

The giant sighed, feeling the holes in his old fleece splash like the waves of the never-ending sea. His knees dug deep into the soft rock beneath him, keeping his great body solid in the gales that often froze him near to death. His breaths were drawn heavily, as if they were being pulled by some great rope in a violent tug of war, groaning under the massive lantern that laid upon his cold back. Cold despite the huge flame that hissed and spat where he held it, warding off doomed ships and unfortunate sailors.      

What happened to the days gone by? What happened to the children who would run up, red-faced from their play at school, carrying garlands of valley flowers and warm-knitted blankets to keep him on his age-old mission? Alas, they had long since grown up, and they now knew of the ancient crime that chains him to this blasted cliff. And so none would go near him, leaving his white-and-red jumper to rot on his heaving chest, only withered black stalks hung from his aching neck, no-one to comfort him. The giant wept when he though of this, creating cascading waterfalls that ate at the soft chalk rocks beneath his stained knees. The wind was his only companion, a sneering comrade indeed, that only whispered snidely before rushing off to annoy someone else.

Next, we looked at kennings – metaphorical compounds, dating back to Old English and Viking poetry, which are used as tiny riddles to describe things in unexpected ways! Some of our young writers were already familiar with kennings (especially those in the Afterschool Club, where we looked at them last week!) but we went through the page on kennings on the Young Poets Network together and the writers all came up with some really imaginative kennings for their lighthouses – including the ‘sun’s substitute’ and the ‘waves’ boxing bag’!

Next, we looked at some other examples of poems about lighthouses, from Lighthouse Keeping by Kay Ryan to Land’s End by Weldon Kees, The Inland Lighthouse by James McMichael, I Was Never Able to Pray by Edward Hirsch, and Letters from an Institution by Michael Ryan. Some of these were using lighthouses more as a symbol/metaphor, while others looked at the imagery surrounding lighthouses and seascapes, exploring ideas of memory, childhood, nature, the environment and loss. We also looked at the different ways in which the poems were set out on the page and their use of rhyme, rhythm and structure – some almost resembling lighthouses in their shape!

Finally, putting all this together, the young writers wrote their best lighthouse poems, which could use kennings, personification, metaphors, imagery, shape, and anything else we had looked at today – or any other techniques they wanted to explore!

Here is Annie's poem, using kennings, rhyme and personification!

A guide to thee who are lost in the dark, A bright light as if a spark, Standing tall and firm, A hero to all in a different term, Watching over the pool of the world, A white base with a red twirl, The candle tower is a sight for sure.

And check out Evie’s brilliant lighthouse shape-poem below!

Evie's brilliant lighthouse poem!

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Picture Prompt

Lighthouse journal writing prompt.

Imagine you are aboard the small boat in the image. Write a journal entry describing your journey and the feelings that arise as you approach the lighthouse in the evening.

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What do you think the relationship is between the small boat and the lighthouse?

How would you describe this picture?

What might be the story or journey of the person or people aboard the small boat?

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Hello Lighthouse

Home » Book Resources » Key Stage 1 » Hello Lighthouse

Hello Lighthouse by Sophia Blackwell

Watch the days and seasons pass as the wind blows, the fog rolls in, and icebergs drift by. Outside, there is water all around. Inside, the daily life of a lighthouse keeper and his family unfolds as the keeper boils water for tea, lights the lamp’s wick, and writes every detail in his logbook.

Main Focus: Alphabetical Order

This activity explores Page 4 of the story and focuses on teaching your Year 1 / Year 2 class alphabetical order.

Your KS1 children will be challenged to order the words using the first and second letter (if required). There is also the option to allow your class to choose words of their own from the text.

Main Focus: Comprehension

Your class will complete this KS1 comprehension resource based on the whole story of Hello Lighthouse.

This resource has been differentiated to allow your class to tackle different types of questions based on the book.

Main Focus: Creative Writing

At the end of the story, the lighthouse keeper has moved out of the lighthouse as there is a new light and machine which means the keeper does not need to tend the lighthouse anymore.

Your class will think about what duties he had in the lighthouse and other skills you think he might be able to use in his new job.

This is a lovely creative writing resource that encourages your class to apply what they know about the lighthouse keeper.

Main Focus: Label a Lighthouse

This activity encourages your class to look at the lighthouse in depth and begin to recognise the different parts.

Main Focus: Phonics

This phonics resource covers: initial sounds, final sounds, vowel teams and also gives you class the opportunity to search and locate sounds that they recognise. 

Main Focus: Word Class

The resource helps your class identify nouns, verbs and adjectives within an extract of the text.

Main Focus: Punctuation

This resource helps your children identify where capital letters and full stops are located within an excerpt from the story.

The resource is differentiated to give you the option to start at different points with the children in your class.

Main Focus: Story Reflection

This is a great resource to use at the end of the book to encourage your class to reflect on the story and look a little deeper into making predictions, being creative, gathering evidence, sequencing, summarising and more.

Lighthouse: Animated Story

This is a story of a lighthouse keeper who feels somewhat isolated from the community until he needs their help. A heart-warming animated about being there for each other.

You can pause the story at multiple stages to ask the children to:

Discuss and create descriptions of the setting

Make Predictions

Discuss problems and solutions

Discuss feelings and reasoning

Create a dialogue, recount, newspaper report etc.

Life of a Lighthouse Technician

There are more than 250 lighthouses still in use across the UK, whose shining beams of light play a vital role in protecting shipping. With the days of the lighthouse keeper long gone, who looks after them?

When Scott Tacchi spotted an advertisement for a job as a lighthouse technician, he was intrigued enough to apply and then delighted to land the post.

The 30-year-old from Truro in Cornwall has spent the past 18 months helping to maintain the nation’s lighthouses, and documenting a job that often provides spectacular views.

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wardell Member

What is happening at my lighthouse.

Discussion in ' Plot Development ' started by wardell , Feb 21, 2017 .

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_1fb4bb7556cea93bcee9d05b991ff513'); }); so for this being long. I'm do a story a about A evil lighthouse I'm using real lighthouse legends and put them in one place and I can not figure out whats behind all the evil. 1910 One keeper, newly married, brought his young wife out with him to tend the light. Becoming very bored, the wife complained about not having anything to do. the keeper ordered a piano . she plays the same song over and over her husband goes mad he starts to take an axe to the piano but the wife gets in the way and dies not being able to live with himself he throws himself off the tower. 1935 three lighthouse-keepers disappear without a trace 1960 the next keeper and his wife move in but after 5 mouths her husband dies but instead of going get help She left his body at the foot of the stairs, and took over lighthouse duties for five days and nights, without eating or sleeping. On the sixth day, the light was out. Fishermen came to investigated,now, and found her sitting on the stairs holding the frozen corpse of her husband. She and her husband's corpse were taken ashore, but by that time she'd completely lost her mind 1985 the light the lighthouse is now a haunted tourist attraction a little girl and her dad visit and her dad goes missing 2010 that girl now grown goes back to find out what happened to her father why make some go insane one year but the next takes them away and I need help with this (please note all the years can be changed) I have no idea how to work all this together what could be doing all of this what could be behind all of this? any thoughts  

Iain Aschendale Lying, dog-faced pony Marine Supporter Contributor

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_1fb4bb7556cea93bcee9d05b991ff513'); }); Hmm, ancient Native American curse, workers died building it and haunt the place, Cthulhu, just plain old isolation, the ghost of the first one to die...  

matwoolf Banned Contributor

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_1fb4bb7556cea93bcee9d05b991ff513'); }); Some of the lighthouse stories are well known. Make new legends? Otherwise, a novel raises suspicion: 'They were three little pigs, loved the sleeping beauty, her seven tiny guys worked for the witch, whose hair tumbled the length of the tower.'  

making tracks Active Member

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_1fb4bb7556cea93bcee9d05b991ff513'); }); Have you ever read the short story 'The Red Room' by H.G.Wells? You could used a similar idea to explain some of the people's reactions - if I explain further it's a spoiler but there is a summary on Wikipedia or of course just check it out!  

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_1fb4bb7556cea93bcee9d05b991ff513'); }); I'd say the ghost of the first couple haunt it, possessing and killing the following keepers. When a new couple move in, both get possessed, but this time the woman (possessed by the female ghost) kills the husband (possessed by the male ghost) in an act of revenge. When she's taken out of the lighthouse the ghost leaves her but has done so much psychological damage that she goes insane. Maybe each person to die there adds their ghost to the haunting, so by the time the girls dad goes missing there are already 6 ghosts. If each act in a different way then it can appear as one ghost that's acting in different ways until the girl realises that it's actually multiple ghosts.  

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_1fb4bb7556cea93bcee9d05b991ff513'); }); WNP said: ↑ I'd say the ghost of the first couple haunt it, possessing and killing the following keepers. When a new couple move in, both get possessed, but this time the woman (possessed by the female ghost) kills the husband (possessed by the male ghost) in an act of revenge. When she's taken out of the lighthouse the ghost leaves her but has done so much psychological damage that she goes insane. Maybe each person to die there adds their ghost to the haunting, so by the time the girls dad goes missing there are already 6 ghosts. If each act in a different way then it can appear as one ghost that's acting in different ways until the girl realises that it's actually multiple ghosts. Click to expand...

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_1fb4bb7556cea93bcee9d05b991ff513'); }); making tracks said: ↑ Have you ever read the short story 'The Red Room' by H.G.Wells? You could used a similar idea to explain some of the people's reactions - if I explain further it's a spoiler but there is a summary on Wikipedia or of course just check it out! Click to expand...

PirateQueen27 New Member

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_1fb4bb7556cea93bcee9d05b991ff513'); }); Chemical leak... Some people react differently?  

Runningwater New Member

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_1fb4bb7556cea93bcee9d05b991ff513'); }); Just watch an episode of scooby doo. Usually the creepy lighthouse keeper's motive is... To bring in only her imported goods and put other businesses out of business.  

JE Loddon Active Member

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_1fb4bb7556cea93bcee9d05b991ff513'); }); It's on the edge of the water. Maybe the water level used to be higher, and a group of people drowned there?  

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What you need to know about Denver in 5 min.

Look inside the new Lighthouse Writers Workshop building in Clayton, where students’ words are going directly onto the insulation

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"It's the small things that count. The small beauties of the world that keep you going, keep you thriving. Look for the small things and you, too, will be beautiful."

Alice Pearson wrote these words on foam board, a piece of insulation on display in the Lighthouse Writers Workshop's temporary headquarters. It would eventually be carried across a parking lot, embedded in a construction project and, possibly, never seen again.

Lighthouse turned 25 years old in 2022, and the nonprofit is close to completing a major upgrade for their writing workshops and youth programs. Their new permanent headquarters, a brand new $8 million building on the edge of Denver's Clayton neighborhood, is set to open next year.

And as the work began, Donneve Rae, a member, floated an idea in the community. Wouldn't it be fun if they penned some of their own words onto the building's bones?

"I just thought that was absolutely delightful," Jefferson told us. "We are all just really thrilled by the idea of physically building a building out of words, even if it's just in that small way. The words are literally part of the building materials."

Pearson, a member of Lighthouse's Young Author's Collective, said it didn't matter the short sentiment would be sealed away behind drywall. To her, it was an opportunity to bless a space she's come to rely on, a small gesture for something that's become a big part of her life.

"It's like setting intentions," she said, "you know what I mean?"

"Even the little witch girl needs friends."

This was the passage Abby, who asked we don't use her last name, chose to write. For her, it was a reflection of what she's gotten from the Young Author's Collective, a musing on acceptance and friends found by chance.

"I didn't seek out these people, and then we all found each other through writing" she said as she sat with Pearson, Bruna Patton and Zoe Roberts during their weekly workshop. "We all get to enjoy these parts of ourselves and find people who will accept your, like, little witchiness."

The kids described themselves like the "Breakfast Club," not necessarily compatible in the real world but absolutely cohesive in this context. They're each between 13 and 15 and figuring themselves out, mostly on the page, in this "judgement-free zone."

The words Patton chose - "sometimes you need comfort, even if you get it from the worst places" - was an example of this self exploration. The passage wasn't so much about projecting an intention as it was an exercise in homing in on the kind of ominous prose she's been exploring in workshops.

This kind of safe place was a big goal in Lighthouse's expansion. Jefferson said the new building will offer, for the first time, a dedicated room for young people to come and write. Their goal is an open invitation to any kid in the neighborhood, not the few selected each year for the intensive Young Author's Collective program.

"We wanted to be in a place where kids can walk in after school and get tutoring help and, you know, 'I need somewhere to write my creative writing homework,'" she said. "We wanted to be somewhere that was really accessible to local schools, an area that really doesn't have a ton of arts access that we can help build up. That was really important to us."

"I think the meaning of life is to make a difference in the world in a way no one else can."

Those were the words Zoe Roberts penned on the foam panel, a mantra she tries to keep in her mind when things outside herself seem hectic or depressing.

It also embodies Lighthouse's broader goals, beyond just their youth programs.

During the pandemic, the nonprofit's footprint grew far beyond the metro. As they opened classes over zoom, they accumulated participants from all 50 states and a handful of other continents. They offered seminars for medical workers who needed a venue to blow off steam as their hospitals filled with COVID cases, an offshoot of older programs that used writing as therapy for people dealing with hardship.

Alexa Culshaw, the nonprofit's spokesperson, said this kind of community work is what sets Lighthouse apart from other organizations like them. Writing and words, she added, are perfect vehicles to create spaces where individual people and communities can grow stronger.

"We're guided by the belief that writing is a transformative act, and words are our most meaningful way of connecting with one another," she told us. "We see a real power and potential in creative writing, expressing your story, reading someone else's story, understanding new perspectives. It's just a powerful tool."

Three stories tall, packed full of books and adorned by the words of their students, Culshaw said their new home will finally match their ambition, reach and ethos.

"The new building means everything," Jefferson said. "It means growth. It means new access to community. It really means everything to the future of Lighthouse."

Correction: The genesis of the interior poetry idea was originally misstated by our sources, and has since been changed to reflect Donneve Rae's contribution.

Kevin is a multimedia artist who flung himself into the world of journalism. He likes using a camera and microphone to tell stories about workers, the environment, social justice and fascinating humans.

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Lighthouse Writers will move into the historic Milheim House -- which has its own tale to tell

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Audio By Carbonatix

The house, built in 1893 for John and Mary Milheim, was originally located at 1355 Pennsylvania Street, across from the Molly Brown House. John Milheim was a Swiss immigrant who opened Denver's first bakery and other businesses.

But in 1989, the house, a Denver Square, was set to be demolished by the Colorado State Employees Credit Union, which planned to build a parking lot. Historic preservationists raised a stink, however, so the credit union offered to give the building to anyone who would move it, along with the $40,000 it was planning to pay for the demo, according to a 1996 story in the Denver Post . James Alleman and Ralph Heronema II stepped up.

The two men still own the house, and Lighthouse Writers has signed a five-year lease on the property, which resembles their current facility, the Thomas Hornsby Ferril House, a two-story Victorian at 2123 Downing Street that was once home to the Colorado poet laureate who died in 1988. Built in 1890, the Ferril house is now a state-protected landmark building owned by the nonprofit Colorado Humanities.

"It's been great, but for the past two years, we've had to supplement our space with other venues," says Andrea Dupree, who founded Lighthouse with her husband, Mike Henry, in 1997. But when Colorado Humanities announced that it was selling the house, Lighthouse began looking for larger space. The Milheim House "is gorgeous," Dupree says. "And it is three times the size. It also has a writerly feel to it that people just love."

Although the Milheim house is understated on the outside, it is gorgeous on the inside, retaining much of the original detail, Dupree says.

Moving it was a massive challenge, however. It took three semi trucks to carry it -- very slowly -- through Capitol Hill. Numerous power and other utility lines had to moved, but no trees were allowed to be cut down in the process, the Denver Post wrote. The 5,000-square-foot house weighed 583 tons.

Lighthouse will take over on July 1 and plans to hold an Open House Celebration and Tour on Tuesday, July 19, from 4 to 7 p.m.

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Creative hobbies may greatly benefit mental health

Painting, woodworking, writing: Whatever you turn to creatively, it could equal or exceed work in terms of maintaining mental health, new research shows.

"Crafting and other artistic activities showed a meaningful effect in predicting people's sense that their life is worthwhile," said study lead author Dr. Helen Keyes , of Anglia Ruskin University in Britain. Advertisement

"Indeed, the impact of crafting was bigger than the impact of being in employment," she added. "Not only does crafting give us a sense of achievement, it is also a meaningful route to self-expression. This is not always the case with employment."

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Folks were asked about their level of participation in cultural, digital and sporting activities.

People were also queried about their levels of loneliness and "sensations of happiness, anxiety and life satisfaction, and to give their impression of whether life is worthwhile," according to a journal news release.

More than a third (37.4%) of respondents said they'd been involved in some kind of arts or crafts activity over the past month. Advertisement

People who engaged in a creative pursuit scored higher in terms of happiness, life satisfaction and the sense that life is worthwhile, compared to folks who weren't involved in arts or crafts, the researchers found.

"The well-being effects were present even after we accounted for things like employment status and level of deprivation," Keyes said in a journal news release. "It seems that crafting can contribute positively to your well-being above and beyond these other aspects of your life."

Perhaps because many arts and crafts are done while alone, engagement didn't seem to affect people's levels of loneliness.

The study was only designed to show associations, so it could not prove cause and effect.

In her own life, Keyes said she's an avid devotee of DIY projects such as painting and decorating.

"There is certainly something immensely satisfying about seeing the results of your work appear before your eyes," she said. "It feels great to focus on one task and engage your mind creatively."

Policymakers might want to take guidance from the new findings, Keyes said.

"Governments and national health services might consider funding and promoting crafting, or even socially prescribing these activities for at-risk populations, as part of a promotion and prevention approach to well-being and mental health," she said. Advertisement

More information

Find out more about the benefits of being creative at the American Psychiatric Association .

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Thank you for a great 2024 summer camps season!

Summer camps are offered in person at our Denver location at 3844 York St and virtually, Monday through Friday, throughout the summer.

Half-Day and Full-Day Camps

We offer full-day in-person and virtual half-day camps for ages 8-18 from June through August. We have a wide array of workshop topics covering genres like fiction, poetry, scriptwriting, songwriting, and journalism. Our camps provide dedicated writing time, engaging exercises, and the personalized guidance of experienced, working writers. With only 6-12 campers per session, young writers receive individualized attention and thrive in a supportive, collaborative environment. More than just skill development, our camps foster confidence and a love for writing. 

Middle School and High School Summer Writing Intensives

The Lighthouse Summer Writing Intensive is led by published and award-winning writers, and each workshop is designed to foster creativity, self-expression, and excitement about writing. During the week, young writers will work at length with a number of published instructors in a variety of genres and will leave camp with new knowledge about the craft of writing, at least one completed piece of work, and enthusiasm about pieces to come. Campers will be invited, but not required, to share a piece of writing in a public reading at the end of the week. Writers of all experience are welcome to apply!

Policies and Procedures

See Lighthouse's Summer Camp policies and procedures below. If you have any questions, contact [email protected] .

2024 Catalog

Explore all summer camp offerings through our 2024 catalog. We hope you join us this summer to solve puzzles, follow clues, and find hidden treasure; embody your literary heroes through improv to help you write well-rounded characters; play with speculative prompts to build complex and atypical characters and invent fascinating new worlds; find inspiration for your writing in the natural world; and so much more!