How to Start an Acrostic

For me, the most difficult thing about writing an acrostic is finding a suitable word. This may seem strange, because it would be possible to pick any random word and turn it into an acrostic. However, there wouldn’t be much point. You have to have a reason to write it, and the chosen word needs to have purpose. Once this is clear in your mind, you can begin to exploit the power of the acrostic to probe an idea from a new and unexpected angle. I write from a Christian perspective and so always look for a word which relates in some way to faith. You may think that makes the task easier, but actually it doesn’t. The search for ‘Goldilocks’ words – not too short, not too long and not too smart, not too trite – is as difficult as ever. You need to constantly have your eyes and ears open for unexpected possibilities. And I’m open to suggestions – if anyone out there has a word they’d like to see turned into an acrostic, please suggest one below and I’ll see what I can do!