Please click on the audio symbol above 
to hear me explain how I wrote Ash's Birchday.

In the audio, I explain how I created a 
list of puns (e.g. spruce up, tremendous,
knot) as well as a list of tree names that 
I thought I could use instead of other 
words in a poem (e.g. wonderboom – instead 
of wonderful, poplar – instead of popular).
Then I created a story from my lists of 
words.

After you've had a listen, why not try 
writing your own list of puns, focusing 
on a topic that you're interested in  
(e.g. rocks / space / food)? Then, once 
you've thought of as many as you can, 
look at your list and try turning them 
into a poem.

Don't forget that editing is an important 
part of the process. Take a break, come 
back to what you've written and cut the 
words that aren't working hard enough.