An acrostic is formed by writing the subject vertically down the left hand margin of a page.  Words that suit the subject are then chosen, beginning with the first letter of each line.

If we pick on John as an example, I would write:

J
O
H
N

So, first I would try to think of a word beginning with J that either suits him or describes him.  Next, a word beginning with O, and so on.

Knowing John’s character, I might well choose:

Jovial
Ordinary
Honest
Nice

However, I might want to form sentences instead, eg:

June is a month when he is
Outgoing and does many walks amongst the
Hills and dales
Navigating excellently

Making acrostics is a great way to explore any topic.  However, it is extremely useful for “awkward” topics or names, hence the first in our series of acrostics:

POW  HILL  BOG.

We follow it with a second example, Meetings of the Waters