Editing one's Poetry

What to Listen for in Shaping the Perfect Poem

May 16, 2008 Catherine Owen

Poems are not usually written in bursts of perfect inspiration. A poem often needs to undergo many drafts to refine its vision and hone its voice.

According to myth, poets compose their poetry in a state of exalted inspiration. A figurative lightning bolt zaps them, enabling them to write beautiful and eternal verse. The truth is usually very different. Although some poems are written in a burst of inspiration and require no editing, most poems are only first drafts when they are initially composed. They need to be edited, sometimes over a period of weeks, months or years to attain their full power.

The First Draft

When one takes time out, hopefully on a regular basis, to write a poem, one should let the sounds, ideas and images flow. The more often one writes, the more readily one can become a channel for art. This doesn't necessarily mean that the process of composition will be easier, but that the writer will be less likely to compose a piece that he or she will later cast away. The writer will be able to trust his voice and his process more if they write regularly.

Try not to listen to the judging or critiquing part of the brain at first, the part that says that what one writes is worthless or clumsy, awkward or pointless. Release any fears into language. Revise more critically after the initial draft is written.

The Second Draft

Always read poetry aloud. Poetry, after all, is an oral art. The words need to be heard to be best appreciated, and critiqued. Spend time with each word and ask if that's the word that most effectively, and sonorously, conveys what one wants to impart. Especially pay attention to verbs as they carry the movement and action of the poem, propelling the sense of energy. Cut out unnecessary adjectives or adverbs as they usually clutter your imagery.

Focus on weeding out cliches, worn-out uses of language that are no longer fresh and won't convey anything of meaning to the reader. Poets must make perceptions new. They should invigorate language so that it transcends the banalities of daily speech, newspaper jargon and television sound-bites.

The Third Draft

After one has spent time strengthening one's use of language, making the diction as aurally resonant and full of texture as possible, one can attend to the line breaks. One of the aspects that differentiates poems from prose is in the way each line is treated as a breath unit. In traditional poetry, metre and rhyme help the poet decide how to break a line. In contemporary verse, one must turn to syllabics or the organic pauses that breath inserts to know where a line break is most effective.

Try to shift between end-stops and enjambments, long lines and shorter ones. Aim not to end a line on a preposition or article. Punctuation, especially commas and semi-colons, are often odd at the ends of lines and work better at their start. The more one writes, the more one will develop an ear for where the line-breaks should be. Play around with your poem. Don't be afraid to write multiple versions. The writer then has many choices and can better decide which option works well.

Further Drafts

After one has spent a period of time revising the poem, take it to others. Some poems require weeks, months or even years of reworking before they're ready to be shared. At a certain point though, poets need to bring their work to others that they trust. Pick another literary artist rather than a family member or friend to share your poem with. Join a writer's society. Let different types of people hear the piece aloud and read it silently on the page.

The writer is usually surprised at how much other writers find in her poem to revise. Although one can feel vulnerable and sensitive to critique, listening to what people one admires have to say about the poem will only make the poem stronger. Of course, the writer doesn't have to incorporate all their suggestions, but considering them will enable one to learn a lot about the writing process and what matters as a poet. Once the poem is thoroughly revised, one can begin to consider submitting it for publication!

The copyright of the article Editing one's Poetry in Editing is owned by Catherine Owen. Permission to republish Editing one's Poetry in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Many Drafts are Required for the Perfect Poem!