Revising and Editing Poetry

 

Revising and Editing Poetry

“The way to stay fresh in poetry is to do something that makes you uncomfortable” –Julie S. Paschold, to a graduate poetry class at the University of Nebraska-Kearney

 

I recently consulted an Advanced Poetry class for graduate students at the University of Nebraska at Kearney.  They were interested in the subject of editing and revising their poetry.

Here are some considerations and things to think about when sitting down with one of your poems, or a collection:

Things to Consider for One Poem:

·         Is this a form poem, or free verse?

o   for form, are you rigidly following the rules, or breaking some of them?

o   for form, does the poem still make sense and flow?

·         Read the poem aloud

o   How does it sound?

§  choppy, smooth, rhyming, flowing

o   Does it make sense?  Is it supposed to?

o   What is the message? Who is the intended audience?

o   Do you repeat words—intentionally?  Too much? Do some of them need to be replaced with a synonym or deleted?

o   Is it too descriptive, not enough?

o   What can you remove and still maintain the message?

o   What needs to be rephrased?

o   Is it too long or short?

o   How does it end—abruptly? Surprise? Are you satisfied? Do you leave them hanging at the end? Are you trying to upset them?

·         Have someone else read the poem aloud

o   How does it sound?

o   Does anything stand out…is it supposed to?

o   Do they stumble on anything?

o   Do they question something?

o   Is something missing? Or repetitive?

·         How does it look?

o   Justification: Center, Left, Right?

o   One solid mass? Verses? Indented lines?

·         If you have quotes: Use quotation marks or italics?

·         If you have dialogue: Do you use justification for the speakers (one right, one left)? Or verses? Or fonts? How to distinguish between them.

·         What is the tone? Horror, humor, sorrow, political, social/society, grief, romance….are you successful?

·         Does the “voice” or tone change in the middle of the poem?

·         Line breaks

o   Are they natural breaks, when someone would take a breath?

o   Do you intentionally break in the middle of a phrase or thought, jolting the person into paying attention, so the poem is jolted, too, breaking the poem or thought?

o   Are lines long or short?

o   Is there a rhythm to them?

o   Is this more narrative?

o   Do your sentences dictate a line break, or do you have sentences end in the middle of a line, indicating flow throughout the poem?

·         Can you split the poem into two?

·         Can you merge two shorter into one longer poem?

·         Is this a chapter poem?

·         Can you change a form poem into free verse, or a free verse into a form? 

·         Can you add a random line into the middle of the poem to change the tone or message or add distraction?

Things to Consider for a Collection:

·         What overall meaning or message are you trying to get across?

o   How does the title help do this?

·         Are there sub-groups within the collection?

·         As the message moves along the collection—what order does this take? How you place the poems regulates how you create the message.

·         What length are you looking for? Full manuscript? Small selection for a submission? Chapbook? Chapter in a manuscript?

·         What does it have to have, be, or sound like in order to “fit” what you are looking for?

o   Do you have to change anything in order to do this?

o   Do you have to remove or add a poem in order to do this?

o   Do you have to edit a poem in order to do this?

If you are too close to a poem, and have trouble emotionally separating yourself from the subject, either read the poem to another person, or imagine yourself as another person. Edit as though you were in their shoes: it is a bit of a dissociating tactic.

I usually take a break between writing a poem and editing it. I write by hand first, wait at least a day, then type it up.  While typing, I edit.  Then I read it aloud, and type further.  If I am still unsure, I have someone read it to me and edit again.  I will caution, however: YOU CAN EDIT A POEM TOO MUCH. There is a point when you need to put a poem away. If you are unsure about whether you are done or not, put it aside for a while.  Or try one of the last five bullet points in the above list for single poems: breaking it up, merging, adding a line, changing form, etc. Or accepting it as it is.

In the above quote, I closed by stating that remaining stagnant in a form or method that keeps you comfortable keeps you from growing.  Try a form you haven’t before. Use prompts that get you out of your normal thoughts. If you write sad poems, write a humorous one. Write a prose poem if you normally write short poems. Write collaborative poems with another poet. Share poetry with others. Get up and try a poetry slam, or just try reading in front of an open mic. Do something you normally wouldn’t. This keeps you fresh, keeps you growing and improving and developing as a poet and as a person.

I hope this helps!  Let me know if you found this useful.

Thanks for reading,

Julie S. Paschold,

    author of Horizons (Atmosphere Press)

jpaschold@gmail.com
https://jpaschold.blogspot.com
https://medium.com/@jpaschold

 

12.7.23