Quick tips for editing poetry [part 1]
There's a lot to unpack when speaking about editing, but let's start with some quick tips
I recently got asked this question during a workshop and I realised that although I teach about editing, I’ve not often written about it. There’s so much to say about editing but it is also something that is challenging to teach. This is because there are no shortcuts.
Each poem will need different editing skills, and the eye needs to be trained to do it fairly fast. If you’re not in a critique group or in a classroom setting, there is absolutely no need to do it fast of course! In fact, careful consideration is the recommended way. Here are some pointers to start with, I’ll go into more detail during my focused workshops and my poetry course.
Fresh perspective
Following the writing of your first draft, I recommend putting it away for a couple of weeks before attempting to edit it. This will give you a fresh perspective on what you've written. You may want to always keep a copy of the original draft and of any subsequent edits, just in case you change your mind about an edit.
Vision gap
After reading the poem with a fresh mind, try to understand whether there are gaps between what you wanted and were trying to say and what you've written down. It will help you to write in prose what the poem is about. This is a practice you'll do in your mind as you get more accustomed to it, but it will help to actually write it down at first.
Reciting issues
Read your poem aloud. Notice if there are places where you pause and check whether you've made this clear to a reader on the page. Have you:
- inserted punctuation
- started a new verse or paragraph
- moved the words around
in such a way that this pause is created?
Sounding it out
Notice how the poem sounds. Are there parts where you hesitated for a moment? Are there parts that made you emotional? Did any sound make you smile or give you pleasure while reading?
Is it poetry?
One of the crucial things to learn about poetry is that there needs to be an economy of words.
Is every single word in your poem necessary?
Can you trust the reader to fill in the gaps?
Uniqueness
Next, we're going to look at specificity. In both short stories and poetry, we grab the reader's interest because our point of view is slightly different to theirs and yet there is a place of connection.
And so, depending on the poem, it may be more poignant to write 'weeping willows' rather than 'trees', or 'livid' rather than 'really angry'.
Remember, this is your CRAFT. Enjoy building your unique poem, getting it just right. Success means writing what you want to write so that it sounds precisely like your vision of it.
More tips next time :)