Poetry Editing?
Dear Horace Greeley,
What are your best tips for finishing, improving, editing, and polishing poems?
Want To Be a Better Poet
Dear Want,
A poem is as much an expression of personal feelings as it is a piece of art. You can make it as wild and messy as you like, but after the first draft, approach it with a critical eye. Here are some tips to get you started:
Imagery is your best friend but make sure it is cohesive and follows the same tone and aesthetic throughout the poem instead of being a random compilation of pretty pictures.
Adjectives (and adverbs) are fair-weather friends. Make your verbs do the heavy lifting instead.
Pay attention to the form. Even free verse has a certain rhythm and the best line breaks possible for that particular piece. Read it out loud, visualize where you want to see pauses and breaks most, and apply them.
Weak endings are a tragedy. Make sure you finish your poems on a strong note so the reader feels torn away from the poem. Leave them adrift in their experience of your piece.
Make sure you are adhering to your theme/concept throughout rather than going off in tangents. Cut down anything extra.
Check your grammar - spelling, punctuation, tenses, missing words. Look out for words that don’t need to be repeated. If you’re disregarding any of these intentionally, make sure you are doing so consistently throughout the poem.
Your readers are not stupid. Do not over explain yourself or use exposition in the wrong places. Break your poem down to the briefest it can be (you can always add more later).
Come back to your poem after months. And keep coming back. Every piece of writing is a work in progress.
Read different genres and styles of poetry to constantly explore and adapt your own style. Don’t box your consumption.
Remember all these tips can be disregarded and broken as long as it is intentional. Intention and subversion go a long way in poetry.
These tips will help you improve your craft, but remember: Don’t make it a goal for your work to be universally liked. Trying to cater to a general audience will water down your writing. Instead, have confidence in your niche and adhere to the soul of each piece. Good luck!
Your humble servant,
Horace Greeley