Is Editing Necessary with Poetry?

There are many types of poets.

I always hated to write poetry when it was assigned at school. Why? because the english teacher that first influenced me to writing poetry made it feel like math with the rhyme, meter, and style. I hated it!

Reading poetry was another matter. Robert Frost is still my favorite with his rural county slices of life. He had rhyme:

"Two road diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And being one traveler, long I stood"

But Frost made it sound so good, not mathy at all! Then there was Shelley's "Oxymandias" that transported me with his "traveller from an antique land" to view the remains of the "shattered visage" of a once great king. When I had to memorize a poem for class, this was my choice. I don't memorize well, but this one, I loved.

I found poetry writing in university, because I couldn't take the screen writing class wanted. At the time I was dealing with depression and stepping away from toxic individuals in my life. Poetry gave me a way to express myself. Other forms of writing had been too close to the trauma.

As an editor, I get the question, "Why do I need to edit my poetry? Isn't it all subjective anyway?" Well, yes and no.

Poetry is subjective, but poetry is also expression. The words matter, the line breaks matter, and yes, even a comma matters.

1. Read aloud: You need to hear how poetry sounds. It is meant to be read, thats why there are poetry readings, slams, etc., Lyrics qualify as poetry in many cases. If it sounds awkward, that might not be the impression you want to present. Lean into the sounds, the rhythm, and the flow. If that really cool word that you want to show off sounds pretentious, others are going to see it the same way. If you stumble over the line, you need to rewrite. Unless you really want that to be what the poem is about, kill that darling or at least play with how it is presenting in your poem.

2. Punctuation-pacing: if you choose to not use punctuation, fine. Many poets do. However, make sure you show where your ideas are ending or the reader will be confused. Also, be consistant. Don't have a period in one stanza only to leave it out in the next. Unless, you have a really good reason for doing it. You can leave comma's and periods out but include exclamations or questions marks. Again, be consistant.

3. To cap or not to cap: Capitalize that is. Most Word programs will automatically capitalize the first letter after a period or a return. In some poetry, this is fine. In others it can be distracting. In the editing stage look at your caps and see if they work. Many poets choose to use lower case for effect, this often gives a feeling of humility, intimacy, or informality. If that is the effect you want, go with it.

   In the process of puting this blog together, I learned about the lower case i when used in poetry. The poet, E.E.Cummings was a modernist American poet who was famous for utilizing the lower case i to represent himself and imply a "small eye" poets view.

4. CONSISTANCY: I can't stress this one enough. Be consistant and intentional in how you structure your poetry. If you choose to not be consistant, have a good reason for doing it and be ready to defend it.

5. Tighten your language: Poetry is a figurative and illusionary form of written art. You don't have to use complete sentences or conjunctions, but make sure every word counts. Most poetry, unless your into epic, is short and concise. Each word needs to work toward what you want conveyed. If your rhyming just for the sake of rhyming, that does not a memorable poem make. Everyone knows "Roses are Red..." the clincher is the why and how.

6. Line breaks: This is especially important if you are not using punctuation or want to create tension. Enjambment, end-stops, caesura, and mid-word/mid-sentence breaks are worth looking up and learning about (I will tackle that in a different blog). How a line breaks affects the rhythm, pace, look, and emphasis of a poem, and can be as effective as the words themselves.

7. Subject/verb agreement: Yup, this is important too. Just like in other forms of writing, if it isn't clear that the cat or the man is jumping off the wall, you need to rewrite.

And if your going to break the rules, make sure you know them first and do it intentionally. There is a reason "Jaberwocky" is Lewis Carroll's most famous poem. He knew the rules and he knew how to break them.

If you need help with your poetry, contact me either through this site or LRC@chesnutreede.org. I have experience with formating anthologies/chap books as well and would love to help you make your poetry into the work of art you would like it to be.