ahlan wa sahlan (welcome) everyone! أهلا و سهلا
With summer comes more time to share thought on Substack. And, more time to write and edit new poems. Writing poetry has always been the most fun and natural thing for me. Approaching all those messy first drafts, however, is another thing entirely. For years, I avoided editing. Not because I was necessarily averse to it, but because I just wrote poetry for fun. I had wanted to be a fiction writer for a good portion of my life — poetry was just the side thing I did to deal with my teenage angst.
Of course, things have changed over the years. I now have a few publications under my belt (find them here and here) with hopes to get a few more poems out in the world. I’m also in an MFA program, which means I am regularly inspired (and challenged!) to edit my poetry.
Although I’ve been in a few workshops and been mentored by other writers, I still sometimes feel at a loss when it comes to editing. Most times, it feels overwhelming. I rend to jot down lines of poetry frequently and usually have anywhere from 15-30 rough drafts of poems I produce each month. I never quite know how to approach these monthly piles, and this has resulted in years and years of rough drafts full of lines I love, but have no idea what to do with. I think I was waiting for the “perfect” moment to approach each of these rough drafts I loved so dearly. Also, my knowledge in the craft of poetry wasn’t enough for me to understand how to strengthen and bring out the best in the poem. Although it sometimes feels reassuring to know I have hundreds of poems from over the years to draw from, my interests have changed to the point where I am no longer connected enough to something I wrote a few years ago. It’s taught me that you can’t take too much time away from a rough draft. Otherwise, you’ll lose the spark that you had when you first wrote it, and editing will be much harder.
This year, I’ve created a system for myself that has been successful for editing poems in a timely manner. I’ll share it with you below. Remember, this is what works for me. There is definitely not a one-size-fits all method for editing poetry. Take what you will from it.
get organized!
All of my first drafts of poetry — be it a line or a full poem — go on Word documents that I organize by month (April 25, May 24, and so on). Each quarter, I create a new document. This is where I select the drafts that I am most excited to work on from the last three months.
For the quarter document, I organize it like this:
I keep track of which monthly document the poem is originally located in as well as the dates of each revision. Poem 1 and 2 have titles, but I’ve chosen not to show them here.
I’ve found that highlighting what’s working (and what’s not!) in the original draft helps me a lot when it comes to editing my poems. It allows me to really see what I was drawn to in the poem and cut out what is cliche or weak.
Another tool I use to stay organized is Notion. it's not something I use consistently, but I like knowing that it is there, especially as I continue to work on more poems. Side note: I just love Notion for organizing my life in general — I highly recommended it, especially if you’re a spreadsheet person.
ask yourself questions!
I can't take complete credit for the next step in my editing process. Much of what I do next in the editing process is inspired by this article. However, I have slightly modified the questions posed in the original article.
These are questions that I find to be the most useful when considering where to take a rough draft:
Content
Read the poem in full
what are the themes? what are strong lines? lines that sound off? what would an average reader walk away thinking?
Read it aloud
where am I taking line breaks? anything sound off?
Does each line add to the idea or theme?
are there any cliches?
what images are present? do they work together to convey a certain meaning?
Nitty Gritty
Pay attention to the first line and last line
the opener will set the tone and mood of your poem, the last line should leave a lasting impression.
Word choice
make sure each one is a fit for the theme, structure, rhythm, and rhyme.
What poetic devices are present? What could be added?
Am I using end-stopped line breaks or enjambment? Why?
How does it look on the page? Pleasing? How can white space be used to convey meaning more effectively?
give yourself time & trust your instincts
What matters most, I think, is giving yourself the space to write poetry that isn’t what you consider to be a good or valuable. I think there is inherent value in simply engaging in the act of writing. I wouldn’t be where I am today if I hadn’t allowed myself to write “bad” poetry for years and years. If I had gotten down about my skills when I was younger, I might have just given up entirely. You need to find the joy in the process; in playing with language and expressing yourself on the page. I’ve always thought we need to write the cliches/tropes out of our system before the work that we can be proud of shines through. Give yourself time to do that, and give yourself time with all the poems you want to share with the world after. We got this.
q & a
How do you approach editing your poems or fiction? What has worked for you? Please share in the comments below so we can all benefit! <3