Editing Poetry

EVERY word in poetry is important.

EVERY POEM NEEDS:

Structure [both format and meter]

Poetic devices/description Theme/meaning

Structure – as format

Structure is both the format and the meter.

FORMAT: How is your poem arranged?

Poem with stanzas

Poem written as prose with or without metaphors and rhyming

Example

It’s a strange courage you give me ancient star; shine alone in the sunrise towards which you lend no part.

It’s a strange courageyou give meAncient star.

Shine alonein the sunrisetowards whichyou lend no part.

Stanzas: Football Footles

By Jan Allison and Tim Smith CatchesSnatches block kickscore quick big winwe grin HalfbackCuts back

In doubttime out call blowncrowd moan offensedefense you losecrowd boos Our teamwe scream

The Majestic Family By Shena Rav

As if hugging the sky, The father hill stands, The child beneath his knee, The mother to her side, Looks down with pride – A wonderful sight to see!

The child lifts up her arms, And carries the ball so bright, Then brings it slowly down, When it’s time to say Goodnight.

Structure is both the format and the meter.METER

Meter is the rhythm of syllables in a poem.

Stressed (accented or long) and

unstressed (unaccented or short) syllables A recurring pattern of syllables in a line of poetry.

Structure – as meter

(Untitled)By David Loye

1 – Read it out loud. Read it to yourself, or get someone to read it to you.

Listen for any stumbling in the reading. Listen for a meter to the syllables and sounds. Listen to how the poem flows as you read it.SYL-LA-BLESYou are looking for RYHTHM changes you will need to make.

LISTEN then - Make changes!

AFTER you write your poem:

2 – Omit unimportant words.

Many poems are not written in sentences. You may be able to ELIMINATE articles and/or conjunctions such as:

the, and, a, for, etc.

Some small words ARE important – but, nor, near, yet, etc. because they ADD to the meaning.

Continue Editing

3 – Change boring words to more interesting ones.

Read through your poem silently with a sharp focus on ordinary or boring words (always, good, nice, fun, etc.).

Be more descriptive in your word choices. Keep you topic at the center of your editing thoughts. Do any nouns need adjectives? Do any verbs need adverbs to be more descriptive?

Remember your FIVE SENSES. Did you use them?

Use a thesaurus.

Don’t be BORING

4 – After making changes, read it again

for meaning and flow.

This time, you are looking for IMAGERY and will make changes to cause description to be innovative and specific.

Did you REPEAT any words? Don’t! Make a substitute. Only repeat words if you mean to stress the word or need the syllable e.g., “down, down, down it came.”

Ask yourself, what are the images that I see in my head as I read my poem? What is the theme? Meaning?

Check for MEANING

5 – Yes, be specific. The narrower the subject, with details, the BETTER!

- Did you: describe, elaborate, focus, explain?

- Did EVERYTHING you wrote in this poem help to show meaning?

SPECIFICS

“Portuguese Love”By Teena Marie

On a starry winter night in Portugal Where the ocean kissed the southern

shore There a dream

I never thought would come to pass Came and went

like time spent through an hourglass

Final DraftThe final draft of your poem will be an example of

your creative hard work and thoroughness.