How to Edit a Poem

The secret to good writing is re-writing. Every good author knows this fact about writing yet we all tend to not want to edit and rewrite. Think of your first draft as the scaffolding, the framework of the poem. After erecting the scaffolding, you need to actually set about the building of the poem and then clean up the debris from building. Then you can remove the scaffolding and enjoy your creation. Read on to learn how to edit your poem.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Things You’ll Need:

• A poem
• A red pen
• A highlighter
• Courage

1. Step back. Wait a few days--at least a few hours--before attempting to edit. This forces you to return to the return with the objectivity you will need to be ruthless. It is necessary to detach ourselves emotionally from the work in order to edit thoroughly.
2. Read the poem out loud. Use a highlighter to highlight your favorite lines, the ones that you feel are perfect and you can’t live without. Step back and read just those lines out loud.
3. Get specific. Try to move from the abstract thought to more concrete language. Use adjectives and adverbs to add more description to your details. Instead of saying “tree,” say majestic oak tree with decaying branches reaching towards the waving ocean.” You get the point.
4. Cut every other word. After adding all of that description, go back and cross out any word that interrupts the flow of the poem. Remove even words that you love if they interrupt the cadence of the poem. You must be ruthless, remember.
5. Try using real language--the speech of everyday life without falling into trite and overused clichés. Find a thesaurus and choose different words with the same meaning to convey a particular tone.
6. Create music out of language. Don’t force rhyme--look for a better rhyme or get rid of the end rhyme all together. A good poem naturally flows with the beauty of a good piece of music.

Tips & Warnings

• If you have to throw out a line that you particularly liked, be sure to save the line somewhere. You may be able to use it elsewhere.
• Sometimes a poem will resist a formal structure. You may be trying to write a sonnet but the poem wants to be a narrative. Let the poem choose its own form.
• Sometimes the very line that you loved the most will be the one you have to ruthlessly cut out.