5 tips for editing your poems!

I run lots of writing and editing workshops, and people are often surprised about how easy it is to ‘crack open’ a poem once they start to look at it from new angles.

I love the way that a good edit can hone and transform a piece of writing and make it shine brightly. It’s often painful to cut things we’re attached to, but it’s almost always for the best!

Everyone has the potential to be an awesome editor of their own work. Over the next few weeks I’m going to share some of my tips and tricks for editing poetry and fiction, starting with five tips for your poems!

1. Read your draft poem out loud. Really. I know that everyone says to do this – but you really should do it – however odd it might feel, you’ll catch different things to when you read it in your head. Underline any words or lines you stumble over. Check the rhythm, music, lilt and pulse of your writing. Make some notes. Does it sound natural? Or do you want it to sound jarring? Does the sound and form match the kind of meaning you want the poem to convey?
2. Try to identify the ‘essence’ of your poem. What do you absolutely want to say? Which words in your poem say this in the strongest way? Can you circle three or four words that capture the very heart of the poem? These words might offer you a guide for redrafting: showing you which bits need developing (and which bits can be cut!)
3. Talking of cuts. What can you cut? Are there any moments where you say something that is already strongly implied in the poem? Is there any repetition, and does this have a purpose in the poem? Are there any words like ‘the’ or ‘is’ that you don’t strictly need?
4. Look back at the opening of your poem. Does it drop you reader in the middle of the action/ experience/ scene? Do you need the opening you currently have? What would happen if you cut the first line or stanza? Try it and see.
5. What would happen if you started with the last line of the poem? Try it and see.

These are just a few tips for getting going with editing. Give them a go, let me know how you get on, and I’ll be back soon with more!