Before you enter a writing contest, you need to judge its quality before it judges yours. Last month poets, writers, and poetry judges talked about writing contests and what you should look for before entering one. In addition to that very helpful discussion, the article “The Perfectly Imperfect Poem” posted here a couple of years ago should help you to judge your poems for yourself before deciding which ones to enter in an upcoming competition.
That article listed a number of negatives to avoid, too, based on mistakes I kept seeing in the poems entered in the annual writing contest sponsored by Writers-Editors.com. To give you full disclosure, I’ve been one of the judges for that long-run competition for over ten years, and I recommend it to you for the same reasons I like being part of it: The contest is well-run, fair, and encouraging to poets and writers who write well. It’s also “blind,” so I do not know who entered what until winners have been decided prior to public announcements about six weeks after the March 15 deadline. If, however, I have critiqued a poem or seen an entry for any reason whatsoever, it will be totally disqualified.
But enough about negatives! Why does one poem place high in a judge’s eye? What positive qualities make one poem stand out over another?
If you watch American Idol every year as I do, you have most likely seen for yourself how a few performers inevitably stand out in a huge crowd of very, very talented people. Poetry writing is similar in that most poets have some measure of talent or they probably would not be drawn to writing poems in the first place. And, like the well-practiced voices of highly prized singers on American Idol, poets who stand out have typically read lots of poetry, written lots of poetry, found their unique voice, and remained open to suggestions about improving their work. Often, the poems of such poets show these outstanding traits:
• Honesty from the inside out – nothing fake
• Sense of something! humor, wisdom, or sensory data gathered from the senses
• Freshness – fresh language, crisp comparison, unusual perspective or insight
• Refrain – used as needed to add drama or accentuate an important thought
• Rhythm – not a monotonous beat but a rhythmic flow with musicality
• True to form – whether paragraphs to denote a prose poem or lines free of regularity in free verse or the consistent pattern of a traditional form from haiku to sonnet to villanelle
• Strong ending – that, like a good joke, saves the best “punch” for last
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© 2012, Mary Harwell Sayler, all rights reserved. If you want to share these tips with your writing group, fine – if you promise to tell your writer-friends and poet-peers about this blog and The Poetry Editor website. Thanks.
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The Poetry Editor
Friday, March 2, 2012
Friday, February 24, 2012
Writing song lyrics versus lyrical poems
Poets who enjoy writing poems with rhyme and rhythm may be wondering about the differences between songwriting and writing rhythmic poems with musicality. As a writer whose poetry “training” began with a childhood desire to memorize hymns and lyrics to popular songs, I wanted to know how a musically-inclined group of writers might compare these two genres, and so I asked: What differences do you find between writing song lyrics and rhythmic poems?
Joe Givens
Well, I write lyrics, songs, and poems. The main thing to watch out for is sounding natural and smooth when creating a song. You need something the listener can relate to without being too stiff and formal – also something that paints the words, that is, evokes personal feelings and emotions in the heart and soul. Poetry is similar, of course, but it can be much wordier and “flowerier,” and tend toward the high-brow, rather than the general public. To put it another way, a songwriter must reach the audience at their emotional and intellectual level, not necessarily your own!
UK Musician
Yes, I've dabbled in both genres for years. For me it comes down to the “sound” of the word when sung. Words are peculiar animals that have different lives when spoken or sung. Quite often, for me, the sound of the word when sung can take precedence over its meaning. That's not to say your song lyrics should be nonsense; just be mindful of the power a well-sounding syllable has and how it sits with the singer.
Joe Givens
Exactly! That is why most would write "I found out," and the singer would usually sing it "Ah foun dout."
The Poetry Editor
Funny! And good to know – thanks. That reminds me too, that one songwriter mentioned the importance of avoiding multisyllabic words in either genre. Such words make rhyming difficult unless you’re writing humorous verse, but, for song lyrics, polysyllables are usually a mouthful to sing! So, as a poet, rather than a songwriter, I’m beginning to wonder if the differences in these genres are minimal.
Taylor Sappe
There really is no difference. Songs are poems set to music. However, when most people hear the term "songwriting," the first thing that comes to mind is commercial songwriting, where everything needs to fit into a formulated structure or song form and usually has a steady meter with a lot of repetition (a hook.) However, songs written for the non-commercial market (or no market) do not follow the same formula as a commercial song. It may have constantly changing meter and tempo, no hook, not much repetition, or no repetition. Therefore, any poetry can be set to music, although it may not have mass appeal. Think of it as the difference between writing a good poem and a limerick. They are both poems, but one has mass appeal and the other doesn't.
The Poetry Editor
Poems and other genres from children’s adventure stories to business letters also need a “hook” to get the attention of the reader and/or listener right away, and refrains pop up, not only in songs, but in children’s picture books and in poems where a phrase wants repeating, but what about the bridge that’s unique to songwriting? What exactly does that mean?
Taylor Sappe
A bridge is a section of song that is usually played only once. It is used to connect a chorus back to a verse or another chorus after taking you somewhere outside of the main musical content and sometimes lyrically off topic, weaving your way back to the main topic and content. It is a great place to create a high point (climax), which happens only once in a song.
Not every song will have a bridge, but adding one can add excitement to the song if handled properly. Some typical commercial structures would be AABA, ABBA, ABABC with A being the verse, B being the chorus, C being the bridge. Just as rhyme scheme can be done in any order using the same labeling method, song form can be arranged in any order of A, B and C, and sometimes even D.
Add more sections to a song and it starts moving away from being commercial. The more memorable it is, the more commercial it is, but too many sections make a song hard to remember.
The Poetry Editor
Interesting! This makes me think of the flow of stream-of-conscientiousness or a poetic aside, whether a Shakespearean soliloquy or a tangent briefly pursued in a contemporary poem before returning to the main theme or subject.
Harris Tobias
To me, writing a poem is a much more serious endeavor than a song. A song frees me to be silly and corny and fun. That's not to say that a poem cannot be all that, but I like to think that poems are more concentrated, more dense and deeper than a song. A good song requires a clever rhyme and a bouncy melody, but a poem...well, that requires a finer skill.
The Poetry Editor
You might take some flak for that from your songwriting peers, but we poets thank you! And thank you all for your permission to quote such interesting and informative responses.
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Poets and Songwriters who want more information about writing, revising, and placing song lyrics will find traditional publishing markets in this annually updated guide published for many years by Writers' Digest books:
~~
© 2012, Mary Harwell Sayler, all rights reserved.
~~
Joe Givens
Well, I write lyrics, songs, and poems. The main thing to watch out for is sounding natural and smooth when creating a song. You need something the listener can relate to without being too stiff and formal – also something that paints the words, that is, evokes personal feelings and emotions in the heart and soul. Poetry is similar, of course, but it can be much wordier and “flowerier,” and tend toward the high-brow, rather than the general public. To put it another way, a songwriter must reach the audience at their emotional and intellectual level, not necessarily your own!
UK Musician
Yes, I've dabbled in both genres for years. For me it comes down to the “sound” of the word when sung. Words are peculiar animals that have different lives when spoken or sung. Quite often, for me, the sound of the word when sung can take precedence over its meaning. That's not to say your song lyrics should be nonsense; just be mindful of the power a well-sounding syllable has and how it sits with the singer.
Joe Givens
Exactly! That is why most would write "I found out," and the singer would usually sing it "Ah foun dout."
The Poetry Editor
Funny! And good to know – thanks. That reminds me too, that one songwriter mentioned the importance of avoiding multisyllabic words in either genre. Such words make rhyming difficult unless you’re writing humorous verse, but, for song lyrics, polysyllables are usually a mouthful to sing! So, as a poet, rather than a songwriter, I’m beginning to wonder if the differences in these genres are minimal.
Taylor Sappe
There really is no difference. Songs are poems set to music. However, when most people hear the term "songwriting," the first thing that comes to mind is commercial songwriting, where everything needs to fit into a formulated structure or song form and usually has a steady meter with a lot of repetition (a hook.) However, songs written for the non-commercial market (or no market) do not follow the same formula as a commercial song. It may have constantly changing meter and tempo, no hook, not much repetition, or no repetition. Therefore, any poetry can be set to music, although it may not have mass appeal. Think of it as the difference between writing a good poem and a limerick. They are both poems, but one has mass appeal and the other doesn't.
The Poetry Editor
Poems and other genres from children’s adventure stories to business letters also need a “hook” to get the attention of the reader and/or listener right away, and refrains pop up, not only in songs, but in children’s picture books and in poems where a phrase wants repeating, but what about the bridge that’s unique to songwriting? What exactly does that mean?
Taylor Sappe
A bridge is a section of song that is usually played only once. It is used to connect a chorus back to a verse or another chorus after taking you somewhere outside of the main musical content and sometimes lyrically off topic, weaving your way back to the main topic and content. It is a great place to create a high point (climax), which happens only once in a song.
Not every song will have a bridge, but adding one can add excitement to the song if handled properly. Some typical commercial structures would be AABA, ABBA, ABABC with A being the verse, B being the chorus, C being the bridge. Just as rhyme scheme can be done in any order using the same labeling method, song form can be arranged in any order of A, B and C, and sometimes even D.
Add more sections to a song and it starts moving away from being commercial. The more memorable it is, the more commercial it is, but too many sections make a song hard to remember.
The Poetry Editor
Interesting! This makes me think of the flow of stream-of-conscientiousness or a poetic aside, whether a Shakespearean soliloquy or a tangent briefly pursued in a contemporary poem before returning to the main theme or subject.
Harris Tobias
To me, writing a poem is a much more serious endeavor than a song. A song frees me to be silly and corny and fun. That's not to say that a poem cannot be all that, but I like to think that poems are more concentrated, more dense and deeper than a song. A good song requires a clever rhyme and a bouncy melody, but a poem...well, that requires a finer skill.
The Poetry Editor
You might take some flak for that from your songwriting peers, but we poets thank you! And thank you all for your permission to quote such interesting and informative responses.
~~
Poets and Songwriters who want more information about writing, revising, and placing song lyrics will find traditional publishing markets in this annually updated guide published for many years by Writers' Digest books:
~~
© 2012, Mary Harwell Sayler, all rights reserved.
~~
Monday, February 13, 2012
The Poetry Editor: Hotlinks to eternal love poems and prose for Valen...
The Poetry Editor: Hotlinks to eternal love poems and prose for Valen...: Poets and writers often write about universal topics such as life, death, war, and love. With Valentine’s Day just around the clock, here ar...
Hotlinks to eternal love poems and prose for Valentines and beyond
Poets and writers often write about universal topics such as life, death, war, and love. With Valentine’s Day just around the clock, here are some contemporary and classical favorites on the subject of love and other love-links as seen by The Poetry Editor.
“How Do I Love Thee?” by Elizabeth Barrett Browning
“Love Calls Us to the Things of This World” by Richard Wilbur
“Love Poems” listed on Poets.org
“On Calling Out and Hoping God Will Answer” by Mary Harwell Sayler
“Song of Solomon” – Chapters 1-8 from the ESV Bible website
“The Healing Art of Love” on What the Bible Says About Love
“The Love Chapter,” I Corinthians 13 by the Apostle Paul
The main obstacle to love is not hate so much as fear, and “The Love-Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” by T.S. Eliot beautifully addresses both. Whether Eliot or a persona, the “I” of the poem combats his fears by wielding gorgeous phrases and metaphors you’ll want to read, re-read, and drool over, especially if you love, love, love well-written poetry.
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© 2012, Mary Harwell Sayler, please do not use without permission.
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“How Do I Love Thee?” by Elizabeth Barrett Browning
“Love Calls Us to the Things of This World” by Richard Wilbur
“Love Poems” listed on Poets.org
“On Calling Out and Hoping God Will Answer” by Mary Harwell Sayler
“Song of Solomon” – Chapters 1-8 from the ESV Bible website
“The Healing Art of Love” on What the Bible Says About Love
“The Love Chapter,” I Corinthians 13 by the Apostle Paul
The main obstacle to love is not hate so much as fear, and “The Love-Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” by T.S. Eliot beautifully addresses both. Whether Eliot or a persona, the “I” of the poem combats his fears by wielding gorgeous phrases and metaphors you’ll want to read, re-read, and drool over, especially if you love, love, love well-written poetry.
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© 2012, Mary Harwell Sayler, please do not use without permission.
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Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Poets, writers, and poetry judges talk about writing contests
Some poets and writers enter writing contests often. Others wouldn’t dream of it! Why or why not? When I asked an eclectic group of poets and writers at all stages of their writing careers what they thought about writing contest, they had this to say:
Zahra Brown
I wouldn't enter a writing competition. It's one of those things to brag about but doesn't mean much else. I don't need awards, bestseller lists, etc. Who remembers the winners in the long run? I would NEVER pay to enter a competition. If the winners they chose are “good enough” then surely their work can make money through sales.
The Poetry Editor
That makes sense – if every contest resulted in publishing the books of poems or poetry chapbooks by the winners, but many writing awards do not include publication. (More about this shortly.) The question then is: why enter work that won’t be published?
Philip J Bradbury
I've just entered 2 writing contests this month, and it's not different from submitting writing to publishers. It's just another way to get our writing out there and, as with all things designed by humans, there can be glitches. So I put the work in, take the risk, and know it's a step closer to being published. What's the alternative – get knocked back once and give up?
The Poetry Editor
Good for you! That kind of persistency also separates traditionally published writers from self-published ones, but I digress.
Elaine Bernstein Partnow
I've often entered contests with essays and short stories, only rarely with novels. My motivation has been to get my work out there, earn some recognition--and maybe some prize money! I'm also running a contest now under the auspices of my web site, TheQuotableWoman.com entitled "The Most Quotable Woman I Know." Winners receive cash prizes, a copy of the international classic, The Quotable Woman, The First 5,000 Years, and publication on my blog and in an e-book planned for next year. All rights revert to authors after publication. My purpose in running the contest is, of course, to bring more traffic to my web site, but, more, to honor those women who may not have a public platform, as do the women in my book, but who are nonetheless incredible, amazing women who have had a huge impact on the people around them. It has been my life's mission to raise the voices of women--and this contest is another way of my doing so.
The Poetry Editor
Yes! When I directed the Christian Writers Fellowship years ago, we had a contest to encourage Christians writing in all genres because few awards existed then for religious poets and writers.
Nicole Frith
Well, I certainly try to send out as many stories as I can because to me they are a way to get yourself known. In Australia, there are many contests that are highly regarded which most writers are aware of, however just like anywhere you sometimes feel that you are sending your last ten dollars off to contests that never publish anyone! I am in two frames of mind when I consider a contest; as a writer I want so much to be recognized for my work, yet if I don't send it off because of legitimacy concerns then I would never get published! So maybe it is a catch 22 situation; you have to take a chance on some contests and one day you just might get published or win!
Terri Huggins
In all my years of writing, I have never entered a contest. However, it is something I think about frequently. Because professional and well-known editors are judges for many legitimate contests, I look at it as a way to get my piece in front of them and possibly get more work as a result of it. (I've heard scenarios such as this from past contest winners.) And I would love to have the words "award-winning" in my title. However, I have yet to enter because of the time it takes to actually research the legitimacy of each contest. I would like to know the entry fees, what rights are associated with the contest, and where it may potentially be published should I win.
The Poetry Editor
Yes! The answers to those very questions can help poets and writers to discern the legitimacy and trustworthiness of a contest. I have to add, though, that the best-run contests are usually “blind,” which means the judges see poems and manuscripts with their titles and entry numbers but no byline, address, dedications, or even pseudonyms that might identify the writer.
Mary-Margaret Simpson
I used to use reputable writing contests as a way to motivate myself to get a piece out the door, but they had to be reputable. I have received an honorable mention from the Writer's Digest annual contest, and it's a nice item on my resume. But I don't like contests where you don't see the actual winning entries at some point down the road. The whole point is to learn, right?
The Poetry Editor
Good one! I hadn’t thought of entering a contest as a source of motivation, but apparently I have done this without realizing it! I kept thinking, for example, that I had 15 to 20 poems on one theme that were ready to see print, but I never got around to sifting through my poetry file until the deadline for a well-respected chapbook contest gave a strong incentive.
Dana Stanley
It has been years since I entered a writing or poetry contest, but I think it is a good way to hone your craft and get your name out there. As someone has said: Research, and FOLLOW DIRECTIONS.
The Poetry Editor
Amen to that! Every year in the contest I judge someone inevitably tries to put their name on the manuscript, which, since I have never known the people anyway, would not have done any good. Also, our Director stays on top of things with a watchful eye and a very broad black marker in hope of helping the work of a person who can’t follow directions still be considered. If, however, I recognize a manuscript I have previously critiqued or even seen, it’s disqualified immediately.
Kirsten Ehrlich Davies
When I was starting out as a "hobby" writer, I found competitions were a great motivation. I had deadlines, word limits and sometimes themes to follow, so it was a positive way to bring discipline to my writing. I wrote more stories than I would have if I'd simply been collecting rejection letters, and later my stories were broadcast on radio programs and published in my own collection of short stories as well as published in magazines. I did learn from experience that there are different types of competitions: There are the ones where everyone gets published with the honor of buying the book; the ones so prestigious I didn't have a chance of even being short-listed; and the ones where I had a good chance of winning a cheque or a certificate. If you choose your competition carefully, and use the competition circuit as an impetus to create more work, it can be very beneficial!
Jacqueline Shannon
I want to share my only experience with a writing contest. I was already making a living as a journalist and editor when I entered the Delacorte Press contest for a first young-adult novel back in the 1980s. While I didn't win first place in the year I entered, I was runner-up and the prize for that, at least back then, was also a book contract. The late great Olga Litowinsky was my editor, and she not only improved my book 100 percent, she improved my overall writing that much as well. Those were the days editors had more time to nurture and work with authors. Delacorte published my first YA novel, Too Much TJ., in 1986. That allowed me to land a great agent and since then I've had 16 more books published, fiction and nonfiction.
The Poetry Editor
Wow! What a wonderful success story! I wish Delacorte still offered that type of contest. Perhaps other well-known publishers still do, but I would advise writers to be careful of unknown publishing companies who want all rights or even too many.
Dana Cassell, Founder of Writers-Editors Network
We will not post contests on our Contests page that take any more than one-time publishing rights, and then only for the winners. Some contests take publishing rights for "entries" - not fair, even if they don't charge an entry fee.
The Poetry Editor
This reminds me to tell you all that Dana Cassell posts contest cautions on the Writers-Editors website.
Gale Martin
I won several significant awards from the annual Writers-Editors Network contests in the last couple of years. Each first-place win gave me valuable content for that all-important bio paragraph in query letters. But more significantly, these wins boosted my confidence and encouraged me to submit more of my work more broadly. There's just no substitute for third-party evaluation and validation of your writing.
The Poetry Editor
Good to hear! Thanks.
And thank you all for your responses to the question I posed to members of the LinkEds & Writers Group I belong to on LinkedIn. (I also moderate The Poetry Editor Group.) I wanted to know what other poets and writers think of contests, so you all have been very helpful. Hopefully, I can address some of your concerns, too, such as the typical reasons for entry fees.
As mentioned, writing contests do not necessarily produce a book or chapbook that can be sold by the sponsor, so the entry fees pay for advertising costs, prize monies, and an honorarium for the time and expertise given by the judges who read every entry, sort every entry, re-read the “maybe” and “yes” piles, weigh writing skill and levels of freshness and potential reader interest, then read, read, and read again to make the final cuts, and often difficult, placements. Sometimes, for instance, I may let the top few entries sit for a few days to see if they stop changing places!
Regardless, the writing contest sponsored by Writers-Editors.com does not publish the winning entries, which, on the plus side, means the poets and writers retain all rights, including first rights, so they can place their work elsewhere – even another contest – with greater confidence about trying.
As a poet and writer as well as a contest judge, I totally agree that contestants should learn from their experience. Therefore, we let them know who won and why when the announcements are posted, along with the title and person’s name, on the "Winners' List." In addition, we sign and send certificates to poets and writers who receive monetary prizes and honorable mentions too. Some years we have even included hand-written Post-A-Note to encourage writers of exceptional work as much as we can.
Since I’ve been one of the judges for the annual writing competition sponsored by Writers-Editors.com for several years, I’ve written some tips for contestants. Throughout the year, Dana also posts lists of other contests you all might want to consider. And, if you want to hear more good suggestions from Dana, who has been helping writers for about 30 years, you might enjoy the interview with her last year posted on my blog In a Christian Writer’s Life.
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© 2012, Mary Harwell Sayler, please do not use without permission.
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Tuesday, January 31, 2012
The Poetry Editor website gives poets more for less
Have you seen the new layout and design for The Poetry Editor website? You’ll find less wordage but an extra page for hotlinks to lists of traditional Poetry Markets such as literary journals, e-zines, and other publishers open to your poems and your manuscripts for children too.
If you prefer to self-publish a poetry book or chapbook, you will find a reduced price for a much-needed final Edit. Fees have also been lowered for a Writing Consult on your children’s picture book text and also on proposals for your full-length fiction and nonfiction book for any age group.
Although the Poetry Critique pricing could not be further reduced for batches of poems and poetry chapbooks, The Poetry Editor will try to work with you on a full length book of poetry. Just email a summary of your theme, purpose, publishing plans, number of double-spaced pages, and the general time-frame for your project.
For ongoing tips about writing, revising, editing, and marketing poems in all forms and sizes, Follow this blog, which, hopefully, will be on a more regular schedule soon.
~~
© 2012, Mary Harwell Sayler, all rights reserved.
If you prefer to self-publish a poetry book or chapbook, you will find a reduced price for a much-needed final Edit. Fees have also been lowered for a Writing Consult on your children’s picture book text and also on proposals for your full-length fiction and nonfiction book for any age group.
Although the Poetry Critique pricing could not be further reduced for batches of poems and poetry chapbooks, The Poetry Editor will try to work with you on a full length book of poetry. Just email a summary of your theme, purpose, publishing plans, number of double-spaced pages, and the general time-frame for your project.
For ongoing tips about writing, revising, editing, and marketing poems in all forms and sizes, Follow this blog, which, hopefully, will be on a more regular schedule soon.
~~
© 2012, Mary Harwell Sayler, all rights reserved.
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Poetry Insights from The Poetry Editor of vox poetica
The Poetry Editor blog began in hopes of helping poets to become their own best poetry editors, and with experience and practice that will indeed happen, but the New Year offers a timely time to take another tack and revise the initial intent. Therefore, in this article, and, hopefully, others to come, The Poetry Editor will bring you interviews with real-live poetry editors to give you a realistic view of the editorial work that goes into poetry-making and poetry publishing. If you’re a poetry editor who would like to participate, I’d be glad to hear from you. At present, I'll start with poetry editors I’ve worked with – ones who accepted my poems for publication (thank you very much!) and, preferably, ones who write their own poems in addition to editing ours.
This naturally brought to mind Annmarie Lockhart, whose words appear in fine journals, online and in print. She’s also the founding editor of vox poetica, an online literary salon dedicated to bringing poetry into the everyday, and the founder of unbound CONTENT, an independent press for a boundless age. A lifelong resident of Bergen County, NJ, Annmarie lives, works, and writes two miles east of the hospital where she was born, but her creativity and innovative work on behalf of poets and poetry is, well, unbound.
Annmarie, how did you get started with vox poetica?
I think the same way a lot of editors get started with journals: I was looking for something that didn't seem to exist. I wanted to read a journal that published daily poetry content and that spoke to a wide variety of readers. I was reading amazing work on personal blogs, so I knew there were tons of good writers looking to be read. I wanted to create a space where those writers and others like them could come to share their words. We are lucky to live in a technological age with few barriers to entry. Creating the website was simple, sending it out into the world was exciting, and watching it grow has been a creative life source beyond my expectations.
That’s wonderful to hear! Sometimes expectations limit us, for example, when poets expect or, perhaps, fear that revising and editing will ruin their poems. As a poetry editor, how would you help poets to see the value of good editing?
Editing can be the difference between a good poem and a great poem. At the very least, it can help ensure that the words are all spelled correctly and that any unconventionalities of grammar/ usage/ punctuation are intended for artistic merit and not mistakes. Sometimes editing reveals where a writer might have gone off point or, inadvertently, composed a second poem somewhere within the first. Or it can clear away the redundancies that many of us build into our poems because we're so focused on words and not meaning. It's hard to learn to cut mercilessly. Sometimes it's easier to let someone else do that, but whether it's oneself or another set of eyes, an edit stage is crucial to all poems.
A great example of this is a work-in-progress at unbound CONTENT where Alice Shapiro's manuscript Saltian became a living editing experiment. Alice wanted to explore the idea of there being many views of the same poem, so we assembled a board of editors and assigned them all individual poems from the manuscript to critique. We then posted those at unbound CONTENT's blog to open the poems and the critiques up to readers. After that Alice took the work back and revised each poem based on the collected feedback. As the author she reserved the right to make any, all, or no changes to her original poems, of course. But the result is a collection of work and a sampling of other ways to render that work. It really speaks to the creativity and wonder of the editing process. I would encourage writers to have fun with editing and definitely not to fear it.
Does a poetry edit or revision risk any loss of the poet's voice?
It shouldn't. If the voice fades in the editing process, the editor failed the work. It's very important for the editor to hear the voice of the narrator within a poem. That voice may or may not be the poet per se, but it is the teller of the story in that particular poem. If anything, voice should be stronger at the end of the editing process. For writers who edit their own work this can be difficult as sometimes a writer hears a different voice when editing than when writing. This is where the ear and the gut really matter in the process. Read the work. Listen to it. If it doesn't sound right, chances are it isn't.
What about the spontaneity of a poem? Do revising and editing mar the lyrical impulse or emotion initially captured?
That's a great question. Many poems come from a very in-the-moment inspiration and seem to write themselves. These poems are often quite complete in a first draft. I know several writers who use this technique exclusively. But again, editing shouldn't change the inherent energy of any poem. It's still important, though, to read for spelling, inconsistency of image and voice, word choice, and tone. Many writers who work this way find the editing phase useful for minor revisions, a word here, a line break there. Editing doesn't have to be extensive to be effective.
How important is style or form?
Style or form is as elemental to a poem as voice or selection is key. Certain poems lend themselves to formal construction, while others fight against rules. It's important for a writer to know the difference. Sometimes a phrase within the poem is the determinant. It calls for language that fits a sonnet format possibly, but it seems stilted and undirected in a free verse format. Sometimes a writer is using a form as a prompt or a creativity challenge. When that works it's great, but when it doesn't, the writer might try applying a different style or form to it to see if that alters the viability of the poem. I've seen great results when a writer steps back and alters the construction of a poem just to see what happens. Trying something new is good for creativity essentially all the time. The worst thing that could happen is if you don't like the results. So you scrap it and you keep the original structure as it is. You have nothing to lose in trying.
True! And experimenting eventually helps poets to improve the literary quality of their work. What else can poets do to take their poetry to the next level?
Improvements in writing can only come from two things: reading and writing. You want to write better? Read more and write more. Discipline yourself to do both of those things. Read with a critical eye, absorb what you're reading, write just for the sake of writing, apply techniques of craft to your work. Above all, mimic what you like and experiment.
Excellent advice! Before we close, is there anything else you would like to say to poets who want their poems to be published?
If you want your poems to be published, you have to submit them. Often. You will get rejection notices. Embrace them. Use them as an opportunity to take a fresh eye to the work. Sometimes the work really needs some revision. Research the outlets you're submitting to. Don't send Goth poetry to a romance poetry journal. It will not be accepted there. Read what a journal publishes. Does your work fit with what you read there? If not, try another journal. But be persistent. If the guidelines say send 3-5 poems, don't send one. Don't send ten. Send five. Give an editor a chance to see something she likes. Send your best polished work, not your first drafts. Keep track of where your work is being considered. Be respectful of your work and the editor's time. Apply yourself to the task of writing and the goal of publishing.
Thank you so much, Annmarie, for giving poets a better understanding of poetry, the work of a poet, and the vitality of the editorial process.
~~
For more articles on poetry writing and information on how to get a poetry edit or critique, visit The Poetry Editor website.
~~
© 2012, Mary Harwell Sayler, all rights reserved. Please do not use without permission. Thanks, and may God bless you and your New Year!
~~
This naturally brought to mind Annmarie Lockhart, whose words appear in fine journals, online and in print. She’s also the founding editor of vox poetica, an online literary salon dedicated to bringing poetry into the everyday, and the founder of unbound CONTENT, an independent press for a boundless age. A lifelong resident of Bergen County, NJ, Annmarie lives, works, and writes two miles east of the hospital where she was born, but her creativity and innovative work on behalf of poets and poetry is, well, unbound.
Annmarie, how did you get started with vox poetica?
I think the same way a lot of editors get started with journals: I was looking for something that didn't seem to exist. I wanted to read a journal that published daily poetry content and that spoke to a wide variety of readers. I was reading amazing work on personal blogs, so I knew there were tons of good writers looking to be read. I wanted to create a space where those writers and others like them could come to share their words. We are lucky to live in a technological age with few barriers to entry. Creating the website was simple, sending it out into the world was exciting, and watching it grow has been a creative life source beyond my expectations.
That’s wonderful to hear! Sometimes expectations limit us, for example, when poets expect or, perhaps, fear that revising and editing will ruin their poems. As a poetry editor, how would you help poets to see the value of good editing?
Editing can be the difference between a good poem and a great poem. At the very least, it can help ensure that the words are all spelled correctly and that any unconventionalities of grammar/ usage/ punctuation are intended for artistic merit and not mistakes. Sometimes editing reveals where a writer might have gone off point or, inadvertently, composed a second poem somewhere within the first. Or it can clear away the redundancies that many of us build into our poems because we're so focused on words and not meaning. It's hard to learn to cut mercilessly. Sometimes it's easier to let someone else do that, but whether it's oneself or another set of eyes, an edit stage is crucial to all poems.
A great example of this is a work-in-progress at unbound CONTENT where Alice Shapiro's manuscript Saltian became a living editing experiment. Alice wanted to explore the idea of there being many views of the same poem, so we assembled a board of editors and assigned them all individual poems from the manuscript to critique. We then posted those at unbound CONTENT's blog to open the poems and the critiques up to readers. After that Alice took the work back and revised each poem based on the collected feedback. As the author she reserved the right to make any, all, or no changes to her original poems, of course. But the result is a collection of work and a sampling of other ways to render that work. It really speaks to the creativity and wonder of the editing process. I would encourage writers to have fun with editing and definitely not to fear it.
Does a poetry edit or revision risk any loss of the poet's voice?
It shouldn't. If the voice fades in the editing process, the editor failed the work. It's very important for the editor to hear the voice of the narrator within a poem. That voice may or may not be the poet per se, but it is the teller of the story in that particular poem. If anything, voice should be stronger at the end of the editing process. For writers who edit their own work this can be difficult as sometimes a writer hears a different voice when editing than when writing. This is where the ear and the gut really matter in the process. Read the work. Listen to it. If it doesn't sound right, chances are it isn't.
What about the spontaneity of a poem? Do revising and editing mar the lyrical impulse or emotion initially captured?
That's a great question. Many poems come from a very in-the-moment inspiration and seem to write themselves. These poems are often quite complete in a first draft. I know several writers who use this technique exclusively. But again, editing shouldn't change the inherent energy of any poem. It's still important, though, to read for spelling, inconsistency of image and voice, word choice, and tone. Many writers who work this way find the editing phase useful for minor revisions, a word here, a line break there. Editing doesn't have to be extensive to be effective.
How important is style or form?
Style or form is as elemental to a poem as voice or selection is key. Certain poems lend themselves to formal construction, while others fight against rules. It's important for a writer to know the difference. Sometimes a phrase within the poem is the determinant. It calls for language that fits a sonnet format possibly, but it seems stilted and undirected in a free verse format. Sometimes a writer is using a form as a prompt or a creativity challenge. When that works it's great, but when it doesn't, the writer might try applying a different style or form to it to see if that alters the viability of the poem. I've seen great results when a writer steps back and alters the construction of a poem just to see what happens. Trying something new is good for creativity essentially all the time. The worst thing that could happen is if you don't like the results. So you scrap it and you keep the original structure as it is. You have nothing to lose in trying.
True! And experimenting eventually helps poets to improve the literary quality of their work. What else can poets do to take their poetry to the next level?
Improvements in writing can only come from two things: reading and writing. You want to write better? Read more and write more. Discipline yourself to do both of those things. Read with a critical eye, absorb what you're reading, write just for the sake of writing, apply techniques of craft to your work. Above all, mimic what you like and experiment.
Excellent advice! Before we close, is there anything else you would like to say to poets who want their poems to be published?
If you want your poems to be published, you have to submit them. Often. You will get rejection notices. Embrace them. Use them as an opportunity to take a fresh eye to the work. Sometimes the work really needs some revision. Research the outlets you're submitting to. Don't send Goth poetry to a romance poetry journal. It will not be accepted there. Read what a journal publishes. Does your work fit with what you read there? If not, try another journal. But be persistent. If the guidelines say send 3-5 poems, don't send one. Don't send ten. Send five. Give an editor a chance to see something she likes. Send your best polished work, not your first drafts. Keep track of where your work is being considered. Be respectful of your work and the editor's time. Apply yourself to the task of writing and the goal of publishing.
Thank you so much, Annmarie, for giving poets a better understanding of poetry, the work of a poet, and the vitality of the editorial process.
~~
For more articles on poetry writing and information on how to get a poetry edit or critique, visit The Poetry Editor website.
~~
© 2012, Mary Harwell Sayler, all rights reserved. Please do not use without permission. Thanks, and may God bless you and your New Year!
~~
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