Some ways to revise poetry

By Liz Matthews

“Poetry is the best words in their best order.” –Samuel Coleridge

So now you have either a very rough draft of a poem—maybe even just a freewrite—and you need to revise it, either for class or to submit it to The Young Writer’s Project. Here are a few surefire ways to improve the quality of your drafts:

• Substitute: Replace any vague ideas with imagery. For example: replace “I was scared” with “the snake slinked on the road just inches from my feet”.

• Add on: Find a part of your poem that could use more. Think about using alliteration. If you’re writing about a mountain, for instance, think of a descriptive word that begins with an “m”. You could also add a simile. For example, instead of just writing that the sunset was orange and pink, keep going and write, “like a neon sign or a kaleidoscope”.
• Delete: Edit out small words that may make your poem sound too much like a story. During freewriting, the goal is to get all of our unedited words on the page. You may end up only keeping a few words or lines from a page-long freewrite, and that’s okay. Be ruthless about editing out words that don’t sound right.
• Rearrange: Could the last line of your poem work well as the opening? Don’t be afraid to rearrange some or all of the lines — especially if you’re working from a freewrite. You also may end up adding on to your poem as you rearrange.
• Use sensory images. Ask yourself, what do you see, hear, feel, and smell in the moment or scene you’re describing? You many not use all of these details, but even if you choose one, your poem will be richer.
• Use line breaks and white space. Highlight your strong imagery by letting it stand alone on its own line. Read your work aloud and pay attention to where you pause. Use a line break if you’re running out of breath, or to transition to a new idea or section.
• Choose a great title. Does your title do your poem justice? If you’re not happy with it, consider the following ways to title: use the first line of you poem, include extra information, or use a main idea.

After applying at least a few of these tips to your drafts, you’re ready to hand it in or to submit it.