how to self-edit your poetry
3 steps for developing your writing during the self-editing process
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An important step in the development of any piece of writing is the self-edit. You’ll likely do a few rounds of this where you go through what you’ve written and make edits to strengthen your poems before you pass it on to an editor. Editing your own work first ensures the piece is as strong as it can be before getting feedback from an outside perspective.
As a poetry manuscript editor and poet myself, I’ve edited more than 1000 poems for others and plenty of poems for myself! Here are a few tips to get you started with editing your poetry.
Strengthening the speaker of the poem
A common mistake that I see in writing is misusing active and passive voice, or not knowing the difference between the two. Passive voice is needed in some poems; for example, when the narrator is describing something that happened to them, or is wanting to be seen as a more passive subject in the poem. But at other times, it can dilute the strength of the message in the poem and using an active voice would be better suited.
So what’s the difference?
Here are the definitions and an example from Merriam-Webster that should give you a better idea of what the two writing styles look like.
Active voice asserts that the person or thing represented by the grammatical subject performs the action represented by the verb.
Passive voice makes the subject the person or thing acted on or affected by the action represented by the verb.
Active voice: Jerry knocked over the lamp.
Passive voice: The lamp was knocked over by Jerry.
As you can see in the active voice example, the subject, Jerry, is performing the action to the lamp. In the passive voice, the subject becomes the lamp. This can be a really powerful tool when used effectively, but too much passive voice tends to minimize the actions of the subject and can even add wordiness to your poem.
Strengthening the imagery of the poem
Using imagery is a key component to drawing your readers in and conveying the proper tone and message of the piece. Are there places in your poem where the imagery can be improved? Any sentences or phrases where additional details can be added for your readers to really visualize what’s going on? You don’t need to overload your poem with adjectives, but you can use the five senses strategically throughout your poem to help your reader see, smell, feel, hear, even taste, what’s going on in your poem.
Strengthening the message of the poem
Now that you’ve added to the poem, where can you make cuts? Are there places where you’ve over-explained? Provided too much detail without letting your reader use their own imagination and creativity to figure out what’s being said? Or perhaps places that are not clear enough in the message you are trying to get across.
By going through your own poetry and checking for these 3 key parts, you’ll have a stronger piece of writing with imagery, a clear speaker, and a strong message. Self-editing is not a step you can skip in the writing process, and by taking the time to reflect on your poem and see where it can be strengthened, you are developing your overall craft as well.
When you’re in the final stages of the writing process and ready for another set of eyes on your poetry manuscript, I would love to help you edit your manuscript for publishing! You can find more information and book my services here.
And if you want to join a community of poets who are learning to write and publish their own book? Look no further than the poetry club!
happy writing!