WRANGLING YOUR BEAST: edit tips for poets

5 Tips for Editing Your Poetry Manuscript: A Guide for Poets who are ready to Submit their Gold

by Derrick Brown

Greetings, wordnerds. It's gardening time for your work. Tine to let that shiz bloom through powerful editing.

Derrick Brown here, poet and publisher from Write Bloody Publishing. Ready to transform your poetic opus from a wild, overgrown garden into a meticulously manicured masterpiece? Let's dive into the treacherous waters of self-editing with these five tips that'll help you prune your prose and cultivate your craft.

• Tip #1: Murder Your Darlings (But Save Them for Later)
- Channel your inner literary assassin and mercilessly cut those lines you're too in love with that you or your editor feel, are straying your piece from the center.  But don't toss them into the void! Create a "Darlings Dungeon" folder of word doc to store them for future use. I title each doc by theme; Love, Depression, Family Stuff, Hot stuff, etc and when it is time to write a love poem, I open up that doc and see if there are any dangling lines that I can load into that poem to beef it up.

• Tip #2: Read Your Poems Aloud (But not in slam voice or jazz voice)
- Nothing exposes awkward rhythms and clunky phrases like hearing them out loud. So, clear your throat, channel your inner narrator, and recite your work with steadily. If your words trip up your tongue more than a spoonful of chonky peanut butter, it's time for a rewrite. Bonus: You might inspire your neighbors to finally move out, giving you more quiet time to write.

• Tip #3: Embrace the Power of White Space (It's Not Just for Minimalist Painters)
- Remember, the spaces between your words are like palate cleansers for the mind. Don't stuff your poems like a Thanksgiving turkey. Let them breathe! If your stanzas look denser than a philosophical treatise on quantum mechanics, it's time to break things up. Your readers' eyes (and sanity) will thank you.

• Tip #4: Seek SOLID Feedback (But Choose Your Critics Wisely)
- Share your work with fellow poets, writers, or your talented dog. Just avoid showing it to people who adore you. You need honest feedback, not a one-person fan club. Remember: constructive criticism is muscle building. make sure you tell your editors or peers exactly what you need. Keep it to three things.

• Tip #5: Step Away from the Manuscript (And not for too long)
- Distance makes the heart grow fonder and the editorial eye sharper. Put your manuscript in a drawer (real or digital) for at least a week. Engage in non-poetic activities: learn close up magic, which I love, take up pickle ball or finally learn to make little donuts. When you return, you'll see your poems with fresh eyes and a renewed vigor for viciously editing them.

By following these tips, you'll tighten up your collection super fast. Remember: a well-edited manuscript is more likely to find a home on a publisher's desk than in the recycling bin. Now go forth and edit, you brilliant, slashing wordsmiths!