Often, when I offer tips for writing poems, I
include one of more of the following items that I feel are important to
remember. I used to do a "High Five," but I've
added to that list. There are, of course, many other “tips” for writing poetry,
but observing these will help move your poems toward final versions that shine.
1. Avoid the passive voice.
2. Eliminate “ing” endings wherever you can.
3. Limit use of adjectives.
4. Avoid prepositional phrases when you can.
5. Get rid of articles (a, an, the) as much as possible.
6. Create images that are unique and memorable.
7. Avoid overstatement and too many details—show, don’t
tell.
8. Stay away from clichés, abstractions, and sentimentality.
9. Create layers of meaning—point toward something bigger
than the body of the poem.
10. Work on form and format (syntax, line breaks, and
stanzaic arrangements).
This week’s challenge is to look
through some already-written poems (that you consider “finished”) and to “checklist”
it using the ten tips above.
Guidelines:
1. Take a look at a poem you’ve
already written and apply the preceding items as a checklist for editing.
2. Go through your poem one item
at a time and see if there are changes you can make.
3. After you’ve finished, compare
your original version and the newly edited one. Is the edited version stronger
than the original?
4. Try this with other "finished" poems too!
4. Try this with other "finished" poems too!
