Improving Your Poetry Submission « Express Media

Improving Your Poetry Submission

The power of poetry lies in its brevity. Distil the language. Make each word count.
Cut unnecessary modifiers (adjectives and adverbs), articles (the, a, an) and conjunctions – but don’t chop just for the sake of it.
Don’t be afraid to edit, alter, experiment, or cut up your whole poem and rearrange it. Remember, you can always return to the previous draft.
Avoid tautology; e.g. ‘Enormous vast emptiness.’
Show through action and imagery, rather than merely telling.
Evoke feeling in the reader, rather than merely recording feelings literally.
Consider the whole gamut of poetic devices available to you as you write.
Read your poetry aloud – to yourself, a mirror, your cat, or a friend. Consider the poem’s natural rhythms and how you can manipulate them.
Why are you writing this poem? What does it have to say? Interrogate every line and word to determine its worth.
Keep in mind that active tense has more punch than passive, and is usually easier to read (‘She punched him’ rather than ‘He was punched by her’)
Just as your words must work hard, so too must your line breaks. Consider the pace and shape of your poem as you make line and stanza breaks.
Choose metaphors (x is y) over similies (x is like y) wherever possible.
Read poetry. Read as much poetry as you can, and then read some more. Experiment with the styles you like (or hate) as you find your own voice.

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