private site for workshopping poetry

Posts Tagged ‘revision’

first glimpse of manuscript

In manuscript, process on September 29, 2008 at 10:55 am

over the weekend, i created an outline for the full-length poetry collection i have in mind. it is VERY early on and so it’s really just a concept, but it has a working title and some section possibilities. i sifted through my existing poems and without passing judgment on any of them as “good enough” or “not good enough,” i sorted them into “possible fit” and “never in a million years right for this manuscript.”

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revising and (fearing) effing it all up

In process on September 19, 2008 at 4:04 pm

i have been working on the same piece for a couple of hours. it’s time to step away from it. i now have three new versions that work plus the original. that totals four alternate endings; each piece varies in length as a result. i threw away three or four versions in between.

how do you all decide on the “best” version of a piece? remember, i’m not one for being attached to my stanzas and words. i’ll chop their legs off in a heart beat if it’ll help the poem. but sometimes, it’s hard to tell.