As you look over
your poem think about the following :
¨
Are
my SENSORY IMAGES clear? Do they need to
be sharper or more specific?
(not “the
beautiful tree next to me” but: “ a
white blossoming plum”
not “I hear birds in the trees” but: “the crow’s harsh cry cuts across the
wren’s song”)
¨
Have
I changed every general noun into a SPECIFIC one? (not “trees,” but “hemlocks”)
¨
Can
I CUT out unnecessary words or phrases?
Get rid of clichés or overused words?
( “blanket of snow”
“babbling brook” “beautiful
sunset” )
¨
Have
I used lots of SOUND elements like alliteration, assonance, half rhyme, etc.?
(Read
the poem ALOUD several times for this one!)
¨
Is
my FIRST LINE as interesting as it could be? (A sensory image, a metaphor, or an
action is a good way to begin)
¨
Is
my LAST LINE a strong one too ? (an
image or action is usually effective – do not write a summing up line
like in an essay!)
¨
Would
REARRANGING lines bring more energy to the poem?
¨
Is
the FORM of the poem the best for its subject?
(Stanzas, couplets, shape on the page?)
¨
Are
the LINEBREAKS the best they could be?
(see the back of this page for more ideas)
¨
Does
the poem have the best TITLE? (A perfect title can help cut poems "down to
size" and make them sharper, more focused.)
A FEW TECHNIQUES
TO TRY:
**Rewrite the
poem without looking at the original version.
Let yourself go off in a new direction.
Then see if you have new material to include!
**Try reading
the poem from the last line back up to the first. Does it spark new ideas or more interesting
images?
**Rearrange the
poem with the last section first, the first in the
middle, and the middle last----what happens?