To save you time right away – there’s no definite answer on how much time you need to spend on this. But what we can do is help you decide where that sweet spot is. Editing a poem can be a bit like chasing perfection because, when do you stop?
When the words finally sound just right, whatever that might mean? Or is it when you’ve finally managed to fine-tune every line to match the rhythm only you can hear? And by the way, how do you know other people will hear that same rhythm? What if they don’t, does that mean that you’ve done a lousy job editing? It’s a lot to think about but it’s hard not to overthink the matter because if you go too far with editing, you’ll drain that raw emotion from the poem. So, how much time is too much?
This isn’t just a creative question; it’s also a question of productivity, meaning – you need to find a balance. How? Why? Well, keep reading, and we’ll tell you all about it.
Table of Contents
Breaking Down the Poetry Editing Process
If you want to know how to edit a poem without spending too much time on it, let’s see what exactly this process entails. For some poets, like T. S. Eliot, editing can take years.
In fact, Elito famously revised his iconic poem “The Waste Land” many times over several years to have it go from a draft to a concise, layered masterpiece.
To most people, this sounds absolutely ridiculous, but if you’re a poet or if you’ve ever edited a poem, you can kind of see why that would happen. With prose, you can totally restructure and even expand paragraphs, but with poetry, every word matters.
Just one line break or punctuation mark can shift its tone or meaning, so the amount of attention and precision you need to have to edit a poem is pretty significant. Technical skills aren’t all that matter, however, you also need to have the right mindset.
You’ll have to go over the poem again and again, so you’ll have to stay patient, but also objective.
This means you need to be emotionally detached, which isn’t always easy with poetry. If you don’t, editing will take too long and if you edit it too much, you’ll make it flat and it will lose its original energy.
How to Decide How Long to Edit a Poem
Now we’ll get into what you’re really interested in – how much time do you need to spend on editing a poem.
Well, it depends on a few things, so let’s see what they are.
1. The Complexity of the Poem
If you’re working on a really long poem or perhaps one that follows a specific structure (sonnets, villanelles), you’ll need more time to edit them.
With structured poems, there are strict rules for rhyme schemes, meter, and length and getting every line to fit these rules without losing the essence of the poem isn’t easy.
Basically, the more complex the form, the more time you’ll need to edit the poem. Then there’s also language and imagery; if there’s a lot of metaphor, symbolism, and other literary figures, you’ll have to be extra careful with editing.
Poetry uses less words than prose to communicate its meaning and if there’s just a tiny little detail that’s off in the editing process, it no longer has the same impact and clarity.
2. The Purpose
What’s the purpose of the poem? Did you write it to express your feelings or do you intend on publishing it? If it’s the latter, then the standards for it will be much higher.
Form, structure, and emotional depth need to be on point, which means – more editing. Your audience plays a part in this, too. If the poem is meant for the general audience, it needs to be simpler in both language and imagery, so that’s less editing for you.
If it’s the opposite and the poem will be read by a literary or critical audience, then you’ll need to up your game on subtlety, form, and layered meaning. So, more editing.
3. Editing Stages
There’s the first pass, which is big-picture editing, where you’ll focus on the poem’s structure, theme, and flow. Check that the meaning of the poem is clear and that the form supports its message. This stage could take a while if you need to make some changes in the structure or the theme.
After this is done, you move on to the second pass, which is line editing. This stage is about individual lines, words, and rhythm. Usually, this is the part that takes the longest because you need to make sure that the sound, the tone, and the rhythm are in line with the poem’s impact.
The last stage is the final pass, and this is just proofreading. Check that the form, punctuation, and spacing is consistent, and that there aren’t any grammar or spelling errors.
Conclusion
And that’s how long it takes to edit a poem! So… It could take a while, but it doesn’t have to; it all depends.
The key is to not over edit it because you’ll most likely completely mess up its meaning and message. It just goes to show that sometimes simplicity and going with your initial instincts is best.
Also, don’t try to edit the whole thing in one go. It’s better to spread it over a few days so you can be sure that you did a good job, without rushing and without frustration.
