Revising Effectively “Take a chance. Step outside your comfort zone, and play.” -Heather Sellers on editing writing

Revision Step-By-Step Limit Your Time Sketch, Then Write Read to Get Unstuck Work by Hand Choose Where to Begin Delete It; Don’t Fix It Ask Your Writing Questions

1. Limit Your Time Practice “reseeding” small parts of the poem; a little bit each day. As Heather Sellers says, “An amazing thing happens when you time your writing sessions and force yourself to stop when the timer goes off. Your mind will often come up with fresh solutions between sessions.” Chunk the poem into manageable parts.

2. Sketch, Then Write List the five senses present. Clearly define when and where the poem is taking place. Sketch out variations of the scene to add tension and energy. Weak writing is often just weak visualization. Ask yourself why you are telling the reader the action in the first place; is it important? Visually interesting? Energetic? Focus the sketch (and therefore the writing) on the most interesting aspects of the scene. Don’t focus too long on any one part (write off subject) but also don’t make the reader dizzy.

3. Read to Get Unstuck Use the sample poems on the website. Go to poetryfoundation.com or poetryhunter.com. Walk over to the bookshelf (or to the library!) and pick out one of the anthologies. Ask the teacher for a suggestion. Read what you love! Make a list of what you love in poetry (or when you’re reading). This can be generic (about all works) or specific to an individual work.

4. Work by Hand Print out your work, and, as Heather Sellers says, “reread it kindly, as though it was written by a beloved, respected friend.” Draw your new image for the piece and then rewrite it by hand on a new sheet of paper.

5. Choose Where to Begin This doesn’t have to be the beginning of the work. Start with the line, stanza, image that is easiest to “resee”. When you find it…draw it, list the sensory images, then start back at #1. The opening is the hardest part, and often times, is not where you first thought it should be. Save the opening for last.

6. Delete It; Don’t Fix It Revise your best pieces. According to Heather Sellers, “you have to be a little in love with your piece in order to give it the time, commitment, and respect it needs.” If it doesn’t meet these standards, throw it out and start over. The same goes for the work itself: delete the worst parts of the poem and keep only what you love.

7. Ask Your Writing Questions Use the Workshop Questions (on website) to explore your piece. Listen to what the piece has to say…and don’t speak for the piece. Try interviewing the writing by asking it questions.

7. Ask Your Writing Questions (cont.) Here are a few question Heather Sellers recommends, but you can certainly expand from here: What am I not telling my readers that I should be telling them? What do you want to say more about? Am I keeping any secrets? Do you feel I’m being fair and telling the whole story? Are any parts of the piece not really true? Am I just making them up? Help me out. What’s wrong with you? Are you telling me to shut up? What do you want? This isn’t what I mean. Am I confused about what you mean?