[stylist] poem revisions

Barbara HAMMEL poetlori8 at msn.com
Fri Jun 19 03:26:07 UTC 2015 

Please do, Jackie. Even if I choose not to revise after all, others may benefit and they could be things I can think about when I write henceforth.
I need to do something because I'm just stuck. I like to write at least one poem a month but whether it's because emotions are running too deep around here or just what, I missed last month. No, I'll never become a published writer of any proliferation unless I do it myself and sell to my friends or something. Yet, there is a part of me that always wanted to be a famous poet. I don't have a thick enough skin for that, though.

Barbara
Sent from my iPhone

> On Jun 18, 2015, at 22:14, Jackie Williams via stylist <stylist at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> Barbara,
> You really struck a note in your questions about revisions, and you have
> many excellent ideas for doing this.
> My suggestion is that you first  ask yourself why you keep writing poetry. 
> If your primary goal is to be published, you will definitely want to revise,
> tweak, change titles, or last lines in order to be able to keep submitting
> that poem.
> If you are writing because you just love writing, need an outlet, and want
> to protect exactly what your outlet was,you can just keep writing new poems
> using what you have learned. Keep organizing them as you have.
> If you simply want to leave all of your thoughts to your family, all of your
> organizing might be discouraging to someone looking for your work in your
> computer. 
> If you choose to revise many of those you have, you could use just the most
> important of your folders, perhaps combine  the original title, date, first
> revision and new date. One extra item that is all important to me is putting
> the line length in the title. There is a limit to this in all poetry
> contests.
> I would encourage you to spend your valuable time to submit what you feel
> your best poems are. 
> As far as where you start in revision, I can send you and all a list of
> everything one looks for in critiquing a poem, and you can follow that list
> and check them off one by one,  or just pick one or two items.. I will not
> do this unless requested as one needs to want the critiquing first.
> 
> Jackie Lee
> 
> Poetry is a school in which we learn.
> Poetry is the fire in which we burn.
> After Delmore Schwartz     
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: stylist [mailto:stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Barbara
> HAMMEL via stylist
> Sent: Thursday, June 18, 2015 3:25 PM
> To: Pagan Tree
> Cc: Barbara HAMMEL; Writers' Division Mailing List
> Subject: Re: [stylist] poem revisions
> 
> It was Picasso who had the blue phase but how do I even go about approaching
> them? They insist that they don't want to change. I suppose breaking lines?
> Equalling out syllables in lines? Ooo! Get a thesaurus and change all the
> words? (Where would I find one of those for my iPhone?) I'm getting excited
> about trying this but that whole folder of them is still screaming "leave us
> alone!" LOL!
> 
> Sent from my iPhone
> 
>> On Jun 18, 2015, at 16:45, Pagan Tree <3rdeyeonly at gmail.com> wrote:
>> 
>> Barbara, Another thing to think about, as if you do not have enough
> already, is the many directions rewrites could go. Sometimes I draft
> something because a particular line or thought has come to mind. I return to
> it at a later time and it goes in a direction I did not originally plan.
> Maybe I will again, later, return to original draft and it will go in a
> completely different direction.
>> In other words, one initial thought could be the basis for creating
> multiple pieces, whether poetry or stories.
>> It is kind of kin to a series of paintings that follow a theme, a
> collection of works. For example Van Gogh's Blue Period. He started with the
> idea of 'blue' and it manifested in multiple forms. Your poetry is just as
> fluid.
>> This does not help with your organization issues, but have fun with it and
> go where the wind takes you.
>> Eve
>> 
>>> On Thu, Jun 18, 2015 at 2:06 PM, Barbara HAMMEL via stylist
> <stylist at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>> See, and the problem falls that I abhor change in my life and that
> carries over to my writing. Good idea a copyright dates. I could either call
> the new one title (revised) or call the old one title (draft). I like that.
> Now I just have to free my mind to do it.
>>> Barbara
>>> 
>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>> 
>>>> On Jun 18, 2015, at 15:42, Lynda Lambert via stylist
> <stylist at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>>> 
>>>> OH, I love this, Bill!  - your quote," I've adopted a kind of joyful
>>>> bloodymindedness about it all, so there's not even a twinge of pain
>>>> about doing this."
>>>> 
>>>> I do this kind of rewriting and editing often, and it's not unusual for
> me to work on something for months at a time...after all poetry is a  *craft
> * and I have that joyful feeling Bill speaks of when I am CRAFTING my
> writing possibilities as I work on them.  I call them *works* for that is
> what they are - constructions as WCW would call them.  We create, build,
> tear down, build more, and tear into them again and again - until the new
> essence is found. It is a great feeling.
>>>> 
>>>> This note from Bill is a keeper - it's all about the growth of the
> person as well as the poem. It's about change, and livingness, and fresh
> thoughts and ideas. bill, I just loved this post - you reflect my thought on
> it.
>>>> Barbara, one thing that can be done is to do the copyright with the new
> date on the newly revised poem  In my chronology, I will write both dates on
> the poem if I still call it by the same title.  I can tell by the copyright
> date with is the old one and which is the new one. but, often I revise it so
> drastically it gets a new title, too.  Lynda
>>>> 
>>>> -----Original Message----- From: William L Houts via stylist
>>>> Sent: Thursday, June 18, 2015 1:27 PM
>>>> To: stylist at nfbnet.org
>>>> Cc: William L Houts
>>>> Subject: Re: [stylist] poem revisions
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> HI Barbara,
>>>> 
>>>> I make a kind of game out of my revisions.  Sometimes, I'll just cruise
>>>> through my poetry folder ("Cosmos") and rnandomly give a once over to
>>>> one or even several poems; just eyeball them to see how I feel days,
>>>> weeks or months after first writing them. Gradually, over time, all of
>>>> myh poems get at least minor revisions, and over the long haul they all
>>>> get at least two or three overhauls.  I've adopted a kind of joyful
>>>> bloodymindedness about it all, so there's not even a twinge of pain
>>>> about doing this, and I feel that my poetry in general really does
>>>> improve with time.  I used to be very squeamish and protective about my
>>>> stuff, and had a real case of the horrors when it came to editing.  But
>>>> now I really enjoy the process  and my work in general has, I feel,
>>>> improved. My advice is to keep in mind that Word documents (or
>>>> Wordperfect or what have you) exist in order to be revised.  It's so
>>>> easy to delete, and almost as easy to rewrite, to commit new thoughts
> to
>>>> the page that there's no reason to sufferthrough the process.  Just
>>>> remember that hope springs eternal --and so does poetry.  >grin<
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> --Bill
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>>> On 6/18/2015 9:36 AM, Barbara HAMMEL via stylist wrote:
>>>>> 
>>>>> I know, for years I've been saying I was going to try revising my
> poems. As you know, I have always thought a poem complete and the way it was
> meant to be until you fine folks informed me that improvements could be made
> on them. But, somehow, I can't bring myself to do it because it would mess
> up my extensively organized folders by doing that. My question is, do you
> then count a revised poem as a new one? You'll probably tell me it's up to
> me what I do but I need help tricking my brain because if I rewrite
> something, seems to me it should have a new date. I have actually sorted my
> poems into ones I want to work on revising and which are too personal or too
> awful or stupid to waste my time improving on.
>>>>> Barbara
>>>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>> Writers Division web site
>>>>> http://writers.nfb.org/
>>>>> stylist mailing list
>>>>> stylist at nfbnet.org
>>>>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/stylist_nfbnet.org
>>>>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
> stylist:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/stylist_nfbnet.org/lukaeon%40gmail.com
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> --
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> "Oh, Sophie!  Whyfore have you eated all de cheeldren?"
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>> Writers Division web site
>>>> http://writers.nfb.org/
>>>> stylist mailing list
>>>> stylist at nfbnet.org
>>>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/stylist_nfbnet.org
>>>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
> stylist:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/stylist_nfbnet.org/llambert%40zoominternet
> .net
>>>> 
>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>> Writers Division web site
>>>> http://writers.nfb.org/
>>>> stylist mailing list
>>>> stylist at nfbnet.org
>>>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/stylist_nfbnet.org
>>>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
> stylist:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/stylist_nfbnet.org/poetlori8%40msn.com
>>> 
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> Writers Division web site
>>> http://writers.nfb.org/
>>> stylist mailing list
>>> stylist at nfbnet.org
>>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/stylist_nfbnet.org
>>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
> stylist:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/stylist_nfbnet.org/3rdeyeonly%40gmail.com
> _______________________________________________
> Writers Division web site
> http://writers.nfb.org/
> stylist mailing list
> stylist at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/stylist_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
> stylist:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/stylist_nfbnet.org/jackieleepoet%40cox.net
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Writers Division web site
> http://writers.nfb.org/
> stylist mailing list
> stylist at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/stylist_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for stylist:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/stylist_nfbnet.org/poetlori8%40msn.com

More information about the Stylist mailing list