One of the loyal readers of this blog posed a question to me: How do you know when the poem is done?
Well, right off the bat I have to say that many poets say a poem is never done (and most of these statements can apply to other genres as well), simply abandoned. There are a variety of opinions on the topic and some especially good interviews and discussions at the How a Poem Happens blog.
Writers like to tinker. Many of us would fool around with the same piece forever if we could. Some writers even revise poems after they are published. There are also writers who believe in “first word, best word” who say they never revise at all. And, I’m sure, there are even more variations on this theme.
I’ve been one of the above people at different points in my writing life as well as in reference to different poems. I’d have to say, however, that for me a poem is finished once I read it out loud and I don’t want to move anything. That means I don’t want to add or delete words; that I like the way the line breaks sound. Everything just feels right.
Granted, I’ve felt that and sent a poem out and then 6 months later when it is rejected I read it again and find a few tweaks. See, I primarily revise by submitting my work to magazines. I work on a poem until it sounds right and then I send it out. If it is accepted than HOORAY an editor was able to feel as good about the poem as I did when I sent it out. If it isn’t accepted then I keep working on it. That doesn’t mean I change anything. If I read it again and I still like the way it sounds, I just try a new editor.
I think I chose to have editors, or other readers via critique groups and this blog, help me make the decision because we are not always objective about our own work. What sounds wonderful to us, what seems perfectly clear may be muddy and dull to another reader. I’m not saying you have to seek publication or even that you should write for publication. I still write for myself but ultimately I do want someone to read most of my work because I want to share in the writing community.
So, key for me in knowing when a piece is done is 1 – when I read it out loud and it sounds right 2 – when someone else reads it and truly connects with that piece.
What do you guys think? How do you know when your poems are done? What kind of tinkering writer are you?
A poem is done when it kicks you out.
oh i love that! cause writing a poem is really like having a relationship
a poem is done when you refuse to look at it any more…
wow, interesting discussion,
it depends,
i think you are right on the money with that as well, and another one that fits well into the theme of a relationship. but, i agree that each poem is different. i’ve had the rare occasion where a poem popped full formed like athena from my tiny zeus- like head. oh man is that a rare gift!
Great post, Jessie:)
I liked Maureen & Jingles comments:)
Yours too:)
My poems are done when I say to myself, ” There, that’s just what I wanted to convey in my poem.”
Then I am done!
Margie:)
Margie – you should check out Maureen’s site. She has some great books of poetry and fiction!
I’ve noticed with your poems that you do seem to be writing towards a specific theme. i notice a lot of people do this when they are working with non-fiction, not that i’m sure if you are writing non-fiction poems but just wondered
Thanks for this Jessie!
I have had this piece in my head for years. A memory that I knew would make a good prose of sorts, so I wrote it (I am one that can pop them out fast, sorry, I thank the poet gods daily), and read it at open mic. The audience got quiet, and stood up to clap which never happens that often, so I knew it was done.
I do however have the bad habit of tinkering, to the point I go back to the first draft. I come from a long line of scot-irish tinkerers that strive for perfection.
A professor in college told me she could tell from my test papers taken in the classroom that I doubt myself, and would change answers; when I had the right one from the start. She said to go with my gut, because obviously I have instincts, but self-esteem is that culprit. Sorry for the sharing, but maybe someone else can relate…
Any good books on poetry form, and styles? Since I went to school for other things, no creative writing or poetry training I am having issues with how they should flow on paper, punctuation, and such…
how did i miss your comment! that is a great response if you got a standing – o
i think a lot of writers suffer from self-doubt. that is why it is good to find quality readers of your work who won’t just say – hey i like that – but will say WHY they do or don’t like it.
One of my favorite books on writing in general is “Poet’s Companion” it gives you great exercises and talks about a lot of the fundamentals such as voice etc. If you want something more specific to writing like sonnets i could probably point you to a few books as well.
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Started to write a reply to this, and then ended up writing a blog post. http://wp.me/pL2NZ-2u. good topic.
Andy – excellent! I am going to check it out
I’m done when I’m sick of looking at it and I lose interest which is usually within fifteen minutes. Although, I did spend a half hour on a poem once but to be fair, I was having a chat while writing it and took frequent talk breaks.
I need to do a whole essay or class on how writing poems is like a relationship
It’s a good thing then, that I don’t do my relationships like I write poems! Now, if you were talking novels, then that is a different matter entirely. Those suckers are like babies who you birth, raise and never truly allow to leave your heart.
I think writing is a commitment matter and that means that writers are committed and many should be committed. 
See, Val, you are at heart a novelist. You can always tell which genre you are most attached to by how you feel towards the work you put into that genre. For me each little poem feels like a little life I am sending out there whereas writing strict prose fiction is so difficult for me, almost painful.
Good thing no one has committed me…yet
I don’t think I’ve ever really finished a poem. Marianne Moore revised her poems throughout her life, something to which I can relate. I basically write them as they flow, or as I remember them flowing (or took notes on them as I thought of them). Afterwards, I read it and revised until it sounds right when it’s read aloud. The thing that most keeps me from completing them, however, is that new poems spring up constantly and I just keep writing and editing as I try to keep up with the flow. This being the case, I think I have to agree with the phrase, “A poem is done when you abandon it.”
Ya know Tel, I think we might have a similar writing style. I take notes, then write. Then I revise and red out loud to determine if I want to send the poem to a magazine or post it online somewhere. But, I also seem feverish to keep writing so it keeps me from becoming too obsessed with one individual poem.
That’s part of why I want this 2nd manuscript at least organized so I won’t tinker, as much, with the poems that are contained within it and I can move on to new projects.
brilliant post. very helpful. thank you xoxox
Glad to be of help gypsy! i’m starting to think i might do a discussion about chapbooks via a vlog next week
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