Notes on "The Art of Revision"

Steve Kowit writes in his book In the Palm of Your Hand, "If there is any 'secret' to writing, it is rewriting" (48).

 Time seems to be one of the most important steps in the revision process because time puts distance between the writer and his/her writing, which allows the writer to approach the poem with fresh eyes (thus the term "re-vision," to see again).

 Underlining a good passage helps set a standard.  

Circling an unsuccessful line gets work started.  A few of the concerns for revision are as follows:

             1)    dull word choice;

            2)    lack of a voice or persona;

            3)    muddled phrases;

            4)    overly complex phrases;

            5)    corny lines; or

            6)    words, lines, passages that for whatever reason don't say what

                  you want them to say.

 Replace what you've circled with something else.  The number of times that you rewrite is incidental to the desired goal, which Kowit defines as a "real poem...full of passion, complexity, wit, and the emotional energy that will keep a reader engaged."

 Although perfected poems are desirable, for this class, I'll settle for what jazz trumpeter Wynton Marsalis strives for in lieu of perfection and that is active engagement in the "process of becoming beautiful."

Assignment on p. 52-53 of PoYH
Reread all the poems drafted so far in the workshop and find at least one poem that has an attribute listed above. Underline that part that you'll want to keep. Then look in the poem for something that seems to be a liability. Circle the liability because you will be changing that part so does more to work with the rest of the poem.