How To Dress a Poem for Success

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Your little brain child has grown into an imaginative, young poem and it’s time to send it out into the world to make something of itself. But wait, before the unveiling, before you push your little darling out the door to face an editor, there are some things it should know if it wants to make a good impression on the literary world and be taken seriously.

Poetry can have many different looks, voices, and styles. Before its big debut, share these tips with your aspiring, poetic masterpiece to help it stand out in a crowd:

1. Research. If you pay attention to what publications and editors are looking for, you’ll already have one foot in the door.
2. Read! Be sure you’ve looked at lots of other poetry. Page through poetry magazines, books and catalogs to see what the really well-dressed poems are wearing.
3. Try on different styles:
   — Do you like the formal look? If you like meter and rhyme, then this look might be for you. Just be aware of the required constraints.
   — If you are the laid back sort, then nonconforming verse may be your style. Rhyme-free lines can vary from short, fast paced to longer and slower. Contrary to what some may think, free style poetry does possess a rhythm. Its the easy beat found in natural speech, so take heed, being free does not mean unruly.
   — Remember, whichever style you choose, the best looking poems always single space between lines (double space between stanzas). Purposely used white space for creativity is the exception.
   — After you’ve chosen a style, shake it out and put your own spin on it. You don’t want to look like everybody else out there, so choose the words you wear wisely.
4. Look your best. Don’t show up sloppy and unprepared as if you just threw something together without thought. Go in front of an editor wearing your best words. Most good poems take hours of preparation.
5. Put on a fresh face. Do not show up in the same old tired cliché. Always look at the world in a new or unusual way. Be surprising and unafraid to be different. That’s what gets noticed. Remember these words from Emily Dickinson, ‘Tell all the truth but tell it slant.’
6. Dress yourself in strong, vivid imagery if you want to stand out. Let your words leave a snapshot in the minds of everyone who looks at you. If your look is too ethereal, too abstract, you may prove to be boring and forgettable. Try expressing your abstract ideas with concrete images. You will be easier to remember if there is a sensory connection ... sight, touch, taste, sound or smell.
7. Show off your moves with well chosen verbs. Don’t just move across the floor if you can stomp in your boots or twirl on your toes.
8. Not only do you want to look impressive, but you want to speak intelligently. Vague is not vogue. Your message is important, so make sure you get your point across with focused, accurate use of language.
   — Flawless grammar is especially important in making you look sharp in front of an editor. Pay special attention to your spelling and grammar so as not to come across as uneducated.
9. Don’t be too chatty. A good poem doesn’t waste words, it uses them sparingly and meaningfully for a dramatic effect. Is every single word and punctuation mark showing your best side, or is your essence lost in clutter? Remove all nonessential words or lines. Are you excessively flowery? Cut unnecessary adjectives — dazzle with stronger nouns and verbs instead.
10. Reveal your personality. Be bold, clever, intriguing, compelling or disturbing. Layer meanings, show your depth, leave some things to be discovered between the lines. Reach into your core, lay your heart out for everyone to see, then bare your heart-felt passion.
11. Accessorize. There are so many ways to dress up your overall look.
    — Add poetic devices like similes, metaphors, alliteration, assonance, repetition, onomatopoeia and much more. These are great ways to enhance your look, but learn how to wear them correctly.
    — Properly used punctuation marks are a nice way to complete your look.
    — Going au naturel (without punctuation) can either make you appear stylish or just plain lazy. Using line breaks and white space are an effective alternative. Just be sure the beginnings and ends of thought are clear.
12. To cap or not to cap? It’s all about style.
    — If a traditional, metrical vibe is your desire, then dressing in capital letters on each line is perfect for you — caps can help add to the rhythm. (Beware that placing caps at the start of each line in free verse can disrupt flow and is not recommended.)
    — Now, if a more modern look is what you like, capitalize only after a period.
    — A total “no-caps” look, with or without punctuation, may suit you if casual is what you are going for. (Note: this look is difficult to pull off successfully, especially if punctuation is also omitted, so pay special attention to line breaks.)

Read, revise, repeat — until you love every word.