I will give written answers to two questions posed by you about each of two poems. In addition, I will offer my reflections on other aspects of the poems sent. The whole process is utterly confidential.
If you’re not into ‘technical’ questions about your poems, maybe because you’re quite new to writing, don’t panic! You can simply ask things like, “is this any good?” or “do you get what I’m trying to say here?”
However, I’m also very happy to get as technical as you like! Here are some typical questions you might ask:
- How could the title better serve the poem?
- If the poem is too long, where might I edit it?
- Am I being a slave to form and sacrificing content; what can you suggest?
- Does the first stanza feel like I’m writing myself in; is there a better place to start?
- Are there too many esoteric or obscure references; what should I lose?
- Is the extended metaphor working; how can I improve or simplify things?
- Is there an element of telling rather than showing; how can I avoid this?
- How can I improve where I’m putting my line breaks?
- Is the ending too obvious or trite; what other possibilities could I explore?
PLEASE GO TO ‘HOW DOES GOLD DUST WORK?’
GOLD DUST 