Step #1: Make sure you have plenty of poems/stories to work with. The more poems/stories, the better. Think of it as though you are trying a new recipe, and you want to get it just right. You buy extra eggs, flour, and other ingredients just in case you make a mistake the first time. This applies to your poems/stories because not all of them will work for your manuscript. You want to give yourself as many chances as possible to find the poems that will be most effective for your work as a whole.
Step #2: Categorize your poems/stories by theme/tone/character. Organization is key. Grouping your poems/stories together by a common link will not only give you a feel for how they will all come together, but it will also get you thinking about the main themes you wish to include in your manuscript. Personally, when it comes to my poetry, I feel as though it is necessary to print out all of my poems, spread them across my bedroom floor, and label them with colorful post-it notes. I realize that some people work better with computers, but for me, when it comes to grouping my poems, I need to be more hands on.
Step #3: Weed out the weaklings. I know that it may feel nearly impossible to really know if some of your poems or stories are “good enough” or just “mediocre,” but it gets easier as you go on. Listed below are some very important tips that will not only strengthen your poetry/stories, but will also build on your confidence and your skills as a writer.
- Show your poems/stories to a professor, people in your writing group (if you have one), a mentor, friends, or someone that you can trust to be honest with you. Ask them what works for them, what doesn’t work for them, and how they feel about each piece of writing that you show them. Important: Just because one person thinks that your poem or story is terrible or fantastic, does not mean that everyone will. This is why it is important to talk to a variety of people about what you are setting out to do and to get a feel for your audience. Be open to changes, suggestions, and criticism, but also remember that it is imperative to never lose sight of your own thoughts, feelings, and opinions about your work.
- Read your poems/stories aloud multiple times. You may hear something that needs to taken out, changed, or something that works really well. Sometimes when you read something in your head many times, your eyes skip over what your ears can pick up on.
- Have someone else read your writing aloud to you. Hearing someone else’s voice read your work can make a huge difference in how you feel about your own words.
- Do not go by whether or not a piece has been rejected or accepted anywhere. Just because a particular poem or story worked or did not work for a magazine, journal, or newspaper, does not mean that it will or will not be a good choice for your manuscript.
Step #4: Keep weeding, but have a number in mind. Poetry chapbooks are small collections of poetry that are generally no longer than 40 pages. For the Young Writer Series, we are aiming for no more than 30 pages.
Step #5: Pick an order. This is where the labeled poems/stories on the bedroom floor can be very helpful. Now that you have your main themes and know how each poem/story falls into a category, you can place them in an order. For longer works, some people decide to divide their manuscripts up into sections, whereas others do not. Also, some people like to spread out various themes, and vary the tone throughout the manuscript. If you are completely stumped as to where to even begin with this process, think of how musicians do it. When you listen to a CD the songs are in a specific order for a reason. Sometimes ballads are sandwiched between upbeat songs, and sometimes the whole album is just somber. Think about how you want your readers to feel when they read your book, and what exactly you are trying to convey. Reading aloud is a very helpful way to literally hear the flow of the poems/stories as they are read one after the other. Also, pay attention to how your eyes feel. Think about what it would look like if you had many long poems and endless prose all clumped together for many pages. And then imagine your short poems/stories being all stuck at the end and not being generously sprinkled in between the longer ones. Variation of poem or story lengths will give your eyes and your reader’s eyes a break for a few pages.
Step #6: Take a walk. Maybe even a vacation. After spending so much time with your poems/stories, you may start to get sick of them. And even if you are not quite to that point yet, chances are you may still need to clear your head. During this time you may want to start to think about a title.
Step #7: Read from start to finish. Do this for a few days. Keep picking it up. Keep reading aloud and in your head. Even read the manuscript from the end to the beginning. Experiment, read, and keep turning the pages.
Step #8: Time to tackle the mechanics of it all. Many collections have an introduction, a biography of the author, acknowledgements, and a list of previous publications.
Introduction: This can be a daunting task, but at the same time it is very exciting. Think of this introduction as a chance to talk straight to your readers and tell them about yourself and your themes. You do not have to be formal here. Have fun with it. Also, once you have a title, you may think about including the explanation of how that came to be in your introduction. You may want to come back to the introduction at the end to add this in. But overall, let people be drawn to your thoughtfulness and creativity. It can also be helpful to read introductions from other poetry collections to give you a feel for them. Usually introductions are about a page long.
Biography: If you have submitted work to a magazine, newspaper, literary journal, or elsewhere you may be familiar with the third person, cut and dry biography. It usually consists of where you live, what you write, where you have been published, and what you have accomplished. There are many examples of biographies in poetry collections and online.
Acknowledgements/list of previous publications: Acknowledgements and previous publications are usually listed on the same page, depending on how the publisher/editor wants the book to be set up. It is best to keep acknowledgements short and concise, as hard as it may be. Think about the people who have helped you the most, and the mentors that have guided you along the way. As for the previous publications, this only applies if any of the poems in your collection have been published elsewhere. If so, make sure that your information is organized and accurate. You do not need to say which poems have been published where, however. You just need to specify what magazine/newspaper/ literary journal/etc. has published some of the work that is in your collection.
Step #9: Choose your title. Even if you had a title in mind during this process, it is always best to re-examine it after you have finished putting everything together. Your themes and ideas may have shifted at this point, and you want to make sure that you are 100% happy with your title. For some people, including myself, coming up with a title is the hardest part of the entire manuscript. So, what do you do when you are stuck?
- Read the entire manuscript aloud from start to finish again. (You should do this even if you already have your heart set on a title.) A line, a poem/story’s title, or something in between may jump out at you.
- Talk to a friend or a loved one about your ideas. Sometimes the people we are close to can help us see something that has been right in front of us all along.
- Rest well and always keep a notebook next to your bed. A title can creep into your mind as you are drifting off to sleep, in a dream, or the moment you wake up. Keep your mind relaxed, and give yourself a break once in a while.
Step #10: Send it to me and I will give you my comments and suggestions. After the final edits, we will send it to Doug Holder.
In your case, you are very lucky. Ibbetson Street Press has published award-winning poets and writers and is held in high regard amongst the small press community. Now you get your chance!
I know this whole process is a lot of work. But guess what? You will have a book. A book! It’s such a great feeling. You may just want to write about it.
The Young Writer Series 