How many drafts?

1. 53

   dust2duskposted 6 years ago

   How many drafts of a poem do you usually go through before you consider it "done"? I've heard of some great writers going through tens or twenties of them before they were satisfied.
   
   Myself, I usually do from 5 to 8 drafts, depending on the poem.

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   1. 87

      Quilligrapherposted 6 years agoin reply to this

      As many as is needed to get it right.
      Q.

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2. 0

   Poetic Foolposted 6 years ago

   With the way I write I wouldn't use the term drafts.  I work on one poem at a time and keep at it until it feels right to me.  It's a continual process.  Sometimes, though, I will revisit a poem a month or so later and tweak it a little after gaining a bit of the objectivity that is gained from being away from it.

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3. 82

   K. Burns Darlingposted 6 years ago

   Poetry is different from any other thing that I write, in most cases, poetry is something that wells up from inside of me and takes on a life of it's own. I usually write a poem in one sitting, and in most cases it is polished in one or two drafts. In some cases, such as the poem I wrote following my father's passing about my parents being reunited in heaven, the first draft was the only draft.  However, a poem that I wrote about my mother's passing, had to many drafts to count, as it took me thirty-two years to complete before I finally felt that I had captured the essence of the picture in my head. I always keep all the drafts of any poem that I am working on, so that I can go back and look at it for inspiration or perspective.

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4. 80

   Steele Fieldsposted 6 years ago

   My students ask me the same thing: "How many drafts?"  My answer:  "As many as it takes."

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5. 0

   september girlposted 6 years ago

   I just work with my poem until it feels right...the way I want it to sound. Sometimes I go back after it is published to correct things I didn't maybe see before.

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