How To Wear A Poem

Regardless of your shape or size, putting on an appealing poem begins with a foundation of naturally firm but willowy lines or with an artificial yet artistic means of getting those natural lines into a traditionally pleasing shape. Various schools of poetry may disagree, but either way works. So, if you’re a highly gifted poet with a natural eye or ear for poetry, you and free verse will probably go nicely together. Or, if you’re a highly gifted poet with a natural eye and poetic ear, you might dress up well with an extraordinary use of traditional verse forms.

Before you wear yourself out with a poetic style you don’t like, consider what types of poetry you most like to wear when you’re reading. Is this the type of poem you would like to put on or show off or quietly carry over your shoulder like a shawl? Do you look good in those colorful images? Do you like to put on your dancing shoes of rhyme or regular rhyme? Can you pull off wearing bling in the sometimes flashy patterns of in end-line rhymes? Or do you prefer to tone it down by scattering rhyme freely into free verse, but not in predictable patterns?

If you’re more concerned about content, rather than a stylish form, you can tailor that preference to yourself too, wearing either free verse or traditional metered poetry such as the sonnet, villanelle, or sestina. It just depends on what appeals to you. So whatever you want to wear, be sure the poetic style fits you.

As you learn to wear your poems well, check the mirror for masters of that particular form or type of free verse. Don’t just study contemporary poets whose work you like the look of, but also scan old catalogs of classical poets who wrote with style throughout the centuries. Even if you opt for the bargain price of packing rhyme, rhythm, imagery, and social commentary into the vintage pattern of a sonnet, as countless poets have done, your voice, your fresh idea, your apt comparison, your poetic face can make an outmoded fashion look new and “in” again.


[For more about writing, revising, and marketing your poems, visit the Poetry Editor blog .]

Basic Steps For Writing & Marketing

Study the classics and contemporary works in your genre.

Consider what draws readers to a particular poem, story, article, or book.

Study publications you like to read. Get familiar with magazines, e-zines, journals, and book catalogues of publishers whose work you like.

Consider any potential gaps that your story, poem, article or book might fill.

Plan your work before you begin. Decide on a theme, purpose, and reading audience.

Research each topic thoroughly.

Outline each article or nonfiction book. Write a synopsis of your novel in present tense.

Let your writing flow without criticizing yourself. Let your work rest. Later read those pages as if someone else had written them.

Identify each problem. When you see a problem, you may see a solution too.

Revise to make the manuscript your best work before you try to place it with one editor at a time.

Follow writers’ guidelines carefully as you submit your manuscript. When using the postal service for a submission, enclose a self-addressed, stamped envelope (SASE) to cover its potential return.

Keep track of where, when, and to whom you mailed your work.

While you’re waiting to hear from the editor, query other editors about your next idea.

Start researching and planning another project.


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(c) 2010, Mary Harwell Sayler, all rights reserved.

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Self-Publishing Versus Traditional

Self-publishing has some obvious perks:

Freedom to publish whatever you want whenever you want

Artistic control over the length, layout, and cover of your book

Immediate income for each book you sell

Some flexibility in the book pricing

Not so obvious are the draw-backs. As the sole producer of your book, you have more freedom and control but also more responsibilities such as:

Researching book-buying markets to see if your book fills a need

Writing and revising your manuscript without editorial feedback or assistance

Correcting mistakes in grammar, spelling, and syntax

Typesetting your manuscript to provide the printer with camera-ready copy

Applying for an ISBN Number and paying fees required to copyright the book

Locating artwork to illustrate the book's content and cover

Paying for the artwork

Deciding on quality of paper, font style/size, type of cover

Deciding on the press run and paying the printing costs

Marketing the book

Promoting the book

Requesting book reviews

Trying to interest newspapers, magazines, and talk shows in interviewing you

Promoting the book

Promoting the book....

If you have a super-hot topic that has not been addressed, your book might generate interest fairly quickly. Since this seldom happens, you might be stuck with boxes of books that you paid to have printed.

By contrast a traditional publisher handles all of the above responsibilities with the exception of researching and writing the book. If the book does not do well, the publisher bears those costs, not you. If you receive an advance, you do not have to pay that back unless you fail to complete the book as promised.

A traditional publisher takes on the time and expense of editing, proofing, printing, and marketing your book. Therefore, you can be sure the company will put forth professional efforts to be sure you have a lively, interesting, well-written manuscript that readers will be eager to buy.

If, however, you have a ready market waiting for your work or you decide to go ahead and self-publish, please get a professional critique before you typeset your material. I've been critiquing poems and manuscripts for 30 years and will be glad to work with you - for a reasonable fee, of course:)

(c) 2009, Mary Harwell Sayler

What Poetry Editors Hope To See In Poetry

In the book Spreading the Word compiled by Stephen Corey and Warren Slesinger and published in 2001 by The Bench Press, twenty editors of poetry journals discuss the qualities they look for in the many hundreds of poems that cross their desks every month. Since most of these literary magazines only have print space for a couple dozen poems per issue, competition remains high. Each editor has personal preferences, of course, yet they looked for similar characteristics in poems they accept. To find out more, I highly recommend the entire book, but for a mini-view here’s a recap of the notable qualities or fresh traits commonly sought by editors – and, yes, readers too:

• Compelling subject that engages readers, making them want to re-read

• Fresh perspective or unusual treatment of the theme or topic

• Credibility and an honest voice

• Accuracy in fact, sensory detail, observation, research

• Genuine exploration of something that might interest most people

• Risk or emotional investment in the poem

• Conflict, counterpoint, juxtaposition – something to provide a push-pull tension between knowing and not knowing or a balance between order and disorder, poising the poem so it does not become a locked box that clicks shut at the end

• Word choices with interesting connotations, denotations, and sounds

• Rhythmic emphasis on syllables or rhymes that benefit from the stress

• Distinctive language and ideas by an interesting speaker or persona

• Tone in keeping with subject, for instance, lively lines in a humor poem

• Humor rather than cleverness, irony over mere wit

• Effective form for traditional verse, effective line-breaks for free verse

• Musicality that becomes even more obvious in reading the poem aloud

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(c) 2009, Mary Harwell Sayler, all rights reserved.

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How To Get Published

Whether you feel drawn to writing poetry, fiction, nonfiction, or children's books, you eventually might want your work to be published by someone other than yourself, but how do you go about it? 

Here are some tips on submitting your work to potential publishers:

• Notice the publishers of books or magazines that you enjoy reading.
• Do these publishers have a website? If so, study the titles in their book lines and the poems or magazine articles in their archives.
• Make a list of publishers whose work seems most in line with yours.
• Study and carefully follow the writers' guidelines on each company's website.
• Submit your complete manuscript or batch of 3-5 poems to one editor at a time.
• Keep track of where and when you sent your work. If you do not have a response in a few months, follow-up.
• While you wait to hear about one manuscript, start another.
• If the editor sends back your submission, read it aloud. Listen for any rough spots. Revise as needed, then submit your poems or manuscript to the next potential publisher on your list.

(c) 2009, Mary Harwell Sayler; updated 2021

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