A huge amount of thinking has gone into my poetry. My 7th grade English teacher was really into revision. We revised everything multiple times and she really taught us how effective that can be. I think what has been more effective about my thinking process while writing this specific poem is that I've been happy to revise. I'm well aware that writing can always get better. Additionally, I see poetry as an art form and therefore I know that there is a huge realm of possibility for what a masterpiece my poem can become. It is essentially to keep in mind the fact that nothing is perfect on the first try. Because I have the above beliefs, I've found myself doing a crazy amount of revision. I don't grow too attached to any specific draft of my poem, because I know it will be constantly changing. I think this is both helpful and harmful. This is helpful because I'm able to revise and let go of aspects of my poem, even if I've worked extremely hard on them. This is harmful because, I'm still unhappy with the drafts that I turn in. I see that my poem is changing, but I cannot tell if it's genuinely getting better. I think the trouble I'm having is that when I started my poem, I never envisioned it becoming what it currently is. This isn't necessarily good or bad, and I think I just need to spend more time making sure I'm satisfied the draft I turn in.
Revising poetry is difficult for me. I've never written this many drafts of a single poem in such a short period time. I'm used to revising essays and I find that extremely easy. Poetry, because of the level of beauty it requires, strikes me as more difficult in the revision process. I am, however, proud of myself for not being afraid to change my poem and taking the risk to hopefully make it better.
I've always enjoyed writing poetry but I was surprised by how difficult it was to revise my poem according to some critiques I received. I was able to successfully revise sections I was unhappy with, but I found it difficult to revise sections that I didn't necessarily see the problem with, but Mr. Allen didn't like. I'm actually very glad this happened. I think it's important to be frustrated during the writing process, and the last revised draft I handed in was certainly the most frustrating and time-consuming one I've written.
I don't think my poem isn't quite near done, but I don't expect it to ever be. The drafts I've written, although not perfect, clearly demonstrate the effort and time I put into this process. I've enjoyed writing and revising this poem and it is very rewarding to see the progress I've made both in my thinking and my writing.
