Sunday 21 March 2010

Any Last Words?


Just uploaded a new short article by Kirsty to Irregular Features. One of the things she often focuses on when we're discussing editing poems (either our own or ones submitted to us) is the endings, and so I asked her to write an article setting out her thoughts on how poems should end. Definitely worth a read, especially if you're thinking of submitting something to Fuselit.

That link again.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Hey, really enjoyed reading the article and you raise some excellent points.

The 'last line as explanation' thing: I often have this problem, and if you do need a line or two of more-obvious 'here is what the poem is about' I find it quite effective to simply move those lines to earlier in the last stanza. In this way, your are being clear with the reader / listener, whilst still ending on a more powerful, thoughtful sentiment.

Sometimes I find it more extreme than that: that actually, the first thing I write for the poem is the most powerful, and becomes a natural ending itself.

Good stuff!