Just play: don't look at your hands! |
Got another email from the Poetry Editor about the poems I submitted. She had said they give preference to pieces about writing, so I sent her my Meter Family poem. I tried to follow her advice as I revised it, and added another without rhyme since she had said that rhymes always sounded so contrived.
Here's her response. It's clear she's rejecting them, but trying hard not to be discouraging. I do think these might be an improvement in terms of "story," but I still don't think they quite meet ByLine's needs at this time. Rhyme is always difficult to do because the form tends to pull so hard against the "message," sometimes causing "forced rhymes" or awkward language. Because you are already limiting yourself by trying to play with metered feet, adding the rhyme is making your task even more constraining and difficult. Even in the second poem, I feel your form is dictating what you're saying, which may not be a bad thing -- given what you're trying to do. It's just not something that fit our needs right now. You could consider submitting these elsewhere or begin to do a whole series on "the meter family" for the fun and practice of it. These still feel a little rough to me. Byline publishes monthly issues, so it isn't like you're trying to meet a fixed deadline. Make sure your poems say what you want to say and say it the best way you can. No writer should change her work simply to please an editor and your poems certainly have enough merit that you could send them to other publications. If, you choose to send your poems off elsewhere "as is," that might actually be a good thing. Another editor may be delighted with them and accept them for immediate publication. Or give you feedback different from mine. Sometimes, editorial decisions are made based on the current needs and the preferences of individual editors and really don't speak to the writer's needs or have anything to do with the quality of the poem. Your work has a delightful playfulness to it and is really quite fun. Don't ever accept one editor's opinion as the final, definitive answer. Keep on writing. Keep on submitting. The Good News Is: Bill's Doctor Said "Terrific!" |