Get Organized, Get Accepted, Get Published: How to Salvage Your Words
By Krissy Brady

Although being a poet may not lead to those large paychecks we all dream about, it may very well lead to an established writing career in the literary field.  Publishing poetry is a great way to break into the literary market, and will add variety to your clip files.  Use the concise and meaningful nature of poetry to your advantage, and spread the word that you are a writer who intends on leaving a lasting impression.

In a poem, every word has to matter.  In a day, every minute has to matter, which is why during our daily lives we often find our writing falls to the bottom of our to-do list.  When we do end up finding the time to work on our writing, we become overwhelmed and easily distracted.  After a full day at work or with the kids, the last thing we feel like doing is sitting down and concentrating on something new.  Writing poetry isn’t as much pressure as sitting down to complete a short story or research article.  It is a timeless activity where all that is needed is a pen and paper, and a feeling deeper than that of an idea.   

The crisp quality that poetry can bring to a writer’s portfolio is priceless.  Poetry is the most sensitive and true type of writing, and can make a reader feel very connected to the writer.  By writing poetry, you let readers into your personal space, making them feel welcome into your world of thinking.  This is how you can gain a solid reader base for when you have more time for larger projects, such as short stories and novels.

Writing poetry also isn’t as time consuming as writing a short story or research article.  Writing poetry during those hectic days where concentrating on much else is minimal will make you feel that even though you didn’t have a lot of time to work on your writing, you have still moved your career forward.  Use your inner emotion and spontaneity during these hectic times instead of your research and interview notes, to take your writing career to the next level.

It is time to take your scratch notes and old poems out of the closet, blow the dust off them and get to work.  Save your time and your words with this ‘production line’ strategy that will organize your poetry, and get your writing career back on track:

Organize Your Ideas

Sort through all of your Post-it® notes, napkins, scrap pieces of paper, and anything else you find you have written ideas on.  Create a ‘Poetic Phrases’ checklist, where all of these ideas are listed in one place.  Print one out to place on your bulletin board for uncluttered inspiration, and leave a copy of the file on your computer so you can update and reprint the checklist as ideas are added or used.

Create a Four-Pile System

Now it’s time to sort through your current collection of poems.  Create four piles and place your poems in each pile accordingly: rough drafts, barely salvageable, mediocre, and marketable.

Market Your Marketables

Look through your marketable poems, reading each one.  Your marketable poems will stick out as the ones you see need no changes and you feel truly confident about.  Go on the Internet and search for literary magazines.  Sort through the magazines, finding ones that you feel best suit your poems.  Print out their submission guidelines.  For even quicker results, see if the publications accept online submissions.

Guidelines, Guidelines, and more Guidelines

Read the submission guidelines you printed and choose the poem(s) you would like to submit to each publication.  Make sure you read their guidelines carefully.  Check for future themes, line length, and most importantly, check to see if they have a specific reading period.  Your poem may be stellar, but if it doesn’t fit their guidelines it won’t even be considered.  Save yourself the rejection and only submit to those looking for work.

Barely There

Take out the poems that you feel even after months of reconstruction, cannot be salvaged.  Even if this is the case, are there phrases in them you would like to keep?  If so, add them to your ‘Poetic Phrases’ checklist, then discard the unusable words once and for all.

Strong and Beautiful

We cannot have every word we have written published; some poems will be stronger than others, but it is still possible to turn mediocre poetry into something magnificent.  Read each one and write down why you feel it's not stellar, and write down what you feel is missing.  If you feel inspired, make a few revisions.  Are there interesting phrases you can add to make them more intriguing?  Check with your ‘Poetic Phrases’ list for ideas.

Get Started Now!

Writers don’t get anywhere without taking solid action.  Work on your mediocre poetry, referring to your notes and checklist.  Compare them with your marketable work for even more motivation.  Stuck for ideas?  Look through your submission guidelines and search for thematic elements publications are looking for.  They may spark an idea or two or many.

In With the Good

Don’t take it personally when your work is rejected; use it as fuel to find a home for your writing.  Keep in hand backup markets if your poem is not accepted where it is currently marketed.  Make sure your work is always marketed.  If a rejection letter is received, check to see if any feedback has been given.  If so, take it into consideration and make any changes you feel are necessary.  If not, find another market for it and send it away, again making sure to follow their guidelines.

When it comes to poetry, it is necessary not to waste a word.  Now, it is not necessary to waste a minute getting your words published.  As long as your pieces are organized, and you follow guidelines carefully, there is no reason why your poetry has to slow down your creativity production line.

Krissy Brady is a recent high school graduate who has taken the year off to pursue a freelance writing career.  Her work has appeared thus far in several literary magazines including the Foliate Oak Online, Sundry: A Journal of the Arts, Newtopia Magazine, Spire Magazine, and Literary New York.  Krissy is currently the editor of Brady Magazine (http://www.bradymagazine.com), and is a reader contributor for CosmoGirl! magazine. 

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