Reader, did you know that the word hodgepodge comes from the French for “to shake?” Neither did I. Until tonight. Because I don’t have anything better to do than etymological research on the word hodgepodge. Except eat ice cream. And write this post. Anyway, hodgepodge (or, in the U.K., “hotchpotch”) refers to a jumble. And that’s what I have for you tonight.
First a few more tips from the high desert, this time on revision:
- Remove all the adjectives and adverbs from your poem, then make them earn their way back in. If they don’t earn it, they stay out.
- Take the kernel of the poem and write the biggest version you can think of. Then write the smallest version you can think of. This will help you figure out which way to go with the poem.
- Take every line and write a version of it beginning with every word in the line. See if there’s a version that works better for the poem once you’ve shuffled the order.
- Erase all narrative links and see if the poem holds without them.
- Take out all dummy subjects, sometimes called expletive subjects — those subjects that perform a syntactical role but don’t contribute to meaning.
Some things to think about (also from the high desert):
- “Long prose poems scare everybody.”
- “There’s no way of finding out what’s memorable other than reading something, setting it aside, and seeing if you remember it.”
- “You don’t owe anything to the truth. You’re a poet.”
By the way, I’m curious: do you agree with that last bullet? And what about the first one?
Two rules for submissions (yes, also from the high desert):
- Be relentless.
- If your work gets accepted elsewhere, run, don’t walk, to your desk and WITHDRAW RIGHT AWAY.
And, because I ran errands with a toddler this morning, I’ve been thinking of the second most important piece of advice related to child-rearing I’ve ever come across (the first is, of course, Lower your standards). Well, it actually wasn’t related to child-rearing at all. It was more related to surviving the westward passage during the 1800s, but I saw it for the gem it was and applied it to my life with three young children. Here it is: Donner party wisdom.
My awesome friend, Mrs. Kwood, made that for me so I could print it and hang it on my frig. And with that, I’m going to hurry along just as fast as I can… to bed!