The editor from Lucy Westenra: Bride of Dracula recently contacted me.

"Do you have something for us?"

"Of course," I replied, then scrolled through my documents and disks only to realize that I didn’t.

Oops.

Then I remembered a recently rejected contest poem. Revision possibilities glimmered before me.

The challenge? How to transform an ode to a goddess into a vampire poem.

After several hours of communion with the velvet darkness, I was able to "turn" (pun intended) the mortal narrator of "An Ode to Selene, Goddess of the Moon" into the immortal vampire of "A Book Signing" [that poem is now available at: http://toadmama_pooh.tripod.com/lucywestenrabrideofdracula/id8.html ]

There’s really nothing mystical or supernatural about the revision process. Invite me across your cyber-threshold and I’ll show you…

First of all, writing is all about revision. It takes time, focus, and yes, desire. While many experienced poets claim their process is nonlinear, others will say that they revise as they write, moving from the beginning, through the middle, then on to the end. I know poets who revise their work two-to-three times, and others who do so twenty-to-thirty times. On rare occasions, the first draft, with a bit of tweaking here and there, will "work". There’s no magic number.

Secondly, glossaries, dictionaries, thesauri, reference books, and online resources are essential tools. Read them daily. Become informed on standard, archaic, and alternate usage. Develop an awareness of the sounds of the words, the feelings, sensations, and thoughts that they invoke.

Third, don’t abandon your poems or literally shred them out of existence. (I confess to doing both.) If a poem’s not working, put it to the side for awhile. If you’re in the revision stage, save each draft, label accordingly, then keep revising. Create an "ideas" folder with the bits and pieces. Sometimes, all it takes is a phrase or two to seed a new poem.

Fourth (and this is often a controversial issue among poets), what is your intention? Who is your audience? What do you want your readers to see, hear, feel, taste, touch, or think? Where do you want to take them? While poetry can be (and often is) about personal expression, catharsis, and all that, the chances are that you still want to share your work with others.

Fifth (yet another controversial issue), you "need" to read the work of other poets, if for no other reason than to see what "other poets" are doing. Who do you like? What is it that you like about their work? What does that work "do" for you? Examine this closely through modeling. Do they use figurative language? Are they conversational? Do they engage in word play through rhyme, assonance or consonance?

Sixth, learn about the poetry craft through reading, discussing and workshopping your poems. Find a mentor. Join on-line lists. Go to poetry readings and slams. Read your own work in public. Writing is a developable skill; although some believe it’s a gift bestowed by Calliope (Muse of Epic Song), Euterpe (Muse of Lyric Song), Thalia (Muse of Comedy and Bucolic Poetry) Erato (Muse of Erotic Poetry), or Polyhymnia (Muse of Sacred Song)five of Zeus and Mnemosyne’s nine daughters. [For more information on the Muses, go to: http://ancienthistory.about.com/library/bl/bl_musepages.htm?terms=The+Muses ]

Seventh, when you’re ready to submit your poems for publication, follow the guidelines to the letter. If you’re not familiar with the publication, be sure to read a few issues before you submit. This will save you (and yes, the editors) time and energy. Develop positive relationships with the editors of favorite publications. Careers have been made with the mentorship of a single publication…

Finally, what makes a good poem?

I could say a good poem, like a good piece of art, is merely in the eyes of the beholder (i.e., the editors, the poetry critics, your English teacher, your classmates, your mother, your boyfriend or girlfriend, etc.). The important thing is to keep writing. When your work is criticized, listen (unless they’re really being nasty, then walk away). Remember it’s "just their opinion"--informed or otherwise. When critiquing others, be kind, but honest.