To edit, to edit, to edit - by Jo Wilson-Ridley

There's no doubt one of the hardest tasks in writing, for me, is editing.

The creative ideas can come thick and fast (often too fast to keep up with).

When inspiration strikes, it's a matter of juggling whatever time is available in the day to get pen and ideas to co-incide.  This part is fun and exciting - when endless possibilities are played with - it makes the day fly.

Once the raw material is down, this is when the hard work starts.

I've been given a number of suggestions about editing poetry recently, including:

1. Edit your poem and then put it in a draw for 6 months and then come back to it.
2. Edit a poem at least 30 times
3. Edit, edit, edit - can always improve

In the writing for pleasure course recently we were discussing the experience of revisiting work and the desire to always continually edit work.  When is editing enough? When do you stop and set work free?

I can't give definitive answers to these questions, for me it varies from work to work. 

But, I have recently re-visited work that has been in a draw for 6-12 months.  The space did indeed give me new clarity for the work.

If you can spare the time for work to mature, like a Coonawarra Red, I would recommend it...

So, it is a good idea to not throw work away. Always have work to go back through.  You will often find a phrase or a stanza to salvage. And work written 6-12 months ago, can take on a new meaning down the track that can make all the difference for your poem.