Thursday, October 23, 2014

The Hardest Thing About Rewriting


 


The hardest thing about rewriting is
   Cutting the lines I love.  They may not ever
Contribute to the play but they have fizz.
   They flow and snap and entertain; they’re clever.
But clever is a paint job, not the house.
   It should enhance the inside, and not smother
Or contradict—like when your favorite blouse
   Says one thing but the outfit says another.
It’s all about the structure, and rebuilding
   Out from the inside till it’s all one whole,
With solid levels, no excessive gilding,
   And architectured lines.  My writer’s goal:
      To make with my clawed hand and Vision pen
      Something I won’t have to rewrite again. 

 

Copyright 2014 Matthew J Wells

 

1 comment:

Molly said...

Well said, although I looked up "architectured." Oh, all right.