Seize the Revision: A Critical Introduction to a Collection of Poetry Titled “Fill in the Blank”

Poetry is all about having a passion for language and its fluidity. It is also about constantly reworking language until it flows just as it needs to flow. The process of revision is not about making something better or even about making something complete. It is about playing around with words and erasing and discovering and crossing out and replacing. This introduction to my collection of poems is going to be talking about the process of revision. First, I will talk about other poets that I have read and their different revising processes in the section titled “Revising Poems.” Then, I will reflect on poets that have been an inspiration to me and directly influenced my writing or revision process in the section titled “Inspirations.” Last, I will point out specific examples in my collection of poems, Fill in the Blank, and in the subsequent drafts of my revisions. I will explore which techniques I personally found worked best for my writing process. It is in this last section, titled “Personal Techniques,” where I will incorporate my own poems and compare their numerous included drafts side-by-side