Analysis of the Architecture and Aesthetics of Poetry Manuscripts
Overview:
My services are about providing you with an independent review of your manuscript. Officially, I am a developmental editor of poetry manuscripts, but I prefer to think of myself more as an architect of poetry manuscripts. I go beyond workshopping, beyond editing, and beyond copy editing.
Upon receiving your manuscript, I do several careful readings to assess its architecture and aesthetics followed by an in depth analysis. I will then provide you with meaningful and constructive feedback that preserves your poetic voice.
Important: This service does NOT include copy editing, however, if I find any mistakes of this nature, then I will make note of them and bring them to your attention. I strongly recommend that you employ my services before having your book copy edited because of the changes that typically occur from my analysis.
The Architecture of the Book:
In particular, I analyze the structure of your book. I look for a potential narrative arc or organizing principle in your book. I evaluate each poem to see that it supports the structure of your manuscript. If a poem does not compliment or support the structure, then it will compromises the focus and clarity of your book, and I will recommend the poem be removed from your manuscript.
I then begin to reorganize or re-order your poems keeping in mind the structure . In re-ordering, I think about how one poem speaks to another. I look at the connectivity between all the poems in your book and will recommend removing any poem that does not enhance the connection between the poems and ultimately compromise the structure or narrative arc of your book.
A book of poems that is properly ordered will intensifies the reader’s experience and compels the reader to turn to the next page and finish your book.
The reordering of your poems may require reorder the sections of your book or even making recommendation for new sections titles. And sometimes I even suggest a new title for the book itself.
Once I feel like the structure of the book is solid, then I begin to narrow my focus on individual poems as if I were an architect. I think about each word, each line, each stanza, and each poem in the book.
I may suggest deleting words or shortening lines and stanzas. I may cut portions of the poem to achieve greater clarity or parts of the poem that seem like runway editorials. In doing this pruning, I am trying to build the strongest poem possible without interfering with your voice or your vision.
I may suggest alternate words, phrases or sentences, but these are small changes. My goal with this step is to add polish to your poems and not revise them. You have already spent lots of time working and revising your poems in your manuscript.
The Aesthetics of the Book:
The aesthetics of a book of poems is about the musicality that emanates from your poems and manuscript, the imagery that resides within your poems, and how the poems are presented on the page.
I believe a book that is filled with musicality will sound like a symphony. Excellent poetry will enrich the reader with music. Individual poems should read like a score of the symphony. Ordering poems in a certain way will intensify the musicality of your manuscript and also support the structure of the book.
I look at word choices and word order, all with the idea of creating music through the words in your poems. I look at the rhythms within your poems and throughout your manuscript, and I will recommend changes accordingly to ensure your book plays like a symphony or a jazz session.
Imagery is critical and is what adds depth to your poems. It instills an imaginative experience within your reader’s mind. Are your poems sensual in nature? Do they fill your reader with a sense of sight, touch, taste, sounds, and smells? To do this, I look closely at every word, every line, and every stanza of your poems for imagery.
Then, I read the book with the eye of an artist. I look at the page as if it were a canvas, and I think about the visual presentation of your poems. I may suggest shorter or longer lines and shorter or longer stanzas in the poems. I look at the length of the poems. Are there too many long poems clustered together? Are there too many short poems clustered together? Can they be arranged or organized to enhance the presentation of the poems within your book?
I think about how white spaces on a page can be used to enhance the visual experience of the poem. White space causes readers to pause and slow down so they can hear the music, appreciate the presentation, and embrace the imagery of your poems.
Book Length:
Many manuscripts that I receive exceeds the page length that most poetry publishers require which is 48-80 pages. Longer manuscripts will take longer to read and evaluate, and thus will cost more in the end for me to analyze.
My Literary Background:
Next Step:
Send me an email at kathleen.d.willard@gmail.com so we can set up a phone meeting. My hourly fee for developmental editing is $40.00 per hour.
Please read my Vita and the About section of this website, and you will get a complete picture of my literary background and my qualifications. I have been involved in many literary activities, but doing poetry manuscript consulting is the one that gives me the most joy. It is a labor of love, and I just plain love helping poets on their journey to produce their best possible work.
Testimonials:
Amy Wray Irish
Breathing Fire, Middle Creek Publishing & Audio — Winner of The Fledge Poetry Contest, 2020.
Down to the Bone, Wild Rising Press — Winner of the Poetry Mesa Chapbook Contest, 2023.
Lorrie Wolfe
The Language of Crows, Middle Creek Publishing & Audio — Winner of The Fledge Poetry Contest, 2024.
Kathleen Willard has worked with me on two chapbooks, both of which won contests and went on to publication. Kathleen is part editor, part midwife, and 100% a tireless advocate for poetry.
Kathleen helped me take my individual poems and weave them together into a whole work of art. She showed me how to invite the reader in, create a natural flow from poem to poem, and lead the reader on a journey.
Kathleen's keen eye found the connections (and disconnections) in my themes, mood, and imagery—like a voice coach who could hear the off notes, her suggestions made my manuscripts really sing.
Kathleen Willard is a real pro. She provided both great developmental editing and copy editing for my poetry chapbook. Not only did she catch the big-picture places where poems needed to be in a different order, she addressed stanzas, lines and even punctuation
She noted places to improve and gave positive comments and encouragement for things that were working. She didn’t try to change my voice—she made it clearer.
Subsequently, my chapbook The Language of Crows won the Middle Creek Publishing and Audio’s Fledge Chapbook Contest in 2024.
I couldn’t have done it without her expert help. Kathleen is easy to work with, met all deadlines, and gave my poems polish. I highly recommend her for all levels of editing.
Lynn Kincanon
Loveland, Colorado Poet Laureate
The Fragile Intersect
Kathleen Willard took my manuscript, The Fragile Intersect and considered it in a whole new way. I had been working on this for a few years and it felt cumbersome and unwieldly. I needed to have it coalesce.
She rearranged the order, changed the sections, while culling the poems leaving only the best. She helped organize my thinking and my manuscript, and she also helped the poems become the most precise they could be.
I recommend Kathleen for anyone who is stuck in their own thinking and needs a fresh view and reworking of their creation. She does not change the overall concept. She simply brings it into focus.
This is a skill that is needed and lacking in the area of editing, and I am very happy with the results
Melissa Huff
To Speak Each Day in its Own Language
Kathleen’s knowledge, enthusiasm, and approachability made it a delight to work with her. She has the ability to analyze a manuscript’s many elements, while always keeping the bigger picture of the whole book in mind. Kathleen encouraged me to think outside the box and enabled me to see my manuscript, as well as the poems in it, with fresh eyes.