The Chaos (and Beauty) of Building a Poetry Manuscript

Omg. Putting together a poetry manuscript is always SO challenging. Like where do I even begin? I’ve written so much over the years that I’m not even sure about half of what I’ve written. Some pieces live rent-free in my mind, while others feel like cryptic messages from my past self.

The process of sorting through old work is an emotional rollercoaster. One minute, I’m in awe of a forgotten gem. The next, I’m cringing at something I thought was brilliant at the time, only come to find out that it was NOT.

Then comes the real challenge, deciding what belongs in the manuscript and how to formate the layout. Which poems deserve a spotlight? Which ones fit the overall theme? Do I even have a theme, or am I just winging it and hoping for the best?

I think every poet hits this stage of chaos where the project feels too big, too messy, too much. But maybe that’s the point. There are moments when I just want to forget about it all together, but then I’m reminded that the beauty of it all is in the moments of revisiting old words, rediscovering who I was when I wrote them, and shaping them into something cohesive. Something that feels like me.

So if you’re also drowning in drafts, questioning your artistic choices, and debating whether to just scrap everything and start over..same, but we shall not give in. Let’s reframe and persevere through the chaos. I trust that somehow it will all come together.

Fellow poets, how do you approach organizing your writing? Do you have a system, or is it just pure vibes?

Let’s commiserate in the comments!

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