A Leaf on Fragility

mallowtreat asked: Hay WOL I was wondering you have any tips for making poetry flow better?

Assuming this is a desirable thing to do (and there are those who would likely argue that it isn’t), the best way I’ve found for making any piece of writing “flow” better is to read it aloud. If it isn’t working, you’ll hear it. The voice inside your head is absolutely not the same as the voice that comes out of your mouth, and almost any piece of writing can benefit from editing while reading aloud.

Blessings and luck.

Write one leaf about reading aloud.

I'm on my bed, curled up with Jonathan Safran Foer. I pull a sheet across my torso and on a whim, I dictate a page. Amused, you read me a manuscript. I dictate another. You act out a comic illustration. I move to page three. I would laugh but the moment is too fragile and I want desperately for you to keep reading.