How long on average do you spend on each poem you write?

Question

I am just wondering how long it takes you to write a poem?

Answer 1

20 minutes to maybe 1 hour.

Answer 2

I've had many pieces published throughout the years and some of my best have taken less than 20 minutes while others take well over an hour.

My rule of thumb though is, after a day, don't change it. Most poetry (if done right) is all about raw emotion and what it running through you at the moment. After a day, even a few hours in some cases, the emotion is gone, and changing or editing a poem at that point can get you off track with the original intent you had for the piece in the first place.

Just follow your head and let your hands do all the talking. Good luck!

Answer 3

The initial idea 15-30 minutes. Polishing and researching it 2-3 hours. Each rewrite 15 min-2 hours on average. Each poem if not put away has about 10-40 rewrites on average.

Answer 4

I very seldom just pop out a poem that stands alone as a finished product. The process tends to take some part of an hour, then letting it rest, go back to it a day or few later, or even months or years later.

I've found poems of mine written years ago which I revise, deleting entire lines, or sometimes just words, substituting others.

I write as cafegroundzero, having published in Allpoetry, substanza, and some print newspapers and one magazine, Blue Collar Review.

Answer 5

..I've written many, many poems. I think it is at 300+ now, around there (not bragging). Those are just the ones from the recent past four years of my life. I may spend from 10 mins to two hours on a poem. One or two hours is average for me... but I've spent four or five hours before, and I've poems that I've started and then finished months later.

Answer 6

I usually spend days on what I might write about because my writing comes from my experiences and daily life, but when it comes to pen/pencil and paper that takes about 20 minutes. Not long really, even if I am being inturrupted or I'm in class, it doesn't take long especialy if youve been really ademite to write it.

Answer 7

I think around 2 weeks. I first get something stuck in my head for a few days. Then it comes to writing it down. Then after seeing on the page digesting and rewriting. Then minor changes and rewriting. It definitely speeds things up if you have other people to critique your stuff.

Answer 8

It can be 5 minutes, if I am really on level that day, or as much as 2 days.

Answer 9

15 min. to an hour. depending on the atmosphere.

Answer 10

You write until it's done, friend.