A question for poets…?

Question

Do you create your title before you create your poem, or do you create your poem before you create your title?

I find that I do both, but the later more frequently. For me I find my title in the structure of my poem.

(My idea remains the same.)

Peace,
Sam

To KAILEY F:
Sorry sweetie,
I no longer use direct email addresses to correspond. If you open your Y/A email then yes I shall.

You can continue to stay private and delete or save any messages that you may receive.

Peace, Sam

Answer 1

I usually don't name them until somebody says, "What's the name of this one?"

The idea comes first, then the destination. The artistry is in getting from point A to point B.

Answer 2

I sometimes put down a title before I write the poem...but I also often go back and change it. I write all my new poems by editing my old ones and saving them with a new number (all my poems are numbered and I use an index to find a specific poem...that way I can keep track of the order in which I wrote them). So I usually leave the old title in place until I finish the poem, then I change the title. I have, on occasion, changed the title quite some time after I wrote it...most often when I'm posting one in a chat room and suddenly find that I no longer feel the original title does justice to the poem.

As far as where I get the title from, I sometimes get it from within the text of the poem, sometimes it is the underlying theme of the poem, sometimes it's a play on words, and sometimes it's a red herring...something that will set the reader up to see it one way, only to find near the end that it is something entirely different. So titles can be very important, if used well.

hope this helps

Answer 3

I've almost always created the poem before the title. However, if you already have the idea of what to write about, a nice title could help write the poem.

Answer 4

I always pick a title after the poem is already written. Sometimes the general idea for me is to just let everything go and whatever comes of that is what it is. If I titled it before then I would have to have a guideline... and I dont want it to feel unnatural...

Answer 5

The poem generates the title.

Answer 6

I create the poem first. If the title was first, it would cause a restriction on the writing of the poem.

Answer 7

I usually think of a working title when I'm starting the poem (have written a few lines). I then read the final piece, and revise it if necessary. The contents suggest the title to me.

Answer 8

I rarely give a poem a title. Unless I'd like to publish it, then occasionally.

Answer 9

I write the poem and then title it. It's kinda weird, though, because I usually write my essay title first and then the essay.

Answer 10

Well I always write the poem before I name it.It gives me the image I want to put in the title.Or I name it in the middle of writing it.But for some reason never before.