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Yesterday I posted about the SCBWI conference in New Orleans this weekend. Dr. Mary Howard wrote this message on Facebook, “I’m dying of curiosity about the revision techniques.” So I looked back at my notes and created a poem.
Why are you writing this?
Do you know?
What kind of story do you want to tell?
Do you know?I need to make some decisions.
Whose story am I telling?
What change does my character make?Purpose will inform your premise.
One sentence tells the whole story.Start the stitching,
word by word,
you will make something beautiful.
Readers will thank you.
Reflections on the Teche 
I love the poem and the quote! What a beautiful way to share your notes from such a powerful time. Thank you for sharing! I’m grateful to Mary for asking the question that prompted this post!
Notes as a poem – bravo, Margaret!
You did make something beautiful! Thank you for being so generous with your learning and insights.
I think your poem is very inspirational. Thank you for sharing..
Love that you put all the “important” things in your poem, and that quote is terrific. Happy writing!
“Start the stitching,
word by word,”
What a lovely metaphor for ripping apart the seams of a piece and restitching the writing.
Not sure who to thank, you or Mary! Love the image of starting the word by word stitching. Your poem’s beautiful, Margaret.
Clever you! What a wonderful way to remember the important points of a conference. I always write a bunch of jumbled notes and then never look at them again. Now this is something I could find useful. Have you tried it with students?
I haven’t tried this with students. It’s the first time I’ve done it. Like a found poem from your notes.