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development must always come from yourself. On all matters of taste you
are the court of last resort to decide for the hurt or betterment of
your soul. So it is necessary in the beginning to be just with yourself.
If your verses are not good, throw them away or rewrite them. If they
are good not only when written but after they have been laid aside for a
month; if the rhymes are true and the meter perfect; if the words run
naturally and clearly and embody a real idea, then you may be sure that
you have something worthy of editorial consideration at least. If the
idea is old and put in the form that has endured, lo! these many
generations--"love," "dove," "kiss," "bliss," very probably it will not
be accepted. When it comes back from five magazines be fair enough to
recognize that perhaps the fault lies with you and lay the masterpiece
away for another two months. Then examine it fair-mindedly and try to
see just where it falls short of perfection. But you must be you own
worst or rather best critic. Admit it when you are wrong and when you
are right hold your opinion against all comers.

You must decide whether to write much verse or little. Sometimes
improvement comes best with a great deal of carelessly constructed
stuff. Again a smaller and more carefully regulated output is better. As
a general thing, if your ear is correct and your verse comes easily, the
better way is to write little and write carefully, spending your time on
a few lines. If, however, your rhymes come hard and your expression is
not fluent, try a larger output not so carefully revised.

Analyze and imitate.

Make the mechanical construction correct. Two rhyming words with you
should be either good or bad; you should not recognize half-way rhymes.
If they are not worthy to be classed with the best, throw them out
utterly. Even in your exercises do not tolerate a false rhyme or a line
lacking in syllables.

Do not attempt too hard a thing at first. You will only be disappointed.
Do not write a ballade until you can write a limerick. Work up
gradually.

And you must not become discouraged. If you write day in and day out,
you are bound to improve, though the work of Wednesday be no better than
that of Tuesday or even of Saturday. Progress goes in jumps. Nine times
we fail and on the tenth trial we succeed.

We cannot all be artists but we can all be good workmen. And the better
we are able to handle our materials the better we shall be able,