09-08-2011, 07:32 AM
I second every point you've made, Todd, and will chime in later with a few concrete examples when time permits.
Just one thing that comes to mind immediately -- consider what happens if you break a line on a preposition/conjunction. The reader knows there's more to follow, and it can build anticipation, especially when used with white space (blank bits of the page). Lines ending in a prep/conj hang in space, and sometimes that's a very valuable tool. Sadly, it can be easily overused and most often is. Variety is key to line breaks in free verse, as you don't have the bones of a proven form to help prop your words up.
Just one thing that comes to mind immediately -- consider what happens if you break a line on a preposition/conjunction. The reader knows there's more to follow, and it can build anticipation, especially when used with white space (blank bits of the page). Lines ending in a prep/conj hang in space, and sometimes that's a very valuable tool. Sadly, it can be easily overused and most often is. Variety is key to line breaks in free verse, as you don't have the bones of a proven form to help prop your words up.
It could be worse