To Those Who Write Poetry on Medium
A request
Dear poetry writers on Medium, I have a request.
I suspect I am not alone in finding it harder to read double-spaced poetry. Below are two verses from a poem I wrote recently, first without double-spacing and then with the default option. You can find the complete version here:
They say we all die twice
The second time is when
Our name is spoken one last time
Bill Duffy isn’t deadI’ll speak your name often
I’ll speak your name aloud
Farewell, old friend Bill Duffy
Bill Duffy, who isn’t dead.
This is how it would have looked double-spaced:
They say we all die twice
The second time is when
Our name is spoken one last time
Bill Duffy isn’t dead
I’ll speak your name often
I’ll speak your name aloud
Farewell, old friend Bill Duffy
Bill Duffy, who isn’t dead.
How to format your poem without double-spacing
If you are writing a poem from scratch, then at the end of each line, press Shift+Enter. If you are on an Apple Mac try control — command — space.
To correct already written poetry and remove the default double-spacing, you need to go into edit mode, and then go to the end of the first line of the poem. While holding down the shift button with one hand, click on DELETE, then ENTER with your other hand.
Repeat for each line. Of course, it takes a little more time, but I think it is worth it.
If you are on an iPad you will need to access Medium through a web browser rather than the App for the Shift+Enter command to work.
Feel free to ignore this request. But I, for one, am more likely to read your poem to the end and appreciate it more if you adjust the formatting for me.
