--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Writing a poem is always a process of…" description: "\"Writing a poem is always a process of subtracting: you start with all of language available to you, and you choose a smaller field.\" — Matthea Harvey" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b0/matthea-harvey-10757_available_writing-a-poem-is-always-a-process-of-su_1905951.jpg" --- # Writing a poem is always a process of subtracting: you… ![“Writing a poem is always a process of subtracting: you start with all of language available to you, and you choose a smaller field.” quote by Matthea Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b0/matthea-harvey-10757_available_writing-a-poem-is-always-a-process-of-su_1905951.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b0/matthea-harvey-10757_available_writing-a-poem-is-always-a-process-of-su_1905951.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b0/matthea-harvey-10757_available_writing-a-poem-is-always-a-process-of-su_1905951.jpg) > “Writing a poem is always a process of subtracting: you start with all of language available to you, and you choose a smaller field.” [Matthea Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthea-harvey/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Poetry involves distilling language to its essential, most powerful elements. **In simple terms:** Poetry is about subtraction. Key Takeaway Practice concise expression. Themes creativity editing minimalism Mood reflective introspective Type literary educational When to use this quote - writing workshops - editing drafts - teaching poetry Key Concepts literary technique artistic restraint Questions to Reflect On - What can you remove to strengthen a poem? - When is detail essential? A Different Perspective Over‑editing can strip emotional depth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Poem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poem/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Process](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/process/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [You choose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/you-choose/) ## Related quotes > [As you continue writing and rewriting, you begin to see possibilities you hadn't seen before. Writing a poem is always a process of discovery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-hayden/as-you-continue-writing-and-rewriting-you-begin-to-see-possibilities/) [Robert Hayden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-hayden/) > [The poem is a process, a way for me to discover questions, to ask them clearly or to discover the results of certain suppositions.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pattiann-rogers/the-poem-is-a-process-a-way-for-me-to-discover-questions-to-ask-them/) [Pattiann Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pattiann-rogers/) > [I write poems from dreams pretty frequently. 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Having to write those poems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-blanco/entering-into-writing-a-poem-is-an-emotional-endeavor-for-me-as-well/) [Richard Blanco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-blanco/) > [The writing of a poem is, for me, in the first place, an almost total act of abandon leading to discovery leading to recognition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marvin-bell/the-writing-of-a-poem-is-for-me-in-the-first-place-an-almost-total/) [Marvin Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marvin-bell/) > [One of my greatest joys is poetry. 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When the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthea-harvey/recently-while-i-was-in-england-i-saw-a-documentary-on-the-bbc-about/) [Matthea Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthea-harvey/) > [A lot of people are writing poems and don't realize it. They have this limited idea of how the poem should sound or what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthea-harvey/a-lot-of-people-are-writing-poems-and-don-t-realize-it-they-have-this/) [Matthea Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthea-harvey/) > [I am pretty interested in hybrid forms. I love graphic novels and I think there should be more graphic poems in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthea-harvey/i-am-pretty-interested-in-hybrid-forms-i-love-graphic-novels-and-i/) [Matthea Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthea-harvey/) > [I suppose it's useful in designating writing that tends to come from personal experience, work that delineates an "I," but it's a loose lasso,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthea-harvey/i-suppose-it-s-useful-in-designating-writing-that-tends-to-come-from/) [Matthea Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthea-harvey/) [Explore all 63 Matthea Harvey quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthea-harvey/) ## More Available quotes > [I wrote when I was a young teen, but I didn't put an eye on the available markets until I was seventeen. 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