poetry…counting characters and lines

Since this has been one of our most-frequently-visited posts since it appeared on March 25, 2011, and since the Sue Boynton Poetry Contest is notoriously fussy about correct character and line count, we’re re-posting it here, with a couple of minor updates, for your reference and convenience.

How to count characters in a line of poetry

Using Microsoft Word 2003: Highlight the longest line in your poem. With the line highlighted, click on Tools. Then click on Word Count. In the window that opens, you’ll see several counts. The one that matters is Characters (with spaces). More than 55? You need to rewrite. Check all lines; edit as needed.

In MS Word 2007, with a line of your poem highlighted, click on Review, then Word Count.

In MS Word 2010, with a line of your poem highlighted, in the Proofing group click on Review, then Word Count. Again, be sure to click Characters (with spaces).

(You can also use Word Count to count lines: highlight the entire poem, including the title; click on Word Count and look for Lines in the window that opens. If it’s more than 27, you need to rework your poem.) Please note: You are not required to title your poem, although most submissions do have titles (even if the title is Untitled); however, if your poem does have a title, then it must have a blank line below the title and the title and the blank line must be included in your line count.

The Macintosh Text Editor does not have a built-in word/character counter, but you can use the free online character counter at Letter Count: Copy a single complete line from your poem, paste it into the text box, then click on Count Characters. More than 55? Rewrite! Check all lines and revise as necessary.

With a pencil: Count the longest line in your poem first. Start with the first letter of the line and touch the pencil to every single letter, punctuation mark and blank space. Put a slash after the 10th, 20th, 30th, 40th and 50th character (that’s in case you lose count). If you go over 55, you need to rewrite. Count other lines that are similar length and revise until all lines are 55 or fewer characters (there’s no minimum).

We regret that the Contest is unable to consider poems that exceed the line or character count. Keep your poem out of the shredder — count those lines and characters!
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image credits:
word count window
Review tab
pencil tip

countdown…

The Sue C. Boynton Poetry Contest does not open officially until March 1, 2012. But it’s hard to rein in those eager poets and we’ve already received our first submission!

If you’re a Whatcom County resident and you’ve written your poem, checked it against the guidelines and would like to submit it by mail, our post office box is ready for you! (Sorry, but no in-person poem deliveries until the contest is officially open.) You’ll find everything you need to know on the 2012 Contest page — dates, guidelines (to read and/or download), address and even a downloadable sample submission form.

We look forward to reading your poem!

calling Whatcom County teachers!

The Sue C. Boynton Poetry Contest will accept submissions March 1-31, 2012. This is the perfect time for teachers — pre-school through college — to start encouraging students to write poetry. All ages and all levels of poetic experience are welcome, but participants must be residents of Whatcom County. There’s no theme, but there are restrictions on the number and length of lines. You can meet this year’s judges here and download teacher guidelines, general guidelines and sample submission forms on the 2012 Contest page.

Please spread the word!…Share with friends, post on Facebook, blog about it, encourage a poet…write a poem!

poets get ready!

Yes, it’s still September, but it’s never too early to start thinking about your Sue C. Boynton Poetry Contest submission for 2012! The 2012 guidelines are now posted on the 2012 contest page (click on 2012 contest near the top of this page) along with important dates — including the fabulous Taste for Poetry fundraising dinner at Ciao Thyme.

Watch this page for more details. Better yet, SUBSCRIBE! We look forward to reading your poems!

contest deadline reminder…

Poets! All submissions must be RECEIVED by 5:00pm, Friday, April 1, 2011 (no foolin’!).

If you plan to mail your poem, please allow plenty of time for it to get through the U.S. mail.
You may deliver your poem in person at Mindport Exhibits, 210 W. Holly, up to the deadline. Mindport will be open Sunday, March 27, 12-4pm and Wednesday-Friday, March 30-April 1, 12-6pm (but poems must be received by 5pm Friday).
Poems received after the deadline will be disqualified.

submission kit

Here are links to printable PDFs of the various information sheets you might need for this year’s contest. You can also find these, as well as additional information, on the Events page.

Sue Boynton Poetry Contest ~ 2011 Guidelines
Sue Boynton Poetry Contest ~ 2011 Teacher Guidelines
Sue Boynton Poetry Contest ~ sample submission sheet
Sue Boynton Poetry Contest ~ submission checklist

And just for good measure, in case you forgot to reserve your seat for Tuesday’s Taste for Poetry, here’s the reservation form: Taste for Poetry 2011

and maybe you’d just like to make a donation to the Sue C. Boynton Poetry Contest, so here’s our donation form: Support the contest!

Thank you!

Dear poets…

Before you submit your poem, here are a couple of reminders from our Frequently Asked Questions:

Why are you so particular about number of lines and characters?
We are restrained by the size and shape of the plaques (on the Poetry Walk, in front of the Bellingham Public Library) and the placards that are displayed inside WTA buses. In order to make sure the winning poems fit, we are, indeed, very particular and ask poets to count carefully before submitting their work to the contest. (The details are included in each year’s Guidelines.)

How do you count lines and characters?
Lines: start with the title, which is line 1; the blank line after the title is line 2 (there must be a blank line after the title); the first line of the poem is line 3; continue to count every text line AND every blank line until you reach the end of the poem. The maximum number of lines, including the title and the blank lines, is 27. (There is no minimum.)
Characters: start with the longest line of your poem; count every single letter of every word AND all the blank spaces between words AND all the punctuation marks. The maximum number of characters per line, including letters, blank spaces and punctuation marks, is 55. (There is no minimum.)
If your poem has too many lines or too many characters on any line, it will not qualify. Please take the time to make your corrections before submitting your poem!
Click for a printable (.pdf) sample submission form.

More questions and answers on the FAQs page!

And a big SPECIAL THANKS to poets who submit early (i.e., before the last-week rush)!!

Whatcom County teachers!

The Sue Boynton Poetry Contest is open to Whatcom County residents of all ages and all levels of experience.

We’ll be accepting poems between March 1 and April 1, so if you’re a teacher, K to college or beyond, this is a great time to start encouraging your students to write poems for submission to the contest.

This year, for the first time, we’ve posted a set of Guidelines for Classroom Teachers as well as a Sample Submission form. You can find printable PDFs on the 2011 Contest page.

If you have any questions, please contact us at BoyntonPoetryContest AT hotmail DOT com.

Guidelines posted!

The guidelines for the 2011 Sue C. Boynton Poetry Contest are now posted on the 2011 Contest page. The links will open a full-size, printable PDF version of the guidelines.

There is also a set of guidelines for classroom teachers as well as a sample submission sheet.

We look forward to reading your poems once submissions open on March 1, 2011.