NovPoWriMo 2025: Day 3 — Corrigenda Crown

DAY 3. Corrigenda Crown

In fixed forms, a “crown” often means linked sonnets; we’re adapting the idea: seven linked lists with a repeating line that mutates and returns. A crown of seven short poems. Each a corrigenda list (plural of corrigendum, “things to be corrected”). Each mini-poem looks like the back page of a book, but the book is a life. A refrain line appears at the end of each section and mutates slightly as we move from I→VII; the final section answers the first.

Corrigendum vs. Erratum:

• Erratum / Errata: a printing or production error that needs correction after publication.
• Corrigendum / Corrigenda: a correction issued by the author (the responsibility is owned).

For our purposes: Day 2’s sonnet used the errata vibe (typo-ish, house style); Day 3 leans into corrigenda: the speaker owns the mistake and formally corrects it. 

“Errata” vs. “Corrigenda” distinctions in publishing vary by house style; many venues use them interchangeably, but traditionally corrigenda implies author-issued corrections which are useful for our ownership theme.

[Some back-matter forms to pillage if you want to go down the rabbit hole: Errata, Corrigenda, Addenda, Appendix, Index, Colophon, Erratum Slip. Each brings its own tone, maybe try picking a couple per section...]

So, how do we do this? 

Structure:

• Seven sections (I–VII).
• Each section = 5–8 lines formatted like corrections.
• End each section with the same refrain phrase—but alter one word or punctuation each time to show drift.
• In section VII, the refrain returns to its original wording (or corrects it decisively).

Use any of these line shapes:

• p. 7, l. 3 — for “X” read “Y.”
• Index — delete “_____”; insert “_____.”
• Colophon — “_____” should read “_____.”
• n. 4 — footnote misnumbered; renumber as “4a.”

Crown logic:

• I: personal minutiae (dates, names).
• II: objects (keys, receipts, rooms).
• III: place & weather.
• IV: speech (misquotes, unsaid lines).
• V: time (calendars, clocks, seasons).
• VI: the body (breath, pulse, posture).
• VII: metadata (title, author, dedication) where the poem corrects itself.

The refrain (choose one):
1. “This will have to do.” → “This will have to do,” → “This will have to, do.” → “This will have to undo.” → … → final: “This will have to do.” 

—or—

2. “Leave as is.” → “Leave, as is.” → “Leave as is?” → “Leave as was.” → … → final: “Leave as is.”

Let's uncomplicate. Draft the refrain first (the seven inflections). Craft a messy list of things you’d correct (names, dates, petty facts, a misquote, a room that wasn’t the one). Sort your list into the seven domains above. Write Section I cleanly, end with Refrain 1/2. Copy its shape to build II–VII, letting the diction darken or lighten; each section ends on the next refrain mutation. In VII, either restore the first refrain exactly or correct the poem’s title/date/author in a final “Colophon” line.

Micro-samples [Use as a feel-check or a template!]

I

p. 2, l. 1 — for “December” read “the late rain.”
p. 4 — “we” should read “you near, then not.”
Index — delete “forever”; insert “for a season.”
Colophon — “light” to read “afterlight.”
Refrain: Leave as is.

II

p. 7, l. 3 — “key” should read “copy of a key.”
n. 2 — add “receipt folded twice.”
p. 9 — strike “gift”; set “return.”
Refrain: Leave, as is.

III

Map — “river” should read “reservoir.”
p. 12, l. 4 — for “storm” read “broadcast.”
Appendix — “distance” to read “detour.”
Refrain: Leave as is?

IV

p. 15 — quote marks misplaced; remove them.
p. 16, l. 6 — “I meant” should read “I learned.”
Refrain: Leave as was.

V

Calendar — “spring” misprinted; set “late.”
p. 20, l. 1 — for “on time” read “in time.”
Refrain: Leave us as is.

VI

n. 5 — “breath” [sic].
p. 24 — strike “stillness”; set “pause.”
Refrain: Leave what is.

VII

Colophon — author to read “the one who returns.”
Title — for “Corrigenda” read “Admittance.”
Date — for “2025” read “undated.”
Refrain: Leave as is.

Optional intensifiers (choose one or more):

• Use Roman numerals (I–VII) for section heads.
• Insert one impossible reference per crown (e.g., p. 0, p. ∞, folio -1).
• Make each section’s first correction echo the first word of the prior section’s last correction (a soft chain).
• Allow one correction to restore tenderness; keep the rest clinical.

Corrigenda Crown

I
p. 0, l. 1 — for “first light” read “false start.”
Index — delete “A.”; insert “Unnamed.”
n. 1 — “father” garbled; retype as “a voice leaving a room.”
Appendix — misunderstanding of dates; reorder heartbreak → spring → birth.
Colophon — “home” should read “doorway I never crossed.”
Refrain: This will have to do.

II
Doorplate — “key” should read “key returned.”
p. 7, l. 3 — for “gift” read “loan, briefly honored.”
n. 2 — add “ticket stub, printed wrong city in bold.”
Folio ∞ — shelves mislabeled; memory placed under “misc. regrets.”
Inventory — strike “souvenir”; set “evidence.”
Refrain: This will have to do,

III
Map — “sea” should read “loud reservoir fenced against swimmers.”
p. 12, l. 4 — for “stormcloud” read “forecast that never came.”
Index — delete “north”; insert “somewhere wetter.”
n. 3 — “June wind” mismeasured; correct to “shy & insufficient.”
Atlas — river mouth misplaced; find it in your throat.
Refrain: This will have to, do.

IV
p. 15 — “I said” should read “I rehearsed.”
Quotation — remove quotes; the truth walked out mid-sentence.
n. 4a — sentimental tone flagged; re-tag as “audited apology.”
Corrigendum — “stay” should read “I might have stayed.”
p. ∞ — misprint of silence; index as “statement.”
Refrain: This will have to undo.

V
Calendar — “spring” overstated; set “late, late.”
p. 20, l. 1 — for “in time” read “out of phase.”
Season notes — monsoon should read “private weather.”
Index — shift “now” to “only once.”
Erratum slip — recall misdated grief; set to “ongoing.”
Refrain: This will have not to do.

VI
n. 5 — “pulse” undercounted; include extra beats from fear.
p. 24 — strike “posture”; set “leaning toward absence.”
Colophon — “skin” spelled wrong; meant “warning.”
Body text — for “breath held” read “breath re-negotiated.”
Appendix — miracles are out of stock; substitute quiet.
Refrain: This will have to un-do.

VII
Title — for “Corrigenda” read “Relearning.”
Author — for “the witness” read “the one who admits.”
Dedication — delete “to no one”; insert “to the late self.”
Date — misprinted; list as “ongoing, with amendments.”
Colophon — please reshelve joy under “possible.”
Refrain: This will have to do. (return, earned)

NovPoWriMo 2025: Day 2 — “Errata Sonnet”

DAY 2. Errata Sonnet

What are errata? In publishing, an erratum (singular) or errata (list) is a set of post-print corrections bound in or issued separately. We start by mimicking the dry book-history texture. And, what is volta? The volta is the "turn" in a sonnet, marking a shift in thought, emotion, or argument, often signaled by words like "but" or "yet". In a Petrarchan sonnet, the volta occurs between the octave (first eight lines) and the sestet (last six lines). In a Shakespearean sonnet, it typically happens between the 12th and 13th lines, or just before the final couplet.

Kevin Young, “Errata” is a tour-de-force of misprints/malaprops as music which shows how error can be the engine. Michael Donaghy, “Erratum”, though not a single “errata poem,” but the title points to craft that’s precise, revision-aware, and bookish with can be a very useful tonal compass for us.

So, why are we doing this? A sonnet compiled from errata, the little correction notes printed after books go to press. Fourteen lines of corrections to a life/text. The turn (volta) arrives when a “correction” can’t be corrected. Errata are tiny apologies to the reader; they acknowledge the layered self you opened in Day 1. We correct spellings, dates, names until we hit a thing that won’t yield to ink. 

How can we do this? Write 14 lines that look like errata from the back of a book. Each line should include a brief citation and a correction. Examples:

• p. 7, l. 3 — for “winter” read “late rain.”
• p. 12 — “you left” should read “you were already gone.”

Use a volta at or around line 9: a correction that can’t be corrected (logic collapses, memory resists). Keep the voice dry, precise, bookish: no explanation, just adjustments. 

Optional meter: keep a light iambic pressure if you enjoy it, but music is secondary to form. But, there are some required elements (bake these in):

• Include one [sic].
• Include one strikethrough (a word visibly “withdrawn”).
• Include one italicized aside (set like this)—a typesetter’s whisper.
• End with a final line that corrects the title or date of the poem itself.

How to actually do it? Let's uncomplicate [before we lose interest...] Make a tiny inventory of factuals you’d be tempted to fix: a date, a place, a word someone used for you. Draft 6–8 straightforward corrections first (lines 1–8). Draft 4–5 lines where grammar can’t fix what’s wrong (lines 9–13). Land on a last line that edits the poem’s own metadata like title, author, or year.

Micro-samples [Use as a feel-check or a template!]

p. 3, l. 1 — for “dawn” read “streetlight still on.”

p. 5, l. 9 — delete “forever”; insert “for a season.”

p. 7 — name “M.” should read “M——.”

p. 12, l. 4 — “threshold” to read “turnstile.”

p. 14 — replace “promise” with “receipt.”

p. 18, l. 2 — “home” [sic].

p. 21 — “ocean” should read “reservoir.”

p. 26, l. 6 — strike “stillness”; set “pause.”

p. 30 — there is no way to change this.

p. 31, l. 5 — the line breaks itself (leave as is).

p. 33 — “we” to read “I,” then “I,” then “I.”

p. 34, l. 2 — punctuation fails; keep the breath.

p. 36 — the absence was typeset correctly.

Colophon — for “NovPoWriMo 2025” read “NovPoWriMo, undated.”

Optional intensifiers (choose one or more):

• Use Roman numerals for page numbers (I, V, XIV…).
• Introduce one nonexistent page reference (p. 0 or p. ∞).
• Let exactly one correction restore a true tenderness; everything else stays clinical.

Errata Sonnet

1. p. 3, l. 1 — for “November” read “late rain.”

2. p. 5, l. 9 — “origin” should read “ongoing.”

3. p. V — substitute “joy” with “quiet compliance.”

4. p. 7 — name “M.” to read “M——.”

5. p. 8, l. 4 — “home” [sic].

6. p. 9 — strike “always”; set “sometimes.”

7. p. 13, l. 2 — for “bruise” read “ink.”

8. p. ∞ — insert “the train never stopped.”

9. p. 21 — “you left” should read “you were already gone.”

10. p. 26, l. 6 — punctuation fails; keep the breath (just hold it).

11. p. 30 — restore “mercy” despite misprint (typesetter wept).

12. p. 31 — the line breaks itself; leave as is.

13. p. 33 — “we” to read “I,” then “I,” then “I.”

14. Colophon — for “Errata Sonnet (2025)” read “Uncorrectable.”