You can show your poem to your mom, your spouse, your co-workers, or your friends, but you might not get the responses that you can suck up into your little writing fingers to use in an effort to refine your craft. What does it really mean when someone who cares about you, but not for poetry says, "Wow, this is great. I really like it?"
So perhaps you've realized this conundrum and you've decided to put your poem, ripe and juicy, in the feeding bin of a cyber critique forum. Watch out. If the only feedback you've ever gotten on your diligently crafted efforts has been the sweet nothings from those around you, you might be shocked, upset, or saddened at the responses that the critics pile onto your poem. You might get, "This line is cliché;" "The rhyme is a bit forced here;" "The wording in this stanza is awkward;" or the ever dreaded, "What are you trying to say?"
A normal response to a critique with one, some, or all of the above comments can have a newly critiqued poet either running for the cyber exit, or poising himself in the ready for a fist through his monitor. Don't fret. As I said, these are common first responses; furthermore, even the most experienced poet has his share of poems infected by the harsh words of a critic.
So how does one handle a critique? Well, first, one must understand that a critique isn't a critique on the poet. Being a great poet doesn't make one immune to negative critique. The poet must ingest every word a critic throws his way. There is finesse to using critique. A poet doesn't have to blindly accept a critique, but he should consider just why it is the critic offered the suggestion, and then try to delineate how the critique relates to the aim of the poem.
Say, for example, you wrote a poem with short choppy lines. Your intention was to convey an abrupt sound that resembled the theme of your poem. Say a critic told you, "Your lines are much too short and choppy." Okay, now you don't have to go off and explain to the critic that you did it on purpose and that he is obviously ignorant. You might want to give your piece a second look-over, wait for some more responses, and chew on all of that for a while. So, given the critique of "too short and choppy," you might not want to totally change your piece in an effort to satisfy a critic who didn't understand what it was you were trying to do, but you could search for a way to keep your style while hinting at your purpose.
Always consider your intentions as compared to the way someone reads your poem. If you are finding that people don't understand your intentions, you need to re-work your piece within your own design.
The very first honest critique is always the most difficult one to swallow. After that, the critiques don't go away, they just become welcomed tools for the aspiring as well as established poet.
Devrie Paradowski is a freelance writer and poet. Her poetry has been published by several literary journals and she has written dozens of articles for various publications including "Poetry Renewal Magazine," and "Poetryscams.com." She is the author of the chapbook, "Something In the Dirt," which can be found at http://www.lulu.com/content/108560 . In 2001, Devrie founded a popular online literary community ( http://www.LiteraryEscape.com ) that has become highly respected for some of the most honest and in-depth poetic critique on the Internet. In keeping with her commitment to inspire amateur writers to hone their skills, she also founded a local writer's group called, "The Fire and Ice Writer's Group."
[As Told by the Last] King: it was in the... Read More
To many non-specialists of literature, poetry is deeply unsatisfying. There... Read More
The Epic Poem:A Death in Cajamarca, Peru [Atahualpa, in Cajamarca]Advance:... Read More
You are to me my lifeline my security. That scares... Read More
Note: written after seeing the little adobe 16th century church... Read More
The funeral rite concluded With the pastor shaking hands, Offering... Read More
The following two poems, one in English, the other in... Read More
Lima, City with the Stretched out WingsIt's an ink-black... Read More
Let's follow the poet to his Hell and heaven! Count... Read More
"How Do I Love Thee?" by Elizabeth Barrett Browning was... Read More
The Monster Mash The Graveyard SmashHave you heard of the... Read More
The Poet's Corner [Three poem/ see review of poetry under... Read More
Delicately, my mind was selecting a muffled tune, out of... Read More
English VersionA bunch of us guys in the hutIn ?Nam... Read More
The Exit Poems [And Socrates]Iron and FireIron can be... Read More
[Episode Five]Arizona Blue-GunfighterThe Wolves Nest-in the North[Episode Five]Northern Minnesota Area?Winter... Read More
1) End PoemWherever you are today- Is where you were... Read More
Take some time to stop and look at nature. Pick... Read More
Rhymes of an Ordnance Man [Vietnam War: 1971]An eleven part... Read More
Real Power.One Tsunami, and all our armies, Seem belittled by... Read More
Ironically, the passion that can neutralize the repulsion for difficulties... Read More
Says Mr. Dennis Siluk, when asked to review his poetry... Read More
Advance: Mr. Dennis Siluk's poetry can have its fire-hearted twists:... Read More
I can see the cerulean blue of the skiesOr the... Read More
Time goes by to quickly to hold your feelings inside... Read More
Writing Poetry for TomorrowWhat does a man need to be... Read More
Azra, Azra, Wake up Azra. Wake up Azra, It is... Read More
Dedícate to Antonio Castillo. L. Of. Los Andes UniversitarioOde to:The... Read More
Old skin, once held tight Against her skeleton- Rose no... Read More
I WANTED TO SAY IT WITH A BUNCH OF FLOWERS... Read More
What do you do when you want to write poetry?... Read More
Hammers. Timbers. Iron. Steel.They're laying down a mighty keel.As ant-like... Read More
Advance: in Mr. Siluk's poetry one finds symbolist values, sensuous... Read More
Wars, air of AmbiguityDedicated to 1st. Lt. Laura Walker (From... Read More
Robert Burns, a poor man, an educated man, and a... Read More
Charlotte Bronte (1816 ?1855) Novelist and Poet.Charlotte was the daughter... Read More
Amy King Antidotes for an Alibi BlazeVox Books ISBN 0-9759227-5-0... Read More
Growing hurts sometimes; saying goodbye to friends, ... Read More
My life has changedin so so many waysIt seems to... Read More
Writing poetry is an art, a way of expression, finding... Read More
When I hear your voice inside my head it makes... Read More
(The city by the bay of Northern California, near which... Read More
When your life becomes unbearable And the light of... Read More
So Many Einstein'sThe morning mist, insists there is a God.... Read More
AFRICA (to africans in diaspora)africa here i come, africa africa... Read More
BoyhoodOh me! Thy glorious days have flown! I mealy noticed,... Read More
Here is some witty poetry (not sure if that is... Read More
Poet Stephen B. Wiley's first book of poetry, Hero Island,... Read More
Part oneI see them in the skies I hear them... Read More
I'm not well. Can't you tell? Kinda low, so,... Read More
Sometimes we feel hard-pressed, Our backs against the wall;... Read More
There I sat, ninety-five degree weatherOutside; the bookstore café, was... Read More
Way of Life: Rhymes of the IncaPizarro (Spanish conquistador ((1525))The... Read More
You can do and you can be whatever you want.... Read More
I cannot bear to think of when you will be... Read More
A Poem - By Lorraine KemberIt was a day like... Read More
1.Night in Jamaica [Peruvianism: 1810]It was a rainy night... Read More
Time goes by to quickly to hold your feelings inside... Read More
Daybreak at Pikes Creek [Summer of 2005]Daybreak by Lake Superior... Read More
How wonderfully sweet to be a dweller dwelling... Read More
YOU MIGHT THINK I AM STRONGI THINK YOU GOT IT... Read More
I WANTED TO SAY IT WITH A BUNCH OF FLOWERS... Read More
We were exiled from the Garden of Eden. Its... Read More
Bells for Belphegor!...Where immortal veils never meet Belphegor, Arch devil... Read More
Writing Poetry for TomorrowWhat does a man need to be... Read More
I am among those who know that one never recovers... Read More
Poetry |