A newbies request on critting, please make the effort for us all

[Jeanne G]

I hope i'm not out of line here, as i'm not a mod, but am compelled to comment on your lack of effort in a crit (actually it doesn't qualify to be called that). So as a newbie, maybe this will strike a cord w/ you better, since you are one too, and this is a personnal request rather than a more impersonal set of rules on a message board. Not of course that the Blurbs aren't helpful, still absorbing them as i go.

"Heartfelt. Keep em coming", is a cop-out.

Someone may have taken much effort to put out a really finely crafted piece and you didn't tell them why or it may have been a piece of crap in terms of craftmanship, but it was passionate and managed to convey, which is still a lot of effort for a beginner. And you didn't tell them that either. So as a newbie who is here to learn, i would hope you would consider this when critting. Help us learn by making your own effort.

Thanks.

(she quietly steps off her soapbox now)

[redkat]

Duly noted...sigh. :(

[Jeanne G]

sorry Redkat, this request wasn't for you, i sent a private message to the person it was directly for to ask them to read this, since it's not my place to single one person out and make a public example of them. I did post this here to hopefully reach others too.

I thought your comments at my poetry thread were well thought out, EVEN IF they were not in the most appropriate spot for comments on comments, which we all seem to keep needing to keep in mind. A lot seem to do it, but the mods can't be everywhere right. It took me awhile to find this forum and similar others, it's such a big site and all. I'm glad it is, they seem to have everything covered in here.

[HowardM2]

A) Comments of this sort belong in the "Gripes" Forum.

B) In general it is best to allow the moderators to handle situations of this sort, not least to prevent ill will from developing among posters; mods are paid those huge salaries precisely to deal with such situations. If you feel you have a problem of this sort, it's preferable to contact one of the mods to deal with the problem.

C) In point of fact, the problem has already been recognized and addressed (http://www.everypoet.org/pffa/showthread.php?s=&threadid=20448&poems).


Howard

[Dani B]

hello all!

Looks like I ruffled some feathers, eh? ;) Though I suppose my comments only tangentially relate to how this thread wended its way into Gripes...

Here's what I'm thinking: My first thought was "oh no! I made someone sad!" Which made me feel crappy. Then I started thinking that maybe I was being too harsh in my crits...

I suppose the point is, the mods don't want people having to think about ANY of these things, because comments aren't personal. By commenting on others comments, suddenly things do get a bit more personal. Here I was trying to be helpful...and now I'm wondering whether I'm a useless critter. See? So, please for the sake of poor ol' Dani B, please try not to comment directly on other comments. I agree, it does happen in here; heck, I've done it. I suppose the difference is, I am usually agreeing with what a critter said, not shooting down someone else's comments.

Anyhow, you've given me food for thought, for better or worse. Cattatude, Redkat, I wish you the best. But I may think twice before I respond to your poems, for fear of creating more undue sadness.

Cheers,


Dani B

[HowardM2]

And thus we see once again precisely why it's a bad idea for someone to decide to play vigilante.

Cattatude, if and when the moderators need your ill-advised assistance, we'll ask for it. Until that time, when you feel the urge to attempt to emulate the Lone Ranger, contemplate the words of the great philosopher Archie Bunker: "Stifle it." Then practice them.

[Jeanne G]

Boy am I sorry to start this thread at all. the motive was to start a helpful and thought provoking thread on crits and was inspired by another thread in "Newbie Stretching Room" called "a message for all newbies from a fellow newbie". I'm terribly sorry this has turned into the biggest mess of misunderstandings. Redkat was only saying I'd captured her feelings about wanting to improve being a newbie and all, I sure have not been made sad by any of your comments, quite the contrary, you are very diplomatic in tempering your comments w/ a theme of respect that always comes through. And I don't care how they are worded just as long as I get them and I consequently learn. I was very pleased to have 2 whole crits to work w/, and even more pleased that you noticed my love of language and still more pleased to find you are a teacher. I always read esp. carefully when I see you in a thread. Any and all crits are always welcomed by anyone, and a bad reveiw just makes me more determined to try harder. An ego can be dusted off any old time.

I hope we can look back on this and laugh (someday) this has turned into a Three's Company episode, I'm expecting Mr. Furley to walk in any minute. Sorry again and I hope that your consideration to not review more of my poems isn't engraved in stone I was really looking forward to more of your reviews.

[Dani B]

Hey!

I appreciate your response. I only started here a few weeks ago myself, and some of the reviews I've gotten have been doozies; so, I can say with honesty I know the sentiment behind this debacle was sincere. Although I've been writing poetry awhile, I've never before spent time in a workshop, and sometimes the crits hit ya like a walleye to the face. ;) After perusing the board, however, I can see that the whole point of this place is to concentrate on the poetry, and the element of complete honesty really fosters that. I know I got a few "happy" crits for the first poem I posted here, but I got the most out of the crit Tanya posted, where she gave me a line-by-line and showed me where all my cliches were hiding. That sort of feedback is invaluable, even if it does sting a bit.

I have disagreed with some of the stuff I've seen on the board, but I figure that goes with the territory--this is a workshop, not a "let's all get along" love fest. I don't think there will ever be complete agreement about any one poem. So, it's probably a good thing that all of the threads here don't dissolve into bickering about what everyone thinks is "right."

Suffice to say, I look forward to having my first few revisions under my belt, and eventually making my way into the Schooner. I would be pleased if you stopped by to review those future postings--and I will be sure to keep an eye out for yours, as well. No hard feelings at all.

Cheers,

Dani B