JohnBoddie
05-06-2001, 11:57 AM
The following appeared as part of a response from one of our new authors:
"simply posting "learn to spell" isn't a critique, it's an insult."
This is backwards, and it's important to understand why.
When a poet submits work that contains misspellings, he or she is asking the reader to perform some "housekeeping" work in order to get to the poetic value of the poem. The confusion that is often coupled with misspelling and the mental pauses that are required for correction act in opposition to the author's interest, whether this interest is one of communicating a message, describing a mood, or inciting laughter.
Further, the "housekeeping work" is work that could have been performed by the author prior to posting. The fact that it isn't is a clear signal that the author does not care about the reader's experience. The author demonstrates a willingness to waste the reader's time and announces the fact of his or her (the author's) lack of commitment to the poem. The reader, not the author, has every right to feel insulted.
There -are- a few occasions where misspellings can be used intentionally as integral elements of the poem. In the same way, made-up words, unusual word spacing and odd punctuation or capitalization can serve the poet's interest, but only where their contribution to the piece clearly strengthens the meaning and presentation of the poem.
Words in good poems are chosen and organized to accomplish the poet's objectives for the work. Good poems, without exception, exhibit a respect for the language and respect for the reader.
If you, as a person who is relatively new to poetry, believe that the reader should be tolerant of your errors and should try to see your message rather than the problems you have placed in the path of doing so, you need to face the fact that you really don't care much about poetry. Instead, you want to think of yourself as a "poet." If you believe that "learn to spell" is unwarranted and insulting as a valid criticism, you are wasting your time at pffa.
There are many people who come here wanting to improve their poetry and it gives the experienced reviewers a great deal of joy and satisfaction to see the progress these people are making. If you, as a neophyte author, are seeking praise rather than improvement, there are other sites that are dedicated to this form of entertainment. Please use them.
If you want to improve and you want your work to be taken seriously, start by making sure the poems you post have been proofread. If you can't be bothered to do this, then don't strike a pose of outrage when your laziness is pointed out for what it is.
JB
"simply posting "learn to spell" isn't a critique, it's an insult."
This is backwards, and it's important to understand why.
When a poet submits work that contains misspellings, he or she is asking the reader to perform some "housekeeping" work in order to get to the poetic value of the poem. The confusion that is often coupled with misspelling and the mental pauses that are required for correction act in opposition to the author's interest, whether this interest is one of communicating a message, describing a mood, or inciting laughter.
Further, the "housekeeping work" is work that could have been performed by the author prior to posting. The fact that it isn't is a clear signal that the author does not care about the reader's experience. The author demonstrates a willingness to waste the reader's time and announces the fact of his or her (the author's) lack of commitment to the poem. The reader, not the author, has every right to feel insulted.
There -are- a few occasions where misspellings can be used intentionally as integral elements of the poem. In the same way, made-up words, unusual word spacing and odd punctuation or capitalization can serve the poet's interest, but only where their contribution to the piece clearly strengthens the meaning and presentation of the poem.
Words in good poems are chosen and organized to accomplish the poet's objectives for the work. Good poems, without exception, exhibit a respect for the language and respect for the reader.
If you, as a person who is relatively new to poetry, believe that the reader should be tolerant of your errors and should try to see your message rather than the problems you have placed in the path of doing so, you need to face the fact that you really don't care much about poetry. Instead, you want to think of yourself as a "poet." If you believe that "learn to spell" is unwarranted and insulting as a valid criticism, you are wasting your time at pffa.
There are many people who come here wanting to improve their poetry and it gives the experienced reviewers a great deal of joy and satisfaction to see the progress these people are making. If you, as a neophyte author, are seeking praise rather than improvement, there are other sites that are dedicated to this form of entertainment. Please use them.
If you want to improve and you want your work to be taken seriously, start by making sure the poems you post have been proofread. If you can't be bothered to do this, then don't strike a pose of outrage when your laziness is pointed out for what it is.
JB