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Ratio of Critiques to Poems Posted

Posted: 16 Nov 2008, 17:12
by Christopher T George
Hello All

Just a reminder to new members and to longer standing members as well, that we do expect you to keep up a reasonable ratio of number of substantive critiques of other poets' work when you post your own work for critique. In other words, any one poet who posts here should be expected to post at least two critiques for every poem posted. That is respectful and the "dues" you can expect to pay for the free membership that this forum provides. Thanks for keeping to that ratio. If anyone has questions about this policy, requires clarification, or has recommendations on the critique to posting ratio, please feel free to contact me.

Best regards

Chris George, Moderator

Re: Ratio of Critiques to Poems Posted

Posted: 18 Nov 2008, 02:16
by AnnMarie Eldon
In my living memory it has always been ratio 3:1 please

Re: Ratio of Critiques to Poems Posted

Posted: 19 Nov 2008, 12:21
by Christopher T George
Hello AnnMarie

Certainly three to one is okay as well, although I am not sure that it has ever been written policy that it has to be that specific ratio. I welcome being corrected that it has ever been specified that it has to be 3:1.

Chris

Re: Ratio of Critiques to Poems Posted

Posted: 16 Apr 2009, 17:36
by debarnes
AnnMarie


I'm always good 2 for one - as u know sittin' a
real prob for me dear friend ...

take care

mlDavid - debarnes

nite. havta' go rest "smile."

Re: Ratio of Critiques to Poems Posted

Posted: 14 Jun 2009, 21:03
by Christopher T George
Hi David

Thanks, David. As you see it's a matter of give and take, or "if you giveth" you will "receiveth" which as far as I can see, is only fair. Thanks for doing your share of reviews, David.

Chris

Re: Ratio of Critiques to Poems Posted

Posted: 15 Jun 2010, 18:01
by velvetmonkey
hi whilst i think this is a good policy i would like to state that i have always been hesitant in giving my views. surely if you are serious abt your poetry and seek to publish then surely those who have been published/those who have a really good grasp of this means of communication are the critiques to be listened to? Let others like myself perhaps read and learn and gain some credentials first?

Re: Ratio of Critiques to Poems Posted

Posted: 07 May 2011, 14:51
by Ieuanaphyw
I think the most consistant reviewers of other people's work are: 1. Mojave and 2. Penumbra. They are very good and deserve medals. Maybe we can hand them a paper medal next to their names. The order of 'Waxing Lyrical Medal' embossed with an angelic crowd surround.

Re: Ann marie eldon

Posted: 14 Feb 2014, 14:54
by dyerfrank
In my living memory it has always been ratio 3:1 please

I noticed Ann's post today and it struck me does she have a dead memory? If she had said 'in living memory' we can understand that, but 'her living memory' seems to suggest she has a dead memory, if so how does she access it, through a medium?

Re: Ratio of Critiques to Poems Posted

Posted: 17 Apr 2019, 21:44
by FranktheFrank
I feel that there should be at least 2 poems per poem posted.
as long as they are proper critiques and not just platitudes.
I feel three if not a full analysis, and five if platitudes.
I think honesty is the best policy albeit too honest feedback
can cause offence.

Re: Ratio of Critiques to Poems Posted

Posted: 03 Oct 2019, 00:14
by judyt547
I don't necessarily believe in platitudes at all, but some people are often more comforted by them
than they are by the knife-and-fork approach to critiques. It can be difficult to sort out who wants
what, at least at an early read. And when you see "nice poem! Good work!" in post after post
you wonder if anyone seriously gives critiques any longer. Or even dares. =)

Re: Ratio of Critiques to Poems Posted

Posted: 04 Oct 2019, 09:51
by BobBradshaw
Judy makes a good point.

Re: Ratio of Critiques to Poems Posted

Posted: 14 Oct 2019, 05:36
by judyt547
Perhaps the poets themselves could offer an honest clue as to what they expect from those who crit them...
i.e., if someone just wants to see their name and poem, and maybe a mild dusting "Nice work, could
use some tweaking..." or something a bit more sharp, "This reads well, but some of the lines
are awkward, that fourth line from the bottom especially..."
In other words, don't make us guess. =)

I've known a lot of excellent poets who simply could not bear to be criticized, right down to the extra comma.
And I've known a lot of excellent poets who say, "give it to me straight" and when you do, you are now
faced with outrage.

We are a slippery slope.

Re: Ratio of Critiques to Poems Posted

Posted: 14 Oct 2019, 08:41
by BobBradshaw
Personally, I am looking for anything to improve my poem. I consider such constructive criticism a gift.

Re: Ratio of Critiques to Poems Posted

Posted: 15 Oct 2019, 06:37
by judyt547
(Smiles.)Me too. I like to establish a dialog with another poet, why he said this, or why he cut that short--sometimes just discussing what and how helps stir things up in the brain, a bit.

Re: Ratio of Critiques to Poems Posted

Posted: 06 Nov 2019, 19:39
by FranktheFrank
It's good to get proper criticism and detailed truthful likes or dislikes - detailed critique

A poet has to wear a thick coat.

A poem has to mean something the content is debatable

Re: Ratio of Critiques to Poems Posted

Posted: 06 Nov 2019, 21:50
by judyt547
I agree, although 'mean something' can be a slippery slope. It may be fraught with meaning
to the writer, who is often standing in the middle of it all, but reads as verbiage to a reader.
Often just a title can clarify a work. It doesn't have to be a total mystery. =)

I was asked, years back (on this very board) to crit a poem this woman had written. She was
a prose writer, and we heartily disliked each other for some reason, but as she said, I gave good
crits, and honest ones. She had written a poem and wanted "just me" to tackle it.
It was bloody awful. 100 lines of plodding poetic scene setting, on and on and on, and then at the very end
was this amazing jewel of a poem, about 12 or 14 lines. I told her, there's your poem. Lose
the rest of it, that ending is the entire poem and you don't need the rest. It's wonderful.
She coldly thanked me and never spoke to me again. Lol. I will never understand people, I think.

And I agree, "nice poem" says nothing. If a poem misses, we need to know why it did,
and sometimes it misses for one but not for another. It's up to us, I think, as the writers,
to find the right ground on something, and go from there.

I know that there are times when I get a warm thumpy thing in my gut, and I know I'm heading
in the right direction in a piece.

There are also poets who delight in language poems, which seem to make sense but are
just wordplay. I think that's deliberate, and in the end becomes a kind of ego-based
posturing, like a large bird who can't fly but still flaps his wings a lot. :wink: