Competitions and 'previous winners'

[Stephen Whiteside]

Just a discussion, Matt. Sorry.

[Heather]

And what is the "perfect" poem...?

[Neville Briggs]

One that is complete, Heather

Jonanthan Richardson said of the words for the perfect poem, " Fewer would not have served the turn, more would have been superfluous "

[Stephen Whiteside]

There's no such thing as a perfect poem. There's no such thing as a perfect anything. "Perfection" is an abstraction, nothing more.

[warooa]

That's a pretty perfect explanation as to what perfect means

[Stephen Whiteside]

Now hang on there a minute, Marty. I'm not going to let you get away with that! If my explanation is perfect, remembering that a written explanation is a physical reality, then my explanation of perfection, stating it can never be a physical reality, is deeply flawed. You're a clever bugger, aren't you? (And the day is still so young...)

[Maureen K Clifford]

I sometimes think our Marty has razor blades for brekkie - he is so sharp and quick off the mark as well. Sign of a very active brain and a quick wit methinks.

[Stephen Whiteside]

Which Marty, Maureen?

[Kym]

Getting back to the original topic of previous winners being able to be re-used ... I'm all for the idea. I think it's sad that once a poem has won something, it has to be put in the "useless" pile, when a poem that keeps winning 2nd, 3rd, HC, 2nd, 2nd can just keep putting it's author's name on the winner's list, when it isn't even the best poem the author has written! Yet IT keeps getting the attention, and the goodie gets ignored ... sad, huh?

How about a poem can win, say, three times before it is regarded as "finished with". That way, it really gets to prove that it is a good poem before being put to bed. After spending hours/days working on a poem, you want to be able to use it for more than one comp, I reckon.

Well, that's my opinion ... not that that's worth much ...

See ya later,

Kym.

[Bob Pacey]

Now Kym since when has your opinion not been valued ?


The anonymity thing seems to be the biggest stunbling block as I see it. Would knowing who wrote the poem influence a judge ?

I really do not know but I write so little now that if I ever write a gem and it WON I would like to think that it could be entered into numerous competitions.

Cheers Bob