Critiqueing Other's Works

Recurring debates on important poetry topics.
Kym

Re: Critiqueing Other's Works

Post by Kym » Thu Sep 01, 2011 7:27 am

Yay IRene, beautifully put. As always, you are the calm voice of reason. :D

Terry
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Re: Critiqueing Other's Works

Post by Terry » Fri Sep 02, 2011 3:02 pm

Hi Irene

I couldn't agree more, we pretty well all used to post most of our poems and as you say perhaps later enter the odd one in a comp. It's only lately that the need to keep your potential comp poems secret has really became an issue, it was always there but most didn't worry about it, they didn't consider posting on this site as publishing.
As usual (and as kym has already stated) you have the knack of always making sense out of what has usually been at the best, muddled confusion.

Perhaps it's too easy to fall into the trap of thinking that comps are the be all of everything.

Terry

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Bellobazza
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Joined: Fri Nov 05, 2010 3:48 pm

Re: Critiqueing Other's Works

Post by Bellobazza » Sat Oct 01, 2011 5:30 pm

G'day all...
Yes, still alive and kicking, and still dipping in on the forum when I get a chance. Don't seem to be able to find the time to actively participate as much as I once did, but couldn't resist on this occasion to offer my thoughts on the subject.

Each of us is, at any given moment, the sum of our experience. Someone once famously said 'You are what you eat'. I would add 'and drink, smell, see, hear, feel, read and (wierdly) even forget!'

Can any one of us who aspire to write bush poetry honestly say that we have not been influenced in some way by Kendall, Lawson, Paterson, Dennis etc., or the Hartins, Campbells, Daniels etc., as the case may be? A turn of phrase; a rhyming pattern; a particular rhythm?
Do any of us really believe that any of them were not, in their turn, influenced by their contemporaries or by earlier poets? It is a matter of record that there was plenty of dialogue between the first named for a start. If they didn't, to some extent at least, compare notes and discuss ideas, techniques, suggestions, style etc., I'll eat my Cat in the Hat! (?? Now where did that come from??)

For my part, I'm very grateful for the encouragement and helpful advice I've received at various times, not only from such leading lights as Carol, Glenny and Jim Haynes, but also from fellow forum members. In every instance the advice or opinion has been delivered with the generosity of spirit which, I think, is characteristic of the bush poetry fraternity. For me not to make good use of that help I would be ungrateful, not to say stupid.

As far as the question of entering competitions goes, not only does it offer the opportunity of getting an evaluation of your work, but for those of us who have a secret desire to see our work in print, a result in a comp. holds out the possibility of inclusion in an anthology or, better yet, an appearance in the ABPA mag! For most of us this could well be our best chance to be published!

And if you believe a poem is up to comp. standard, is it such a big deal to hold it back from the forum until the results are known? Then the issue of anonymity for judgeing purposes doesn't arise.

Cheers, Will.
"Each poet that I know (he said)
has something funny in his head..." CJD

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keats
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Re: Critiqueing Other's Works

Post by keats » Sat Oct 01, 2011 7:21 pm

Pretty simple really. Cyber post looking for critique, advice, tidying up, then you can no longer claim the work as 100% your own. If you have a good poem that you consider is worthy of entering a comp, then keep away from posting it here (then it has been 'published'....sorry but rules have changed with cyber posting) or from asking advice to improve the poem. Write your poem and enter. If you seek advice then you were never confident in your material in the first place. Fine for performance material, but causing crap with written stuff. Think, write and be confident.

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Zondrae
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Re: Critiqueing Other's Works

Post by Zondrae » Sun Oct 02, 2011 5:20 am

G'day,

(She says coming in late!)

If I had a poem which I sent into a competition - The learned judge pointed out that I had spelled the name of a plant incorrectly and also misnamed a piece of equipment. Now if I were to correct these errors and send the poem to another comp, would this bending the rules? I would not have not changed anything except the technical names of objects in the original work.

Or if a judge suggested adding (or changing) one single word? should this exclude the poem from further competition.
Zondrae King
a woman of words

Leonie

Re: Critiqueing Other's Works

Post by Leonie » Sun Oct 02, 2011 11:09 am

Probably not, unless you happened to get the same judge. :D ;)

... and an old thread resurfaces, a thread that bears my name (but that I didn't start). Still the replies are interesting to say the least.

I've got my fingers crossed that my luck will hold and last night's winning lotto ticket (that I didn't buy) might bear my name too. :lol:

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