Just A Question

[croc]

...
Yeah

[Glenny Palmer]

Well you may ask Mangoe Marty....(sorry...I call the 'other' one 'The Laggan Lad'...my brain can't cope with all of this duplicity.)

We have a list of judges mate, & given that each individual judge doesn't 'judge' every comp that's going...(it's perhaps more like about 10% of them)... 'Identifying' a poem/author has only happened to me about 3 times in 10 years, as had my seeing the very same poem in a comp I was judging.

If 'the old chestnut' was being 'flogged to within an inch of its being' it wouldn't necessarily be 'due for a spell'. It would most likely be due for the tip...oh oops....umm....Seriously though, if I hadn't seen fit to give it an award previously, then there would be good reason for that, & very likely, similar reason why other judges hadn't, although I/they wouldn't even be aware of that, would we? Another very valid reason why I/we would not be too keen on that author/poem is that competitions are supposed to inspire new writing & an author who hangs his/her hat upon one 'old chestnut' isn't really conveying a very dedicated attitude towards their craft.

Having said all of that....I (ultimately) won a State Championship with one of my old favourites, 'old chestnut' if you like, after it had not even got a mention in 5 previous comps. So it's a bit of both ways. If you really believe in your poem, (as I did with the aforementioned) keep submitting it, until it becomes apparent that it must need some more work, & keep writing new material.

Glenny

[Glenny Palmer]

Hey croc! I'm over the mooon with all of these 'yeah's' of yours. Does this mean that when I say ''I want it this way!'' you're finally gunna say ''yeah''? Oh ripper!! Oh bonzaa. At last!!

[David Campbell]

Yes, Marty, the "old chestnut" thought does crop up now and then, although if a poem consistently makes it onto result lists in minor placings then it clearly has merit so can't be dismissed out of hand. In that context, it's interesting to watch the progress of a poem through various written competitions, and important to remember how subjective judging is in the final analysis. That's where Glenny's comment about believing in your poem is so relevant...persistence, along with consideration given to possible revision, is vital.

Like Glenny, I've had a poem go absolutely nowhere for competition after competition, and then suddenly grab a prize. A short story of mine wandered around competitions for four years without even a nibble of interest, and then landed two first prizes within a matter of weeks. On the other hand, another story was short-listed in the top ten of a major competition with over 1200 entries, but it took nine more competitions before it actually won a prize (2nd) in a much smaller competition. There are a hell of a lot of variables if you're interested in writing for competitions and the only advice I can give is: believe in what you're doing, seek advice, revise if necessary...and keep going!

Cheers
David

[croc]

...
"...If 'the old chestnut' was being 'flogged to within an inch of its being' it wouldn't necessarily be 'due for a spell'. It would most likely be due for the tip..." (mon chux quote)
...and that's no way to treat a horse... old or otherwise.

Who wrote ' The Old Chestnut', I can't say I've read it... is it about a horse... it sounds like it... must be one of Lawsons, had it been 'Banjo's' I would not be asking. Or did you write it mon chux... I'll see if I can find it on the net...
...c.
P/s... Yeah.

[Glenny Palmer]

...just to reduce confusion...'mon chux' is croc's adaption of 'mon petite choux' a French endearment that roughly translates as 'my little cabbage.' I must say I prefer that one to 'oink' which he was prone to call me...which was fine...unless we were in the supermarket...

[Heather]

Funnily enough Glenny, I call my chiropractor mon petit chou - mainly because he calls me something silly in Italian and since I don't know any Italian and can only remember a smattering of my school girl French, he gets to be called a chou. Why you would affectionately call someone a little cabbage is beyond me, but there you go, that's the French for you!

Apparently, another French term of endearment is "Ma puce" which translates as "my flea". Very, very strange! So maybe you can call those you are fond of "ma puce"!

I have a French brother-in-law -he's oK!

[croc]

'''
What does... 'flea ridden cabbage' sound like in French.
something like 'mon petite puce infestation de la chux'... that would look good engraved on a bracelet... eh. Ripper stuff.
...c

[Glenny Palmer]

......probably on a ring of no.8 wire....

No no croc. read Heather's French. It translates...obviously...to
''my little flea stuck in the chux supawipe'' U old romantic you...
xx G'nite

[croc]

...
G'nite xxx