Poetry
This week: Review Poetry Edited by: Stephanie Grace More Newsletters By This Editor
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As a member of WdC, we not only read and write poetry, but we also review it, so I figured, Hey, why not?. Since I love to review, it seemed like a perfect fit for my first attempt at being a guest-editor.
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Stephanie Grace |
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Hello, WdC poets and poetesses! 'Tis I, Stephanie Grace, here to make you roll your eyes at my incessant ramblings. Okay, okay, I'm actually hoping to hold your attention, but this is my first shot at this whole newsletter-thing, so be kind; Would ya?
When I signed on to do this newsletter, a million and one ideas came to mind and my wrist ached from trying to write them all down. In the end, though, I felt like I should just start where I'm most comfortable: Reviewing. (Weird, right?).
There really aren't many differences between reviewing poetry and stories, but, in most cases, there are more aspects to be explored and thought about while typing up your review. In my mind, every review should include your opinion, an appropriate rating (one that matches what you say), and suggestions for improvement, if any. Beyond that, the possibilities are endless as to what you could dissect or mention in a review. For poetry, I believe that these three things should always be mentioned in your review:
Flow: As a general portion of your review, this could include the meter and much more, but I think that it's very important just to give your thoughts about the flow. Did you feel yourself re-reading things? If punctuation is present, was it consistent; If it isn't, do you feel that the addition of punctuation would make it easier for you interpret when to take a short (comma) pause versus a complete (period) pause? Did you think that the line-breaks made the flow a bit bumpy? Flow is very important in a poem because, well, let's face it: If the flow is bumpy and you can't find a rhythm while reading, you're probably going to click out of that poem before you even think about reviewing it.
Form: If the poem is written in a specific form or includes rhymes, how well did they stick to that form? Did the rhymes feel “forced” or just not quite seem to rhyme with each other as you read the poem? Did you feel a line was too long or short? Was there a consistent syllable count throughout but one line had an extra missing beat? The amount of existing poetry forms is overwhelming and no one can be expected to memorize them all, but, if they mention which form them used within the item, it couldn't hurt just to look it up to see how well they handled it. If it's not listed but you notice a pattern within the writing, it might just be a form that you've never heard of... Why not ask and just comment about the pattern that you noticed??? (I realize that this is very much akin to flow and I usually pair them together, but I really wanted to make sure that I mentioned them separately to show the difference since, if you're reading a free verse poem, the flow means a lot more than the form.). As an added note: When writing poetry in a specific form, it's always appreciated by the reader if you include a link or simple explanation within your item of the form so that reviewers will have more understanding of the restrictions confining your words (or meter inspiring your words) before they offer critique.
Emotion and/or Imagery: I usually couple these together as some poems are extremely emotional and others focus primarily on creating a vision or scene. Of course, both can be found in all poems: An emotional poem may have reader-driven imagery in which memories/scenes from the reader's own life become the imagery or a visual poem may create such a scene that seeing it with your mind's eye completely changes your mood due to the emotions brought on by what you see. If it falls short on one of these or one doesn't make the other seem present, then it's definitely something to note since poetry should always make you feel, see, or think.
Of course, there are many more things that could be added, but I think that a mention of those three things, in addition to opinion, appropriate rating, and suggestions really make the review more thorough. For some poems, a short interpretation might even be a great edition as you might get a different message than the one he/she intended –or it could be so vague that it can relate to a million different situations and just telling the writer how you, personally, interpreted their words and what you related it to from your own life and memories could really make their day or make them go back and rework things to make their message more clear.
I really want to say so much more, but I'm a rambler and I'm sure you already want to shove me in a closet to make me hush up, so I'll start with the wrap-up right now. Being reviewed and reviewing are important parts of WdC. Hand-in-hand, they work together to make this site a special place for writers of all kinds. Our passion for writing led us to this wonderful site so why not honor it by sharing our knowledge, opinion, and suggestions with other writers –I mean, isn't that what we want when we see we've been reviewed?
Well, that's all for now... I'll ramble in your e-mail inbox again as soon as I can.
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Stephanie Grace |
Not very surprisingly, only a handful of poets have written a poem based upon reviewing. I'm glad that I decided to go on the hunt for them, though, because there are some real gems in that handful!
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In her poem, Linzzy Jane not only managed to get out her feelings about being reviewed, but gives advice to the reader about how to handle reviews that I think is wonderful and clearly relays how we should all approach reviewing an item.
Indelibleink took a situation that I'm sure most of us (if not all of us) can relate to and, somehow, managed to take the stress out of it to keep me smiling from beginning to end (An end which I didn't see coming, by the way; definitely a delightful surprise to be found there for his readers!).
| | The WDC Review (E) Sometimes you really get in to a review....and that is the joy of reviewing..... #1077395 by Fyn |
In Fyn's poem, we're taken on an amazing journey of how swept away we can get sometimes by reading and reviewing. Her poem isn't just a poem to read, but one that is experienced from beginning to end –and after!
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Have an opinion on what you've read here today? Then send the Editor feedback! Find an item that you think would be perfect for showcasing here? Submit it for consideration in the newsletter! https://www.Writing.Com/go/nl_form
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Since this is my first newsletter, I'm not really equipped with many questions to answer, so I'd like like to share this link with you. I can't guarantee an answer to all questions, but I will certainly do my best to answer everything as clearly and thoroughly as I am able.
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The above survey may also be used if you have a topic idea for a future newsletter; If I use your idea/suggestion, you will be given credit and a merit badge or 10K gift points.
Question: Can I still review a poem even if I don't feel qualified or don't write poetry? from ~Vikki~
Answer: You most certainly can! Even if you feel like you may not understand all the logistics and technical aspects of a poem doesn't mean you have to miss out on the reviewing fun. You can still give your opinion which is just as important as anything else you can include in a review. Think about it: People who don't write can read and discuss books, so why can't you read and have an opinion of a poem? You can. As a writer already, though, you understand imagery and emotion and those are just as important in poetry as in stories. See that: You're more armed than you think! Just because the lines are broken down and there might be some rhyming doesn't mean you should avoid it.
Answer: I can think of six right off the bat: With a pen, pencil, marker, crayon, typing, piped icing... Hmm... Something tells me that's not how you meant that to be taken. There are so many different forms and variations there of that, honestly, I don't believe an exact number could ever be found –especially since people are always changing things and coming up with new forms and ways of manipulating some older ones. With the internet in existence, there are probably just as many sources for researching different forms as are forms! |
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