Blogs by Glenda A Bixler
The Reviewer Gets A Bad Review...
9/11/2008 1:10:36 PM
Thoughts about poetic justice...poetry...reviews... learning...
The following review was given to one of my poems:
my honest take: on the basis of some aging phisiologically-sexual excitement you built a construction of words. the construction is raw, immature. you say you are a critic, so no need to explain. you say you are a bookworm, so byron, shelley, petrarch, pushkin, lorca, coleridge, wordsworth, dickinson, shakespeare, dante, dario, sayat-nova,........ will tell you if i'm wrong.
now. you say you are a proofreader. since english is my second language, i'd like to use your help. in what form it is feasible? honestly again, i have some reservation: i see you dont know how to use punctuation, so i dont know what to think.
respect, peace, love
-----
Good For You! You have every right to critique the work of someone who claims to be a book reviewer. Of course, it's no fun to receive...but it is important that all authors be able to accept and consider the opinion of others.
-----
Interestingly enough on the same day I was receiving this review, I was writing the following:
Glenda Bixler said...
I am not by any means a poet, although I have written them, I think, as more a response to others I read, than any other reason.
I find for me it is bothersome not to be able to define poetry. I read about 20 lines of what was being called a poet recently. To me, it was nothing more than a short concept, written in the normal short lines of poetry. It seems to me there must be more and yet how does one judge...
This is an excellent essay but I still have the question...what is NOT poetry? Surely there is something called bad in comparison to your many beautiful samples.
Does one merely say...this one leaves me "cold"?
September 10, 2008 5:23 PM
enudelman said...
there is so much 'bad' poetry nowadays that the category defies description.
-----
The above exchange was written on a blog, where I had just read the essay: Heat in Poetry posted on September 9th
http://www.edwardnudelman.blogspot.com/
Nudelman, a published poet, starts his excellent essay with:
What is a poem? What makes a poem a good poem? Mark Flanagan, a contemporary poet and savvy free-lance writer, provides an excellent and concise definition: “Poetry is an imaginative awareness of experience expressed through meaning, sound, and rhythmic language choices so as to evoke an emotional response. Poetry has been known to employ meter and rhyme, but this is by no means necessary. Poetry is an ancient form that has gone through numerous and drastic reinvention over time. The very nature of poetry as an authentic and individual mode of expression makes it nearly impossible to define.”
If you are interested, please review his entire essay. I've joined his group, mainly to read and learn, because I don't consider myself a poet...nor do I usually review poetry books, although others on my site do.
I find that I react to the emotions in poetry, as Nudelman perhaps refers to as Heat. Someone once said, I don't know anything about art, but I know what I like (may not be the exact quote). This is how I view poetry...I know what I like!
I have read simple rhymes, I have read poetry, so complex that all I could say is "huh?" and admit that I've not understood it...Is poetry considered good if the average reader cannot comprehend the message? I gather there is no answer.
What I've written, I've written for myself...and have found that "some" others respond to it.
But...I still would not call myself a poet, or a critical evaluator of poetry.
When one is looking for someone to help them with poetic issues...just as this individual said...please be sure you consider the skills and credentials of that individual!
One other point mentioned related to punctuation...Here too, I have seen so many differences. Some use no punctuation. Some use no capitalization! What is acceptable? I think like this individual indicates, you must choose which poets have made an impression on you.
But, from what I understand...nothing is right...or wrong...
Perhaps that's why I haven't spent too much time reading and learning more... Who knows?
Oh, and one other point...I claim I'm a bookworm...I don't and didn't claim I am well-read. I do not have a literature degree; I have a business background...quite a different world of writing.
But I specialize in fiction...and I've read and/or worked on many, many thousands of fiction books in all genres...
In the end, you should also look to find somebody with whom you can develop a rapport and feel comfortable in working with them...Never sell yourself short...Ensure the selected individual meets YOUR needs--not the other way around!
Have a good evening and God Bless!
Comments (1)
More Blogs by Glenda A Bixler
• Have you Checked Out Raw Talent by Dave Ross - Thursday, April 29, 2010
• Attention Poets - Wednesday, April 1, 2009
• Free Books! - Tuesday, January 6, 2009
• Thought for the Day... - Tuesday, January 6, 2009
• Welcome My Friend Doug Boren - Saturday, January 3, 2009
• Welcome to Richard S. Lucas - Friday, November 14, 2008
• Standing the Watch - A True Story of Love! - Wednesday, October 15, 2008
• Check out the Gray Fox! - Saturday, October 11, 2008
• Peer Critical Reviews - Friday, September 26, 2008
• Check It Out! - Saturday, September 20, 2008
• A/D's youngest author??? - Saturday, September 13, 2008
• Do we Want Only Good Reviews? - Friday, September 12, 2008
• The Reviewer Gets A Bad Review... - Thursday, September 11, 2008
• Honor Defended Coming Soon! - Tuesday, September 9, 2008
• Starting to Read a New Book - Monday, September 8, 2008
• A New Friend - Sunday, September 7, 2008
• Critiques - Tuesday, August 26, 2008
• Oh Boy... - Tuesday, August 19, 2008
• Charlie's Book - My Review - Monday, August 18, 2008
• Bob Noonan Snags Award Finalist Recognition! - Tuesday, August 12, 2008
• Sweetwater's Sips... - Wednesday, August 6, 2008
• Charlie's High! - Wednesday, August 6, 2008
• The Good News - Tuesday, August 5, 2008
• Yours to Hold.....and Sell! - Saturday, August 2, 2008
• Edit Me, Honey - Friday, August 1, 2008
• Proofreading and Grammar - Does It Matter? - Thursday, July 31, 2008
• Saturday at the Computer - Saturday, July 26, 2008
• Didn't Know, Did You? - Monday, July 21, 2008
• So Many Writers... - Sunday, July 20, 2008
• I'M So Excited! - Saturday, July 19, 2008
• Taking a Break - Friday, July 18, 2008
• Color Me... - Wednesday, July 16, 2008
• Good Morning - Tuesday, July 15, 2008
• Reading A Book a Day - Monday, July 14, 2008
• Thoughts on online publishing - Monday, July 7, 2008
• Browsing Authors' Den - Saturday, July 5, 2008
• Hello - Wednesday, July 2, 2008
|
