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How to Give Substantive Feedback without "Critique"

  • Tell the poet about a film, book/novel, artist, etc. that reminds you of them/their work (that they might like to check out)
  • Tell them your favorite line/stanza and why it's good (so they can repeat/learn from the good idea/writing device/strategy)
  • Tell them a personal ancedote the poem reminds you of (shows the poet you read deeply and connected)
  • Tell them what you think the poem's overall purpose or overall deeper meaning is (your interpretation can open the poet's mind to new possibilities and also let's them know if they present the poem in a way they intended)
  • Ask them questions about their inspiration or writing process (and share your writing process with them - even "no process" is a sort of process)
  • Read their poem aloud to them (or reach out to others on the site who can)
  • Write them a brief poem that combines inspiration from their poem and from their username or profile picture to brighten their day
  • Translate a stanza of their poem in another language (if you know more than one) and explain the translation choices you make (were you trying to translate verbatim, or more to capture the feeling/essence or more about matching the rhythm/meter/rhyme?)

Here are some possible ideas for folks interested in "substantive feedback" (for the future Lab) that don't involve any changes to the poem, if that is difficult for anyone.

Kelsey

Comments

I agree with the importance of critique, 100%. I've got plenty of other blogs here to prove it. The point of this blog is to help folks who are intimidated by the idea of providing "critique" (suggestions for revisions) in order to be included in our upcoming project called The Lab in which substantive feedback is required. These ideas are here for those folks, not for those who already critique well or enough. In an ideal world, if folks utilize these ideas, it will be a stepping stone toward offering suggestions for revisions.

Thank you, though! I appreciate you taking the time to read and respond. It always makes me happy to see folks joining Neopoet who are totally on board with critique.

Kelsey

Critique, don't comment.

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author comment

No newcomer to poetry can start right off giving clinical critique and even after they get to where they can then they are faced with a choice :give in depth critique to maybe one or two poems or the more casual, although effective, "lite" critique on a few things in 6-8 poems. I often choose the latter and your blog spells out how to do this. Good to see you posting again.......stan

Kelsey.
Thank you as usual dear!

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Poetry is when an emotion has found its thought and the thought has found words
........Robert Frost☺

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