Reviewing Poetry - Advice For New Reviewers
Posted by MyChoices on 01/5/08 in Writing and Speaking
These days there are many places online where a poet can post work, hoping to receive feedback. Feedback helps an author know they have reached their audience. It also helps any author learn and improve, both on content as well as the technical aspects of writing.
I hear many people say that they enjoy reading poetry but that they are shy about reviewing it. They do not feel “qualified”; think they need the knowledge about the technical aspects of poetry. And what about rhyme, and punctuation?
Rest assured that if you are a reader, you are qualified to give feedback. Most authors welcome any feedback, whether it’s just a note to show you enjoyed an item (or not), or an in-depth review dissecting the piece bit by bit for thorough analysis.
As a poet and reviewer, here are a few tips for those who would love to give a more detailed review than “I liked this”.
Reading Poetry
It may go without saying, but before you think of reviewing a poem, it is best to read it first. Some reviewers instantly look for typos, rather than content. It is best to get the feel of a poem before anything else.
How does the poem make you feel? Does it touch you, affect you at all? Do the emotions come across clearly? How does it read? Did you stumble when reading it? Or does it flow nicely and have a good rhythm?
These are all important questions.
If you can, read the poem out loud, at least once. Reading a poem out loud makes everything a lot clearer and easier to define.
Overall Impression
When you have read the poem, it is time to make notes and form an overall impression. A good way to start is with how the poem made you feel and what you saw in it. The emotions, the sentiments… are they clear? Overwhelming or subtle? Did you feel them?
The reason to get into the emotions of the poem is that, to many, this is the most important aspect of the piece. Poetry is very personal. Poetry tends to be written to convey emotions.
Also, many an author will tell you that they value this sort of feedback more than any technical pointers. They like to know their work actually reached and touched someone.
After that, you could get into the technical aspects of the item. If you are unsure about the variety of forms used around the world, you can still share your thoughts on the straightforward issues:
Did it read well? Was it clear? Did it read smoothly and flow well?
Suggestions
When reviewing poetry, it is always advisable to make a note that you understand poetry is, indeed, personal. Some authors wish to leave their poem just as it is. And there are so many different opinions on matters such as punctuation and rhyme!
The first thing to look at is typos/spelling errors. It is helpful to kindly point them out to the author, along with stating why you made the suggestion to edit.
If the punctuation seems inconsistent, or if you think a comma in a certain bit would aid the flow and rhythm, you could point that out as well.
If there is a word or line that made you stumble and breaks the rhythm for you, you could make suggestions on that too. Or if you don’t know what to suggest, you could simply point it out.
If a word seems repetitive it is worth mentioning - at least if it appears to have been used in that way unintentionally.
If you would like to give technical advice on specific forms, there are places online where you can find explanations on these forms. A simple search should come up with what you need.
My advice is that if you are not sure that the author will actually understand what you mean, it is best to refrain from all technical terminology. Many authors, especially those new to the craft, have no clue about that. They just enjoy writing poetry and use it as a form of self expression.
If the website you are reviewing for has a rating system, try to give a rating that reflects your advice and the opinions expressed in your review.
Don’t forget, reviewing should be fun and receiving reviews should be a pleasant experience for the author. So try to be helpful, polite and respectful at all times. That makes reviewing enjoyable for all.
Kit Marsters is an author on http://www.Writing.Com which is a site for Poetry.
Tags: editing, poetry, poets, reviewing, reviews, writing
tag this
Post a Comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.