How to Properly
Critique a Poem
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Please read these rules ONE time each month.
They may change and it is best to keep informed of our policies
if you like to critique poems on our site. The critiquing rules
here are very easy to follow but if you have questions, please do
not hesitate to ask me. Failure to abide by these Critiquing
Rules can result in your Critiquing abilities being suspended
for this entire month. You will not be eligible to win any
Critiquer Prizes during the month if you are Suspended.
Things that can cause your Critiquing Privileges to
be Suspended for the month:
- Critiques that bash someone or score someone low for
expressing a viewpoint on an issue that you disagree with.
Whether religious or personal, everyone is entitled to
their opinion and beliefs. They should not be slammed for
expressing these beliefs. If you feel strongly about an
issue, you may express your feelings (in a non-bashing
manner) in the Personal Comment section of the critique.
Make your personal comment private so that it is not
visible to everyone.
- "Fluffy" critiques that say something shallow
like "Nice work, you are a great poet! I saw no
errors and have no suggestions." If you are in the
habit of doing this type of critique all the time ...please
Stop Now! You need to start digging deeper. If the poem
is really good, you need to say why it
is good. You need to cite reasons and points
that are good.
- Critiques that copy and paste an entire poem into the
critique section. If you would like to copy and paste
certain lines or problem sections from the poem, that is
perfectly fine, but to copy and paste an entire poem into
a critique is often just a waste of space! If you do this
all of the time, please be much more selective with your
copy and paste routines.
- Critiques that rewrite an entire poem.
The poet needs to learn how to write for themselves.
Suggest things, point things out, rewrite a line or two
so that the poet understands where you're coming from.
But please do not rewrite someone's entire poem for them.
What you Should and Should NOT do when Critiquing a
Poem:
- You should critique the poem on how the
message was delivered and the power of that delivery. You
shouldn not critique or score a poem based on whether you
liked or disliked the message of the poem.
- You should critique the poem based on
how the viewpoints were developed and how they flowed
from beginning to ending. You should not critique or
score a poem based on whether you agree or disagree with
the viewpoints being expressed in the poem.
- You should offer suggestions on
improving the poem. If no suggestions can be offered
because the poem was excellent, you should note what
points of excellence caught your eye.
- Non-deliberate spelling errors, should
Always be pointed out. If there are a lot or errors,
simply mention some and state that there are more.
Critiquing Poems is Very Hard Work, but it is
very rewarding! Please do not feel that you are expected to
critique poems on this site as a requirement. It is reserved
solely for those individuals who wish to help others. Critiquing
poems takes a lot of honest and hard effort on your part and that
is why it is not required of any member here. If
you do choose to critique poems here, please do it Properly and
Carefully. People pay money to submit their poetry here and they
have the right to expect helpful and honest critiques.
At this time, you may click your
BACK Button and submit your critique (if you were in the middle
of one)!
Thank You,
-Christopher T. Moore
webmaster@ThePoeticLink.com
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