"using the other people to write about themselves"
Basically that's just masturbation. Why do they bother?
From the poetry I've seen you produce I think you have something in you that is original and worthwhile, but when you refer to the writer's collective it gives me the impression that you would do better to develop self confidence and do what you think is right, or to study writers that you find inspiring, rather than spend time on the collective. I might be entirely wrong, but that's the impression I get from here.
One of the nice things about conventional poetic forms is that they act as critic and show you how to improve - you can develop an ability to write the same thing many different ways just by sticking to the task of fulfilling the form, and you get the benefit of rhythm. Rhythmic poetry is something that you can teach yourself to do well without a bunch of would be's to rely on for criticism.
I'm lucky enough to have a retired English teacher (Sylvia)working on my prose style, and her input is worth having (though she is scarily hard to please, she can be pleased!) and before that Sarah was much the same with my poetry. People are useful in different ways - some just for encouragement and kindness. But I wouldn't swap Sarah and Sylvia for any other group of people anywhere. Everything that they say makes a difference, and some of it you just can't get anywhere else; each of them is quite unique in their approach. If it works, do it. If it doesn't, why do it? That's my attitude.
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(no subject)
Date: 2009-10-04 04:56 am (UTC)Basically that's just masturbation. Why do they bother?
From the poetry I've seen you produce I think you have something in you that is original and worthwhile, but when you refer to the writer's collective it gives me the impression that you would do better to develop self confidence and do what you think is right, or to study writers that you find inspiring, rather than spend time on the collective. I might be entirely wrong, but that's the impression I get from here.
One of the nice things about conventional poetic forms is that they act as critic and show you how to improve - you can develop an ability to write the same thing many different ways just by sticking to the task of fulfilling the form, and you get the benefit of rhythm. Rhythmic poetry is something that you can teach yourself to do well without a bunch of would be's to rely on for criticism.
I'm lucky enough to have a retired English teacher (Sylvia)working on my prose style, and her input is worth having (though she is scarily hard to please, she can be pleased!) and before that Sarah was much the same with my poetry. People are useful in different ways - some just for encouragement and kindness. But I wouldn't swap Sarah and Sylvia for any other group of people anywhere. Everything that they say makes a difference, and some of it you just can't get anywhere else; each of them is quite unique in their approach. If it works, do it. If it doesn't, why do it? That's my attitude.