____________________________________________Warning: Unauthorized reposting or reproduction of any work posted to Eratosphere's workshop boards for critique is a violation of copyright, and is unacceptable under any circumstances. For further information, see our full Copyright Advisory for Workshop Posts here.
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Welcome to the Non-Metrical Forum.
Please read these requirements before posting here.
The Non-Metrical forum is designed for the serious practitioner of poetry who is familiar with at least the rudiments of poetic technique and who desires serious critique. It is not a place for early drafts. Attention should be paid to spelling and grammar. Eratosphere does not offer a beginners' forum.
NEW MEMBERS may respond to existing poetry threads but may not post any poems of their own until they have offered at least 15 critiques, AND until at least one week following membership approval, unless by special permission from any Eratosphere moderator. This limitation is part of the registration agreement for all registrants who signed up after January 21, 2004, and applies to all critical forums for poetry. Other benchmarks apply for the Fiction, Translation, and Art Forums and can be referenced at those sites.
Please post
no more than one poem in the combined poetry forums in any 7-day period in order to allow time for serious critique of your own work and to give other poets a chance to have their work critiqued as well!
Please post revisions in the original thread. You can do this using the edit function to paste the revision above your original poem. Be sure to number the revised version(s). And to make sure your revision gets noticed, post a note at the bottom of the thread to push it back up.
We also ask you to critique several other poems for every one you post. The more you post to the threads of other poets, the more likely that your thread will attract commentary.
Critique should focus on the work posted and be as objective as possible.
Whether your opinion is positive or negative, it is good practice to support it by close reference to details of the text and, where appropriate, to suggest possible improvements or alternative lines of development. These features need not be present in every critique, but patterns of repeated praise or denigration without any support or suggestions are not acceptable.
A professional and polite attitude is expected when giving and responding to critique. A poster may disagree with critique, but that should be done tactfully. Do not sidetrack focus on the poem. Disrespectful responses, e.g. those that include petulance or justify rejecting critique on the basis that an off-board authority knows better, are not acceptable.
Poems posted here are expected to remain open for critique for at least two weeks after posting. Do not post poems which have been published or are submitted for publication prior to posting.
Members who don’t abide by these rules may have their post deleted by the moderator and/or be blocked from further posting.
For help with posting problems, contact any moderator.
______ AN ADMONITION NOTE TO BEGINNERS & THEIR CHAMPIONS ______
It id necessary to remind everyone, especially beginners and/or those who want to champion them here how Eratosphere works:
- Eratosphere is not for beginners. There are several other forums out there who cater to beginners and we encourage beginners to find one that fits them better -- Google is your friend.
- If you're a beginner and post a weak poem, or a non-beginner who posts an anemic poem -- usually as a result of rushing to post without sufficient revision -- expect tough and even brutal critique.
- Still, despite statement 1), we do tolerate beginners who are willing to take tough critique as described in 2), to progressively improve their writing.
- Arguing with critique is against Eratosphere guidelines, especially, if you're a beginner, as evidenced by your post(s). Repeating this pattern of behavior might lead to temporary or permanent ban.
- Also, arguing in proxy for a beginner or beginner-poem in an attempt to counteract well-meaning, albeit tough or even brutal critique of others, is considered disruptive, and is deemed a cliquish attempt to diffuse the high standards that Eratosphere is known for. Repeating this pattern of behavior might also lead to temporary or permanent ban from Eratosphere.
Now that you've all been duly warned, especially those who fall in the categories 4) and 5) above -- carry on ... but be mindful of how you do so!
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Cheers,
...Alex
(for the Eratosphere Staff)