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User	misty_of_moon | 2005-03-28 |
Subject	untitled
Message	i agree your never going to know if you need to work on your craft if no one tells you the truth. It’s a critique site so here i am critique me! tell me it sucked! i’ll make it better! tell me it was great! i’ll make even greater! that’s the whole point to get your voice heard and have someone answer it honestly. this is not a dinner party, you can be honest to the stupid ass beside you! we aren’t in laws! any way, i don’t know why i added that dinner party thing but above that was what i wanted to say

User	Learah | 2005-03-27 |
Subject	untitled
Message	That’s the spirit!

User	HWKI | 2005-03-27 |
Subject	untitled
Message	I’ve read a lot of things on here about not wanting to "hurt the authors feelings" and what not. Uhh, if they didn’t expect a little bit of verbal evisceration, they never should have posted. I’m not saying you have to be rude, but criticism comes with the territory, and believe it or not, the criticism is what helps your WRITING, compliments are what help your EGO. I’ve gotten a couple of shitty reviews, and you know what, I appreciated them. So go ahead, Rip into Me. Chew me up, spit me out, and boo me away. I’ll just get back up. Skin like a rhino. Oorah!

User	Learah | 2005-03-26 |
Subject	untitled
Message	Pestiferous; who cares about upsetting the writer? There’s an age limit here for a reason; this is a critique site. Critique needs to be honest, truthful and constructive in order for the writer to see the flaws in their work and grow from that. So many people here say they can’t wait to get published, do ya think an editor’s going to pussyfoot around feelings? Learning to lread into harsh criticism and still see the benefits is a necessary application for those who really wish to improve their writing. And there’s no other reason to be at a peer critique site otherwise.

User	wewak11 | 2005-03-25 |
Subject	Backslapping
Message	I’m a member in another forum and they LOVE EVERYTHING! I post very few pieces on it now I have ES I don’t mind people not commenting, you should be glad people are reading your poetry. Most people’s comments are helpful, some of them are picky, and some are effusive, it just shows how different we all are. We all love to be recognised, but it doesn’t happen overnight, ask Picasso...

User	pestiferous | 2005-03-25 |
Subject	untitled
Message	probably because alot of the members give shallow comments when they do comment and don’t want to upset the writer if they don’t like it...

User	Eggman | 2005-03-22 |
Subject	untitled
Message	The more you comment the better you get.

User	Learah | 2005-03-22 |
Subject	untitled
Message	So spend some time. There’s nothing to say you have to comment right away. Hell, try printing off the page and just jot a few notes in the margins. Why did you choose to read the poem? Did it hold your attention? Was the imagery and description well-done, did you like the words the writer chose to express the sentiment? Was the subject unique, or have you read something like it before? Could they have done a better job? How ould you like to see something changed/reworked? Etc etc. Just think about it and find a way to get your words right. I don’t think the reciprocation is important, what matters is what you think and how you felt. The writers post their work because they want to share it with you. Even if you can’t comment on a technical basis, you can always comment on your emotions when reading. They’re unique and special to you, and as valuable as gold to a writer. Good luck, Lea =)

User	misty_of_moon | 2005-03-22 |
Subject	untitled
Message	i give really crappy comments and then i feel bad because i really liked the poem but couldn’t get my words right enough to give a half-decent comment!! and i uselessly made someones reciprocation go down!!

User	Learah | 2005-03-20 |
Subject	untitled
Message	I agree with Mae. There’s nothing wrong with compliments, it’s just doing it the right way. If you’re at a loss as to how to comment, don’t just say the whole thing was brilliant. That doesn’t help the writer at all. Try to establish where exactly you mere moved, what you liked about it, if it was the vocabulary, the structure, the description, the rhyme. Same if you don’t like something; explain where and why you were unimpressed, what exactly bugged you. If you can, try venture a few suggestions as to how you think it could be improved, how you would change it or write it if it had been your poem. We all need to learn, and while compliments are great and really instill a sense of confidence, they won’t help the writer unless they’re specific.

User	mae | 2005-03-14 |
Subject	untitled
Message	I don’t think complimenting on someone’s poem is necessarily bad. It depends on the compliment. We all need to know what’s wrong with our writing, but we also need to know what works. The mindless "This was so beautiful. I really FELT it" review is just so much garbage. But telling the writer how a particular phrase moved you or that their format reinforced the meaning of the poem, things like that are helpful as well as being compliments. Just my opinion. mae

User	misty_of_moon | 2005-03-14 |
Subject	untitled
Message	shut the hell up no one asked you

User	Demon__666 | 2005-02-13 |
Subject	untitled
Message	misty you are a freak

User	misty_of_moon | 2005-02-03 |
Subject	untitled
Message	wow i never thought of any of this the forum is great! i don’t usually do this kind of stuff so you all really helped

User	Sandburg | 2005-01-31 |
Subject	untitled
Message	I can think of a few reasons for this. First is the old addage, if you don’t have anything good to say, don’t say anything. Your readers may not like what they see. Second would be that you aren’t out commenting on other people’s work. I don’t know if you are, but that always helps. The last thing would be that if the comments you leave aren’t substantial, people might not comment. I know some members would spend an hour writing a 200 word critique if you had a good poem up. If your comment on their poem was something like "I really liked this I guess but I don’t really understand it" then it isn’t really an equal exchange. Again, I haven’t seen your comments. I will go and read one of your poems though, right after this. Advice? Lurk and read the critiques of those who seem to have a grasp of what is going on. Look up the terms and expressions that you may not be that familiar with until you can comment on at least one specific aspect of a poem that you liked and perhaps one that you didn’t like. That’ll be a good start and I think you’ll start to see your comments go up. Good luck, Dave

User	Rubi_Roja | 2005-01-29 |
Subject	untitled
Message	I have feel the same way as magnicat. Sometimes i enjoy a poem but there is nothing special to comment about... i like searching for the really good poems that i can relate to. Those are the ones i like to comment on!

User	Rokhal | 2005-01-29 |
Subject	untitled
Message	I don’t usually comment at all if I can’t find any way to help the author. If I think it’s great, I vote on it, but I don’t like to give compliments because I don’t find them helpful. Sometimes people don’t know what to think, because a poem is so bizarre and awe-inspiring, so they might leave it for someone else to give a try. Or if it’s really, really bad.

User	Learah | 2005-01-28 |
Subject	untitled
Message	And also think of how much you’ve given and taken. you’ve taken more comments than you’ve given, which means that there are people on the site who took time to read your work but you didn’t return the favour. That makes you look kinda greedy, and so it puts people off commenting. Also, it doesn’t look like you give your comments all that much thought, either. That tends to be a factor in reciprocation, too...

User	misty_of_moon | 2005-01-28 |
Subject	untitled
Message	okay i never thought of it that way thanks

User	magnicat | 2005-01-27 |
Subject	untitled
Message	well, i must admit, sometimes i go to view a poem and when i start to read it, it just doesn’t catch my attention at all, or it’s so cliche i wanna throw up... or i just don’t like it and really don’t want to tell someone their poem sucks. i’m sure people have felt the same way when they read my stuff, too. not everyone will comment. consider it a blessing sometimes!!