| Author | Message | ||
| Ingrid Ringel
New member Username: adelphi Post Number: 36 Registered: 09-2007 |
Hi wild poets, I love WPF, I can travel, learn, meet people, learn, be creative, improve, laugh, cry, learn, be me, be somebody else, learn more ...without even getting up from my favorite chair. But I'm also completely overwhelmed. Reading (and undestanding!)15 or 20 poems every night leaves me speechless and when I read the comments, I don't have much to add, my mind is so full it's blank. Has anybody else felt this way in the beginning? Any advice or comment would be helpful. Best to all, Ingrid | ||
| LJ Cohen
Moderator Username: ljc Post Number: 8039 Registered: 07-2002 |
Ingrid--there is such a wealth of writing here, it's easy to get overwhelmed. My advice to you would be to go slowly. Pick a few poems and absorb what the poet has to say and then just start with how the poem resonated with you. Offering a detailed crit is a skill to learn, just as writing poetry is a skill. Rather than worry about what you can't add to the commentary, just relax and offer what you can add: your reaction, your connection, your interpretation. Sometimes hearing what a reader most connected to, or least understood is the most valuable critique I can get as a poet. Enjoy wild. best, ljc Once in a Blue Muse Blog LJCohen | ||
| Kathy Paupore
Moderator Username: kathy Post Number: 5987 Registered: 12-2003 |
Ingrid, Lisa's advice is spot on. Even if you offer just an I like this poem, or point out a particular phrase that works for you in the poem it is appreciated. Start small, expand. Welcome to WILD.  KYou're invited to: Wild Flowers Adopt the pace of nature, her secret is patience. RW Emerson | ||
| ~M~
Board Administrator Username: mjm Post Number: 26642 Registered: 11-1998 |
Dearest Ingrid -- first of all, thanks for joining Wild. It's a pleasure to have you here. We appreciate that you want to be an active, participating member. Without people like you, Wild would cease to exist. Lisa has given you some great commentary and advice. I think your feelings of being overwhelmed are simply a result of trying to absorb too much all at once. It's like trying to watch every channel on your TV. That just gets much too confusing. I'd recommend reading what's posted here in ESSENTIAL OILS as often as you can to keep yourself updated on the happenings at Wild. As for the other forums, just start by reading through the list of poems without commenting. That will give you a feel for what authors you relate to and wish to spend time with. At the beginning, focus your attention on them. Then you can slowly add an author or two as time and interest permit. Wild is a big place, Ingrid. No one can take in all of it. Not even me, and I'm here a goodly number of hours a day. Just think of us as a library. No one (not even you!) would expect you to read every book. Just check out a few at a time and really enjoy those. The same thing applies to commenting. When a poem really touches you, the words will come to you. Don't try to compete with all the other comments. Just tell the author what Ingrid thinks from her heart. Believe me -- most authors will appreciate your honest and heartfelt commentary. Hope something we've offered will help you. Best, M | ||
| Ron. Lavalette
Valued Member Username: dellfarmer Post Number: 239 Registered: 05-2007 |
Don't lissen to em, Ingrid. Everyone here expects you to read each and evey entry carefully, then make copious and COGENT remarks on each piece, offering deep and intelligent comments and sweeping and meaningfull suggestions for improvement. Preferrably these will include your insights into the deeper allusions made to classic literature, and and your own well-thought-out line-by-line analyses. And if you don't produce, you'll be branded a slacker, and promptly banished from our esteemed presence. ...Or, you could just say, "Hey, nice poem. I really liked the image of the dog licking its own butt." Whichever you're more comfy with. Welcome, Grasshopper. --Ron. http://eggsovertokyo.blogspot.com | ||
| Gary Blankenship
Moderator Username: garydawg Post Number: 19147 Registered: 07-2001 |
Welcome to wild, but whatever you do stay away from Fred, in about 4 hours... Smiles. Gary | ||
| Ingrid Ringel
New member Username: adelphi Post Number: 38 Registered: 09-2007 |
Hi all, Thanks so much for your understanding and advice, taking it slow and focusing on a small selection of authors makes sense... If I only knew which ones to select without ignoring anybody ... Ron, you are sooo funny!!! Gary, your comment is so mysterious!!! Love to all, Ingrid | ||
| Fred Longworth
Advanced Member Username: sandiegopoet Post Number: 2171 Registered: 05-2006 |
Ingrid, We're being invaded by aliens from the planet Gwadyrag, a hundred light-years from Earth. The aliens call themselves Blankens. And our moderator "Gary" hails from the Blankens' ship, orbiting hundreds of miles above the earth and hidden from view by a cloaking device. He will deny these things. But the truth of what I say is validated by the stridency of his protests. Yesterday he threatened to kidnap me and take me to the mother ship for "interrogation." So beware! Be cautious! Know this: he inserts subliminal messages in his poems which will lull you into letting down your guard. Then -- whammo! -- up you go into the mother ship for implants, probes and the unspeakable. Fred | ||
| Gary Blankenship
Moderator Username: garydawg Post Number: 19167 Registered: 07-2001 |
Fred, you will not go to the mother ship...they are smarter than that... s/g | ||
| Tina Hoffman
Valued Member Username: tina_hoffman Post Number: 277 Registered: 05-2007 |
Dear Ingrid, I did not look at your profile, maybe I should; but I am a 40-something lady (just had a b-day yesterday! :-) who has been writing since as long as I can remember, but primarily, my true inspiration to write poetry, fiction and journal entries came from a 7th grade teacher, and then from beyond, in other institutions of higher learning and through the Internet evolution of poetry workshops, ezines and web sites - an amazing thing to watch and participate in, but certainly a lot to take in. (BTW - "beyond" not as in the great beyond or the mother ship like Fred might imply, but you know - the beyond. ) Culturally, we are so fortunate with the advent of more widely accessible global poetry! I feel priveleged to have been not only a participant then and now in this, but a witness to it. Remember, it doesn't matter what age you catch the spark; if you truly feel the need to write -- write! Utilize some of the forums for heavy critique when you feel comfortable doing so - with as broad of shoulders as you can manage. Read as much as you like, but not so much that it cramps your own feelings, observations and desire to write - don't let others intimidate you or squelch your passion for writing. I have heard many an esteemed poet (both alive and also some where I have read their words posthumously) admit that they have ruined many a writer by their own critiques, comments, callousness and arrogance. Hang on to your inspiration, as from what I have read so far, you have a lovely sense of imagery, a sensitivity, and are a fine observer. Take a notepad and pen with you wherever you go. Jot down notes. Put them away. Come back to them later and let your notes recall what you have seen. Write a poem, gather critiques - then either revise immediately as you see fit, or print them all off and come back to them in a year or two. Repost. See what the new view is... :-) Work on disciplining yourself in learning forms and formats - but find your own in the process. You'll be fine, and you are in a great place to learn, grow and offer your own fresh perspectives and insights, even to the old dogs around here who aren't immune, hopefully, to learning a few new tricks, which is what I think you will find as a newcomer willing to share your thoughts, honestly, as you did with this post. Good for you! Just don't forget to breathe, and that your writings are your own. :-) All the best in your journey as a poetess. Best regards, Tina MySpace currently under construction... "All the world is full of suffering, it is also full of overcoming it." ~~~ Helen Keller | ||
| Ingrid Ringel
New member Username: adelphi Post Number: 41 Registered: 09-2007 |
Fred and Gary, 'Gwadyrag', if the place is as strange as it sounds... Thanks for being silly and making me laugh! Tina, Poetess is my favorite new word! Great practical advice (printing the critiques),your supportive kindness is much appreciated, thanks for your extensive "letter to a young poet" (who happens to be middle-aged in this case) My best to all, Ingrid |
