tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4139625267522039683.post6917186515386322055..comments2023-11-05T07:53:12.708-05:00Comments on Poets United: Moonlight Musings: the Interactive Edition, #1Rosemary Nissen-Wadehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05913841031559499568noreply@blogger.comBlogger37125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4139625267522039683.post-61728364054274040422019-08-18T12:07:54.553-04:002019-08-18T12:07:54.553-04:00Time is always playing hard to get, isn't it? ...Time is always playing hard to get, isn't it? We can do nothing but run after it and hope to catch up when we can (at least, that's what I do... still, I don't always catch up).<br /><br />I think our creative sanity remains as whole as it can be when we remember what you've pointed out: feedback (positive or negative) "is just an opinion". We take the good, and let go of the bad. Magaly Guerrerohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18295455026184103230noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4139625267522039683.post-25466474308713938952019-08-18T08:51:35.388-04:002019-08-18T08:51:35.388-04:00Sorry Magaly, I am unable to contribute to this de...Sorry Magaly, I am unable to contribute to this debut interactive edition of Moonlight musings. The week was insanely busy. Anyway I would like to contribute a comment here. <br /><br />Many years back, when my blog <i>urban poems</i> was pretty new, an anonymous person commented and urged me to "just STOP writing poor excruciating poetry". <br /><br />I could have just deleted off his/her comments, but I didn't and posted all the exchanges. <br /><br />He/she claimed to have a MFA, and I requested the writer to have a peep at some of his/her poetry. Of course the offer wasn't taken up. I have come to view that anonymous critic as a troll, and nothing else. It is just his/her opinion, and if you are not going to give a name or reasons why my poetry is bad, then it is just an opinion, and one is entitled to that. I do not mind criticism that can improve the poem, e.g. grammar, suggestions to shorten or lengthen the lines. I will be grateful for that. dsnake1https://www.blogger.com/profile/08724264906690080704noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4139625267522039683.post-32847448331288965062019-08-18T08:34:41.524-04:002019-08-18T08:34:41.524-04:00Thank you so much, Poets and Storytellers, for mak...Thank you so much, Poets and Storytellers, for making the first Moonlight Musings: the Interactive Edition exactly what I hoped it would--a place where we can write about words, our feelings towards them, our reactions to them. Magaly Guerrerohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18295455026184103230noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4139625267522039683.post-72880182531690895082019-08-18T01:11:35.449-04:002019-08-18T01:11:35.449-04:00Dear Linda, I couldn't comment on your blog, d...Dear Linda, I couldn't comment on your blog, don't know why. It was a very enjoyable read. Like you I also felt, 'I found my people' when I found Poets United.Sumana Royhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17333363799083094084noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4139625267522039683.post-77293647936178202652019-08-17T19:15:13.355-04:002019-08-17T19:15:13.355-04:00Me too!Me too!Magaly Guerrerohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18295455026184103230noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4139625267522039683.post-80430247931291824362019-08-17T18:37:42.268-04:002019-08-17T18:37:42.268-04:00@Rosemary, as a former clueless beginner, I can sa...@Rosemary, as a former clueless beginner, I can say that you absolutely correct. I don't think I would've ever learn to love poetry without receiving Kerry's and Hedgewitch's encouragements. Magaly Guerrerohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18295455026184103230noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4139625267522039683.post-86504310868229751032019-08-17T18:14:05.987-04:002019-08-17T18:14:05.987-04:00I LOVE discussions of process ... in all the arts....I LOVE discussions of process ... in all the arts.Rosemary Nissen-Wadehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05913841031559499568noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4139625267522039683.post-57984436800167987902019-08-17T18:10:44.839-04:002019-08-17T18:10:44.839-04:00I’m with you all as to the value of serious feedba...I’m with you all as to the value of serious feedback - and in having learned online to either praise what I can find to praise, maybe comment on content, and if something is truly awful say nothing. However, have noticed over the years that with encouragement and practice clueless beginners can turn into very good poets.Rosemary Nissen-Wadehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05913841031559499568noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4139625267522039683.post-73144996649073760472019-08-17T16:40:22.198-04:002019-08-17T16:40:22.198-04:00Smiling!Smiling!Linda Lee Lyberghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03669367010600000396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4139625267522039683.post-47154788601658956812019-08-17T13:56:04.147-04:002019-08-17T13:56:04.147-04:00Thank you, Sherry. I'm so happy we are talking...Thank you, Sherry. I'm so happy we are talking about writing and reading and all that good yumminess. I love writing so much, and I really missed talking about the process, about what we experience on the way... <br /><br />Can't wait for next month! Magaly Guerrerohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18295455026184103230noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4139625267522039683.post-21393402094114584432019-08-17T13:54:28.456-04:002019-08-17T13:54:28.456-04:00I was just telling my Piano Man that I feel very l...I was just telling my Piano Man that I feel very lucky to have found a place where link-minded people can delight in words. Some years ago, that would've meant leaving the house and attending events my immune system can't quite handle at the moment. I am grateful to have found you, too!Magaly Guerrerohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18295455026184103230noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4139625267522039683.post-6979846328346191512019-08-17T13:00:22.066-04:002019-08-17T13:00:22.066-04:00Wow, Magaly, what a lively Friday! I am very impre...Wow, Magaly, what a lively Friday! I am very impressed. This was/is such a good discussion and most definitely interactive!Sherry Blue Skyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01926508656571639801noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4139625267522039683.post-23225843627083227452019-08-17T11:41:27.939-04:002019-08-17T11:41:27.939-04:00Magaly, thank you so much for this. I learn so muc...Magaly, thank you so much for this. I learn so much from all of you here, and I am so grateful to have found you!Linda Lee Lyberghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03669367010600000396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4139625267522039683.post-44878663569929896512019-08-17T10:44:52.513-04:002019-08-17T10:44:52.513-04:00Balance, reality, and empathy are much to often un...Balance, reality, and empathy are much to often underused, methinks.Magaly Guerrerohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18295455026184103230noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4139625267522039683.post-75263384008610261592019-08-17T09:54:34.783-04:002019-08-17T09:54:34.783-04:00Fake positivity gives me the hives, but so do peop...Fake positivity gives me the hives, but so do people who think they're extra cool or edgy when offering criticism in excessively harsh or dismissive terms. It's almost like they care more about how smart they look when they are delivering their barbs than they do about actually discussing the art of writing so people can grow. Because let's be real, everyone knows acid rain storms don't nurture as much as they kill growth. And anyone who thinks they do is as self-deluded as perpetual sunshine pushers.Rommyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18343895193475984183noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4139625267522039683.post-61548226344763853052019-08-16T19:25:15.719-04:002019-08-16T19:25:15.719-04:00And that last bit makes all the difference, I thin...And that last bit makes all the difference, I think. Magaly Guerrerohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18295455026184103230noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4139625267522039683.post-18165490498964134922019-08-16T19:12:37.226-04:002019-08-16T19:12:37.226-04:00Myrna, i love your poetry. I often feel the same w...Myrna, i love your poetry. I often feel the same way. I know when a poem of mine isnt up to snuff, is just words, is not as good as poems i used to write. I also know my fatigue impacts my writing. I guess i am grateful to be still here, and writing anything at all. I know i love your voice in your poems. I would miss them if you werent writing.Sherry Blue Skyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10769154286598233146noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4139625267522039683.post-85542848979982349282019-08-16T19:09:26.282-04:002019-08-16T19:09:26.282-04:00That reminds me of my severest critic, my friend C...That reminds me of my severest critic, my friend Chris, a very talented poet recognized in the B.C. literary world. She doesnt hesitate to point out where i have used the same word three times in a poem, etc. And i am grateful, because i know she is trying to help my poetry. It doesnt bother me at all. Building up, as opposed to tearing down.Sherry Blue Skyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10769154286598233146noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4139625267522039683.post-27229785568928051422019-08-16T19:05:46.658-04:002019-08-16T19:05:46.658-04:00That is an interesting point, those who write with...That is an interesting point, those who write with social interaction in mind and those writing seriously, and really trying to improve their craft. That was the underlying premise of Toads branching off from Poets United, to provide a smaller forum for those who wanted to work more closely together. That made Toads a very special venue. I did some of my best work there. I looked up to online poetry greats: Kerry, Joy, Shay, Kelli, for example, all made me work harder. It is a privilege to have had those years when we were writing with such energy. Reading such poets, admiration is the only possible response. Smiles. For those writing less seriously, or just beginning, encouragement may help them spread their wings, and sometimes they ask for input, too.<br /><br /> What an interesting conversation this is. Yay! Sherry Blue Skyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10769154286598233146noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4139625267522039683.post-24509110094627711942019-08-16T18:15:02.550-04:002019-08-16T18:15:02.550-04:00I hope you put some ice on that tongue *runs away ...I hope you put some ice on that tongue *runs away cackling*.Magaly Guerrerohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18295455026184103230noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4139625267522039683.post-30945839084477430642019-08-16T17:57:21.242-04:002019-08-16T17:57:21.242-04:00Yep, walking away is what I've pretty much don...Yep, walking away is what I've pretty much done, though I do still participate a little bit on an informal basis. I have learned to--usually--bite my tongue and do like Bambi's mother advised. Fireblossomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07040525704916368792noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4139625267522039683.post-7546749571680339372019-08-16T17:40:49.927-04:002019-08-16T17:40:49.927-04:00Also, you are most welcome. :-)Also, you are most welcome. :-)Magaly Guerrerohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18295455026184103230noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4139625267522039683.post-50094398068834131402019-08-16T17:40:30.212-04:002019-08-16T17:40:30.212-04:00I think we have that right and should use it! Ever...I think we have that right and should use it! Every now and again, I write something that is pure fun--usually silly and dorky and slightly dark (like moi). It's the good thing about freedom, that we can define it together. <br /><br />But I also want a place like this--or like what I want this feature to become--a spot on the web where we can discuss the blood and bones of language, where we point out our overuse words, where people remind me that I need to be careful with my ellipses and em dashes or my writing might try to commit seppuko in self-defense... <br /><br />Maybe, one of this days, we'll be able to have both.Magaly Guerrerohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18295455026184103230noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4139625267522039683.post-52272744290846903212019-08-16T17:33:56.293-04:002019-08-16T17:33:56.293-04:00Magaly, you've made me think today. Mostly, I...Magaly, you've made me think today. Mostly, I realize that I've been a rather lazy writer, only mildly attempting to improve what I write and frankly enjoying the fact that I don't have to agonize over form, style, perfection. I've enjoyed the freedom to simply write, appreciate the comments and enjoy reading what others have written.<br />Thanks for this interactive prompt. Myrna R.https://www.blogger.com/profile/15088915165678737118noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4139625267522039683.post-83101205434670170572019-08-16T17:33:08.717-04:002019-08-16T17:33:08.717-04:00Last year, I asked people on Facebook if they want...Last year, I asked people on Facebook if they wanted to have a "focused" writing group for poetry and storytelling (I was really missing academia). Several people said to be interested and I was delighted. A mutual friend advised me to test the waters before throwing myself into the venture (she is wiser about these things than I am). I tested the waters. And even the test nearly broke my neck. <br /><br />People got upset and defensive. No, they didn't get like this about snarky and nasty unfounded criticism. We didn't get that far. They were infuriated about the fact that I pointed out that we had to answer 5 specific questions about each piece, and that two of the questions would discuss what didn't work and how to improve it. <br /><br />From that time forward, I realized that what you say in your penultimate paragraph is mostly correct--some people write for fun and don't really want to discuss grammar or language or so many other things that make writing interesting (and nearly addictive) to me. <br /><br />After that, I stopped offering critiques. I comment on what a piece of writing makes me feel. If I feel nothing, I say nothing. If I find the topic offensive, I walk away... unless I think discussing it will offer some benefit. <br /><br />I agree that universal positivity feels, well... unbalanced. The world doesn't work that way, neither does writing. The same goes for the never-ending snark and nastiness of trolls. Perhaps the trick is trying to figure out the difference, if we can. If not, walking away works too. <br /><br />Magaly Guerrerohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18295455026184103230noreply@blogger.com