...and yet, I see no separate section for them, apart from the one for reviews in the Writing Workshop. I am new to poetry & wanted to try my hand at them but there seem to be no resources on this forum that I can draw from, whereas there are about a million for fiction writing & the like. If there is a section, forgive the rant above & please direct me to it - I've been looking frantically & haven't found anything of the sort myself. If there isn't, is there a small chance that there will be one in the near future?
At least one sub-section, under the 'Writing Issues' section, would be the most appropriate I assume. We could discuss anything from form - there are just so many - to rythm & styles. We could also have a dissection of well-known poets & their work, & people could come & discuss the problems they are having - just starting out with poetry, or any blocks that may arise mid-poem. We could also dicuss the different eras of poetry and the ideas or concepts they are based on, just in case anyone would like to emulate the style of a particular period. I hope I'm making sense.
I understand what you're talking about, but as you pointed out in your first post, poetry is a form of creative writing. So would it not fit under General Writing? EDIT: Something I do think would be a beneficial addition is a sub-forum in Book Discussion, for Poetry Discussion, to provide a specific place to discuss published poetry.
K.S.A I think has a point - maybe have a section for poetry and song lyric technical discussion? I don't write either but those of us that write prose - have plot creation, character development etc - poetry has specific issues like rhyme, meter etc that don't effect prose or scripts etc. Where as a short story, script and novel face a lot of the same issues. I would like to see it because I can't write poetry and would certainly be an avid reader of both it and the poetry discussion.
I've started a few discussion threads about poetry in the General Writing section, and it seems to work just fine. If you're looking for someone to talk to about poetry, message me -- I love poetry. I like Banzai's idea of having a section in Book Discussion for poetry books.
That would be perfect, if there were as many members interested in discussing the same. Otherwise, any discussion based on poetry would just go down the list & disappear into the unknown in the blink of an eye. Also, apart from that one sticky that discusses what a poem should be about, there aren't too many stickies on poetry. I think having it under the sub-section on Book discussison would be like relegating it to the role of unwanted step-sister. Somewhere it can be more visible to visitors and members alike would make more sense, would it not?
That is specifically the reason why I made the suggestion. I believe you, Banzai, recently had a discussion about how to get more members involved in the existing poetry section. I think this would be the perfect solution. Just like Elgaisma, I am new to poetry too & would like to have the ability to discuss whatever issues that arise out of this new venture. I have, indeed, gone through those threads & I'm most grateful for them. I'd love to dicuss this form with you & I know there are other members out there who would also like the opportunity. But I'm sure you don't want your personal board to be flooded with millions of questions, do you? If we have a bigger open forum for poetry, we could have discussions as a group & you wouldn't have to take the trouble to keep repeating yourself either.
It's true that there aren't many stickies on poetry, but we're always open to suggestions for new sticky threads to be made. You mention that poetry threads in General Writing will just disappear if there isn't enough interest, would not the result in a similar situation with a poetry forum mean that we just had a very quiet forum? Not shooting your idea down, just running through possible results. That's a fair point. Perhaps a separate Poetry Discussion forum in its own right would be more appropriate. I think the main issue is demand; if there is enough demand for something, Daniel is usually happy to provide. But if he's started the threads, why not have the discussions there? Or if there are other issues you want to discuss/get answers to, why not start a thread yourself to discuss it? I just don't see why General Writing wouldn't cover both prose and poetry is all.
Ah, my apologies. I got the two members mixed up. I thought he was the one who had posted the thread I had mentioned earlier. I haven't found any other threads but that, too, is my own fault. I don't usually go beyond the first page of threads & these seem to have been pushed back a bit. That's why, if it's possible, if a thread relates to important information on poetical form and the like, could we please have it stickied? As for starting a thread myself, I wouldn't know where to begin. Which is why I was hoping to come across those posted by someone who's been writing poems for a while.
There could be enough demand. Not sure. I'm not opposed to the idea. There are separate sections for Character Development and Plot Creation, but none for Poetic Devices, so maybe you have a point. In the meantime, as Banzai says, if there's something you want to discuss, start a thread and see where it goes.
I actually agree with this suggestion. If there are subforums for plot creation and character development, then there SHOULD be a subforum for poetic devices. You could put it under general writing, but you could also put character development and plot creation there, as they are parts of writing as well. But they are very specific parts, and frankly, so is poetry. Just my two cents.
Truth be told, I'm not genuinely sure what purpose Plot Creation serves. I'd sooner use it, and make research a full blown forum.
It already does. But there are very few poetry questions raised. A separate poetry subforum would be a waste of page space, and the size of the home page DOES matter. There ARE strategies to plot development. Also, many members seem to be confused over the differences between plot, storyline, and theme. Plot Creation is a good place to discuss matters such as that, as soon as we get people past the notion of asking for opinions about their story synopses.
We have plot creation, character development etc Those don't often apply to poetry so the writing issues forum has already been segregated - message given prose, script writing etc is more important and is given precedent over poetry. Like has been covered big issue is when it is placed under general writing it gets lost, is more difficult to find and use as a resource. Poetry is much more specialised and a much harder form of literature to get right, and it can help and aid those of use that write prose to understand it better - the resource would be useful. More questions may get raised if there was somewhere to put them - even justa general poetry discussion board - where poetry and devices could be discussed. Despite the moderators opinions on the matter it often proves a fruitful board for those of us that use it.
Then I suggest that the Character Development and Plot Creation sections be removed because that belongs to fiction writing. If you don't want to separate writing issues by form, then don't. But since you already are, I don't think it's fair to be partial to one form of writing over another. And I mean absolutely no disrespect when saying this, but I just don't see the point of having a suggestions section if they're mostly (from my experience, anyway) written off with something along the lines of "that's not how we do it here." Well, yeah. It's not. That's why we're suggesting it. I manage forums as well, and there's no manual on how to do it, but I think there should be some openness. I think this forum is managed very well, and I really love it here, but it's not perfect. There's always room for improvement. This is just an opinion. Again, I mean no disrespect.
I hadnt thought about it, Im still fairly new here. But you make a good point. Its great to have a place to post poetry and review it but there should also be a designated place to discuss the technicalities of poetry.
@Banzai & @Cogito Could we at least have a trial run with a sub-section under Writing Issues? Or if that isn't going to be a possibility anytime soon, could I please request either of you, or some of the other seniormost members, to sticky posts on Poetry technique or form? I'd love to put something up myself. In fact, I'm putting one post together on types right now. But since I know so little of this medium, I'm not sure how good it's going to be **sighs**
There are strategies to take in poems, but nothing so general as plot creation or character development. It's hard to say which strategies would be most helpful to writers on this forum. So this is a very good point. The fact that no one is posting questions in General Writing about poetic devices or strategies would seem to indicate there is not enough demand for such a subsection. If you feel there is a need for such a discussion, why not start by MAKING that discussion happen, instead of suggesting someone else make it for you?
if a sticky is to be considered for poetry, i feel it should consist only of links to the best poetry sites, not be put together with info/advice written by any member... these are the ones i recommend to my poetry mentees: http://www.poets.org/index.php http://www.theotherpages.org/poems/index.html http://www.americanpoems.com/ http://www.poetryconnection.net/ ...as i'm a full time poet myself and i mentor many aspiring ones, if anyone has questions needing answers, or wants personal help, feel free to drop me an email anytime at: maia3maia@hotmail.com love and hugs, maia
at least in the form of this one, whose writings are most often in poetic form... as you can see from the plethora of titles in the 'philosetry' section on my website...
