I ought to be posting the next poetry challenge right now and choosing the winner for last month's challenges. But before I can get down to that, I've got to get this off my chest.

When I joined EditRed (or SpoiledInk as it was back then), I found it so very inspiring and was pleasantly surprised at the honesty of those that read and criticised my work. I've grown as a writer since being here.

However, it seems that lately (and it happens every now and again), people have gone into ass-kissing mode. I've been looking and snooping around and have been UNpleasantly surprised at some of the crits I've read from people who, quite frankly, should know better; people who have traditionally given really honest and USEFUL crits.

I've got to say, it is easier to stay liked and loved by telling everyone that their work is fantastic and praising them for their writing whatever the standard.

God knows that writing isn't easy and just to have the guts to write something and then POST it for all the world to see is hard and something to be admired.

My congratulations to ALL you EditRed members for biting the bullet and doing it. But sorry, that's not enough!

If I did that all the time, I doubt I'd last long running the poetry challenges. Because if I told everyone their work was fantastic, people just wouldn't be able to understand why their poem hadn't won!

And that would be the least of my problems.

I'd have to live with myself, too, knowing I'd lied to people. Hahahaha.

Anyway - the point of this rant:

A few suggestions on how to crit a poem...

or at least a bit of an idea about how I do it.

Read the poem through with a clear mind. At this stage, try to ignore whether you fully understand the poem or not; just note how it makes you feel.
You will know straight away if you 'like' it or not. Even if the feelings it gives you are uncomfortable/disturbing/upsetting, this response is good. It means the poem is speaking to you in some way, therefore achieving an effect. So tell the writer.

Then look at WHY it makes you feel that way. The subject, the theme, the words that are used? And tell the writer this.

Now, if you realise that you didn't understand the poem, even after you've read it through a million times, don't be ashamed to say so. I say it all the time.
It doesn't mean you're stupid - there could be any number of reasons for you not understanding a poem. It could be something as simple as the placing of the punctuation.

Remember: everyone's life-experiences are different and what will resonate with one set of people will mean NOTHING to another set. If the writer is trying to cultivate this phenomenon, you will be paying them a compliment - if they are not, by the time they are told this a few times, they should hopefully see that they are being too vague and your honesty gives them the equipment to put it right. Everyone wins. And believe me - I've had poetry rejected many a time for being too vague. It's a lesson we all have to learn: poetry doesn't have to 'clever' to be effective - it just has to speak to the soul. You don't have to make your reader work hard for a poem to be successful. It's not an elitist sport.

Next - and even if you didn't really like the poem, you can still do this - look at the structure. Did the poet use a pattern of words, a metre, a rhyme scheme, a rhythm, a set form. And if so, did they stick to it effectively? Did you think the form suited the subject and theme of the poem?

It's okay to tell someone that the poem was well-constructed, even if you didn't actually like it or understand it.

It's okay to tell the poet that the poem was poorly constructed, even if you do like the basis of it - this is the most common thing I have to say! By saying this, you are giving them fuel to improve upon it and to make a half-decent poem great.


This site isn't about licking each other's vanity - it's about graft and improvement - and above all, HONESTY.

And remember, by giving detailed crits of other people's work, you begin to learn by osmosis the ways that you can improve your own writing.

Again, everyone wins!

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