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 Workshop Tips-Look Here!By: Rachelle King on 4/13/2002; 11:23 AM This following stuff may be useful if you wish to critique/comment on another person's work: Wordsmith Workshop Critique Guidelines 1. Read the piece aloud 2. Does it achieve maximum impact with minimal words? 3. Is the language used well in reference to density and intensity of expression? 4. What is the purpose? 5. Is it coherent? 6. Does it flow? 7. What are the strengths/weaknesses of the piece? 8. Are there strong descriptive verbs? 9. Are there defensible line breaks? 10. Is the poem abstract or too general? 11. Does the piece make use of Alliteration/Assonance or Dissonance? 12. Is the diction or tone vivid? 13. Does the piece use internal/external rhyme schemes? 14. Is the piece complete; does it have a compelling begginning/middle/end? 15. Read the piece again. What is a Wordsmith Workhop? "The People shall consciously undertake to respect and to encourage each other to feel safe enough to attempt the building of a community of trust in which all may try to be truthful and deeply serious in the messages they craft for the world to contemplate." -from June Jordan's "Poetry for the People" In short: Always remember POV (point of view) varies depending on some of he following factors: culture, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age. The author may be writing for or to a specific audience. No Bullshit: Although we live in a culture of individuality and smiling faces, the critique process is not about ego tripping or back stabbing. Be real, but at the same time remember that it takes time to build trust. Some stuff from an old website of mine that might help: "We don't mean to say that your art shouldn't go through rigorous revising. We don't mean that all you work should be stream of conscienceness. We don't mean that art is produced perfectly the first time, because it came from your heart and that's all that really matters. We do mean that art, especially written and spoken, should convey a message that is clear to a wide ranging audience. Does the work, whatever form it may take, get your intended point across? Is the work interesting? Does it evoke emotion and mutual understanding from your audience. Does it captivate them?" "Let's face it, folks, most of us will not make a living out of our art. This doesn't mean we can't improve it for ourselves. The ability to convey thoughts accurately through the production of art can be the backbone of our ability to communicate with others and sort through the thoughts in our own heads." 1. When commenting on an author's piece, it is always important to be unbiased with regard to the author's content. 2. Look for grammatical errors, such as the use of extraneous commas or periods in a poem or run on sentences in short stories. 3. Look for extraneous sentences or lines that are not substantial to the point of the piece. 4. Look for original imagery, the use of effect literary approaches such as similes and metaphors, and creative descriptions. 5. Look for confusing material that should be explained or shown to the reader more clearly. 6. LEAVE OUT words like horrible, distasteful, elementary, stupid, base, ignorant, etc. LEAVE OUT phrases such as "My two year old has better descriptive skills." 7. Keep in mind that dumpsite is not a competition for revealing the most profound works ever written: Writers with various levels of skill will be submitting.
 RE: Workshop Tips-Look Here!By: Mark Morgan on 4/14/2002; 1:57 AM Rachelle, you used to have a website? Very cool! And nice set of rules. So, what does everyone think of these guidelines?
 RE: Workshop Tips-Look Here!By: Evan on 4/14/2002; 4:33 PM They seem like pretty good guidelines, except of course that I don't personally believe that coherence is really that important. Of course other people may feel that a story making sense and will want to comment on it. fried yo-yo terds
RE: Workshop Tips-Look Here!By: Rachelle King on 4/14/2002; 7:18 PM Yes Mark, I had a website once. I gave up and decided to join other sites. I don't have enough patience or discipline to deal with all this internet stuff. I have absolutly no grasp of HTML and other computer-type stuff!?!?! I think coherence is only important to those of us that are pretending to know what we are rambling on about. The rest except that fact that we don't and opt for a better representation of our chaotic, muddled, thoughts!?!?!?
RE: Workshop Tips-Look Here!By: Mark Morgan on 4/14/2002; 9:00 PM Although such a thing is not possible right now, if there is ever an Editor permission level, I hope you will consider it. (Right now there is just Guest (read-only), member (read and post), and admin (command of all things). An editor would, in my world, have the authority to edit/delete messages but not have admin authority.)
RE: Workshop Tips-Look Here!By: Rachelle King on 4/15/2002; 11:35 AM That would be a good opportunity. I would still be wary of taking such a position. I have had many editor positions in the past and it can become somewhat strenuous as opposing ideas clash and participation moves from extreme to negligible. I think there would be a few people on VOU that might not agree with a position like this being delagated to just certain individuals. Nonetheless, I am flattered and humbled that you would suggest it.
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