Poems shouldn't have an H!

[Linbido]

Colleen,

maybe I used the wrong words. You'll have to forgive me, English comes slowly for me. I didn't mean that the praise for Sarah's poem was unjustified, or that anyone did wrong by voting on it and pouring praise over it.

Of course it's a little bit about sour grapes. With so much talent on display in the poetry section it irks me a little bit to see that so few people bother to check it out. That's really all I said. I know that an erotic site is a pretty odd place to go look for poetry.
But you yourself is proof enough that pure quality of writitng is greatly appriciated by the mainpart of the readers. With or without sex, I'd say it's the quality of your stories and writing that have earned you a line of almost straight H's.

I pour everytying I have into my poems, and everytime I see that someone, anyone have contributed to tick up the views statistics another digit, I am thrilled. Still, sometimes the poems means so much to me that I am almost afraid to toot my own horn about them, and draw attention to it that wasn't 100% voluntary. I mean, people who without prompting seek it out.

I have come to know and love a whole lot of people here on the AH. (in fact, I started here, and strayed into the poetry board, and writing my own by mistake) And if they read, vote and feedback any of my writitng, I know that it is objective and honest, I was never implying anything else. And I, as well as you, wouldn't want it any other way.

 

[Linbido]

I read the new poems regularly and vote when they merit more than a 3.

This probably belongs in a thread of it's own, since it's isa more general question and not only directed to you, Perdita. It has probably been discussed in other threads too...

...but why not vote 1's and 2's if it is IYO (in your opinion) deserved? I've seen people say just that about how they vote for stories too, and I don't quite understand why they do that way.

just curious,

 

[Colleen Thomas]

Colleen,

maybe I used the wrong words. You'll have to forgive me, English comes slowly for me. I didn't mean that the praise for Sarah's poem was unjustified, or that anyone did wrong by voting on it and pouring praise over it.

Of course it's a little bit about sour grapes. With so much talent on display in the poetry section it irks me a little bit to see that so few people bother to check it out. That's really all I said. I know that an erotic site is a pretty odd place to go look for poetry.
But you yourself is proof enough that pure quality of writitng is greatly appriciated by the mainpart of the readers. With or without sex, I'd say it's the quality of your stories and writing that have earned you a line of almost straight H's.

I pour everytying I have into my poems, and everytime I see that someone, anyone have contributed to tick up the views statistics another digit, I am thrilled. Still, sometimes the poems means so much to me that I am almost afraid to toot my own horn about them, and draw attention to it that wasn't 100% voluntary. I mean, people who without prompting seek it out.

I have come to know and love a whole lot of people here on the AH. (in fact, I started here, and strayed into the poetry board, and writing my own by mistake) And if they read, vote and feedback any of my writitng, I know that it is objective and honest, I was never implying anything else. And I, as well as you, wouldn't want it any other way.

Lin,

My sour grapes comment was not aimed at you, unless you are the one who made the comments in the poetry thread. I recognize that poetry dosen't get the attention it deserves here, Lit is a strange venue for poerty, especially non erotic poetry, but I have such respect for Laurel and Manu I would post here if I had a lyrical ear, which I don't by the way

I didn't realize you were a poet, but now that I know I will defintely check out some of your works. There is a limit of decorum when it comes to tooting your own horn, but conversely if you don't let people know it's out there the odds are pretty good they won't find it.

I have spent a pleasant evening perusing Lauren's work, which is great, but work I never knew existed until this very evening. I had read her holiday story and voted on it and sent fedback of course, but in my rush to read and vote on as many of the entries as I could before I went on holiday I didn't go to her author page. It was only after her gently poking fun at me that I realized she was a poet. When you post something new, don't be afraid to let everyone know

If I in any way offended you with my comments I do sincerely apologize, such was not my intent.

-Colly

 

[Guest]

...but why not vote 1's and 2's if it is IYO (in your opinion) deserved? I've seen people say just that about how they vote for stories too, and I don't quite understand why they do that way.

Lin, this is as good a place as any for me to reply as the thread has become more than about Sarah's poem. I know what it's like to write poetry. The majority of mine took weeks to months of care and deliberation (and love, emotional pain, personal anxiety, etc). "Judging" poetry is very different for me than judging stories; I speak of the majority of the narratives on Lit., not those that also come at great cost to the author. I would rather only give positive votes than risk harming a poet's (or would-be poet's) heart and soul. FYI, for stories that don't rate a 3 I don't bother voting unless they're truly execrably offensive writing-wise. That's just my thinking.

BTW, some of your high votes are from me.

Perdita

 

[Guest]

Sarah, here's a poem by the poet who dissed your popularity.

Ode to a Purple Elephant

It's not typical of his work but he has it highlighted in his sig line fergawdssake . I gave it a 3.

Perdita

 

[Colleen Thomas]

Oh! Bad Dita!

You shouldn't tempt me like that!

-Colly

 

[Guest]

Ha ha, Colly, but I only posted it to help Sarah. Just to explain, the 3 was an honest vote from me, the most I give most poems. I rarely give 5's, and 4's are hard to come by from me. I have very high standards when it comes to poetry, more so than other literature or writing. I've spent decades reading much of the greatest poetry ever published in Europe and the Americas. On Lit. I do let other aspects of a poem influence me, but even if the writer above were my best pal I would not give it more than a 3.

Perdita

 

[Guest]

Sarah, here's a poem by the poet who dissed your popularity.

Ode to a Purple Elephant

It's not typical of his work but he has it highlighted in his sig line fergawdssake . I gave it a 3.

Perdita

Oh my!

I'm having decidedly un-Christian-like thoughts regarding casting a vote! *giggle*

Nahhh - no sense starting a gang war!

Thank you so much Per - I think that just made my evening!



(He put the link in his Signature Line???)

 

[Guest]

(He put the link in his Signature Line???)

Yes, he did, just click on any of his posts. So glad I could make you feel good. I'm enjoying the last couple hours of my two week holiday and this has made me feel good too.

Perdita

 

[Linbido]

Oh my!

I'm having decidedly un-Christian-like thoughts regarding casting a vote! *giggle*

Nahhh - no sense starting a gang war!

Not with me on both sides of the fence you don't. I wouldn't get a quiet moment.

Poor guy. I'm not even sure if he's aware of the hullaballoo he has started over here.

(He put the link in his Signature Line???)

Yah? Just like u & me.

 

[Gary Chambers]

Ha ha, Colly, but I only posted it to help Sarah. Just to explain, the 3 was an honest vote from me, the most I give most poems. I rarely give 5's, and 4's are hard to come by from me. I have very high standards when it comes to poetry, more so than other literature or writing. I've spent decades reading much of the greatest poetry ever published in Europe and the Americas. On Lit. I do let other aspects of a poem influence me, but even if the writer above were my best pal I would not give it more than a 3.

Perdita

This opens a subject I've been puzzling over for a while. If the scoring range is 1,2,3,4,5 then I agree with Perdita that 3 means an competent piece of work but not outstanding. 4 might be good and 5 excellent. The lower numbers are pointless, I just don't vote as a rule rather than hand out a lowball like a 1 or 2. It would have to be truly offensive for that, which would be hard to manage on a porn site.

But then I ponder. Since starting at Lit I've posted three stories, two of which I'm fortunate to have received sticky hot ratings for, despite some lowballs. The third I consider experimental trash myself, so even I'd give it a 1 and feel good about it. But since I know how good an 'H' feels, I feel mean if I don't give any competent story or poem a 5. I guess I should have started a new thread and made it a poll, because what I'm after is some idea of how many others use the 3's and 4's for work they like but feel could have been done even better. Am I the only one who worries about this?

BTW, I think I gave Sarahh's poem a 4. As I recall, I enjoyed it but felt for such light subject matter (parody of a well known Christmas favourite) it could have been a little easier to digest, more like a kid's poem or a Christmas card greeting. But since I also felt it was above average I went for the 4 instead of 3. In all honesty, I know Perdita would follow that logic, but what about others? Would you consider that voting logic pedantic? I know I'm going to be subjected to the sarcastic wit of a Gauche, Sher or Quasi for that question, but I'll let it stand anyway.

There's also the issue of the public comment vote. I'm told that it doesn't effect the story's or poem's aggregate rating, but it's very visible and may influence other people's votes. To make matters worse, you can't not vote at all, because it votes 3 by default. As a result, I've been known to vote 3 or 4 for the submission, but go to a 5 for the public vote simply to encourage the writer and not discourage other voters. Again, I'm not sure if this is reasonable. What do you guys think?

 

[Guest]

No gang wars please -

Oh no - it's a Gang War!

All I could think of was West Side Story -

Instead of the Jets and the Sharks, though, it would be the Authors and the Poets.

When you're a Poet
you're a Poet all the time
from your first limerick
(even if you can't rhyme)

When you're a Poet
you need friends all around
'cause you could become sad
when they vote your scores down

The Poets are in town . . .

OK - that's enough!

 

[Guest]

Now I feel anxious so I want to clarify further. I like Rybka and much (not all) of his work; he's been very supportive of mine in the past. My main intent above was to bolster Sarah's spirit and to underscore the uncalled for sour grapes of his criticism.

Lin, I read Colly and Sarah as joking about low votes. My comment on his sig line came from the fact that he's promoting a poem (however witty) that is similar to the one he dissed Sarah about, not that he's doing what we all do with our author pages in our sigs.

I would be very sorry and apologetic if this thread got out of hand. So far I think everyone's had Sarah's feelings at heart, and some other good discussion has come of this. I meant in no way more than that.

Perdita

 

[Guest]

Yes -

Yes - we all put links in our sig lines.

I was just chuckling at the fact that he used that particular poem in his!

(No offense intended, truly, and I probably will never vote on any of his things because I want to make certain I'm objective!)

I always joke about low votes. People go after stories and poems once you have the coveted red H and that's why I initially started this thread. (This was hours before my poem was even discussed on the New Poems thread).

I knew the score would be knocked down (whatever the quality) because that is what people like to do.

I think 8 of my stories and 2 of my poems (not counting this one) still have an H. I think. (It doesn't keep me up nights!)

Thank you, perdita, for helping me smile today!

 

[Linbido]

There's also the issue of the public comment vote. I'm told that it doesn't effect the story's or poem's aggregate rating, but it's very visible and may influence other people's votes. To make matters worse, you can't not vote at all, because it votes 3 by default. As a result, I've been known to vote 3 or 4 for the submission, but go to a 5 for the public vote simply to encourage the writer and not discourage other voters. Again, I'm not sure if this is reasonable. What do you guys think?

I vote on everything that I read that I feel I understood well enough to judge. And I send feedback when I have something specific to say, not only "I liked your story/poem". As for public comments, I don't leave any but for sumbissions that I really like (I'd like to see them as a badge of recommendation.). And then I always slap on the vote that I gave it, a 4 or 5. Why wouldn't I?

Yup, I too find it a bit annoying that I can't skip the grading when I post a comment. Sometimes I feel like replying to comments on my own stuff. I always give myself a 3 then...

 

[Linbido]

Re: Yes -

Yes - we all put links in our sig lines.

I was just chuckling at the fact that he used that particular poem in his!

Actually, I think Dita did him a favor. The three links in his sig went to "3 that need but 1", three poems that had 9 votes, 1 more for the credible 10. So the goal is reached.

I knew the score would be knocked down (whatever the quality) because that is what people like to do.

Yeah, happened to one of mine too (in my sig, hint hint), finally crawled over 10 votes, got the H and attracted the kamikaze bombers. It never quite recovered. But I don't mind. I got some very emotional positive feedback, and that's what counts the most.

 

[Guest]

Re: Re: Yes -

Actually, I think Dita did him a favor. The three links in his sig went to "3 that need but 1", three poems that had 9 votes, 1 more for the credible 10. So the goal is reached.

Yeah, happened to one of mine too (in my sig, hint hint), finally crawled over 10 votes, got the H and attracted the kamikaze bombers. It never quite recovered. But I don't mind. I got some very emotional positive feedback, and that's what counts the most.

LOL about the favor she did him! Dita, spreading good will everywhere!

Yes - the emotional feedback is important. Poems are so much more - personal - than stories? Is that accurate?

At any rate, it is delightful to see the wonderful people on Lit jumping in with both feet to offer support and helpful explanations.

I feel loved.

 

[Lauren Hynde]

If a poem or story deserves a 5, it gets a 5; if it deserves a 1, it gets a 1. And that goes for everything in between.

If were to vote only in the good submissions, I'd have to give only 5s, or else I would probably be voting them down -- there's an uncanny number of stories with a rating between 4 and 5.

If I give 4s and 3s to good and average submissions, but don't vote on the rest, I'm allowing bad ones to maintain high ratings with sympathy votes from friends! Sometimes, when a submission is 'bombed' after getting an H that just what it means: people see an average or poor poem or story appear in the top list, start to wonder how the hell did that get in there, and vote it down in order to make things right.

That's not what happened to Sarah, of course, but that's why I always vote, unless I feel like I am missing something.

Oh, and by the way. Sometimes a 2 vote given to a poem that most people think deserves high marks doesn't necessarily constitute bombing. Different people see different things in a poem and evaluate it on different scales. It's all good.

For a case in point, follow this link.

 

[Colleen Thomas]

Certainly I was joking about delivering low votes in anger or retaliation. It's rare that I give a vote as low as three on any work I read. As to the magic H in poetry submissions, My lone poem had an H at one time and I did notice that lasted about as long as a snowball in hades. I however, can't write poetry to save my life, I just don't have a lyrical ear. So I wasn't at all surprised that the H disappeared. I didn't even think of it as someone bombing me.

-Colly

 

[Lauren Hynde]

Colly, if you check your page again you'll see one vote was enough to bring the little H back, so it was never too far down the list.

Someone whose only posted poem managed to get 22 votes (which is an impressive number), a solid 4.50 rating and a nomination as Best Erotic Poem in September shouldn't say she doesn't have a lyrical ear. Anyone who has read any of your stories knows there's a lot of poetry in you.

 

[Colleen Thomas]

Colly, if you check your page again you'll see one vote was enough to bring the little H back, so it was never too far down the list.

Someone whose only posted poem managed to get 22 votes (which is an impressive number), a solid 4.50 rating and a nomination as Best Erotic Poem in September shouldn't say she doesn't have a lyrical ear. Anyone who has read any of your stories knows there's a lot of poetry in you.

My only posted poem is my only poem, I have never tried another. I can only assume September was a slow month for the poetry board. I really appreciate the votes and reads it got, but it isn't even in the same ballpark as your work. More of an idle doodle from a child playing at poet.

Still, it was fun to write

-Colly

 

[Lauren Hynde]

Shut up. What do you know?

 

[Colleen Thomas]

Shut up. What do you know?

LOL,

Wouldn't you like to know?

-Colly

 

[Lauren Hynde]

Now that you mention it... *chuckles*

 

[champagne1982]

Re: No gang wars please -

Oh no - it's a Gang War!

All I could think of was West Side Story -

Instead of the Jets and the Sharks, though, it would be the Authors and the Poets.

When you're a Poet
you're a Poet all the time
from your first limerick
(even if you can't rhyme)

When you're a Poet
you need friends all around
'cause you could become sad
when they vote your scores down

The Poets are in town . . .

OK - that's enough!

Sadly, school turns us all into bad poets. Check a few of mine out