SnotRag

Well, after a very long hiatus of very little creative fiction/poetry, I am currently in London with a small amount of emotional stress and a large amount of mental stress. Under some circumstances, this can be highly inducive for poetry.

It just so happens that this is one of those circumstances. Expect a lot of poetry from me sometime soon. Can't promise that it will be any better than my earlier stuff, or any good at all really, but take it for what it is.

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I'm doing my darndest to find some actual prose to sink my teeth into, but every time I check the Daily Favs for Prose on dA, it's always some kind of lame suicidal junk or petition that gets bumped up there because people happen to have a lot of friends who equally lack in talent. Why can't I have people who hang on my every submission and tell me that dung heaps I happen to submit should be published? It'd sure help my self-esteem, though it might not do much for my actual development as a writer.

Anyway, I submitted a piece a few days ago. I like it. I might develop it into something more later. But until then, it's just an attempt to put out a piece of prose that isn't affiliated with anything already created. It's about time I strike off on my own and get away from fan-fictions. I've been too lazy to make my own plots, but no more.

Expect another prose piece shortly.

Wow, there are quite a few angsty people on dA. Recently, I was cruising through the recently submitted poetry, when I stumbled upon a short piece written in couplet form (AABBCCDD...). There were a few minor errors, and I offered some suggestions. My comment went something like this:

"Honestly, this poem is weak. The continuous couplet form is meant for a more playful subject, not such a serious topic such as this. Also, the weak rhyme scheme is hurting it. Dull rhymes such as kiss/this are overused and boring."

After that, I went on to detail a few things I liked about the poem, and left it at that. The author took it rather well, but then someone else came on and proceeded to flame me profanely, telling me I had no idea what I was talking about, and later telling me that I have no poetic talent, and therefore have no room to criticize.

In the end, I was told to sugarcoat my critiques, so people feel better. So, for anyone who reads this, I'm interested to know what you think on this matter. Should critiques be sugarcoated, and thereby make the people feel better, or should they be given straight up, with the honest intention of edifying another?

Anyone interested in reading the poem, and the comment progression can find it here: www.deviantart.com/deviation/2…

Well, I finally hit 1000 hits. Thanks to everyone that made clicked on my page and boosted that little number. Took me over a year, but I'm finally here.