After the unexplained demise of Urbis.com, I needed a new place online to get feedback on creative writing. I wanted a site like Urbis- free, and with good constructive criticism to help me fine-tune the lit I'm sending out to places. A Google search took me to Allpoetry.com.
The design of the site is great. The user uploads a profile, uploads writing and decides how their page should look using a range of backgrounds. Each poem they upload can also be altered to suit, with interchangeable background and text colours.
To gain reviews, as is the norm on these sites, first you've got to give them. I got cracking and fired a load of reviews out. As one of my pieces is an erotic poem, I hammered the Erotica category to see what others were doing. I wasn't bowled over. The poems themselves were okay, but not of the calibre I'd expect in any lit magazines. I gave most poets the “compliment sandwich”- open with praise, constructively criticise, close with praise. Yes, I have lifted the phrase from Family Guy. More details on this here:
http://powerisastateofmind.blogspot.com/2010/06/compliment-sandwich.html
However, I don't really know what I'm doing with poetry. I joined the site to learn. The way to learn how to write is to accept criticism. That way, you know what to improve. It might sound like I'm stating the obvious, but I was the only reviewer on Allpoetry offering criticism. Every review I saw was nothing but shallow ego-stroking.
“Wow! That wz realli nice! :)”
I asked a question in the site's forum- why is nobody criticising each other?
A member replied that there's a Poetry for Revision section for those hoping to improve their work.
What's the point in there only being a section? What do you stand to gain from NOT being criticised?
Regardless, I had a browse around the revision section- the reviews offered are visible to all under the uploaded poems. They still weren't that explicit. So no, I'm afraid I won't be using allpoetry.com again. If anyone knows of any effective writing sites that are free- and that will push writers into being better poets- by all means, comment below.
3 comments:
You could try Writerscafe.org, that's free
I did a few years ago- again, it was all a bit nicey-nicey and nobody wanted to criticise each other. I also dished out LOADS of reviews and didn't get many in return. Thanks though!
Then where do you suggest that one goes to receive some good critical comments about their poetry, that is not going to cost them an arm and a leg? I have produced my poetry on the site mentioned, and it is true that the replies can be flowery. I have produced some that are very controversial in their content subject, but I beleive that poetry wise they are good enough, but to them I receive no replies or damn few. I feel shunned.
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