A Reviewer's Remise

This is prose, not true poetry. It came to me when reflecting on the reviews I give to so many people.

Review. Tis a sweet melody to most here on Writerscafe. We all seek the common recognition and praise for our work, but when is it -dare I say it- justified? I have read a thousand works here, eager to leave my thoughts and praises for some, eager to leave critique on others. However, what gives justice to the words I speak? By whose authority do I tell people what to fix and what to keep? I find myself struggleng with the fact that there are so many good writers here on our esteemed Writerscafe, and yet so many of them need improvement. But who am I to be the one to tell them that? I look at the reviews of others and recognise they give nothing but praise. Am I supposed to tell people what is wrong or right with their work? Should I? I claim to be superior to nobody. I am naught but a set of words on a screen, happily coming together in a set order by the destining of this thing you call a soul. But what gives it purpose? What gives it merit? What about my words is so significant that it must be written down? And then, why should anybody read them? A thousand laments for the man who wakes and discovers this truth!

 

Regardless, I write because I write. I review because I know, or moreso fathom to know; what it's like not to be reviewed. My will is shallow; my soul is meek. But for some reason, it still holds taunt. I review on no authority, I write for no one's merit. And somewhere along the way, my soul will fade. Insignificant.

 

Sincerely,

Writer

Reviews

[...]

... it's a very thought-provoking write ... my thoughts? ... i'd like to start from scratch ... and start by talking about life ... what's the most important thing? ... human rights ... for me it definitely is ... what is the biggest challenge in a multi-cultural setting? ... offending someone unintentionally ... what is poetry? ... it's a finger print of the soul ... what does it celebrate the most? ... the freedom of expression ... what is the one competence that poets ought to have? ... being able to be respectful all the time and not being disrespectful especially when it comes to choice of words ... between verbal and non-verbal communication, what is significantly more potent? ... non-verbal communication ... we always communicate more through the tone of our writing than through the choice of words ... what is the potential harm of leaving a positive comment? ... the poet is reassured and will take more risks and experiment more ... is that really harmful? ... i don't think so ... what is the challenge? ... we must not validate something that we do not believe in ... and here i'm referring to ethics and they are universal ... and not morality which is subjective ... having said that ... i have a very clear understanding of the word "review" ... it is a second look ... in a review ... i view again ... what i see ... and let the poet know what i saw ... then it is for them to decide whether what i saw is more or less or equivalent to what they meant to show me ... when i chance upon a value or principle being spoken of that i don't agree with ... i make sure that i don't validate it ... for instance ... if someone is talking about committing suicide ... something that i do not agree with ... i may notice grammatical inaccuracies or find the potential for recommending structural enhancements ... but what becomes more important for me even then ... is to not validate the idea ... and i don't ... similarly ... if i come across a write that has some minor grammar issues or potential for structural enhancements ... but has the music of life in it ... then i validate it ... i think communication was never a victim of grammar and structure ... and there are many of us here for whom english is not the first language ... besides ... is it really possible to fix someone's grammar by giving feedback on one or two or three or even ten pieces? ... i don't think so ... is it possible to change someone's thought process and get them to structure poems differently by giving feedback on one or two or three or even ten pieces? ... i don't think so ... i am too small an entity in the universe of verse and i have a long way to go as a human being ... it's enough to get my human rights song right ... and if i manage to accomplish that ... it's enough for me to validate ethical thoughts and actions ... when i'm done with that ... and become an expert ... as also become the expert in saying things in such a manner that the choice of words as well as the tone of my words has no potential to hurt anyone ... who by the way ... might be in another corner of the world ... suffering from severe depression or oppression ... then i'll critique a poem ... i'm a long way from that right now ... anyhow ... this is an amazingly enriching write ... it educates me about another perspective ... and i am indebted for the opportunity to express my thoughts ... god bless ... and thanks again ... (serah) ...

... p.s. ... the knowledge of grammar and structure comes from extensive reading ... there are enough writers here in the cafe who are great at grammar and structure ... and those who are not pretty much know who to read ... still ... if i really feel the need ... then i'll recommend a particular poet to a poet who is not good at grammar and structuring ... rather than talk down to them ... that is a far more non-threatening way to critique ... and when i have done so ... it has always worked ...

[DiMar4u]

so soft when seeking approval, the ego only steals, a soulless parasite. how beautiful it would be to share without discretion, to say what's on the mind, knowing that the other is secure enough to receive constructive criticism. if it were so, we'd all grow, every day, exponentially--a thicker skin is all we might ever need..

[Livana Lowell]

The writer is an entertainer, or most like one. He/she performs with her words to a given audience depending on what he/she is performing and in the performance, the writer, the entertainer, must convey whatever message or truth he wants to present. However, the message and his/her career is based a lot on the reaction of the audience, what the audience saw or experienced when seeing the writer's work.

What gives the reviewer power and justification is in its name. You are the reviewer, but above that you are the reader, the audience that the writer performs for. You have to read the piece in order to review the piece, do you not? Because you are the reader, you receive the message of the writer, the entertainer. You are basically half of his/her job. Therefore, yes, the reviewer is justified in his/her power over the writer. Because you are the reader and the reviewer, you are justified in your words. Your words matter greatly. And dependent upon the the message received, the writer is given a choice to heed the words to fix whatever is needed so that the message is effectively given, or not.

This piece appears to me to be 2-D because you define the review and yet you don't define the reviewer and describe what role the review is to have for the writer as in why do we review it in the first place. Plus it seems the answer is written to your doubts that you've portrayed here. Writers need improvement. The writer comes here to improve in their work and the reviewer tells him/her where the improvement is needed.

You are not claiming superiority when reviewing, but equality in the writer's job, a partnership if you will. And on top of that, it's free. And once again what gives purpose to your review is praise, improvement, feedback, who's listening, and what was conveyed, what was done to the writer by your piece. Once again, the words are significant because the writer feeds on the feedback.

The writer cannot be a writer without an audience no matter what whether it is one self or many others.

And I don't understand you when you call your will shallow, does that mean it is weak? How? Of course, the writer must begin with the desire to writer for him/herself and satisfy him/herself because if not how can he/she hope to satisfy another. Great minds think alike ya know.

Sincerely, Livana Lowell (LL)

God bless

[Misty Blue Eyes]

Wow that is something...i love it very much though...great write

[Rowan Tyler]

Preach it, friend! You speak the mind of (I would assume, if I may) most of those of us of Writerscafe, but you went above and beyond and spoke it like a true writer, in the form of art. Brava!

[Ghost]

hell yes.

[Kyle]

Your poem makes one pause. Looking to all the read requests that are left unread in my in box. It makes me think. Why does my opinion matter. Yet i to crave to have my work read and reveiwed like they do. Very nice poem

[Wolfe Greytome]

I like what you said here. That is why when I review something, I mentions something in the piece that strikes a cord with me. Or I address specific problems that the writer has requested advice on - such as grammar or spelling. I say again, this was a well thought out concept which you expressed quite clearly.

[Sabbath_Nikole]

Stringing along words on a screen doesn't make you insignificant. If anything your making waves but simply participating in this thing we call writerscafe.I think your questioning here is legit, you caught my attention with your word choice, but i say don't worry about it too much. It's what we're here for. For feedback and critiques.

[Marlena]

This kind of made me raise an eyebrow, I mean, I understand everything you're saying here because I think every writer/reviewer at some point thinks 'Am I saying the right thing, even if it wasn't what everyone else is saying?' this writing though brings up at the same time a lot of things that I've never had trouble convincing myself of. Worrying over if your words matter or not? That's like Stephen King being afraid no one likes his work. It's almost silly to think about XD


I'm not laughing at your work, I promise! I'm just saying, if this writer speaking is supposed to be you or a number of anonymous writers, there's nothing to worry about. Thinking words written by an experienced person or someone new is not worth reading destroys the idea of writing in the first place. Besides,I don't know about anyone else, but I write for my own pleasure, feadback is just nice, you know?

Anyway, great work making me think xD kudos~

[Rick Puetter]

Dear WriterSki7,

We all fade insignificant at some time, if not in a hundred years, then in a billion years. In the ultimate scheme of things we are nothing. So why should we review and by what authority? You definitely have it right here. By no authority. We review because there are spaces for our reviews at the bottom of each poem. The merits of our reviews are for each to judge for themselves.

An enjoyable read.

Best regards,

Rick