The treatment of new posters is an interesting topic. No critique should ever be abusive or rude, of course. But someone new needs to get a quick, pointed lesson on what will be expected here. No brutality, but no padding. If this makes a lot of newcomers go away forever, then the system is working.
I have had my head very far up my own venture this week, but my experience indicates to me, at least, how invaluable the workshop is both as a means of improving individual poems and as a means getting better over time.
As one of the newcomer a few years ago, I dealt with being clobbered by clobbering back, which is why (I'm convinced) certain people won't critique my work anymore as a matter of policy. More importantly, I dealt with it by coming back, even when I was inclined to say screw it, with something better. And by coming back more receptive to critique.
I still need to be clobbered. As do we all. I often want to say screw it, and certain people will never comment on my work. And sometimes I clobber back. These things also indicate that the system is working and I am getting something out of it. Maybe not an MFA, but...~,:^)
Last edited by Rick Mullin; 05-08-2009 at 08:22 AM.
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