Quote:
Originally Posted by Aaron Novick
Bill, I regretted not the content of what I had typed, which was correct, intelligent, wise, and humane, but the fact that you would inevitably respond with a condescending lecture of some sort or another. I had hoped to avoid that. I guess I'm lucky enough to get one anyway. At least this time—I'm hunting for some silver lining here—you skipped the part where you gratuitously insult my poetry, so there's that.
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How can I possibly condescend to someone who is probably ten times more intelligent than I am? How many times have I demeaned myself, right after one of my "lectures" - which are only one person in the Peanut Gallery trying to get his peanutty views across? How many times have I called myself a "numbnuts"? Too many times to count.
I haven't said anything more insulting about your poetry than some of the others. I remember Roger Slater laid into you quite a bit there. And there were others who were on the negative side. I have praised your poetry, as well as said critical things.
I suggested you try free verse, yes. That was cold. But sometimes critique is very cold. I do think you should give free verse a shot. Lots of great poets wrote metrical verse as well as free verse.
When I posted my first metrical poem in the "High Critique" forum at another site, in 2001, I was sure I was going to receive lavish praise. I received two responses, one from the webmaster himself, who told me to find my own voice and stop trying to imitate Homer and/or Shakespeare. The other response, from a senior member, told me the same thing, but added that my poem was chock full of cliches, archaic and/or obsolete words and terminology, and that my style was derivative and pretentious.
I was 37. You're much younger.
Look at it this way. In a short amount of time, you'll have made a name for yourself, and I'll still be a nobody. It's the truth.