A Poet’s Guide to Critique: How to Give and Get Helpful Feedback
Lift by Masochismtango
Critical feedback is an important part of a poet’s creative process.
Getting helpful critical feedback that you can use to improve your poetry is essential to honing your writing skills, and giving useful feedback helps you to learn what makes for well-written poetry and to discover solutions to problems in your own writing.
It’s a lot like dancing in pairs. With a partner, you can perform many more dance moves than you could otherwise do by yourself. Through critical feedback, you can do more with your poetry–creative lifts and poetic twirls. And like dancing, giving and receiving critical feedback are creative skills.
However, despite the fact that these are significant skills for any poet, giving and getting helpful feedback can be challenging for a number of reasons.
Obstacles to Giving and Getting Help
All poets, at times, can be sensitive about our work. With each poem, we labor to wrench out our thoughts and emotions, and somehow we actually manage to put them into words on a page. Writing poetry is not an easy process, and sometimes we don’t want critical feedback. We simply want someone to say “good job” and tell us how great our poem is. When we ask for feedback and what we really want is praise, we’ll inevitably get our feelings hurt.
Another problem arises when the critic attempts to re-write the poem in a way in which they would write it, rather than to offer thoughtful suggestions about strengthening the poem as it’s written. This is a particularly unhelpful impulse. Poets want to write their own poetry, not someone else’s.
Also, the critic’s personal bias can play a negative role. For instance, if you hate end-rhyme, then you’re probably going to be less engaged with strengthening a poem that uses repetitive end-rhyme. Even disguised as “helpful” suggestions, such biases can do more damage than good as the critic is often simply concerned with writing off certain poems as “bad” and arguing against them.
So, how to get around these problems?
Guide to Helpful Feedback
Based on my own personal experiences as well as my experiences as a college teacher, this brief guide offers some suggestions for giving and getting helpful critical feedback.
Getting Helpful Feedback
- Be certain you want feedback. Before offering up your poem to be scrutinized and judged, be sure you really want critical feedback. If you simply want to share your poem and don’t want to hear how it might be improved, then definitely say so. You might receive compliments, but then again, you might not. More significantly, you’re unlikely to receive any feedback that will improve your poem or your skills as a poet.
- Ask for specific feedback. If you’re certain you want critical feedback in order to improve your poem, then be specific about what your problems are and what you’d like help with. For instance, you can ask for positive feedback, such as “What really works in this poem?” And you can ask for ways to improve it: “How can I improve the structure of the poem?” If you ask for a general critique and suggest that all feedback is welcomed, then be prepared for “all feedback,” which could be both positive and negative.
- Be objective. When you ask for feedback, then steel yourself and try to put a little distance between you and your poem. In other words, maintain some objectivity about the process. You might read or hear feedback that you don’t like or that hurts your feelings. But it won’t help you grow as a poet if everyone says, “that’s nice.” You need to hear what doesn’t work, what’s weak, what could be better with your poems. So, try to grow a thick skin and don’t take comments personally.
- Be open-minded. Try really hard not to get defensive. Rather, be open-minded and consider suggestions seriously. You don’t have to follow those suggestions; just consider them. Remember that one person’s opinion is simply that—one person’s opinion. Their view of your poem doesn’t make it better or less than what it already is—an expression of your unique creativity.
- Be gracious. Someone took the time to read your poem, to think about it, to engage with it, and to offer their skills towards the goal of improving it. Remember to thank them for their time and effort. And most importantly, reciprocate. When they ask for helpful feedback, pay back the favor.
Giving Helpful Feedback
- Get to know the poem. Read the poem carefully a few times and make sure that you understand what the poet is expressing and trying to achieve with it. Take notice of its form and its structure, its style and techniques, and its images and metaphors. In a way, you need to “befriend” the poem in order to understand the best way to strengthen it.
- Use the “Critique Sandwich”: Begin your critique by pointing out what works in the poem, what’s strong, interesting, or compelling about it. Next, focus on what can be strengthened and honed and kindly explain why you think certain elements don’t work. Finally, end your critique with another positive thought about the poem.
- Be objective and strengthen what’s there. Be objective by putting some distance between the poem and your own poetry and writing style. Don’t try to rewrite the poem the way you would write it—it’s not your poem. Rather, try to consider the merits and weaknesses of the poem as they are already written.
- Be positive and supportive. If you’re sincerely trying to be helpful, then be sure to offer all your suggestions in a positive and supportive way. This doesn’t mean you have to say a poem is good, when you clearly think that it’s weak. Rather, be supportive and positive about the poet’s attempt at poetry. Remember that our poetry is a small piece of ourselves. Show some respect for the poetry and the poet and be as helpful and positive as possible.
- Don’t take it personally. If you’ve been positive, supportive, and as helpful as you know how to be, then don’t take it personally when someone gets defensive or gets their feelings hurt. You can only offer your opinion, and they can take it or leave it.
Giving and Getting Feedback Are Skills
Giving helpful feedback is an artful skill—one that requires intuition and talent. And receiving feedback graciously and with an open mind is an important part of learning to write stronger poetry and growing as a poet. In other words, both are important skill sets which must be learned.
Like any skill, it takes time to learn to give and to receive helpful feedback. But it’s worth the effort, and with diligence, patience, and a positive attitude, you can become quite adept at both.
When you do so, not only will you be a stronger writer, but you’ll also be a significant resource and ally to other poets.
What suggestions can you offer for giving and receiving helpful feedback?
Flickr photo courtesy of Masochismtango.
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Great post–I particularly like the suggestion to ask for specific feedback. I often assigned my students to create feedback questions/statements: “I would like to know …” It pushed them into a critical stance about their own work before sharing it, helping them get some of that objectivity/distance before hearing someone else respond to it in a (possibly) critical way. That also helped those learning how to give feedback. They didn’t have to attend to every possible thing in the poem/writing, just the thing the writer had identified for them.
My suggestion: If possible, be selective about who you’re asking for feedback. If in a group, it helps to have a mix of writers–some at about your same level of skill/experience, some a bit ahead of and some a bit behind you in the journey. Not too much distance, though, or it doesn’t benefit everyone in the group. If you don’t get to be selective (such as in a class, where feedback partners are often assigned), don’t just accept the word of others as truth. Consider it, always, but remember that you are the author of the poem.
This is making me want to teach again!
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Ami Reply:
May 27th, 2010 at 10:08 am
Ami – this is a post that could apply broadly to all writers/critiquers and not just poets. A lot of helpful pointers, thanks.
One suggestion I’d add (tho’ I think you imply this throughout) – sometimes both writers and their reviewers get stuck in the technical (e.g., you misspelled this word, you missed a comma) or in the detailed view (this phrase didn’t make sense to me). I think often (esp. in the first round of reviews), it’s helpful to take a much bigger picture view, asking – what’s the overarching message or story being conveyed? Does that come through? Is there an interesting story arc (or should there be?) Does the piece convey the desired emotional state and mood? Do the characters have distinct and discernible personalities, values and motivations? Does the humor (if any) work? etc.
I also like Rita’s comment about asking for specific feedback- I think the quality of your feedback improves when everyone can focus on a particular aspect of the piece (e.g., do you believe this part? do you want this narrator/character to succeed?)
.-= Ami´s last blog ..What the Heck Do I Do With My Word? 5 Easy Steps to Boost Your Word’s Magic =-.
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Ami Mattison Reply:
May 27th, 2010 at 3:07 pm
Yes! I believe there are many benefits to being specific. Rita pointed out how it helps those who are critiquing, and your suggestion that the feedback improves when everyone focuses on one particular problem is another good one! Thanks!
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Ami Mattison Reply:
May 27th, 2010 at 2:50 pm
Thanks, Rita! I know what you mean about this post and wanting to teach again. While writing it, I was thinking about how I taught my students to do peer critiques of their poetry. I think with guidelines like these in place, it kept my students from crying and stomping out of the classroom, which was a regular occurrence in my writing classes during my undergrad days. Ha!
Anyway, thank you for the fine suggestion about being selective around who you ask for feedback. Not every writer has developed these skills, and it’s always such a pleasure to receive feedback from someone who really knows their stuff and knows how to give good, solid critiques.
As for writing groups, your description of the ideal writing group makes me wish I was in one again!
Thanks so much for your input!
[Reply]
Ami – this is a post that could apply broadly to all writers/critiquers and not just poets. A lot of helpful pointers, thanks.
One suggestion I’d add (tho’ I think you imply this throughout) – sometimes both writers and their reviewers get stuck in the technical (e.g., you misspelled this word, you missed a comma) or in the detailed view (this phrase didn’t make sense to me). I think often (esp. in the first round of reviews), it’s helpful to take a much bigger picture view, asking – what’s the overarching message or story being conveyed? Does that come through? Is there an interesting story arc (or should there be?) Does the piece convey the desired emotional state and mood? Do the characters have distinct and discernible personalities, values and motivations? Does the humor (if any) work? etc.
.-= Ami´s last blog ..What the Heck Do I Do With My Word? 5 Easy Steps to Boost Your Word’s Magic =-.
[Reply]
Ami Mattison Reply:
May 27th, 2010 at 3:01 pm
Thanks, Ami! I’m so happy that you found the post to be useful to other writers. I sometimes forget that what goes for poetry also goes for other genres of writing. I’ll have to try to remember this when I do future posts on issues that overlap writing genres.
And thanks for the great suggestion to look at the bigger picture. It can be so tedious when people focus on the technical and stylistic aspects of writing, rather than the broad fundamental elements that go into writing in a particular genre.
Thanks for reading and taking the time to comment! I appreciate your input!
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Ami, you’ve presented a thoughtful analysis and great suggestions for critically thinking about and responding to poems and, really, any writing. And I’ve had the benefit at SheWrites of knowing that you practice what you recommend. Rita’s and Ami’s responses here also offer excellent considerations.
When we read poetry we can respond on many different levels: intellectually, emotionally, aurally (if the poetry is spoken), etc. I read a poem last night about the loss of a dog. I couldn’t evaluate the poem on any but an emotional level, because my own experience of losing a beloved pet was captured in that poem. For that reason it was “successful” for me. Were I to read it for how it is constructed, how it sounds, etc., I might or might not consider it “successful”.
I just picked up a copy of Robert Pinsky’s “The Sounds of Poetry” that I am looking forward to reading. I have Kim Rosen’s “Saved by a Poem”, which I think also offers anyone opportunities to better understand how to read and comment on poetry.
Thank you for an excellent post.
.-= Maureen´s last blog ..See Me Let Me Be Me Barbies (Poem) =-.
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Ami Mattison Reply:
May 27th, 2010 at 3:19 pm
Thank you, Maureen! What a great reminder that we read poetry (and other writings) on a lot of different levels and our feedback might be an emotional or an analytical response. For poets, it’s great to hear that someone was simply affected in an emotional way. Emotional responses, when well-articulated, can provide crucial information about what is (or isn’t) working in a poem. I’ve learned a lot when people offered their emotional responses to my poems. So thanks for this suggestion!
Also, I’m adding the books by Pinsky and Rosen to my wishlist. Thanks for the recommendations!
I appreciate your support and your input, Maureen!
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Hi, Ami –
I think this is a helpful post for both giving constructive feedback as well as receiving it. It actually reaches far beyond poetry and other genres of writing.
The “Critique Sandwich” is something I learned in medical school from my teachers as well as use with my junior residents and students. I think it works in just about any field because most of us work with others in a way that we are evaluated and/or evaluating others. When I first started using it, I had to laugh b/c it does take deliberate thought and can sound sort of mechanical, but once you get used to it, it’s a really effective way to give constructive criticism.
When I’m on the receiving end, I always feel better about the feedback and naturally engage the “middle of the sandwich” more readily and appreciate my supervisor for taking the time to really evaluate my work. I don’t think anyone who really wants to improve in whatever they are doing wants to hear simply “that’s great” or “that’s wrong.”
Another thought on personal bias – sometimes an individual’s personal experience can influence the feedback they give you and that too should be considered in how you interpret their opinions. For me, if my supervisor had a bad experience with a particular problem, they may be very particular on how they handle that and expect you to do the same. I think in poetry/writing this comes across in how people respond as well. If you don’t really dig erotic poetry, you might not be the right person to give feedback in this genre. Or if you’re not comfortable w/some difficult emotional issue like abuse, you might automatically discount someone’s work in a way that is not related to the actual poem.
Great post that works for poets and doctors alike!
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Ami Mattison Reply:
May 27th, 2010 at 7:41 pm
Thank you, Bindu! It makes me happy that you found this post useful in fields beyond poetry and writing. The “Critique Sandwich” is something that I learned while teaching and being taught, and as you point out, it’s a handy method for any constructive criticism or evaluation.
Thanks especially for highlighting the different ways that personal bias and personal experience can become barriers to constructive critique. You suggest some really important points: Knowing your own biases can help you know whether or not you’re suited to critique a particular poem or type of poetry. And knowing that (sometimes unconscious) bias can play a significant role in someone’s critique of your poem can help you find some objectivity around their critiques.
I had an experience where the content of my poem was obviously emotionally disturbing to those critiquing it because their suggestions amounted to taking out the “disturbing” parts. Luckily, I didn’t listen to them, and instead listened to a friend who said, “Make it more disturbing. Do it better.”
So yeah, personal bias. I think I could write a whole article on that one!
I appreciate you taking the time and energy to comment. Thanks for your input!
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