The Amateur Critic.


This piece is poor and severely limited
Neglected commas and split- infinitives
The only advice and I’ll make it plain
Is scrap this crap and start again

Thank you kindly but what comes to mind
Is I’ve searched but nothing from you can I find
So unfortunately you deny us the fruits of your labour
So I regret that I cannot return the favour
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I’m sure that some at least will have experienced some of these criticisms on your work. The punctuation Gestapo, who will jump on a missing comma like a cat on a crippled mouse. Sure, do your best you can with grammar andpunctuation but being only fair at both doesn’t mean you are not a very good writer, all published authors manuscripts are proof read before going to print.

I’ve come to the conclusion that the emphasis should be on help rather than criticism. For example: ‘I’m happy with the poem but the third verse isn’t what I want it to be and the rhyme is a bit forced’ Now the critic is working with the author on a specific issue and to my mind far more helpful than re-writing a poem that fits within a critic’s own preferences.

I have had some amusing differences with Amateur Critic’s, such as a line in a Short Story I wrote-- The steering wheel jerked free from his hands pulling the car to the left. He struggled and eventually regained control.

The guy wrote—Have the car crash and burst into flames, it’s more exciting.
I replied – Yeah, it sure is, but then the story would end before the first paragraph was written.


Cari