New Contest: Picture Perfect - Andrea Dietrich's Blog

I know I am going to look like a witch or some horrible snob telling people to use good grammar, but I am an ESL teacher, so it's in my blood! Also, this is something that has been going through my mind for a long time now:

Poets all over the internet are making errors, sometimes very small errors, which I feel a seasoned writer should not be making. Nobody is perfect. I realize that, and I can mess up with grammar and spelling just like anybody else, but in this age in which everyone is texting, I feel that there is less importance being placed on some basic writing skills. Here are some things I am hoping I can help make people aware of because these rules will be noticed by good publishers of poetry!  

1.  Consistency of Verbs: Sometimes I will be reading a poem and loving it, and suddenly I find the poet has begun writing in a different verb tense. If the action is taking place in the past, the action does not suddenly change to the present tense, and vice versa, unless of course, your poem is about a past event and in the next stanza you change deliberately to the present tense because the setting of your poem has changed. 

2. Correct Words and Word Forms:  Sometimes I will notice that a person is using a word in his/her poem that seems very weird to me. I go to the dictionary to make sure I am not wrong and then I see that the word has no relation to what the person is trying to say. Sometimes this happens inside a poem that is otherwise very beautifully crafted. Also a poet might use the noun form of a word when he needs to be using a verb. This is the most common way I have seen people make errors with word form.

3. Spelling: In this category I would also include things such as using 's unnecessarily. I eliminated a nice poem in my last contest for using 's a few times for the plural. I just don't like seeing that kind of thing in a contest poem.

These three things are what I will be paying the most attention to regarding the use of good grammar in my Picture Perfect contest. Of course, the most important thing is the use of imagery! I just want to see a higher standard in writing, and I think those who truly value their craft will want to try to edit their poetry and make it look as "clean" as possible!

Debbie Guzzi Date: 8/10/2013 7:27:00 PM You know! I'm in total agreement and I'm sure everyone would love to know, I do so much of it wrong still, as much as I focus on grammar as much as I try [I hate it!] I am getting writing returned to me saying great content polish the mechanics AND grammar IS what they mean!!! If the message you wanted to get through to the reader doesn't get through because your grammar is SO bad it's SAD! Login to Reply

Kabuteng P.Ink K. Date: 8/10/2013 10:30:00 AM my captcha say BTW, so hmm BTW, is the max line in your contest really just 16 lines?!? 16?? 16?? can't it be 26?! kidding, just kidding....another BTW, for me, you know its' the "it's" and "its" :p of course my "its'" there was intentional :p Login to Reply Kabuteng P.Ink K. Date: 8/10/2013 11:44:00 PM >.< Andrea Dietrich Date: 8/10/2013 12:06:00 PM haha, that's a great captcha!! I actually prefer even fewer than 16 lines because I love to print out my contest poems and just study them out in the sun!! And I use up too much ink doing that! yes, the its vs it's thing is very annoying! Kabuteng P.Ink K. Date: 8/10/2013 10:32:00 AM oops...wrong grammar up there--look up ^ ---- I said "my captcha say" --- oops. Sorry, Ms. Andrea. I meant, "My captcha sayS "BTW".... boy, I sure would love to sit in your class. I really, really would. No joke.

Kabuteng P.Ink K. Date: 8/10/2013 10:25:00 AM As for giving special consideration to us ESL people, I think it's better that you don't. If anything, I do think that sometimes it's those of us who don't have English as our first language who are more cautious in trying to follow the rules of grammar & spelling better, afraid to make mistakes. Unless of course, we are not aware of those mistakes, and in that case, I can only speak for myself though. I won't be offended by the corrections, and would even be glad for it. And if your rules especially say you will be strict with spelling and grammar, then I would understand why I wouldn't place, especially if you pointed out my mistakes to me. Although a word of caution: some may not take the critiques as welcomely (I know umm is that a word?) as others might. Login to Reply Kabuteng P.Ink K. Date: 8/10/2013 11:44:00 PM And as for me receiving critiques, I admit I can be a bit sensitive with it (haha, especially since I sometimes have this mindset in how I write) but I also admit it is intriguing and kind of refreshing to try to see how others think my poetry can improve. Something worth considering at times. Kabuteng P.Ink K. Date: 8/10/2013 11:41:00 PM Yes, giving critiques can be such a tricky thing-- I for one, save for some typos, rarely give them-- I don't really feel that I am knowledgeable or expert enough to give proper critiques. Andrea Dietrich Date: 8/10/2013 12:11:00 PM glad u think this way, Nikko. I do not offer critiques to people any more. Learned my lesson long ago. People may say they want them, but most of them do not. Personally, I'm fine with critiques on spelling typos, things like that. But if a person critiques the way I have written a line that I think is just fine the way it is, that is really annoying to me. So I rarely critique on things other than pure grammar, spelling, etc.

Kabuteng P.Ink K. Date: 8/10/2013 10:20:00 AM HI Andrea! No, I don't think you're being a witch by being stricter with your rules in your contest--it is your contest after all and you can set your own guidelines for it. I admit that when I judged my contests before, I did lean towards being stricter with grammar and spelling and it made me feel bad. But then, I had mixed reactions when I tried to explain my judging to some-- some took it well, some, not so well. Login to Reply

Andrea Dietrich Date: 8/10/2013 8:19:00 AM Hope everyone will read what chris has said here. I love this! Login to Reply

Andrea Dietrich Date: 8/9/2013 10:38:00 AM Someone down here said a remark that made me curious about what you guys would think: How part of the problem with grammar mistakes is for English not being a native language for so many people here. I had actually considered giving special leeway for non native English speakers and letting them write their native language on the bottom of their contest entries for me, but I thought it might seem condescending because there are also some non native English speakers here whose poetry is exceptional. Would that have been unwise of me to give special consideration for the language barrier? Does anyone have thoughts on that? Login to Reply

Andrea Dietrich Date: 8/9/2013 10:27:00 AM There are so many other things, Joseph and Heather. I know the meaning behind the poem is the most important thing and generally I don't let little things bother me, but in contests with strict rules, I think people should put forth their best effort (as if they are showing something they would like to see published) Login to Reply

Isaiah Zerbst Date: 8/9/2013 10:25:00 AM I have been having the same thoughts myself. I think texting and whatnot is destroying the English language too. I think part of it is because there are many foreign folks on the soup; but that does not excuse original language folks. Login to Reply Andrea Dietrich Date: 8/9/2013 10:31:00 AM It's not just about foreign folks, Isaiah. Some English speakers maybe did not do well in grammar class but they have amazing thoughts and ideas for poetry, and it's a shame when they have no idea how to edit their work. If they know they are weak in a certain area, they should have a friend edit for them. Better yet, just study up on rules that are a problem for them. Anyway, it's all in priorities. Poetry doesn't have to be all about following strict grammar rules, but it places a person higher in most of my contests!

Joseph May Date: 8/9/2013 10:05:00 AM I agree with Heather about "your" and "you are" Maybe a blog on that would be in order.. Login to Reply

Heather Ober Date: 8/9/2013 9:24:00 AM I hear you, lady! My friends laugh at me because I always text in complete sentences! I see the English language butchered on a daily basis and it breaks my little "English Grad" heart... Haha. My biggest pet peeve when it comes to grammar is when people mix up "your" and "you're." Drives me nuts. The tense thing bugs me too. Login to Reply Andrea Dietrich Date: 8/9/2013 10:33:00 AM well, i am a moron who can't text at all, so that is a skill I have not even tried to learn and I think one day it will be to my detriment!

Poet Destroyer A Date: 8/9/2013 8:45:00 AM Good morning Andrea, wait one more time... Good Morning!!!! haha,,, nothing else... love Linda Login to Reply Andrea Dietrich Date: 8/9/2013 10:33:00 AM thanks for your greeting and hello to YOU!!