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Update on Winter Dodoitsu Contest - Heather Ober's Blog

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Update on Winter Dodoitsu Contest

Blog Posted:11/9/2015 8:20:00 AM

Happy Monday, everyone! :)

I just want to outline some common errors I've noticed in the entries for my contest. For the most part, these errors are very easy to correct, so I want to give everyone the opportunity to review and/or correct their entries before the contest is finalized.

Errors in spelling or grammar (especially verb agreement) - Spelling and grammar are extremely important to me when I judge contests, so make sure you proofread! I will take into account the differences between American and Canadian/British spelling (i.e. honor vs. honour), so don't worry about that.

Multiple dodoitsu verses - I only want one dodoitsu. If you include more than one, you will not place in my contest (regardless of how much I like your entry).

Incorrect syllable count - I've noticed many people (probably unintentionally) trying to pass off three-syllable words as two-syllable words. I've never used the PS syllable counter, but I have heard it's pretty terrible, so please use a different syllable counter if you need to use one. If it isn't obvious to me that you have used the 7-7-7-5 syllable scheme, you won't place (regardless of how much I like your entry).

As always, if you have any questions at all, you can ask them in the comments below or send me soupmail. I am always happy to help!

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Andrea
Dietrich

Date: 11/9/2015 3:31:00 PM

I have not posted mine yet, but thanks for this reminder. For some reason I was thinking it was 5 5 5 7, just the opposite and I fear I did it that wrong way!!! I better rethink mine!!

Jan
Allison

Date: 11/9/2015 11:42:00 AM

Thanks for the informative blog Heather:-) hugs Jan xx

Constance
La France

Date: 11/9/2015 9:37:00 AM

Heather, thanks for the chance to edit our poems, I will go check mine for these things you have mentioned and thanks for a wonderful inspiring contest ~

My Past Blog Posts


Update on Duet Contest Date Posted: 12/29/2015 9:41:00 AM
New Contest - Write Me a Duet Date Posted: 11/23/2015 9:24:00 PM
Winter Dodoitsu Contest Finalized! Date Posted: 11/13/2015 10:12:00 AM
The Writer's Retreat Date Posted: 11/9/2015 3:14:00 PM
Update on Winter Dodoitsu Contest Date Posted: 11/9/2015 8:20:00 AM
New Contest: Winter Dodoitsu Date Posted: 11/5/2015 12:11:00 PM
Favourite Forms Contest Judged! Date Posted: 10/9/2015 9:38:00 AM
New Contest: My Favourite Forms Date Posted: 9/12/2015 9:53:00 PM
Make Me Laugh! Date Posted: 6/25/2013 10:08:00 AM
Moment of Truth Contest - Winners posted! Date Posted: 6/25/2013 8:07:00 AM
Moment of Truth Contest - REMINDER Date Posted: 6/10/2013 11:41:00 AM
New Contest: Moment of Truth Date Posted: 6/3/2013 7:04:00 PM
Love Letter Contest (finally) Finalized! Date Posted: 5/24/2013 9:08:00 AM
Update Date Posted: 5/21/2013 5:59:00 PM
REMINDER - Love Letter Contest Date Posted: 5/3/2013 4:37:00 AM
New Contest: Love Letter Date Posted: 4/29/2013 9:49:00 AM
Ocean-ku Contest Finalized Date Posted: 4/23/2013 8:53:00 AM
New Contest: Ocean-ku! Date Posted: 4/11/2013 1:02:00 PM
Famous Couples Contest Judged! Date Posted: 4/10/2013 8:59:00 AM
New Contest: Famous Couples/Duos Date Posted: 3/13/2013 1:48:00 PM
Beatlemania Contest Judged Date Posted: 3/13/2013 12:05:00 PM
Collaboration - Anyone interested? Date Posted: 3/4/2013 4:33:00 PM
New Contest: Beatles! Date Posted: 2/10/2013 6:32:00 PM
Famous Art Contest Judged Date Posted: 2/8/2013 12:36:00 PM
My First Contest :) Date Posted: 1/21/2013 5:48:00 PM

My Recent Poems

Date Posted	PoemTitle	Form	Categories
5/25/2022	Sticky Hands	Prose	child,love,
2/28/2022	Innocence	Free verse	innocence,
1/28/2021	Winter's Dusk	Free verse	nature,
1/17/2019	Wistful	Sapphic stanza	beauty,nature,winter,
1/14/2019	Sleeping Volcano	Free verse	nature,
12/31/2018	Cardinal	Sonnet	farewell,grief,
12/20/2018	Puzzle Piece	Prose	family,love,son,
2/7/2017	Black Wick	Free verse	grief,
11/16/2015	Mother	Haibun	family,love,mother,
11/9/2015	Fleeting Moments	Verse	memory,
11/5/2015	Christmas Eve Retourne	Quatrain	holiday,
11/4/2015	Sand Dollar Dreams	Haibun	memory,nature,
10/29/2015	Constellations	Couplet	night,stars,
9/16/2015	This Hell	Blank verse	loneliness,loss,sick,
9/15/2015	Hirtle's Beach	Terzanelle	nature,nostalgia,
9/14/2015	Love Letter	Sonnet	love,
9/14/2015	Eternal Spring Collaboration	Sonnet	life,
9/11/2015	Poetic Justice	Free verse	first love,
9/9/2015	Unchained	Free verse	life,loss,solitude,sorrow
9/8/2015	Abbotsford Road	Rhyme	nostalgia,
9/7/2015	September	Quatrain	love,nature,
9/5/2015	Haiku 14	Haiku	nature,
9/4/2015	Denial	Rhyme	introspection,
6/17/2015	Linger	Free verse	grief,memory,
10/23/2014	Haiku 13	Haiku	home,
10/16/2014	Immortality	Free verse	family,
10/10/2014	Echoes of You	Sonnet	grief,hope,
9/17/2013	Waterloo Bridge	Ekphrasis	art,beauty,
8/26/2013	Doorways To Yesterday	Free verse	memory,
7/29/2013	Into the Gloaming	Sonnet	peace,
7/23/2013	Haiku 12	Haiku	art,nature,
7/21/2013	Evergreen	Free verse	friendship,
7/18/2013	Ardour's Cloth	Sonnet	memory,
7/5/2013	Stardust	Verse	stars,
6/29/2013	A Box of Truth	Terzanelle	allegory,
6/27/2013	Sending Waves	Tanka	confusion,
6/24/2013	Night Driving	Free verse	city,
6/21/2013	Clocks	Free verse	time,
6/19/2013	Lunenburg	Monorhyme	nostalgia,
6/17/2013	At the Pawn Shop	Rhyme	memory,
6/17/2013	Love Note	Tanka	longing,
6/14/2013	A Formal Evening	Light Verse	fun,
6/12/2013	Facebook	Haibun	life,
6/11/2013	Haiku 11	Haiku	grief,
6/9/2013	A Summer Couplet	Couplet	summer,
6/7/2013	Arthurian Footles	Footle	fantasy,
6/7/2013	To the West	Couplet	angst,
6/5/2013	What Is An Artist	Clerihew	art,
6/5/2013	Manmade	Verse	nature,
5/31/2013	Letter To An Old Friend	Free verse	memory,
5/30/2013	In the Wizard's Garden	Quatrain	art,fantasy,
5/28/2013	Raindrop Butterflies	Haibun	new year,
5/27/2013	Verses For Vivian	Lyric	depression,
5/14/2013	Happiness	Free verse	happiness,
4/30/2013	The Night Market	Free verse	culture,
4/26/2013	The Philosopher	Rhyme	metaphor,
4/24/2013	Haiku 10	Haiku	weather,
4/23/2013	I Just Found Out	Free verse	evil,
4/19/2013	25	Free verse	self,
4/15/2013	Little Langdale	Rhyme	adventure,mountains,
4/14/2013	Haiku 9	Haiku	peace,
4/10/2013	Then and Now	Free verse	write,love,
4/9/2013	Yellow Roses	Tanka	beauty,
4/8/2013	Five Stars	Quatrain	dedication,poems,
4/7/2013	Quite a Worry	Limerick	humorous,
4/5/2013	Sunflower Summers	Alliteration	summer,
4/4/2013	Haiku 8	Haiku	nature,
4/3/2013	Faye Dunaway	Sonnet	freedom,
4/2/2013	Fireflies	Haibun	love,nature,me,light,ligh
3/27/2013	Haiku 7	Haiku	nature,
3/25/2013	Footprints	Ninette	nature,
3/25/2013	Selene	Villanelle	moon,night,moon,night,sky
3/20/2013	Haiku 6	Haiku	nature,
3/19/2013	Three Fates	Villanelle	imagination,words,,fate,
3/14/2013	The Green Bench	Rhyme	summer,green,
3/14/2013	Early Spring	Couplet	spring,spring,easter,snow
3/13/2013	Maps	Free verse	family,miss you,
3/8/2013	Haiku 5	Haiku	summer,
3/7/2013	Eclipsed	Free verse	art,life,
3/4/2013	Haiku 4	Haiku	rain,
3/4/2013	Q Is For Quinoa	Couplet	food,health,
2/28/2013	Haiku 3	Haiku	happiness,
2/28/2013	Sweet Solitude	Quatrain	art,
2/27/2013	Nightmares	Free verse	introspection,
2/25/2013	The Dress	Rhyme	goodbye,
2/21/2013	Nana's Garden	Haibun	childhood,family,house,ga
2/20/2013	Battling Addiction	Shape	courage,me,me,
2/19/2013	The Potter's Wheel	Tritina	art,life,
2/12/2013	Or So I'Ve Been Told	Free verse	family,me,
2/6/2013	Haiku 2	Haiku	nature,
1/30/2013	Betrayal	Free verse	lost,
1/28/2013	Winter's Skin	Kimo	seasons,
1/27/2013	Careful Cursive	Free verse	fear,hope,write,write,
1/24/2013	More Wine Please	Footle	food,people,
1/24/2013	Unbuttoned	Free verse	life,
1/22/2013	In Your Attic	Light Verse	song-house,wife,crazy,hou
1/17/2013	Backward	Acrostic	life,
1/15/2013	Snowy Love	Haibun	love,seasons,
1/14/2013	Give Me Spring	Quatrain	seasons,me,me,
1/10/2013	I Burn	Rhyme	love,sorrow,

My Photos

Fav Poems

PoemTitle	Form	Categories
Cinder Girl	Rhyme
Early Mourning	Free verse	death,friendship,funeral,
Time Before Winter	Narrative	introspectionautumn,time,
Night Owls	Haiku	animals,nature,religion,
Beauty In My Palm	Free verse	devotion,fantasy,friendsh
Campfire	Free verse	analogy,animal,earth,fire
Autumn's Season	Personification	nature,
Velcro Heart	Rhyme	heart,love,me,
Cornflakes, Crosswords and Coffee	Free verse	childhood,family,morning,
Poucha Dass Meditation	Free verse	introspection,life,music,
The Story of Joshua Bell	Free verse	art,introspection,life,mu
Pursuing the Comet	Sonnet	fantasy,
An Acrostic Reflection	Acrostic	introspection,life,
The Face of the Earth	Rhyme	cute,death,earth,me,
Hands That Dipped Me	Free verse	fathers day,inspiration,m
In the Corners	Senryu	imagination,peace,
Without Hope's Gleam	Terzanelle	flower,hope,joy,paradise,
Nightmare of a Beautiful Dream	Couplet	fear,life,loss,mother,mot
I Remove All My Clothing Yet I Am Not Naked	I do not know?	introspection,passion,lon
The Flame	Rhyme	life,light,
A Tale of Fire and Ice	Rhyme	dream,fire,love,lust,
Closer Than a Kiss	Quintain (English)	lost love
Autumn Gold	Rhyme	autumn,beauty,
Dynamic Autumn	Acrostic	autumn,halloween,nature,s
Old Excuses	Free verse	childhood,rain,
Office Concerto	Quintain (English)	life,music,work,
Winter Blues	Free verse	loss,
Night Has Come	Terzanelle	grief,lonely,loss,war,lif
An Empty Mind	Free verse	introspection,life,
Silently She Weeps	Rhyme	daughter,family,grandmoth
Be a Flame	Than-Bauk	allegory,inspirational,
Why Do You Write	Rhyme	on writing and words,writ
Lost	Free verse	dedication,devotion,me,
Eating Grits	Kyrielle	inspirational,introspecti
Summer's Interlude	Free verse
Kiss the Rain	Sonnet	lost love,
Sunday Morning, 1891 - Edmund Blair Leighton	Ekphrasis	art,autumn,autumn,morning
Oh Uhura - To Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah	Lyric	adventure,funny,humorous,
Dying Young	Couplet	death,
The Artist	Free verse	art,love,memory,
Moth	Haiku	dream,
A Dryad's Tale	Rhyme	day,fantasy,me,tree,
Adrift	Free verse	passion,sea,
I Am Able	I do not know?	faith,brother,brother,me,
Submerged Cathedral	Free verse	art,confusion,introspecti
Pulse	Personification	caregiving,childhood,daug
His Life, His Love	Sonnet	life,love,
Layers of the Onion	Free verse	introspection,life,on wri
In Strangler's Wood - Tanka Version	Tanka	autumn,mystery,rain,
The Fool	Free verse	life,music,
Something About Water	Free verse	nature,
History Lesson	Quatrain	death,grief,history,loss,
Inscriptions	Free verse	metaphor,
Where Fools Rush In	Free verse	introspection,war,world,
Click, Click, Huh	Verse	loss,
On Watching Innocence	Sonnet	dedication,
Natures Forest	Sestina	flower,nature,blue,
Admissions of a Sloth	Quatrain	funny,workme,
Haiku 32	Haiku	nature,
The Pearl	Free verse	beauty,blue,love,moon,nig
We Can Dream On	Lyric	political,dream,dream,
Across the Universe	Quatrain	music,change,universe,
Peace From Dead Skinned Fingers	Free verse	introspection,peace,praye
Tissue Box	Free verse	child,cry,daughter,grief,
The Stone	Ballad	body,death,fantasy,kiss,l
The Shifting Stars	Couplet	dream,night,sea,stars,tim
Tone Down the Intensity	Free verse	metaphor,passion,
A Summer Remembered --- Trois Par Huit	Rhyme	happiness,
4th Grade Music Room	Free verse	4th grade,nostalgia,old,s
Diner Girl	Quatrain	dream,
Mirror Mirror	Free verse	fantasy,fear,
Star Sugar	Triolet	nature,
The Cowboy Life I Love	Free verse	animal,cowboy-western,hor
Two-Faced Tempest	Sonnet	nature,
Pieces of Me	Free verse	nostalgia,old,autumn,old,
In the Bed They Make	Free verse	life,psychological,slam,
Your Ocean	Free verse	introspection,
Memento Mori	Sonnet	life,day,
Along Cherry Blossom Lane	Haiku	nature,
Moon	Triolet	moon,
As Love Grows Older	Free verse	for him,love,
Beautiful Muse	Free verse	art,beautiful,beauty,
Light Pockets	Verse	art,confusion,devotion,im
And Luke Williams Has Gone Celibate	Free verse	love,
Table For One	Ekphrasis	artautumn,lonely,morning,
Unfinished	Free verse	journey,life,
The Angel Inside	Rhyme	allegory,angel,art,beauti
How Many Heroes Now Have Gone Unsung	Terzanelle	death,
Together, At Last	Rhyme	absence,day,flower,happin
Tangled Vines	Free verse	childhood,life,
A Long Journey Made Short	Personification	age,birth,journey,love,lu
Her Brittle Hands	Free verse	character,corruption,lost
Thank You, Photoshop	Free verse	introspection,life,social
Nearby Dale's Grave	Etheree	family,loss,
Malimar	Monorhyme	fantasy,
Fighting Sleep	Quatern	sleep,
The Young Gardener	Verse	beauty,bird,daughter,gard
Fickle Fickle- For Every Woman In a Pickle	Rhyme	men,
The Forgotten Gifts	Narrative	giving,poetry,
Berries and Snow	Haiku	nature,snow,

Fav Poets

Poet	Country
Debbie Guzzi	United States	Read
Andrea Dietrich	United States	Read
Nette Onclaud	Philippines	Read
Brittany Reynolds	United States	Read
Krystal Cochrane	Canada	Read
Carrie Richards	United States	Read
Isaiah Zerbst	United States	Read
David Williams	United Kingdom	Read
Richard Lamoureux	Canada	Read
Even Flow	United Kingdom	Read
Tim Ryerson	United States	Read
Kim Merryman	United States	Read
Eileen Manassian	_Not Listed	Read
Painted Hunter	United States	Read
Terry O'Leary	France	Read
Jeremy Martin	United States	Read
Charlotte Puddifoot	United Kingdom	Read
Poet Tacito	United States	Read
Jack Jordan	United States	Read
Laura Breidenthal	United States	Read
George Leblanc	United States	Read
Charmaine Chircop	Malta	Read
Connie Marcum Wong	United States	Read