tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-829168697372726752.post106158943088998282..comments2024-02-10T03:45:25.354-05:00Comments on Blogalicious: A Few Thoughts about Poetry Book ContestsDiane Lockwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07614479152159652577noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-829168697372726752.post-52916681738299358812014-02-04T18:50:11.045-05:002014-02-04T18:50:11.045-05:00The danger in putting all the best poems in the ea...The danger in putting all the best poems in the early pages is that the manuscript will thereafter feel like it's going downhill. My hope / suggestion is that you have so many good poems that you can't decide which ones ought to be frontloaded. Until you get to that point, it would probably be a good idea to continue generating new work and revising old. Frontload the entire manuscript!<br />I will candidly tell you that if the early poems were not good at all I bailed out quickly.Diane Lockwardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07614479152159652577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-829168697372726752.post-46392036081807539222014-02-01T13:28:15.113-05:002014-02-01T13:28:15.113-05:00I've heard advice that you should frontload yo...I've heard advice that you should frontload your ms. with your best poems--or else the judge might not read the whole ms. through. What do you think?Lorrainehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09497130825881848582noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-829168697372726752.post-32703470034153728232014-01-30T14:04:56.143-05:002014-01-30T14:04:56.143-05:00Thanks for your insight, Diane.Thanks for your insight, Diane.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-829168697372726752.post-88451482686322685882014-01-10T19:06:05.277-05:002014-01-10T19:06:05.277-05:00Yes, Nancy, it is easy enough for you to fix the p...Yes, Nancy, it is easy enough for you to fix the period problem, but you shouldn't have to do that. This is not even a new rule/convention. Diane Lockwardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07614479152159652577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-829168697372726752.post-65493574780906213072014-01-10T15:32:03.751-05:002014-01-10T15:32:03.751-05:00Great advice. I am managing editor of a journal an...Great advice. I am managing editor of a journal and if we like a poem, we will take it, despite the period/space problem. If you highlight the backward 'P' on the toolbar, all those extra spaces become apparent instantly and are easy to fix. My pet peeve is when poets used the space bar instead of the tab or plunk the poem in the middle of the page instead at the left margin, which is to say, there is a conventional style for laying out poetry and those not willing to follow the rules may wonder why their work is not getting accepted. Editors are busy people, many with day jobs, and they don't want to spemd time reformatting even good poems, so if it's a choice between yours and someone else's which it frequently is, you know the answer.Nancy Scotthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11158353867233674219noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-829168697372726752.post-40609279520489874072014-01-10T13:13:05.444-05:002014-01-10T13:13:05.444-05:00Right, Drew--not a new invention and certainly not...Right, Drew--not a new invention and certainly not invented by me. It looks weird, wrong, unattractive to see a poem looking like a hunk of swiss cheese.Diane Lockwardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07614479152159652577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-829168697372726752.post-20196428594866874962014-01-10T12:35:02.622-05:002014-01-10T12:35:02.622-05:00Thank you Diane. I've had it with 2 spaces aft...Thank you Diane. I've had it with 2 spaces after a period -- had it! As you note, this is not some new invention.<br /><br />Also, I appreciate you encouraging others to BUY books. <br /><br />You offer great insight and info. Thank you. drewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06509808686782374652noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-829168697372726752.post-16445251277700284462014-01-07T18:52:52.909-05:002014-01-07T18:52:52.909-05:00Nearly impossible to learn to use one space instea...Nearly impossible to learn to use one space instead of two? I did it with no problem at all. So you can, too.Diane Lockwardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07614479152159652577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-829168697372726752.post-88801420341106829192014-01-07T07:30:30.233-05:002014-01-07T07:30:30.233-05:00From one who learned to type on a typewriter, a ma...From one who learned to type on a typewriter, a manual at that, a period is also known as a "full stop" as opposed to a comma. So, yes, there is supposed to be a longer pause after a period. Also, un-learning an automatic physical response like double spacing after a full stop is nearly impossible unless you want to slow down to sixteen words a minute or something. I wonder if everyone on this single space bandwagon has stopped pausing between sentences in their day to day speech?<br /><br />I appreciate the rest of the remarks and think they would be helpful advice to authors submitting manuscripts. Thanks.Nunyahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04419856027815155595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-829168697372726752.post-89052787173473989822014-01-06T14:25:32.133-05:002014-01-06T14:25:32.133-05:00Thanks for your advice and insights.Thanks for your advice and insights.Kathleenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06559881249054540947noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-829168697372726752.post-26697693092019900812014-01-06T13:51:09.337-05:002014-01-06T13:51:09.337-05:00Excellent suggestions, Diane. Thanks for posting t...Excellent suggestions, Diane. Thanks for posting this!Penny Harterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17447296423852347938noreply@blogger.com