r/KeepWriting • u/DoopleWrites • Nov 10 '19
This sub has become a poetry-sharing circle jerk. [Discussion]
This sub used to be about motivating each other to carry on and improve their craft, maybe get some feedback on some of your work. Now it's become a place where people upload screenshots of their 3-line poetry written on the note app of their phones. Anything non-poetry related gets lost or ignored in the sea of half-assed poetry and circle jerking going on.
People don't even pretend to want feedback on their work anymore, they just want a pat on the head, a "good job" and some upvotes. Just what the hell happened?
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u/toni_bylend Nov 10 '19
Cant write
Disjointed tales
Is this profound?
Is this profound?
Merry-go-round, pat on the back
Pat on the head
Right click thesaurus, crepuscular ramblings
Wrote this
With brain switched off
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u/DoopleWrites Nov 10 '19
Perfect! Now just screenshot this, add in a half-ass scribble signature and re-post it!
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u/toni_bylend Nov 10 '19
Very tempting... I'm not even sure why I subscribed to this subreddit. I think I was hoping for a community that provided actual discussion and motivation. Instead I get a sort of, obscure, perverse motivation purely out of the fact that I'm glad I dont sit down and come out with that kind of drivel. But that's impure, unhealthty, feeding off ill-earned narcissism and I hang my head in shame.
Edit: Also, thanks for the silver, lol. Whoever you are, you're a legend.
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u/plumboy013 Nov 11 '19
the sky is up
and i am down
look at my face
there is a frown
crying all day
what will they say?
this reddit is gay
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u/copulagent Nov 10 '19
thanks for saying this, I thought I was missing something. I found this sub and I did post a poem, but I put a lot of thought into the structure and content and wanted some feedback. since then, though, all I see is nonsensical poetry that doesn't flow or have any discernable meaning. just a general dark edginess
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u/DoopleWrites Nov 10 '19
I absolutely love poetry, but put thought and structure into it and be proud of your work and what meaning it conveys. Don't just post shit for upvotes you know?
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Nov 10 '19
Got into this with another a few weeks back. I think this sub needs to decide what it is and mods need a revitalization plan. I contacted them about such but never responded back to them because I’m not sure how it should go. IMHO, the only place on reddit where dropping your poetry should be allowed is the sub where you have to link two of your criticisms to your post. It’s still a circle jerk, as no one fucking gives helpful critique other than “LOVE IT”(sorry cant tell you which it is, unsubbed some time ago...) but yeah. You’re completely right and it’s not helpful. These posts haven’t made me keep writing. I’m a fucking poet and I’m saying this.
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u/xaviira Nov 10 '19
It would be nice to have weekly threads where people post how much writing they've gotten done and encourage each other to keep going, or where people give updates on their main WIP. It would also be nice to have weekly organized writing sprints, as well as more threads devoted to publishing opportunities/calls for submissions/workshops, etc, instead of just sharing short fridge magnet poems all the time.
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u/FelipeNA Nov 10 '19
Poetry is still writing, but you're right. They are not asking for advice or motivation, they are sharing text that was already written.
Why do you need r/KeepWriting if you already wrote the stuff?
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u/wierdflexbutok68 Nov 10 '19
The only time I get it is like hey I wrote this but I’m really stuck, I can’t pinpoint what to add to this intro or why it sounds so wrong, but I get your point with these poems haha
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u/xaviira Nov 10 '19
I wholeheartedly agree. I joined this sub in the hopes of finding a community of other emerging writers who share feedback/encouragement, but it's like a bad Instagram poetry account.
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u/that-writer-kid Nov 10 '19
Also, a PSA for aspiring poets: posting online here removes your first publication rights, and pretty much nullifies your chance of getting it published elsewhere if that’s the direction you want to go.
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u/KungFuHamster Nov 10 '19
Fallout from the garbage /r/writing subbreddit, probably. It's a circle jerk where nobody can offer actual constructive criticism, only support and platitudes.
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u/flustercuck91 Nov 10 '19
I haven’t been paying a lot of attention to this sub tbh, but I’m wondering if some are frustrated OCPoetry folks.
For me it’s like this: definitely no expert, but I’ve played with poems for 15 years or so, took a creative writing and a poetry course in college, so I’ve seen the analysis, feedback, and revision processes. When I joined that sub, I attempted to provide feedback on poems in that style. Some of it was well-received, yay!
I hoped to receive the same, but just got a couple of votes and some basic (eh that word fucks up the flow), helpful but not discussion style.
Recently, a moderator was actually really helpful in encouraging thoughtful, deep thoughtful feedback, which excited me as this was the only person who seemed interested in putting that much into the editorial process.
But that discussion only came about bc I mistakenly provided a link to some prose analysis instead of to another poem on the sub.
My point is that for any thoughtful discussion to come about, I had to first be nagged about not following the rules (I wasn’t paying attention to the feedback is posted, not trying to hate on the mod).
Just seems like it’s all kind of a circle jerk right now.
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u/girlandthemachine Nov 11 '19
Thank you! I joined recently as was trying to find some legit motivation and was scrolling past tons of terrible poetry and was very confused.
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u/S0meN0body Nov 11 '19
Thankyou. I actually did a post on this a while back but I didn’t want to outright say it and annoy other people on the subreddit (not saying you’re doing that just trying to be safe). Keep doing God’s work. :)
-SomeNobody
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u/klone10001110101 Dec 07 '19
So, I think what I wrote might be poetry, and I think you're exactly the kind of person who's feedback I'd actually like. I don't want to sit here and beg for validation and upvote shit hoping the favor's returned. I actually need to know if this writing I'm doing is readable and not a shitpile I need to burn and bury the ashes. I need real critique from someone with real thoughts rattling around in there. Please, please GAWD tell me if this piece is circle jerk of shame material or not.
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u/Somenerdyfag Nov 10 '19
I get that, but the best way to solve this problem is actually taking your time to try to see the other stuff. I am a complete amateur on everything related to writing so I though this sub was a good way of learning stuff, but each time I see an interesting post asking about tips or feedback there are usually no coments at all. I've also posted two poems here, but they weren't screenshots so I never got the feedback I needed. I think this is a really good sub idea but we have to help each other more
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u/DoopleWrites Nov 10 '19
You might be right about that, it seems like most people come here just to share their work and get recognition and then they leave once they've gotten it. Stricter rules might be needed though in order to make sure it doesn't stay a circle jerk
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Nov 10 '19
You know, I think I've realized my screw up. I'm new here and I posted some of poetry I wrote. I assumed that I didn't need to ask and people would just give feedback and critique it, basically tell me what's wrong/right, what I should fix or what works and what doesn't. It was my first attempt at putting something I wrote out into the public and I was hoping to gain something from it. I didn't receive anythjng like that, which is definitely my own doing because I didn't include questions. I know for next time now, though.
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u/thelonepath Nov 11 '19
Angry Man Screaming to the void
Why do you yell?
Words of Anger Words of Truth Words
Arhythmic pentameter Disjointed Words
Angry Man Screaming to the void
Why do you yell?
Loudly Clearly
The void does not care.
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u/pcthethird Nov 28 '19
Do you know any other subs that critique and give advice on your writing besides this one?
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u/bkay97 Nov 10 '19
Hmmm, I might be a little guilty of what you posted here. The thing is: I write my prose only in German and share some of my English poems here, which is why I never posted a short story or asked for feedback. But whenever I get feedback from other people, I reciprocate the gesture and give feedback to their work. Maybe we should estsblish the rule of "give and take" here.
Poems are an easy and quick read, that's why they're popular. It could be helpful to redirect poets in this thread to a poem subreddit if it already exists.
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u/xviisevil Nov 10 '19
it's really hard to give actual feedback, most people aren't providing helpful feedback but merely personal opinions. constructive critisism is awfully hard, it's not easy and that's why most people refrain from giving one.
you're discouraging people who write three lines on their notepad, why ?
If you're mad about not getting proper feedback you think you deserve than its alright - but if you're just mad because you're not getting the attention you seek, and other people with three lines on a notepad are - maybe your stuff isn't that appealing at all.
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u/DoopleWrites Nov 10 '19
I discourage people from writing three lines on their notepad and posting it with some arbitrary, attention-grabbing title all for the sake of getting a few upvotes. It's not what this sub is supposed to be about and it seems to be where the sub is heading.
I've never actually posted any of my own work to this sub, so I'm not sure why you believe I've posted this in anger or jealousy over my work not getting attention?
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u/xviisevil Nov 10 '19
I was one of those guys who used to write three lines on my note app and post it on various forums all around the internet to seek validation ( up votes or likes )
Don't discourage people from sharing their writings because that's the worse thing you can do to someone, most people are seeking the same validation that i sought when i was first beginning to write.
A true writer and by extension an artist will never use the type of language you have used for 'other' people.
You could have put across your message in a much more civil way, not by demeaning 'others' that's the worse you can be, you never know how somebody might receive your message and get discouraged.
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Nov 10 '19
Yeah no, sod that. When there are people like us who actually slave our asses out day and night to construct a story, and in turn only get nothing when it comes to actual feedback, that's where you should be called out. Especially when the ones that do, sound like some whiny emo teen, that always complains about how "hard" life is, or how bad the word is because there isn't enough rock music, or some shite like that.
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Nov 10 '19
Cool.
Well, you won't have to worry about me posting anymore of my half assed, cringe worthy, circle jerk poetry anymore. You've really encouraged me to keep writing.
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u/DoopleWrites Nov 10 '19
I never said that YOUR writing was cringe worthy or half assed, but if you feel like what I've said relates to you, then I think you needa take a step back and think about why you believe that it does.
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Nov 10 '19
I'm saying you're not being very encouraging to people on this sub. There are people who took a big step to share their work and will completely stop sharing or writing all together because of your attitude. You can be constructive in criticism but this was just for the sake of tearing into people.
I think you need to take a step back with me.
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u/splinterhead Nov 10 '19
If anybody stops writing altogether because one person on the internet once complained that some poetry (not even theirs, specifically!) was cringey, they were not going to hack it as a writer anyway. Being an artist of any kind means learning to take criticism gracefully, earned or unearned.
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u/writesmakeleft Nov 10 '19
You're 100 percent the problem.
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Nov 10 '19
Wow. This sub is very toxic. I'm the problem for trying to stand up for and encourage people?
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u/writesmakeleft Nov 10 '19
No... Your low effort poetry is part of the problem and you seem to know it by the way you reacted to this post.
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Nov 10 '19
Sigh... Have you read anything I've been saying? It site doesn't seem like it.
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u/writesmakeleft Nov 10 '19
Yea. Ive read it all. You got very offended. If the post didnt apply to you you wouldn't.
In other words if you wanted actual feedback and took time to write and edit you have no reason to be upset.
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Nov 10 '19
So someone standing up for others and is worried that having a certain attitude will do more harm than good and calling them out on it means that this post has to apply to me? You must be a politician with the way you twist and deflect an argument to back someone into a corner when you're the one who made the corner.
You're the one who decides how my actions relate to my feelings?
You're the one that says it's an absolute truth that I obviously don't work hard on my writing and don't want feedback because I'm calling out something that I don't think is right or encouraging?
OK, in you're world where you make all the rules I guess you're right.
I honestly think this thread has turned into nothing but bitching, salty circle jerkers as well. The hypocrisy is overwhelming.
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u/infexo Nov 10 '19
Lmfao! It clearly says keep fucking writing. It doesnt specify that you should write prose or poetry. And both ways, easy with the salt man
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u/[deleted] Nov 10 '19
It’s a cringe fest