How to Respond to a Critique
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OVERVIEW
Responding to a critique can be difficult, particularly if the critique was not what you were hoping for. Please
keep in mind, World of Poets is not only a fun poetry site, it is a learning poetry site. Make every effort to
always be kind, polite, and sincere in your responses.
If you are relatively new to our site, we recommend that you begin posting feedback only poems. This will allow
you to become familiar with the site. Once you get a few feedbacks under your belt, you will then be prepared
for the challenges of posting and responding to critique poems.
The most important aspect of responding to critiques is to respond with fairness and honesty. Simply giving a
member all superiors because they read your poem, will not encourage members to make a strong effort to post
thorough and honest critiques.
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RELEVANCE
Did the reviewer offer suggestions, and if they did, how relevant were they to what you were hoping to
accomplish? Were their comments focused on the poem itself, or did they not speak to the poem at all? Did
they address, or specifically comment on, the 4 areas of a critique?
HELPFULNESS
Did the review help you become a better writer? Did the reviewer solid, concrete examples as to what you did
well or what you didn’t do well? Did you learn anything from the review? Was their tone kind, polite, or rude and
pushy?
EFFORT
How much detail did the review contain? How well did they address your Form, Rhythm & Meter, Tone and
Figurative Language? Was it obvious that the reviewer tried to write a quality review about the poem itself? A
good rule of thumb is to remove all names, hellos, thanks, great, and see what is left. THAT is how you judge
effort.
ACCURACY
How well did the reviewer understand your poem? How well did the reviewer address what you were trying to
convey in the poem? Were the comments accurate, or did you feel that they were generic words of praise?
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OVERVIEW
The commentary section allows you to express how you felt about the critique. Please take the time to try to be
thorough and provide each poet with a few thoughts on each of the 4 areas of the response. Responding to a
poet as thoroughly as possible will help that poet become a better reviewer!
Tips and Suggestions
Try to be specific about what you liked and disliked. Try to use the actual terms of the 4 categories in your
response. Saying “I really liked your critique” really says nothing at all. However, saying “I liked how you
specifically addressed the imagery I created," tells the reviewer you appreciate the effort.
You do not need to write a novel to write a good response. I constantly see commentary filled with “I felt that
way once…” “I had this experience before”, etc. I would like to see the comment area specifically address the
critique itself. You do not have to write a dissertation to provide a reviewer with quality.
Cut and paste critiques have no place in our online poetry community! Please let us know if a member is
providing you with the same critiques for everything they review. Please do not allow it to happen, and don't do
it yourself. We are all here to have fun and support each other.
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