I Got This in the Mail Today · 3:26am Nov 13th, 2015
It's from Equestria Daily. And it's about The Blue Rose.
Will they post it? Well. . . what follows is the message that I got in my e-mail today:
Response
----------------------
Thank you for submitting your story to Equestria Daily, but, unfortunately, I cannot recommend posting it. Due to the high volume of stories we receive on a daily basis, we cannot give specific feedback on why. Our Editor’s Omnibus contains a thorough list of the issues we look for in our reviews, and also contains resources for finding proofreaders and editors. Give it a look and ask the linked reviewing groups for help, as they will go a long way toward improving your writing! This is not a strike.I appreciate that something like this takes a lot of work to get right, but in the end, you chose to write something so constrained.
There are lots of very questionable word choices that seem to hinge more on filling out the rhyme scheme and structure than saying anything of consequence. And many of those rhymes are very weak. The storytelling isn't very organized either, as the narrative will discuss one thing, move on to another, then touch on the first again because it was easier to make a rhyme that way.
Poetry is difficult. I should know—I spent an inordinate amount of time getting even a small amount of it into good shape. But if it's the medium you've chosen then you do need to get it right.
Sincerely,
Pre-reader 63.546
Well, this was a disappointment. Sure, there's no strike involved (and I'm damned grateful for that!), but the pain of rejection still rests in my heart.
Please, Equestria Daily. Please don't make best pony cry.
Perhaps a day may come when one of my stories finds it way onto Equestria Daily. --We may never know.
For now, though, I'd like to take a few minutes to respond to this message. Right here.
There are lots of very questionable word choices that seem to hinge more on filling out the rhyme scheme and structure than saying anything of consequence.
Guilty as charged, I'm afraid. I've been having trouble writing the story, due to a writer's block and the school year (Pride and Prejudice is a jealous mistress), so I wrote just to clear the block out of my mind. The entire story, however, is written in my head-- it's all a matter of getting it on paper. (Or LibreOffice, to be specific.) Again, my bad.
Poetry is difficult. I should know—I spent an inordinate amount of time getting even a small amount of it into good shape. But if it's the medium you've chosen then you do need to get it right.
[rant]
I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to object to this one.
How can anyone, much less you, define poetry? How can poetry be "right"? Who holds the ultimate authority on poetry here?
Have you ever heard of free verse? Allow me to quote Wikipedia on the matter:
Free verse is an open form of poetry. It does not use consistent meter patterns, rhyme, or any other musical pattern.
In addition:
Although free verse requires no meter, rhyme, or other traditional poetic techniques, a poet can still use them to create some sense of structure.
Here is an example of free verse-- "As I Ponder'd in Silence," by Walt Whitman:
As I ponder'd in silence,
Returning upon my poems, considering, lingering long,
A Phantom arose before me with distrustful aspect,
Terrible in beauty, age, and power,
The genius of poets of old lands,
As to me directing like flame its eyes,
With finger pointing to many immortal songs,
And menacing voice, What singest thou? it said,
Know'st thou not there is but one theme for ever-enduring bards?
And that is the theme of War, the fortune of battles,
The making of perfect soldiers.Be it so, then I answer'd,
I too haughty Shade also sing war, and a longer and greater one than any,
Waged in my book with varying fortune, with flight, advance
and retreat, victory deferr'd and wavering,
(Yet methinks certain, or as good as certain, at the last,) the
field the world,
For life and death, for the Body and for the eternal Soul,
Lo, I too am come, chanting the chant of battles,
I above all promote brave soldiers.
As I've quoted, Whitman uses commas to create some sense of rhythm, but it still falls into the category of free verse. And then there's the Imagists. They were very strict on their free verse (paradoxical, no?). Here's one example of such, "In a Station of the Metro," by Erza Pound:
The apparition of these faces in the crowd;
Petals on a wet, black bough.
That's it. That's the whole thing. Something that short can qualify as a poem.
Essentially, free verse is really the "free-for-all" of the poetry world. Do as you please. Whatever makes sense, put it to paper. Repetitive phrases to establish structure? Go ahead. Want rhymes, too? Sure, knock yourself out. It doesn't matter.
Now, I ask again: How is The Blue Rose not "right"? What part(s) of it seem(s) "wrong" to you? You, dear reader, may dare answer this question. Be kind, be cruel, but above all-- be honest. Be straightforward with your answer. Don't beat around the bush. I seriously want to know your definition of "right" poetry.
[/rant]
Jimmies status: still rustled.
Good night, and good luck.
Screw EQD, if they can't recognize true art then they aren't worth it. Go somewhere else, there's more out there than them.
3692994
Ah, really? What else is out there?
3693021 I've seen a few other magazines- I'm not really into the MLP magazines, but I know for a fact there's more.