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Filtering Free Verse Poems Through Form. Runner-Up in Self-Editing Epiphany Challenge.
Mainly writing in free verse, can make you think you are so much more free than writing in strict forms. But I have found that when under constraints of rhymes and rhythm, magic can happen. Imagery you would never have come up with yourself, lyrical music that makes reading a pleasure and a challenge to cut out the excess to find the true meaning you want to say.
By Dark Constellations11 months ago in Critique
An Easter Basket
Who remembers waking up Easter morning searching for their Easter basket hidden by that elusive bunny? Who also remembers what they usually got in said basket. Mine was usually filled with a chocolate bunny and a white cross surrounded by foiled eggs and jellybeans and those colored hard-boiled eggs we dyed the night before. My Easter basket was usually hidden behind the television or behind the curtains. Today, I know some baskets are filled with toys and candy of various kinds, but they always have a chocolate bunny. What was in your Easter baskets if you do not mind sharing?
By Mark Graham11 months ago in Critique
The Monster. Content Warning.
The monster in my room. Have you ever woken up to find a monster in your room? I did, when I was four years old. It wasn’t your typical monster, it didn’t look like a monster but it was. It had taken over someone else. I was told by my parents to sleep in the same bed as the monster. This same monster had attacked several people. That’s what it did, it would attack one person and then that person would become the monster. Then that monster would attack someone else and then they would become the monster. Then when I was four the monster had attacked my sister and she became the monster. Then the monster attacked me. But for some reason no matter how hard the monster tried, I wouldn’t let it take over me. I would have dreams about myself becoming the monster and wake up terrified and shaking. But I didn’t want to be a monster, so I didn’t become one. And that’s when I realized that no matter what happened to the people before me, they weren’t forced to become the monster, they chose to. They were introduced to the monster and then they had to make a choice. Become the monster or defeat it, stop it from destroying everyone. The monster attacked me and it was bad but to me becoming the monster was so much worse because I would rather be hurt than hurt someone else. And that’s all it took, the way to defeat the monster was so simple and yet it had taken years for someone to stop it. All along all anyone had to do was stop being the same monster that had attacked them.
By Raine Fielder11 months ago in Critique
Who remembers....
Who remembers going on Easter egg hunts when they were little kids? I remember going on a few. The one that I will always remember is the one when I first started school, and the high school had an Easter egg hunt on the hill beside the baseball field. Now the hill is tall with pine trees, but back then they were small, and the adults were able to hide the eggs for us little ones to find easier. If I remember right, I did find a few of those eggs, but even now I still remember that hunt: 1970.
By Mark Graham11 months ago in Critique
"The Fan" Gets Another Chance.... Honorable Mention in Self-Editing Epiphany Challenge.
Here is the original poem: There are some Challenges where I feel that the Vocal Gods are smiling down on me. There is work that I have produced that has brought out the best in me; sometimes it has brought out things I did not know existed in me. And I feel that I really do have something to say with this one.
By Kendall Defoe 11 months ago in Critique
Easter baskets
Who remembers way back when on Easter morning going throughout the house hunting for a basket full of all sorts of treats. My childhood Easter baskets were full of foiled eggs and jellybeans alongside a chocolate bunny and a white chocolate cross. There was also assorted candies as well as hard-boiled colored eggs. Well, here is another memory. Who remembers dying those Easter eggs the night before or even a few days earlier? There was a brand called Paas that does still exist today. I remember seeing the tablets dissolve and couldn't wait to dunk an egg or two, and usually getting my fingers dyed too.
By Mark Graham11 months ago in Critique
What goes through the mind of an empty envelope?
Humans! Aah, the notorious ones gospelled with the prowess of pouring their hearts onto the folds of power, of unleashing the confinement of unsaid pain through the enigmatic flair of woven syllables through the crevices of their glistening minds.
By Hridya Sharma11 months ago in Critique
"Behind the Scenes of 'Marty Supreme': A Deep Dive into the Film"
Unveiling Marty Supreme: A Deep Dive into the Upcoming Cinematic Sensation A New Sports Drama Set to Make Waves In the ever-evolving landscape of cinema, certain films emerge that captivate audiences and critics alike, sparking conversations and anticipation. One such film on the horizon is Marty Supreme, a sports drama set to release on December 25, 2025. With its unique storyline, stellar cast, and visionary direction, this film promises to offer a fresh perspective on the world of table tennis, intertwining complex character dynamics with a rich narrative.
By PRABAL TR PRO11 months ago in Critique
beginning-endings. Runner-Up in Self-Editing Epiphany Challenge. Top Story - March 2025.
The following is an excerpt of a draft of the opening of a novel which I hope to someday write. This piece is being submitted for Vocal's "Self-Editing Epiphany" Challenge, and will therefore include my analysis and reflections following the conclusion of the excerpt. Cheers, friends!
By Gabriel Huizenga11 months ago in Critique
You Turned the Page, Didn’t You?
Introduction In the novel I’m writing, boundaries are porous. The Reader is not a passive observer, but a participant. The story doesn’t merely unfold; it listens, responds, and questions its own existence. At key moments, I employ what I call Meetings of the Minds—conversations between characters, but also with the Reader, whose voice becomes entangled in the exchange.
By Stéphane Lallée11 months ago in Critique
My own worst Art Critique
I have to be honest—- Critique is one of the most challenges that I have to try to keep tackle it. For years, I have always been my own worst credit or worst critique- no matter what creativity I was doing especially during my school life and even after graduation. I also couldn’t go to the art school or art college at all— it was quite expensive and other reasons (its very complicated to share). I thought I wasn’t going to be succeed anything due from my mental health, my conditions—my learning issues, mixed language disorder, and mixed development delayed since childhood. I always like making stories like imagination and be creative as an illustrator(my dream career), same thing when I want to be an artist. I have also been struggled if I am talented enough or not even quite at all…
By Meghan LeVaughn 11 months ago in Critique
