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CaptChekaka

CaptChekaka

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~` Poetry - The Elevation of the Soul `~
By: Torpeh
Hello, one and all, and welcome to my short summary of poetry. This passage is designed to be solely an introduction: what I shall reveal to you is but a ripple on the surface, for, with poetry, there is always a great, mysterious ocean that lurks just beneath. But hopefully, by the end of my monologue, you'll have a firm foothold whence to continue your poetic studies.
Now, for any guide about anything (and especially one addressed to beginners), it is essential to look at the goal. And the goal of poetry (most poets will agree) is this: to 'elevate the soul', as Edgar Allan Poe once put it. It's that same feeling you get when you listen to some passages of music, when Goosebumps arise on the arms. That feeling i* what all poets aim to create, but you can only usually find this in the best works of the best poets. And it's not one of these things that pretentious theorists jus* write about – this feeling: you've probably felt it yourself before.
The question that naturally follows this is how poets create that feeling. If I knew the complete answer, I'd be the greatest poet in existence. But there are still some basic things with which even the most amateur poets can work and get a powerful effect from a piece, and, in the remainder of this essay, I shall describe them to you.

03-Jun-2008 23:08:20 - Last edited on 14-Aug-2008 00:30:25 by CaptChekaka

CaptChekaka

CaptChekaka

Posts: 35,595 Sapphire Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
The first thing I want to stress is about rhyme. Not all poems have to rhyme. Often, if you're a beginner, writing a poem that rhymes is a good way to lock up your true feelings and say the exact opposite of what you actually mean. But when you do come to a poem and want to add a rhyme scheme, there are a few guidelines that you should take into account. The main is, don't waste a rhyme. If you only have one word in a line that rhymes, you want to use that word as best you can. Choose an interesting word for every rhyme. Don't ever rhyme 'ghost' with 'toast'. Don't go anywhere near that. If you have to change a whole line just to get a good rhyme and start writing about toast, it's not worth it: either find a better couple of rhyming words or don't rhyme at all – I really can't stress this enough. The worst thing reading over poetry is people who have rhymed for rhyming's sake. It's a million times better just to break the rhyme scheme or spend an extra half an hour finding a better couplet.
You might just have gawked at 'half an hour'. If you did, consider yourself slapped. Around the face. Twice. This brings me on to my second point: good poetry takes a long time to write. You can't knock up a decent poem of length in ten to fifteen minutes. It takes some poets years to complete works. Expect to spend at least three or four hours if you want to write a good poem. Obviously, you'll get quicker the more you practice, but, for now, take your time.
Something that goes hand-in-hand with this is compromise. Or, should I say, the lack of it. Do not compromise on a single word. This goes back to the point I made about rhyme: you have to keep working until you find a way to say what you want with the least compromise.

03-Jun-2008 23:10:44 - Last edited on 14-Aug-2008 00:30:57 by CaptChekaka

CaptChekaka

CaptChekaka

Posts: 35,595 Sapphire Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
Don't ever sit back and say, 'It'll do,' because it just won't. Luckily, though, there are things you can do to help you combat compromise, and the main is having a large vocabulary! You can go about achieving this in your own way, but I recommend reading older texts and making a point of looking up words when you don't know their meaning. It is very effective and a key to appreciating poetry.
My next point regards wasted words, and that you definitely, definitely shouldn't. Poetry relies on building an effect in a short space of time – on creating intense emotion – and central to that is making sure that every word counts. If you have needless words or words there because they 'sound nice', then you're wasting your time writing that poem. Go through and be very critical at the end of composition and take out every wasted word, replacing them with ones that contribute to that overall effect. Again, this is central to elevating the soul.
Those are the basics, and you'll find that, no matter how much poetry you read, every good poet will adhere strictly to those guidelines. Before I end this guide, though, and bid you a fond farewell, I should like to post a sonnet by a particular Mr. Shakespeare. In all the literature I have read, this one is possibly the greatest specimen of why poetry remains one of the great art forms.

03-Jun-2008 23:10:45 - Last edited on 14-Aug-2008 00:31:28 by CaptChekaka

CaptChekaka

CaptChekaka

Posts: 35,595 Sapphire Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer's lease hath all too short a date;
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimm'd;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance or nature's changing course untrimm'd;
But thy eternal summer shall not fade,
Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow's*;
Nor shall Death brag thou wander'st in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou grow's*:
So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.
Thank you for your time, and good luck!

-- Torpeh

03-Jun-2008 23:10:46 - Last edited on 14-Aug-2008 00:31:52 by CaptChekaka

CaptChekaka

CaptChekaka

Posts: 35,595 Sapphire Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
~` Guilds - An Overview `~
By: Capt Chekaka
Guilds are one of the pillars that hold the Stories Forum community close together, and they're what keep us from falling apart. A strong guild needs a strong leader to bring in reliable members, and a good personality is not always what a guild needs to be successful. They require time, effort, and heart.
In the following posts, you will learn the basics of forging a good guild, along with some strong guilds that are already in existence. However, this post is also here to tell you that, while guilds are good, there are other types of communities that you can become involved in, or even run one of your own. So, this can be split into three different parts: guilds, communities/ help threads, and libraries.
Communities and help threads are not necessarily guilds, because they do not follow the same format as them. Communities, for example, are much like the old version of "Writers of Runescape," or WRS. They are places where writers can get together to enjoy a good laugh or to help each other improve on their writing. Also, unlike guilds, communities to not have ranks included within them, aside from the leader.
Help threads, much like this guide, come in different forms: reviewers, guides, and schools. the main schools on the Stories Forum would be run by Diescammers8, and they are for reviewers and writers alike. Guides are self-explanatory, and reviewers are willing to read your story and critique it for free. So, along with guilds, the Stories Forum is a tight community. Become involved and you'll surely become well-known. Guilds are like the foundation of the forum, and, in the next few posts, you will learn what it takes to run a successful, strong guild. Good luck.

03-Jun-2008 23:10:51 - Last edited on 03-May-2009 22:00:04 by CaptChekaka

CaptChekaka

CaptChekaka

Posts: 35,595 Sapphire Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
~` Guilds `~
By: Mbtsc­t
**This section is currently being renovated.**
Guilds are an important part of the stories forum community. Without them, there would be no places where you can get your stories ranked and improved. There’d be no place where you can exchange stories with other writers, improve your writing. Hey, the stories forum would be nothing without the guilds.
There are a few things about guilds though that are necessary to know before even considering being a member of one, letting alone owning one.
First off, the most important thing in any guild is activity. If you are not active, then you are not welcomed in a guild. If you own it, and you’re not active, it’ll fall apart. Guilds need their members to be active or it’ll become a disaster. Writing skill, reviewing skill, etc. means absolutely nothing compared to activity. Let’s say you had the most poorly written story on the stories forum. You would be welcomed more in the guild if you are active than the greatest writer on the stories forum who only went there to get a signature.
Also, when it comes to activity, it is wise to know that real life always comes first. Guild members and the guild owner know this, and you shouldn’t be discouraged to go away for a week. Just make sure to notify them that you’re not going to be around, of course. ;)
Second off, a good attitude is needed both as a member of or as the owner of a guild. Basically, no matter how good you are at writing, there’s no need to rub it in. A good attitude would be helping those writers who aren’t as talented as you. The reason they have a lower signature than you is because they need help to get better, and they’ll need your help. If you’re the writer who doesn’t have much talent, you should have the courtesy to listen to those who have more experience in writing. It’ll help a lot.

03-Jun-2008 23:11:29 - Last edited on 12-Jun-2009 22:36:46 by CaptChekaka

CaptChekaka

CaptChekaka

Posts: 35,595 Sapphire Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
One of the most successful guilds ever would have to be the Amethyst Library, currently owned by Poller5. In that guild, people are active, willing to help, and have ranks that tell their writing skills. There are many other guilds, but this one happens to be the most successful.
Guilds should also be unique. One guild actually was one that encourages activity. If you didn't read and comment a certain amount per week, you’ll be kicked out. This was known as the Novelists' Forge, and it was run by Chuklz. Although long since closed, it's a prime example of a guild that requires activity.
Another successful guild isn’t really a guild, but more of a library. The Yanillian Library, currently in the hands of Wizard1440, is one where you need good writing skills to get in. This is unique because this place doesn’t really require activity, except from the staff members, which you can apply to become.
There are other unique guilds as well, but you’ll just have to find them yourself. Just remember that activity and a good attitude are the key things to being able to become a member or own a guild. And face it, without guilds, the stories forum would be much more dull.

03-Jun-2008 23:12:15 - Last edited on 03-May-2009 22:02:05 by CaptChekaka

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