In respect - YDD

[twelveoone]

I received two emails yesterday that saddened me greatly, sent by a relative of hers that now has her computer.

YDD had passed away on December 3 after a lengthy illness.

One was attached to an email response that was either never sent, or I never received. I mention this, because of the hopes and the sorrows attached. The response was to an email, informing her that a thread existed "In praise of YDD", I have been rather noisy about her value as someone whose criticism has been missed. This may have reopened old wounds, old responses. She explained, how she was withdrawing, as she wanted to work on her writing. I received this response yesterday, not in July when it was written. I am truly sorry if this noisiness had caused her any grief in her last days.

My hopes are that she may have appreciated the praise that many wrote, that she did not suffer much, and that she did finish what was important for her to write, and that it is published somewhere.

Thank you F.M.D for writing to me, if perchance you see this, please accept these humble words as the great respect I had for your aunt for her love of the truth and the art.

 

[Angeline]

This is sad news, 1201. I had heard that YDD was a) someone who had taught poetry and writing and made the comments as a labor of love, and b) very ill.

If her family or friends are reading this, I give them sincere condolances.

I can only speak for myself, but I know the difference between trolling and constructive criticism. Anyone who was lucky enough to have a poem critiqued by YDD should realize that they got solid critcism from someone who had studied literature for a lifetime. This was a person who, under other circumstances, might have made a decision on whether or not your poem were published or you were offered a book contract. Go back, if you can, and try to learn something from those comments.

YDD

 

[jthserra]

This was a comment from YDD

regarding poetry here at lit. YDD posted it in response to my poem "I Know YDD":

I have begun to notice that the nature of posted comments has begun to change slightly.
More readers are viewing with a critical eye and offering substantive suggestions.
There are far less "I LOVE IT!!!", "YOUR JUST FANTISTAC!", or "YOU SUCK" type posts,
and many more of the "I like this, but you might consider. . ." kind.

Presently remarks that I might make are often already posted by the time I read a new poem.
You in particular are very proficient at making useful observations, but there are a number of others as well. I am sure the majority of authors appreciate the effort involved in making your comments.

I also find that the quality of the average poem posted on Literotica appears to be improving,
particularly in language skills,
(except for a few holdouts who insist on their "write to rite wrong")
but also in general content.
If public comments are at all responsible than I believe everybody is benefiting,
from the general reading public all the way up to the website owners
(who will have a better product to market).

I salute the honest commentators.
.

I think this speaks to the true interest of YDD... of YDD's love of language and poetry. Unfortunately, not long after I received this comment, YDD stopped commenting at lit and poetry and commenting here slipped.

Now YDD is silent... I will miss the voice deeply, poetry will miss the voice deeply.


jim

 

[twelveoone]

Forgive me, jim, from your poem, without your permission, with two small modifications.

I wrote YDD, she humbled me, asking advice
while freely offering hers, and I learned.
Here was verse in the hands of a craftsman
who spoke the truth, the joyous, brutal truth.
One who took the time, to, for a moment
enter a poet’s mind and share a bitter honesty.

This belongs here, it is a fitting tribute.

 

[Liar]

Sad news indeed. An important voice that taught me a lot aboit writing. One who never took the easy way out, said what she meant and got unjustly recieved by far too many.

rest in peace, and thank you

 

[WickedEve]

Anyone who has been here for awhile will know how I felt about YDD. I even had my own YDD thread. I thought she was brilliant and one of our greatest resources here. There was so much we could have learned from her, but unfortunately, we did have a segment of our poetry community who grunted and smacked the earth with their scary, little sticks whenever they saw the awesome YDD. I suppose it just wasn't worth the effort anymore for YDD to come into our midst. You know how annoying little people with sticks can be.

I would like to thank YDD for all the wonderful comments she left me. I knew from the start that this was a highly educated person, who knew poetry. She did give me much praise (along with some stinging critiques) but I did come away from it all knowing that I was, at least, a good poet despite any disparaging comments I received from the stick people.

You will be missed.

 

[minsue]

 

[Reltne]

YDD didn't like me and I did not appreciate YDD. I didn't agree with her assessments of my writing (still don't), but often did on the poems of others. - Guess that says a lot more about me than her.

I believe that most of the comments in this thread have some truth value. YDD certainly was not a Troll. However at times I found her words to be/read mean-spirited, or at least harsher than the poet/ry deserved (especially when directed at me ). She was smart not to post any of her own work on Lit. That would certainly have drawn the real Trolls out from under the bridge. YDD was also smart/brave enough to know that her words would be taken more seriously if not posted anonymously. I do agree too that there was a ripple effect and that the public comments improved in quality for awhile. It is unfortunate that her influence has faded so much.

I also respect the time and effort YDD put into her criticism. Can you imagine commenting intelligently on every single poem posted on Lit. - every single day! (I know it often takes me 10 - 15 minutes to analyze one poem and make an intelligible comment on it!) I only hope that perhaps the effort took her mind off of her own problems and/or pain.

I always pictured YDD as a frustrated old schoolmarm; maybe my 10th grade English teacher, a rigid and strict white haired old biddy, who appeared to live only to screech at her students while banging a ruler on her desk and taking off for spelling!

I too wrote YDD a poem, but not in praise as was Jthserra's. Mine was about her style of criticism - her being a stickler for traditional/old-fashioned punctuation, spelling, and grammar. She criticized it too!

Dum-Da-Dum-Dum

I guess I will even admit that I will miss her comments on my "submittions" (Hell, nobody else votes or makes comments on them anyway! ). I know I will miss her comments on the poems of others. (C'mon, be honest! They were often better than the poem itself.) I don't know if I learned very much from YDD, but I was entertained by all the banter. I will miss it. I will miss her.

I will miss the sound of "an honest voice shouting against the multitude of mediocrity!"

God rest ye in peace!

 

[Angeline]

YDD didn't like me and I did not appreciate YDD. I didn't agree with her assessments of my writing (still don't), but often did on the poems of others. - Guess that says a lot more about me than her.

I believe that most of the comments in this thread have some truth value. YDD certainly was not a Troll. However at times I found her words to be/read mean-spirited, or at least harsher than the poet/ry deserved (especially when directed at me ). She was smart not to post any of her own work on Lit. That would certainly have drawn the real Trolls out from under the bridge. YDD was also smart/brave enough to know that her words would be taken more seriously if not posted anonymously. I do agree too that there was a ripple effect and that the public comments improved in quality for awhile. It is unfortunate that her influence has faded so much.

I also respect the time and effort YDD put into her criticism. Can you imagine commenting intelligently on every single poem posted on Lit. - every single day! (I know it often takes me 10 - 15 minutes to analyze one poem and make an intelligible comment on it!) I only hope that perhaps the effort took her mind off of her own problems and/or pain.

I always pictured YDD as a frustrated old schoolmarm; maybe my 10th grade English teacher, a rigid and strict white haired old biddy, who appeared to live only to screech at her students while banging a ruler on her desk and taking off for spelling!

I too wrote YDD a poem, but not in praise as was Jthserra's. Mine was about her style of criticism - her being a stickler for traditional/old-fashioned punctuation, spelling, and grammar. She criticized it too!

Dum-Da-Dum-Dum

I guess I will even admit that I will miss her comments on my "submittions" (Hell, nobody else votes or makes comments on them anyway! ). I know I will miss her comments on the poems of others. (C'mon, be honest! They were often better than the poem itself.) I don't know if I learned very much from YDD, but I was entertained by all the banter. I will miss it. I will miss her.

I will miss the sound of "an honest voice shouting against the multitude of mediocrity!"

God rest ye in peace!

Hiya Reltne.

I've said many times here and will continue to say there is value in negative criticism. Not the "your poem sucks" kind, but what YDD said on mine and some of the others was simply honest. I know that I write stuff that doesn't work sometimes--more than sometimes truth to tell, but I don't have enough insight into my own writing to be a good editor of it. I deeply appreciate anyone who reads what I write and thinks about it hard enough to say "this doesn't work because...." I might not agree, but I also have to ask myself why is this poem not communicating what I want it to say. Maybe I still won't agree, but just maybe I'll get some insight that will help me write better next time.

 

[minsue]

Hiya Reltne.

I've said many times here and will continue to say there is value in negative criticism. Not the "your poem sucks" kind, but what YDD said on mine and some of the others was simply honest. I know that I write stuff that doesn't work sometimes--more than sometimes truth to tell, but I don't have enough insight into my own writing to be a good editor of it. I deeply appreciate anyone who reads what I write and thinks about it hard enough to say "this doesn't work because...." I might not agree, but I also have to ask myself why is this poem not communicating what I want it to say. Maybe I still won't agree, but just maybe I'll get some insight that will help me write better next time.

Beautifully stated, Angeline.

 

[HomerPindar]

I'd just comment elsewhere how I was sorry to have missed her presence when she was here, now it seems it's a chance not to be gained again.

I only know her by the impact she's left here, and yet for that alone I know it is my loss.

 

[tungtied2u]

It seems many of us assume YDD left due to the negative feedback she received from others about her critiques. Perhaps she was just to ill to give the submissions the time and thought she believed they deserved.

I do rememer receiving input from YDD, and also from others who said, "Listen to YDD, he/she does not critique lightly."

As to her submitting poetry here, maybe she did, but under an alias. We will probably never know. One thing that is obvious, is she touched the lives of many of the poets here, and in a positive manner. I think this should be a leeson to all of us who espouse to love poetry, but rarely carry it futher than our own submissions, a crime I cringingly admit to committing myself.

I do believe that if we can touch only two others with our love and passion for poetry, exponentially we can achieve great impact. For what is said here, I think it obvious that YDD did much more than that.

My sincerest condolences to YDD's family, and my great appreciation for the time and effort she took help others improve their passion and poetry.

 

[tarablackwood22]

This is very sad news.

YDD was not only a wonderful critic, always truthful, but also a wonderful person with a marvelous sense of humor. A person who took poetry much more seriously than she took herself.

She never failed to give me help if I asked, and I asked often.

Through our communications, I know she did not leave because of the harsh and unjust criticism she received from people who misunderstood her, but because of her illness.

She would never have been chased away by words. She simply became too weak to read and comment on a daily basis as she once did. And eventually, became too sick to do it at all.

I was blessed to have come in contact with her at all. We all were.

My sincerest condolences to her family, and everlasting thanks and peace to her.

 

[Lauren Hynde]

I was never blessed with a YDD comment, but will miss her voice and what it stand for.

The best thing we can all do to honour her is for each of us to be YDD, every time we read a poem. Don't let her die.

 

[flyguy69]

Has anyone ever seen anything that YDD wrote herself? I enjoyed her commentary (in no small part because she was fearless in battle!) and understand that by remaining strictly a critic she avoided the unhelpful responses of comparison to her own work, but I would love to read some of her poetry. Does anyone know of work she has at lit or elsewhere?

Would FMD care to share anything with us without revealing an identity, 1201?

 

[twelveoone]

Has anyone ever seen anything that YDD wrote herself? I enjoyed her commentary (in no small part because she was fearless in battle!) and understand that by remaining strictly a critic she avoided the unhelpful responses of comparison to her own work, but I would love to read some of her poetry. Does anyone know of work she has at lit or elsewhere?

Would FMD care to share anything with us without revealing an identity, 1201?

I responded to one of the emails. Both had come from YDD's literotica account. That may have been disabled or ignored. I would hope that perhaps F.M. would see this.
I suspect something was turned off, and the last message that was pending may have been a reply to an email I had sent. The response was duplicated, as if the wrong button was pushed. I was not a friend, she did not comment on a lot of mine. I respected her.
I thought it quite strange, that I received these, but it was a response, I found the orginal email I sent, the words are the same.
I googled the names, hoping I could glean more. Nothing. She was too good not to have been published. Most likely a different name.
Out of respect for privacy, the names and some of the few details, I will not reveal.

 

[moonbladem]

I'm sorry I caught this so late. I'm certainly shocked and saddened by news of YDD's passing.

It's never easy to receive anything other than praise because each work, each writing, is a labor of love for each of us. They're our babies.

I've read YDD's comments and although they might appear negative at first glance, she definitely was not a troll, and always offered her honest opinion. It's not always easy to do that with another person's work because you have to be mindful of the writer's feelings, yet be truthful.

YDD had no hangups about that. She never commented on my work, but she did for a friend of mine.

When she stopped commenting, I actually missed reading her comments. She might have been harsh in her honesty at times, but she always gave her frank opinion. That you could count on. How rare is that? I know I don't have her guts because my most honest comments are reserved for people I'm close to. For that, my hats off to her.

My condolences to YDD's family and friends.

Rest in peace, YDD. I'm sorry you had to go. I wish I'd known you.

 

[Reltne]

Becoming YDD

. . .
The best thing we can all do to honour her is for each of us to be YDD, every time we read a poem. Don't let her die.

I think I may try this approach for awhile. However, I am no YDD and I am not going to comment on every poem, or even most of them. I do not have the time nor inclination. I am only going to comment on the poems I like. There are enough good poets out there to take up all the time I care to give. Besides, it is usually the bad poets who react negatively to constructive criticism. (Of course, I am not referring to the majority of the readers of this forum.)

I am not a backslapping "I LOVE EVERYTHING YOU WRITE" commentator and I am not going to waste time and get into a shitting match with someone who does not care enough about poetry to want to improve their own efforts. If a submitter wants to write crap in anguished English, so be it. I will just avoid their work. If a new (or bad) poet wants my input on their work then they can ask me for it.

 

[Guest]

Too soon.

Oh, sad news indeed. Praise from YDD was praise to be savoured. She has been missed and her passing will leave a permanent void.

I would like to offer my condolences to her family and friends too.

 

[BooMerengue]

I sat in the background for a long time listening to all the talk about YDD, and after reading this thread I decided to go look. I have 6 poems she commented on, and all the comments were real nice and encouraging. She even suggested I publish certain ones. I have and will miss her comments a lot.

I like Lauren's idea of us lifting ourselves to YDD's level when we comment. It's a good idea.

By the way... has anyone seen or heard from JCStreet?

 

[annaswirls]

Oh so sad!

I am glad that I wrote YDD often to thank her for her comments on my poetry, although for some reason, I always assumed she was a he. I feel fortunate that I got such constructive comments, and had the opportunity to learn from her comments on others as well.

I am glad that this was a woman who I did not know just because for some reason this makes her praise meaningful to me in a different way.

What a sad loss. I hope her family is being supported and that her wishes for her poetry being published are fulfilled.






1201 thanks for letting us know

 

[sandspike]

I'm sorry

YDD only commented on me 2 or 3 times and what she said
made sense. I never knew she was a lady. I only knew Ydd
knew more about poetry than I did. Her comments to all
were serious comments made to help us.
I'm sorry that shes gone.