Taking Time With Haiku
All minutes count
I have enjoyed each of the Haiku challenges. Poetry in general has not been my forte, but I now have more of an appreciation for all the different forms of the genre. A few of my poems have even made a top story which has been exciting. So that being said I am very grateful to Vocal once again for the opportunity to write and have really enjoyed the Haiku challenges in particular.
So, with all that said there is one tiny issue that I have been perplexed about. No, it is not which words make a traditional Haiku or whether many Haiku should really be called senryu. There are many more experienced poets to inform you about which qualifies as each. I am a fan of both the traditional Haiku and the more modern English version which may very well be a senryu. I find each has a place and have enjoyed coming up with ideas for both, whether talking about seasons or just the color blue. I have also thoroughly enjoyed reading other creators Haikus whether they are whimsical or serious in nature. I try to read at least a few every day and also share my writing. Explaining about giving and getting reads helps me segway to that tiny problem with this format. THE READS !
I have written about 25 poems for the four Haiku challenges. More than half have more hearts/likes and comments than they do reads. Each time I would open my stats page, I would think; "How can this be?" Imagine my surprise when checking my story to see "Oh my gosh, 20 people liked my poem!" The excitement would turn to bewilderment as I would only see 4 reads day after day week after week.
What! There must be a mistake! Then another Haiku 18 hearts/comments, 12 reads. Another with 20 hearts/comments, 13 reads and so on. Well weeks go by and then months follow. Hearts, comments increase but the reads do not. My mind starts adding the numbers. Hey 16 missing reads here, 6 missing there, 8 missing there. This is starting to add up to many missing reads! (Yes, that's what I concluded!)
Now some creators may say, "You know it is only three lines! You should appreciate any read at all!"
My response to that is I spent time on this poem just as I have each and every story or poem. I tried to come up with something meaningful in short statement that would not only meet the challenge, but I also counted every syllable over and over.
Yes, this is how I count my syllables!
I have also worked hard to share my stories through facebook groups and exchanged reads with other creators only to see these weird read numbers that don't reflect who has actually read the poem or story. I also know other writers have been facing the same issue.
I then decide I must do something. I put on my writer's cape, and I write to Vocal!
The answer I received "the engagement time has not been met." What the heck are they talking about? Then I see it the one-minute read!
Uh-Huh! It all makes sense now! The thing is Haikus do not generally take 1 minute to read. They don't take 1 minute to read, heart and leave an endearing comment either. They take about 30- 40 seconds and then you are done. So now with this newfound knowledge I am here to pass some advice. If you do enjoy reading these Haiku's and want to support your fellow creators, take the minute. Here are a few things you could do after you have already read the 17 syllables while staying connected to their poem:
1)Match your socks
2) Pat the dog (My pup, Freedom is the cutest, Such a good boy!)
3) Coffee, take a sip and then take another and another.....
4) Sing, " I could count 500 seconds and I could count 500 more." (thanks, Paul Stewart!)
5) Reread the poem, " Wow that was fabulous even the 2nd or 3rd time!"
Anyways just sharing a bit of information so that creators get their reads!
Final Haiku!
The One Minute Read
More time required,
For three lines of poetry
Multitask instead!
About the Creator
C. H. Richard
My passion is and has always been writing. I am particularly drawn to writing fiction that has relatable storylines which hopefully keep readers engaged
Reader insights
Outstanding
Excellent work. Looking forward to reading more!
Top insights
Compelling and original writing
Creative use of language & vocab
Easy to read and follow
Well-structured & engaging content
Excellent storytelling
Original narrative & well developed characters
Expert insights and opinions
Arguments were carefully researched and presented
Eye opening
Niche topic & fresh perspectives
Heartfelt and relatable
The story invoked strong personal emotions
On-point and relevant
Writing reflected the title & theme
Comments (19)
Loved this, so true. Hope I stayed on the pages long enough for the haiku reads to register.
Spot on article! And a great solution. 🥰😂
Well written and informative!!!
Too true. All sorts of mismatch things happening. I see this on a 10 minute story. Ppl just glance and move along, Too busy, too busy. Thanks for the update,
You have a good point that needed to be made. I enjoyed this haiku as well!
Very encouraging
Lol, I loved the lost of things that we can do after we're done reading the Haiku! I hope Vocal makes this a Top Story so that this information reached more people. Thank you so much for writing this, Cindy!
The solution? Poetry challenges with longer formats. There’s plenty else beyond haiku to explore
Cute and great ways to increase "read time" of a haiku.
Brilliant! Thank you for doing this detective work for the rest of us who had a similar question about the discrepancy between likes and reads. I made sure to spend 3 minutes with your piece so that you would get credit for the read.:-) I would say another way to fill the time is to compose a meaningful comment in your head before typing it out. And voila!
One other problem is that people may drop in briefly meaning to spend time later on any story. Vocal will clock the first visit and a visit that didn't make the read time then the second visit as a revisit so that won't count as a read no matter how long they spend on it. I just did an experiment with one and zero word posts and they actually managed to show up reads so, in reality, I probably don't know what I am talking about.
Thank you C H I now understand some things I had t previously I shall maybe have to go get me a dog 😂😂 J/K
Good ideas. Also, your dog is super cute :)
Lol. I absolutely love this. It better be a Top Story. Are ya listening, Vocal. On a more serious note, it is frustrating that the reads don't count. I added mine up this morning (because I'm crazy like that), and I have 50 less reads than hearts. grrr.
This was a fun read about a not so funny problem! My other concern now that you’ve confirmed that Vocal is hung up on their time suggestion is that I personally love reading longer works. But, I am and have always been a very fast reader. I can almost guarantee that i’ve never hit the “engagement time” on those either! How disappointing if my reads don’t count, even if I read completely, intentionally, and genuinely. I also imagine that many of us here on vocal, as writers and avid experienced readers, are easily capable of honestly reading/hearting/commenting in far less than the “recommended engagement time.” 🙁. And yes, Freedom IS the cutest!!🥰
I, too have more ❤️ Than reads and had wondered about this. Incredibly entertaining, love the idea to read a haiku and linger. Can definitely pet the dog while I wait. ❤️
Now that was advisable information! Thanks for filling this with helpful hints, which were written and displayed in a fun manner. I realized what you're talking about a few weeks ago when another creator wrote something similar. I now always stay on the page for the required minute so fellow creators can receive the intended read... My Haiku's reads and hearts are the same as yours. Hopefully this article will help improve the situation. Thanks again.
I have been thinking the same thing, hearts should also equal reads . I don’t know how AI work that out on stats 👍
Interesting! Thanks for highlighting this, I wasn't aware of the engagement/reader time connection. Perhaps Vocal needs to re-align the read time expectations, as surely it will not take 60 seconds to read 17 syllables. Appreciate your suggestions till then!