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VII. Beginner's Corner
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This article will hopefully become a regular feature of Dogwood
Blossoms.  However, it can not do so unless you beginners
participate.  The purpose of this article is to provide a place
where you can submit a haiku under somewhat controlled conditions
and receive feedback.  By providing the scene, specific comments
can be made regarding your haiku, but comments on other's work
will still help you.  Since you will all be writing about a
provided picture, you will be able to see how different haijin
see the same scene, and be able to apply comments addressed to
them to changes you might have been considering to your own work.

The picture to be written about will be printed every third
issue, beginning with this one.  The next issue will have some
submitted haiku along with the criticism provided.  Whether or no
the haiku is printed as an example in the next issue, every haiku
submitted for this scene will receive constructive criticism by
e-mail, so be sure and include an e-mail address.  The final issue
completing the trilogy will have some of the reworked haiku
along with some final criticisms.  The next issue will start the
next trilogy of articles and will present some of the final
haiku, plus the scene for the next round.

The scene provided will have specific components to set the
scene, but the background details you can fill in if you want to
incorporate additional detail.  For example, this issue's scene
tells you what happened, that there is a waterfall and creek
nearby, that you are eating lunch.  But notice I do not say
whether this is in the woods, plain, mountains, or wherever such
a scene is possible.  If you want to incorporate some additional
detail, and it fits with the kernel provided, by all means feel
free to do so.  But what you include must, of course, be valid:
there is no waterfall, for example, at the top of a mountain.
But you might be able to see mountains in the background.  You
could be sitting on or against a rock, tree, hummock.

The basic rules of haiku apply except for the one that requires
you to have been there yourself.  As a result, these, technically
speaking, are not really haiku at all.  But they will still
provide an excellent learning tool towards writing better haiku.
If you are not sure what these general rules are, please refer to
my article in DB #7 comparing a haiku to a photograph.
Specifically, the following rules will apply, in the language in
which you prefer to compose.  If your native language is other
than English, write the haiku to the 5-7-5 rule in your native
language if you prefer, but please provide an English
translation.  I will try to get a translation if I can, but it
might not always be possible.  By your providing a translation to
work off, I can better tell how you are following the basics of
the haiku.  And your translation is more likely to represent what
you want to say than a translation by someone else.

Rules:
       strict 5-7-5 format is to be followed
       fundamental haiku rules must be followed, except that
           you do not  have to have been there yourself
       any details filled in must be valid for setting
       send your haiku for this to  bblohm@hpbs1686.boi.hp.com
           and put "DB #8 Beginner's Corner" in the subject line.

Scene:

You have hiked for several hours.  Tired, you sit down beside a
stream for a light lunch.  Nearby is a small waterfall.  As you
sit, quietly looking over the stream a small doe cautiously
appears, takes a drink, and leaves.

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