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Also, I don't want this to scare anyone off. I am pretty flexible and the atmosphere on the list is supportive and laid back. I created this because certain problems kept coming up over and over and I wanted to address them once instead of repeatedly.      |
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The Write List is an E-mail group for writers. It is open to all writers, regardless of genre or level of experience. It is a place to share your work, learn, find encouragement, improve your writing, and communicate with other writers. My name is Kim Kay and I am a writer. (Sounds like an AA meeting, doesn't it?) You can read the basics at The Write Site so instead, I'll tell you why I started this list. I tried out hundreds of writer's lists. Some were good, some were average, and some were terrible but none had everything I was looking for. Some were genre-specific, some were cliquish, and some spent more time discussing Prime Time TV than writing. So, I started my own -- one that focuses on writing and makes everyone feel welcome. To SUBSCRIBE, go to ONElist's Write List Center This will allow you to subscribe directly to The Write List. To look at all available lists for writers, go to ONElist, select FIND A LIST, then ARTS, then WRITING or CREATIVE WRITING. To UNSUBSCRIBE, go to the ONElist site and select USER CENTER. There you can view all your lists, set your list options, and unsubscribe. There are daily features: Monday - Weekly Writing Exercise In addition, people are encouraged to submit their work for critique and to give critiques to others. Any topic related to writing may be discussed. If you get something published, share that with us. We celebrate each other's successes and commiserate the rejections. We use subject headers because many people lead busy lives and/or subscribe to multiple groups. They may only be interested in certain parts of this list. Others have different folders for storing different categories. By adding a code in the subject line of each E-mail, people can easily sort their mail and read the messages that interest them. The codes are as follows: EXER - Writing exercises All information from questionnaires is kept confidential. I am the only one who reads them. The purpose is to find out the interests, skills, and needs of the list so I can provide information that is as useful to as many people as possible. You are not judged by your questionnaire responses, it is merely a way to compile statistical data to help me make sure the list continues to provide the best information and assistance possible. If you are uncomfortable using your real name, it is perfectly acceptable to use an alias or pseudonym. I do ask that you use *some* name however and sign your posts with that name to avoid confusion. Beginning a critique with, "To xyz@aol.com" is kind of awkward. No. This list is open to everyone whether you are a published author or you just write for fun. It is not necessary that you have completed a work, only that you have a love of writing. About half of the members have been published, many on a regular basis. Some have never shown their writing to another person. In fact, it is not necessary that you have ever written anything, just that you are interested in the process of writing. Everyone, regardless of experience has something to contribute. We are all here to learn from each other and every member is equally important. Of course. There are several members who write only poetry. Some write only prose and others write both. Virtually every genre is represented: Romance, Sci-fi, Fantasy, Horror, Fan-fic, Children, Young-Adult, Erotic, Inspirational, Non-fiction, Contemporary, Mystery, Suspense, etc... It varies although it is a fairly active list. Generally, you can expect anywhere from 10 - 30 messages daily. However, we try to make sure each post is useful to a large amount of members. An explanation of what things are appropriate to post to the list and what needs to be sent privately is included later in this FAQ. You can reduce the number of E-mails by setting your subscription to DIGEST mode. ONElist will compile all messages from that day into one e-mail which will be mailed out nightly. To switch to DIGEST mode, go to the User Center for The Write List at the ONElist site. You can switch between DIGEST and SINGLE. When going out of town or other times when away from your computer, you can set your subscription to NO MAIL at the ONElist site. You will still be subscribed to the list but ONElist will not send you any of the list mail until you disable this feature. This allows you to keep your mailbox from overflowing without the hassle of unsubscribing and re-subscribing. This may happen from time to time. Sometimes, it is a problem with ONElist. Others it is your E-mail provider. If you are missing a large amount of posts, report the problem to your provider. If that does not solve the problem, report it to ONElist. (and to me) All missed posts (and those occurring before joining) can be viewed at the ONElist archives. The archives are where all previous messages to the list are stored. You can access it directly at the archives, through The Write Site, or through your User Center at ONElist. Feel free to E-mail me with any questions at myjourneyy@aol.com All comments and suggestions for improvement are greatly appreciated. I consider every suggestion and attempt to do what is best for the list. Please mail any comments/suggestions/ideas/etc., to myjourneyy@aol.com If I see someone consistently ignoring the guidelines, I will send them a private "gentle reminder." Please do not get your feelings hurt if I do this. It will take a while for all of us to get used to the guidelines. I tried having basically no rules other than to follow your own conscience and be respectful of others but we kept having lots of problems with certain things. I believe the guidelines have to be followed in order to be as fair as possible to all members and for the list to run properly. However, I know this is a lot of information and I do not expect everyone to be perfect. Even I will probably violate something here and there. But I do expect everyone to make an effort. I am flexible. If you think a particular guideline is unfair or unreasonable, let me know. I am always willing to listen to your side of it. I may agree with you and I may not. I will always give you my reasoning for each guideline and the specific problem(s) that prompted it. If necessary, we will put it to the list for a vote. The guidelines will continue to change as problems arise or the needs of the list members change. The short answer is: Anything that is of interest to all, most, or a large segment of the list members. The long answer is: Introductions, submissions, critiques, exercises, writing related discussions, writing related questions, answers to questions on issues applicable to other writers, information on writing, book reviews, humor, etc. (The general test is to ask yourself, "Is this post only of interest to the person I'm responding to or will it interest others as well?") To send something to the list, mail it to: Write_List@onelist.com It will be distributed to all list members. Short answer: Posts that will only interest one person. Long answer: "Good job" posts (Not an actual critique, just a post saying, "I liked this story."), "Me too" posts (agreeing with someone without adding further information), welcomes (I encourage you to welcome new members but it's something that will only interest them and should be sent via private E-mail), E-mail that was sent directly to you (it is bad etiquette to post someone else's E-mail), thank yous, anything that may embarrass the person you are responding to, and anything else that would not interest other people. Just use your judgment. I do not want to discourage you from doing these things, I consider them important but I suggest sending them privately to keep list traffic to a manageable level. With so many of us, it's necessary to limit posts to those things which are useful to everyone or at least several people. No. The default address is to the person who wrote the particular message. In other words, when you hit "reply" to answer a message from the list, the address that will appear in the "send" box is whoever wrote the message you are answering. It is setup this way so that people do not inadvertantly send something to the list that should go to only one person. If you think your response needs to go to the whole list (critique, answer to a question, discussion, etc.,) delete the address in the "send" box and type in "Write_List@onelist.com". (E-mail programs vary, on some, you can hit "reply all" and it will go to the list and the sender.) When replying to someone, you do not need to re-copy their entire message (particularly if it is really long) because it makes it harder for people subscribed to "Digest" mode to scroll through everything. But, you need to copy a little bit so that we know what you are responding to. The general rule is to copy ONLY the parts of the post that are relevant to your answer. For instance, if someone submits a story and your critique only involves a couple of paragraphs, copy those and delete the rest. Since E-mail programs vary, a full explanation would be too long for the FAQ. If you do not know how to cut and paste, please ask someone. I'm sure another list member will be willing to help you. (And I will be glad to help.) You do not have to run something by me before sending it in to the list. If you have a tip/link/article/quote/discussion topic etc., that would interest writers, please feel free to send it in. You do not have to wait for the "appropriate day." While I will continue to send out the regular features, additional material is always welcome. I do suggest, however, that you check the link to make sure it works before sending it. If the link is to a list member's website (which is fine), comments on their site ("Great site") should be sent directly to them. Also, if you have a site where your work is posted and you want critiques on it, please post the story/poem directly to the list to receive critiques. If you have several works on your site and just want general comments from people, those should go directly to you, not to the list. Not without permission from the author. Everything posted to this list is for list members only. I take the privacy of members seriously. If you like something written by another person, you MUST get their permission and to avoid questions about it, I'd like it if you dropped me a note letting me know you got permission (and preferably forwarding that permission to me). This applies to ALL messages, not just submissions. Taking someone's submission and sending it elsewhere, copying it, or passing it off as your own is a violation of the Copyright Law and you could be prosecuted. Anyone forwarding, copying, or posting, anything (even a brief comment) sent to this list without permission will be immediately unsubscribed. Also, the reverse also applies. Do not forward anything to this list that you have taken from another list without permission of the author. We do not want to be accused of stealing from other lists. Either get permission or bring it to my attention so I can get permission from the other list. No. Many E-mail programs give you the option of HTML and plain text. For those whose E-mail programs do not read HTML, your post will be very difficult to read. There will be all sorts of codes throughout your mail, making it distracting to those reading it. It could result in less critiques on your submissions, and you are likely to get several complaints. If you do not know how to turn off the HTML on your E-mail program, please send a question about it in to the list. Someone will help you. No. Some people have programs that will not allow them to download attachments. Other people have specific size requirements and may not be able to download it. Some people pay for time used and downloading costs money. Also, if you are subscribed to the Digest version, it will automatically delete all attachments. Please paste everything you send in directly to E-mail. If it is too large, please send it in parts. Put the Name/Title in the subject line with Part 1/3, Part 2/3, Part 3/3, etc. so people will know to keep it together. Some people's E-mail programs (AOL does) automatically turn long E-mails into file attachments. This is OK. If the program makes it an attachment, it is out of the control of the sender or the receiver. I just ask that you not create an attachment to send. One more thing to keep in mind, some programs turn forwarded E-mail into attachments. To be on the safe side, it's always best to paste everything directly to E-mail. Yes. There is no censorship on this list with the possible exception of portraying children in sexual situations. (Child pornography) Otherwise, feel free to express yourself however you see fit. I would appreciate it if you'd put a warning on material that may be offensive to some. Anything with graphic sex, violence, particularly "gory" scenes, excessive bad language, etc., should have a warning at the top for those who do not care to read it. Also, if it deals with a sensitive subject that may unintentionally cause a traumatic reaction in some (such as rape, child abuse, etc.,) please note that also. "Flaming" has various definitions but it is basically a post that serves no other purpose than to attack another person or provoke them into an argument. Flaming is not allowed on this list. When doing critiques, it is sometimes necessary to say something negative to another person. This is OK as long as it is (a) constructive and (b) respectful. There is a big difference between saying, "The plot of this story was confusing and should be re-worked." and "Your writing sucks." All negative comments should be for the purpose of helping the other person improve their writing, not to attack them. If you have a problem with another list member and you think it was a simple mistake on their part, you might want to send them an E-mail about it and trying to resolve it that way. If that does not work (or it is something you do not think can be handled that way), let me know and I will deal with it. If someone is overly rude to you or continues to violate a guideline that makes it difficult for you to participate in the list, please E-mail me about it and I will try and resolve it with that person. All complaints will be kept confidential. I will not let the person know who made the complaint, just that one exists. No, many of us belong to multiple lists. It's fine to get as much information and support as is available (and you have time for). A couple of things need to be addressed though. As stated above, you may not send things to or from The Write List to or from other lists without the author's permission. Also, if you have a question, submission, etc., that you want to send to multiple lists, that is fine. However, please send it to each list individually instead of "cross-posting" it to multiple lists. Yep. That's fine too. Many people on this list run their own lists and I love having you all here. (and participating in some of your lists!) The same things apply as to people who belong to multiple lists. Also, taking information from this list (without permission) and using it on your list is not allowed. If you want any of my stuff for your list, please let me know and I will be happy to let you know where to find it and how to obtain permission to use it (if applicable). The other thing I do not want is people using my list to gain members for their list. Collecting E-mail addresses from my list and sending out invitations to join other lists will be considered spam, which is not allowed. Yes. If you have another list, a website, or anything else that will benefit writers, please share it with us. Read the section above on "I run my own writer's list, is it OK?" for specific guidelines. While participation is encouraged, it is not mandatory. You do not have to send messages in to the list to stay here. However, whenever you feel comfortable, we'd love to know you're with us, even if it's just to say "Hello." No, there are no participation requirements at all. However, I ask that you at least make an effort to give critiques as time allows. If you submit stuff for critique, you are particularly encouraged to return the favor to other list members. Some lists require you do 3-5 critiques for everything you submit. I think that is an excellent guideline but it is not mandatory. However, you will find that more people will critique your work if they see you pitching in to help others. Yes, although exceptions can be made in certain circumstances. As a general rule, you should not submit more than one average size story (or story segment) or 2-3 poems in a week. This is to make sure that everyone is able to receive critiques. If people are doing several of your works at once, other people's may be ignored or not critiqued as quickly. When submitting a novel in parts, please just send one chapter per week (or at least wait 5 days). Exceptions can be made if you have something that must be turned in on a particular date. If you have already submitted a novel chapter and discover that you have a short story due two days later, it is OK to send that in. If it's a "rush job" like that, I suggest you note that at the top so people will be sure to critique it as quickly as possible. Or, if you are in a contest that allows more than one entry, and the cut-off date is soon, it is OK to send multiple submissions in that situation. Use your judgment. If you need to submit more in a week, it is OK but don't pull out everything you've ever written and send it in at once. It is unfair to others. This does not include the weekly exercises which do not require critiques unless specifically requested by the author. Technically, you can submit anything you want, whether it is an unedited first draft or a carefully edited final draft. However, I would appreciate it if you at least did the basic editing before sending it in. (Check for spelling, grammar, and other technical errors, run it through a spell checker, etc.) It takes a long time to critique something with excessive errors that could have been edited out by the author and it could result in less critiques, or you may get less feedback on the substance of your work and more on the basics. If you have a problem with a certain basic technique, it's OK to send it in and ask for help with it but please try to get it in as good of shape as you are able. We are here to help you improve and see problems with your work, not to do your editing for you. You should have enough pride in your work to have it as professional as possible before sending it out to others anyway. It's a good practice in general, not just for the purposes of this list. Yes and No. (Helpful answer, huh? :-) If your work has been accepted by a p/e/a/etc., they will work with you on getting it how they think is best. If you go against their suggestions and take the advice of list members (or anyone,) you run the risk of being dropped by them. And in some cases, you could be accused of violating a contract which can cause you problems. You need to work with that p/e/a/etc., to get your manuscript in shape, not with anyone else. In addition, some people do not want to give crits in these situations for their own protection. If you choose to ignore my advice to not ask for crits, for the purposes of this list, I ask that you clearly state at the top that it has been accepted and you want crits anyway so people can choose for themselves whether or not to help you. There are a couple of exceptions to this: (a) You don't want crits and are only submitting it for people to read (and possibly just say "I did/did not like it.") Please put a note at the top of these submissions stating that it is for reading only, no critiques (and, if desired, that you would like for people to tell you if they liked it or not.) (b) The p/e/a/etc. said something to the effect of, "I may be interested in your manuscript if you can clean it up, etc." Then, I think it would be OK to get crits as it has not been accepted, but may be if you can get it in shape. (c) I also think it's OK if the p/e/a/etc., tells you to fix a specific thing (like theme, a particular character, avoiding cliches, etc.,) and does not give you instructions on how they want you to do so, for you to ask for assistance with it. But please put the status of the manuscript at the top regardless. If it's an entire novel, don't forget to break it in to parts before submitting it. First of all, EVERYONE is qualified to give critiques. If you can read, you can critique. You don't necessarily have to do a line by line critique. On some, you may only have a general comment like, "I liked the main character because....." or "The plot was not believable because....." I have several resources on critiques. Please e-mail me if you would like some guidelines. You can also check out my article on critiques Otherwise, just be honest and say what you think. Yes. Although it is suggested you mail them to the list (as everyone can benefit from reading them,) if you are uncomfortable with that, you may send them directly to the author. I do not want to deprive anyone of critiques by saying they must be done publicly. I hope you will, after a while, feel comfortable sending them to the list, (it's a pretty friendly and supportive environment) but you are welcome to send them privately if you wish. After observing the critiques on this list and several others, I have come up with 11 "tips" on making sure your work receives as many critiques as possible. (Suggestions for additions to this list are welcome.) 1. Give critiques to others. People are more likely to help those who have helped them. 2. Unless it is time specific, submit your work when there have not been many submitted that day/week. If there are 5 subs in one day, most people are likely to choose one or two and you may receive less crits than you would if you picked a "slower" time. 3. If it is time specific (you have to submit it in X number of days,) put that in the subject line so people will know to read it as soon as they can. 4. Keep them short. Even if it is a short story or a single chapter (but is lengthy,) you might want to break it up into 2 or more parts with a couple of days in between. To minimize confusion, put Part 1/3, Part 2/3, Part 3/3 (or whatever) plus the title in the subject line. 5. Paste the submission directly to e-mail instead of making it an attachment. Lots of people do not even download attachments. (and some can't) 6. Let people know what you want. Specify the type critique you would like (full, comments on plot/grammar/etc., and/or simply whether or not it was enjoyable.) You can even make up a list of "questions" you would like the reader to answer about your work. 7. Let people know what they are getting. It is helpful if you put the type of submission (poem/short story/novel chapter/ect.,) genre, and the word count either at the top of the page or in the subject line. 8. Edit your work first. Sending something in with "This is a rough draft." at the top is unprofessional. Clean it up, run it through a spell checker, THEN submit it. If your work is consistently sloppy, some people may quit reading it because the errors are distracting or fixing them is too time consuming. 9. Keep submissions at a reasonable level. If you submit everything you've ever written in a short period of time, people may quit critiquing it in order to help out others. Select those works you wish to get in shape for possible publication and save the stuff you wrote "just for fun" or in 7th grade English for another time. 10. Participate and make friends. If you have a bunch of stuff you want critiqued and are not getting the response you desire from the whole list, pairing up with another person (or 3 or 4) and agreeing to read/crit each other's work is a good idea. You may want to submit some works to the list and ask your friends if they are willing to crit other stuff privately and offer to do the same for them. 11. Be patient. Some members have busy schedules and do not get to critques (especially long ones) immediately. You may not always get responses right away. Don't give up though, several people will usually respond within a day or two. Others save them for the weekends. And I, unfortunately, am terminally behind on crits. It is considered polite to send anyone who offers a critique a "Thank You." You do not need to defend your work or agree/disagree with their suggestions, you only need to thank them for their time and effort. Some people like knowing which suggestions you used so you can let them know when you followed their advice but it is not necessary. Just a simple acknowledgement will do. This should be sent via private E-mail and not to the list. Remember, when people critique your work, they are doing you a favor, it is not a requirement of this list. While I can't swear to everyone's ethics, I do not expect this to happen. We have not had this problem in the past and anyone caught using another member's work (or parts thereof) will be IMMEDIATELY unsubscribed. This does not only include passing it off as their own, it also includes forwarding it or copying it for any reason. To do so is a violation of the Copyright Law and legal action can be taken against you. Copyright is too broad of a topic for this FAQ but I will give some basic information. For more info, please E-mail me and I will send you a list of resources on it or visit the tips page. Copyright is basically the right of the author of a work to determine who may copy it, make works derived from it, or use it in any way. It is no longer necessary to formally copyright your work as anything you write is automatically copyrighted to you. All you need to do is put the following at the bottom of your work (which I suggest you do not only on stuff submitted to the list, but on anything you show to other people): Copyright (or the symbol) [Date(s)] by [Your Name/Pseudonym] At The Write Site, there is a page for Member Bios. This is a mini-bio telling who you are. In a paragraph or two, you can give basic information such as your name, age, location, etc. and/or focus on your writing (how you got started, how long you've been writing, what type stuff you write, your publication history, etc.,) You can also have a link to your web page (if you have one) or a site where your work is published and/or your E-mail address. If you go to The Write Site and click on "Meet The Write List Members," you will see the bios already posted. They should give you an idea of what to write. I really encourage this as it is a great way for other members to get to know you, find out your interests, visit your website if you have one, and look up works you may have posted in cyberspace. Also, since you are encouraged to send an Introduction to the list when you join so we all can get to know you, it is possible to use your Intro as your Member Bio. Some people make their introductions long and prefer to write separate bios. Others write a short Intro that is appropriate for the Member Bio page. If you want your Intro used, please make a note on it telling me to put it on the website. We have several up there but I'd like as many members to contribute as possible. Each week, a writing exercise is sent out to the list on Mondays. If you want your exercise considered for the site, please post it to the list before the following Sunday. If you just want to share it with the list but do not want it on the site, please make a note on it when you submit it. On Sunday, I read through the exercises and pick my favorite. I also take into consideration comments each exercise received from other list members as well as any E-mail I get "nominating" a specific exercise. Sometimes I will ask for votes. Any time you see an exercise that you really like and think it should be chosen, E-mail me and let me know. Also, we took a vote and decided that critiques of exercises are not necessary as they are practice. However, if you intend to use the exercise for something else and want to improve it, please make a note on the top that you would like a critique. Each month, I select a Member of the Month. They get an entire web page so that folks can get to know them better. The Member of the Month pagecan include any of the following that the member wishes to provide: A photograph A question and answer session The MOTM's tip(s) for other writers The member's works (as many as desired) The member's favorite links Links to their website(s), E-mail, etc. I select the MOTM based primarily on their participation in the list. Past members of the month were diligent in critiquing the works of others, welcoming people, submitting their works, participating in discussions, answering questions of other list members, etc. It has nothing to do with how good a writer you are or whether you've been published. All that matters is you are consistently courteous and helpful to other members, follow list guidelines, and participate. I will select someone and ask them in private E-mail whether they wish to accept. If you do not want to be MOTM and I ask you, let me know and I will select someone else. If someone has been particularly helpful to you and you want to let me know, please E-mail me. I will take all recommendations and compliments from other members into consideration when making a decision. Thanks to all who are still reading. :-) I hope you enjoy the list!! |
