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FAQ Sheet Index What is the New Writers' List?LIST ETIQUETTE What is The New Writers’ List? The New Writers’ List is an E-mail group for writers of prose and poetry, open to all, regardless of genre or level of experience. It was started by Sherry Vaughn, author of “TRAP DOOR”, “TAPESTRY”, “GLASS HOUSE”, and “A GIFT FOR ROO”. Sherry wanted a comfortable place where writers could offer their work for good honest critique, and find practical information and encouragement to develop marketable writing skills. Information on the ‘other side’ of writing--the business side of finding agents, publishers, and the technicalities of pulling together a manuscript for publication—is also provided. Who Is the Moderator of the New Writers’ List? My name is Luglenda S. McClain, and I am the Moderator for the New Writer’s List, having received that honor from Sherry who continues to be an active member. I, a new writer myself, joined the New Writers’ E-mail List not too long after it was started by Sherry Vaughn. I first served the List as an active member, then later as Co-Moderator with Sherry. My goal continues to be that of Sherry’s, which is to make the New Writer’s E-mail List one of the most informative lists available to the beginning writer with weekly writing tips, exercises, resources and information on current markets. The encouraging, helpful atmosphere of the New Writer’s List, maintained by the moderator and members, enable writers of every genre and level of experience to submit their work for critique without fear of ‘flaming’ or rejection. For additional information on Luglenda and Sherry, please visit our individual pages on this site.
How Do I Subscribe/Unsubscribe? To SUBSCRIBE, go to: YahooGroups OR click on one of the various "Subscribe" buttons placed throughout this site. This will allow you to subscribe directly to the New Writers’ E-mail List. You will also need to sign up at Yahoo Groups, if you have not done so. Instructions will be given at the Yahoo Groups site. To UNSUBSCRIBE, go to the Yahoo Groups site and select USER CENTER. There you can set your list options, and unsubscribe. What Should I Expect From This List? The New Writers’ List’s schedule is below. This is subject to change as the list grows and the need arise. Daily: Members Submit Their Work and Critique of Other’s Work Members are encouraged to submit their work for critique and to offer critiques of others’ work. Any topic related to writing may be discussed. Naturally we will want to know when you get something published, or if you are feeling down because of a rejection. (Sadly, we all get them.) Information on Current Writing Markets, Writing Resources, Contests, and Additional Writing Tips Will Be Added as Available Throughout the Week. Members are encouraged to post any information that may be of interest to other writers.
Subject headers will be used to save time for those only interested in certain parts of the list. Also, we are all busy and may not have time to read through every post for the information we seek. By adding a code in the subject line of each E-mail message, people can easily sort their mail and read the messages that interest them. The codes are as follows: ADMIN: Posts from the Moderator on list changes,rules, and other list matters As a common courtesy, particularly on the larger subs, a word count and genre at the top would be appreciated. You are encouraged to use these subject headers on all posts. Additional headers may be included, as needed. Please keep this list available until you have learned the appropriate subject header to use.
What Can I Expect As Far As List Traffic? Even the smallest active E-mail list will get several messages per day. Generally, you can expect anywhere from 10 - 30 daily. The list moderator and members will 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. If you find the traffic is too heavy, you can set your subscription to DIGEST mode. YahooGroups will compile all messages to be mailed out nightly in one E-mail message. Some prefer this method of receiving mail from the List. Others prefer to put up with the increased traffic so that they may receive the messages as they are posted instead of at the end of a day. When going out of town or other times when away from your computer, you can set your subscription to NO MAIL. You will still be subscribed to the list but ONElist will not send you the list mail until you disable this feature. Feel free to E-mail the moderator with any questions, comments and suggestions. Luglenda S. McClain This list is only successful if the members are happy and active. The input of every member is crucial and encouraged.
What If I Violate the Stuff on This FAQ? If someone consistently ignores the guidelines, they will be sent a private "gentle reminder." Please do not get your feelings hurt if you receive such a reminder. It will take a while for all of us to get used to the guidelines. The guidelines have to be followed in order to be as fair as possible to all members and for the list to run properly.
What Is Appropriate To Send To The List? Anything that is of interest to ALL, MOST, or a LARGE SEGMENT of the list members. Included are introductions, submissions, critiques, exercises, information and discussions on writing, questions on writing, answers to questions on issues applicable to other writers, writing humor, etc. Before sending out any post ask yourself if it will be of interest to the list members or to only a few. If the latter is true, send it via private E-mail to the few.
What Should I Send Via Private E-mail? Posts that will only be of interest to one or two people. Included are "Good job" and "Me too" posts, welcomes, E-mail that was sent directly to you, anything that may embarrass the person you are responding to, and anything else that would be of interest to only one or two people. You are encouraged to welcome new members but it will only interest them and should be sent via private E-mail. The moderator will send out announcements of new members along with their E-mail addresses so that you can send them a message welcoming them to the list. Please do so. It is bad etiquette to post someone else's E-mail that they sent directly to you. If they wanted it on the list, they would have sent it there themselves.
Currently the default reply is set so that if you hit the reply button your message will go TO THE PERSON posting the message and not to the New Writers’ List. When sending a post to the list, please CHANGE THE DEFAULT ADDRESS to New_Writers@yahoogroups.com. If your post should be sent via private E-mail then you can just hit reply and it will go to the sender. How Do I Respond to Posts on the List? 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 which 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. Most E-mail programs will re-copy the entire post, making it necessary for you to delete the unnecessary parts. Others will let you choose the portions to copy, and some will not copy any at all. If it does not copy any, you may need to "cut" and "paste" the relevant parts of the post.
What If I Have A Tip/Link/Etc., That Would Interest New Writers’ Members? If you have a tip/link/article/quote/discussion topic etc., that would interest writers, please feel free to send it in. Please 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 and just want general comments from people, those should go directly to you, not to the list. Can I Forward Stuff From This List To Other People/Lists? NOT WITHOUT PERMISSION FROM THE AUTHOR. Everything posted to this list is for list members only. If you like something written by another person, you MUST get their permission. 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 will be immediately unsubscribed. 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 our attention so we can get permission from the other list.
Can I Send E-mail Formatted In HTML? 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 fewer 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. Can I Send File Attachments To List Mail? 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. 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.
Can I Post Adult/Sensitive Material? 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. Please place 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. And if it deals with a sensitive subject that may unintentionally cause a traumatic reaction to some (such as Rape, Child Abuse), please note that also. What Is "Flaming" And Is It Allowed? "Flaming" is basically a post that serves no purpose other 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.
What If I Have A Complaint against Another Member? 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. Complaints should be sent in private E-mail to Luglenda, the List Moderator. Do I Have To Participate or can I "Lurk"? 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."
Is There A Minimum Requirement for Submissions or Critiques? No, there are no participation requirements at all. However, we ask that you at least make an effort to give critiques as time allows. If you submit stuff for critique, you need to return the favor to other list members. Some lists require you do 3-5 critiques for everything you submit. That is an excellent guideline but it is not mandatory, at this time. However, you will find that more people will critique your work if they see you pitching in to help others. Is There A Maximum Amount I Can Submit? 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 3-4 POEMS in a week for critique. This is to make sure that everyone is able to receive critiques. If people are doing several of your works at once, others’ 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.
Can I Submit Something That I Just Wrote and haven’t Edited? Technically, you can submit anything you want, whether it is an unedited first draft or a carefully edited final draft. However, you do at least need to do 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. What If I Don't Know How To Critique Or Don't Feel "Qualified"? 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...." Just be honest and say what you think. Most writers would appreciate an honest critique from someone in the audience for which they are writing. If you would like some articles or information on critiquing, please feel free to contact me.
How Do I Respond To Someone Who Has Critiqued My Work? 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.
At The New Writers’ Site (The New Writers’ List's Web Page), 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 New Writers’ Site and click on " Members" link, you will see the bios already posted. They should give you an idea of what to write. 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. How Is the Exercise Submission Selected? 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 end of 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 Monday, I read through the exercises and pick the favorite. I will also take into consideration comments and the response 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.
How Is the Featured Writer of the Month Selected? Each month, a Feature Writer of the Month is selected. They get an entire web page so that others can get to know them better. The Featured Writer of the Month page includes any of the following that the member wishes to include: A Photograph The FWOTM is selected 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. The person selected will be contacted by private E- mail to ask whether they wish to accept. If you do not want to be the FWOTM and you are asked, 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. All recommendations and compliments from other members will be taken into consideration when making a decision. Luglenda S. McClain This FAQ Sheet has been adapted from that used by Kim Kay, Moderator of the Write List. |
