Vanity - Righter's List

04-03-07 | James P

[JamesP81]

There is a small bit of business we ought to take care of.

Most people have expressed to me a desire to allow critiquing of each other's work. I think this is a good idea, with one reservation: posting your work to an open forum, such as FR, could leave you open to copyright infringement. Granted, it's not likely to happen, but one never knows. It helps some that FR time stamps its posts, so you can get an exact date for when you created the material, and it would further help to keep a copyright posted in your posts to the forum as well. However, before we decide on that, I wanted to run it by everyone on the list: do we want to post our work to FR for critiquing in a thread, or would we all feel better about exchanging email addresses and distributing work for critiquing in that manner?

On a personal note, I was going to try to have something ready by today (I've shelved my current project and started on something else, which, I think has more potential), but I had to go to a dentist today and the throbbing in my head from repeated injections of local anesthetic has left me feeling a little weird, and thus I haven't had time to get to a point that I have something worth critiquing. My apologies.

In any case, I'd appreciate everyone's thoughts on open forum critiquing vs email critiquing.

[JamesP81]

You might consider setting up something like a Yahoo group that would allow members to access your files. That way they aren’t public on the thread and you can remove them to edit or when the editing is done.

Actually, I know a guy who could host us a website. I could get us a domain (I'm willing to pay for this out of pocket, as it costs almost nothing) and I could set up one of those PHP based bulletin boards that we could login to. That way, it would be more suited to very long postings of material.

[carton253]

Lead on... I’m right behind you!

[squarebarb]

Yes, it would be cumbersome to have a whole chapter posted for critique.

Although I know that there are many writers here who are looking for honest help.

So I am not sure what suggestion to make.

Maybe just parts of a chpater? Or a synopsis?

But it depends on what kind of help you are looking for. If you’r3e looking for help with plot, then a synopsis would surely do.

If in the writing itself, style etc., then maybe something a little longer.

But definitely a chapter is a bit too long.

[RightWhale]

This is about a SIG for writers: wannabees, dilettantes, professional, published, topical, topic-free. The critique of posts is handled amply in the general forum,.

[Scourge of God]

This would be a great forum for posting excerpts of your fiction. Posting of long works would best be done elsewhere. Critters.org is a good place to have entire novels critiqued.

Posting an entire story or chapter or whatever is fraught with peril. You can be ripped off. Also, publishers can be leery of anything that has been published in cyberspace. The potential for copyright violations will cause them to pass on something that’s on a website somewhere.

And really, an excerpt is all we need to open up discussions and critiques on a piece. Maybe someone could even give out assignments of short blurbs we all write and then critique.

[RightWhale]

Maybe just parts of a chpater? Or a synopsis?

I might suggest single paragraphs, single sentences, single phrases since the mechanics are all that should be critiqued. Leave the theme, motif, outline criticism to the author's own id and superego.

[Lokibob]

I am apparently not allowed to give my opinion any more (see post #15), so will reserve any comment.

I do see what you mean about dilettantes, though.

.....Bob

[RightWhale]

it doesn't tow the lib / commie line

Let the critiquing begin with this. One toe over the line sounds like tow the line. If the editor is kind he might revise with his blue pencil, or if he has fifty more manuscripts to review before the ink truck arrives for the regular afternoon delivery he might simply use the self-addressed return envelope.

[squarebarb]

Yes, I believe it is ‘toe the line’ as in step up to the line and say you’re on our side.

Noted by Orwell.

[retrokitten]

I don’t get to be on the list? I asked ont the other thread. {sniff, sniff I promised myself I wouldn’t cry}

[JamesP81]

Posting an entire story or chapter or whatever is fraught with peril. You can be ripped off. Also, publishers can be leery of anything that has been published in cyberspace. The potential for copyright violations will cause them to pass on something that’s on a website somewhere.

That's kind of what I was afraid of.

[RightWhale]

This SIG will not consume much bandwidth anyway.

[JamesP81]

I don’t get to be on the list? I asked ont the other thread. {sniff, sniff I promised myself I wouldn’t cry}

Sorry. I've had kind of a hectic week, and I must've missed your request...but you're on the list now.

[JamesP81]

This would be a great forum for posting excerpts of your fiction. Posting of long works would best be done elsewhere. Critters.org is a good place to have entire novels critiqued.

Posting an entire story or chapter or whatever is fraught with peril. You can be ripped off. Also, publishers can be leery of anything that has been published in cyberspace. The potential for copyright violations will cause them to pass on something that’s on a website somewhere.

And really, an excerpt is all we need to open up discussions and critiques on a piece. Maybe someone could even give out assignments of short blurbs we all write and then critique.

This is exactly what I was concerned about, folks. I think we should take Scourge's advice on this one, and keep it to excerpts, or short blurbs, or writing exercises. For now, this can be done in the Chat section here, but if we get enough volume I can get us a website set up which is likely to happen sooner rather than later.

[retrokitten]

Thank you!

[carton253]

It seems that we are all in agreement that posting full chapters is not only cumbersome but fraught with peril. I don't know about the rest of you but personally a chapter contains way too many HTML formating challenges for me.

If we choose to post full chapters for critique then we move it off line to either to the website JamesP81 mentioned or to a yahoo group that I am willing to set up or critters.org.

The last thing I would want to happen is someone get ripped off or not published because of the cyberspace issue.

In the few short days we have gotten together the talent and the help has been terrific and I want to see it continue.

[carton253]

You are more than welcomed to give your opinion. We might need agree with it... but you are welcomed. :>)

[carton253]

Could you add LS to the ping list. Thank you!

[squarebarb]

You are more than welcome, retrokitten!

Tell us something about your writing. do you have a long story going, or are you hoping to start one?

What do you read?

[retrokitten]

Thanks for asking! I generally write dumb little stories about my life that some people have told me are funny. There is no shortage of genuine characters in my daily life! LOL!! I have an idea for a longer fiction story, but it’s not fully formed yet.

I need to write on a regular basis, but, as I am sure you know, daily life gets in the way too often. Hopefully, this will inspire me to actually sit my butt down and grab a pen! When I actually write out the words with my own hand it feels more like I am creating something then when I type on the computer, if that makes sense.