Our Procedures |
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Once you've sent off your story, it's no longer your story, it becomes the readers story.
~Timons Esaias
~Timons Esaias
Write or Die (WorD) is a Pittsburgh, PA science fiction, fantasy & horror writing and critiquing group. Established in 1996, it has been steadily growing since then.
WorD meetings are free to attend and open to the public.
Our meeting schedule can be found here.
Our members are fantasy, science fiction and horror writers whose skills and experience run from the unpublished, part-time writer to professional authors that are published in multiple genres. Some of our members write occasionally, and some do it every day. Many of the group members will have a story published within the first year of joining the critique group.
We are primarily a Critique Group, which means that we gather to review each others' work critically; that is to say, to tell you as a fellow writer if your story is good enough to go to market--and if it is not, we will point out is wrong with it. It is not our job to tell you how wonderful your writing is or gush over a story you've spent hours writing. We've all been there, done that. We leave the enthusiastic commentary for your fans. Our goal is to help you get your stories ready for professional publishing.
For more information on who we are and what we do, visit our FAQ's page. If you still have additional questions, please feel free to contact us via our online Contact Form.
Our operating procedure is simple. Manuscripts are distributed digitally to group members through our groups.io email server. Each member is responsible for either printing the MS or bringing a digital copy of the MS to the meeting.
Digital copies of critique notes may be sent to the author AFTER the meeting.
If a member is offering a critique but will not be able to attend the meeting, a digital copy of the critique can be emailed to the author AFTER the meeting date and end time has passed.
All members that printed the MS will give those printed copies to the author at the end of their critique.
*Note: New members must attend one meeting to be added to our groups.io email list.
A typical meeting starts with about fifteen minutes of social writing discussion. If there is more than one MS up for critique that week, the word count determines the order of the manuscript critiqued--the shortest piece goes first. We take turns in a circle giving oral critiques, beginning with the person to the right of the author. Some people do simple line edits, while others give much more extensive comments on the story. There is no right way to offer a critique.
Authors who's stories are being critiqued are asked to sit quietly and wait until the end of their critiques to reply with their comments. It can be very hard to hear comments about a story you've sweated over--we understand that. Members will offer their honest assessment, without resorting to insults or abusive language.
When everyone is done giving their oral critique the author may then ask clarifying questions and explain elements that may not be clear to the reader. We can generally get through two or three short stories per meeting, depending on the length of the stories and how many members attend and offer critiques.
Members do not have to offer a critique to attend meetings. One of the best ways to learn how to offer critiques is to listen to the other members giving their critiques. However, it is recommended that you read the stories that will be critiqued during that session.
GUIDELINES:
There are a lot of resources on the RESOURCES page of this website. Please take a few minutes to check out some of the FREE writing-related information that has been compiled to help you become a better writer.
*Standard Manuscript Format
Professional markets have submission guidelines, and some of them are rather unusual; failure to follow the guidelines is one of the reasons stories get tossed into the rejection pile unread. Our manuscript guidelines are based on the same guidelines that 95% of professional markets out there use, and as a result, learning them now is something that will help you become more professional in this career field.
William Shunn has an excellent web page showing exactly what short story manuscript formatting looks like. He also has a web page showing what novel manuscript formatting looks like.
Mary Soon Lee also has an excellent webpage telling exactly how a SMS needs to be formatted
WorD meetings are free to attend and open to the public.
Our meeting schedule can be found here.
Our members are fantasy, science fiction and horror writers whose skills and experience run from the unpublished, part-time writer to professional authors that are published in multiple genres. Some of our members write occasionally, and some do it every day. Many of the group members will have a story published within the first year of joining the critique group.
We are primarily a Critique Group, which means that we gather to review each others' work critically; that is to say, to tell you as a fellow writer if your story is good enough to go to market--and if it is not, we will point out is wrong with it. It is not our job to tell you how wonderful your writing is or gush over a story you've spent hours writing. We've all been there, done that. We leave the enthusiastic commentary for your fans. Our goal is to help you get your stories ready for professional publishing.
For more information on who we are and what we do, visit our FAQ's page. If you still have additional questions, please feel free to contact us via our online Contact Form.
Our operating procedure is simple. Manuscripts are distributed digitally to group members through our groups.io email server. Each member is responsible for either printing the MS or bringing a digital copy of the MS to the meeting.
Digital copies of critique notes may be sent to the author AFTER the meeting.
If a member is offering a critique but will not be able to attend the meeting, a digital copy of the critique can be emailed to the author AFTER the meeting date and end time has passed.
All members that printed the MS will give those printed copies to the author at the end of their critique.
*Note: New members must attend one meeting to be added to our groups.io email list.
A typical meeting starts with about fifteen minutes of social writing discussion. If there is more than one MS up for critique that week, the word count determines the order of the manuscript critiqued--the shortest piece goes first. We take turns in a circle giving oral critiques, beginning with the person to the right of the author. Some people do simple line edits, while others give much more extensive comments on the story. There is no right way to offer a critique.
Authors who's stories are being critiqued are asked to sit quietly and wait until the end of their critiques to reply with their comments. It can be very hard to hear comments about a story you've sweated over--we understand that. Members will offer their honest assessment, without resorting to insults or abusive language.
When everyone is done giving their oral critique the author may then ask clarifying questions and explain elements that may not be clear to the reader. We can generally get through two or three short stories per meeting, depending on the length of the stories and how many members attend and offer critiques.
Members do not have to offer a critique to attend meetings. One of the best ways to learn how to offer critiques is to listen to the other members giving their critiques. However, it is recommended that you read the stories that will be critiqued during that session.
GUIDELINES:
- You must be local to the Pittsburgh, PA area and be able to attend in-person meetings.
- ALL manuscripts must be submitted to the group in *Standard Manuscript Format and include the story title and author name as the file name. Example: MyGreatStory_AuthorName.doc
- Hard copy manuscripts used during meetings or printed by WorD members must be returned to the author, even if comments haven't been written on them.
- Genre short stories, poetry, flash fiction and cover letters are all fine to submit for critique without prior approval. Novels are one exception. Please see notes below on Novel Critiques.
- For non-fiction and non-SF/F/H fiction, ask other group members via the group email list if they are willing to offer you critiques OFF GROUP. Asking for private critiques, not during WorD meetings, is perfectly acceptable.
- If your story contains strong sexual themes, we prefer that you query the group via the groups.io email server and ask first. We will not accept stories for critique that contain bestiality or the abuse of children, women or men.
- If you cannot attend the meeting and would like the author to have a copy of your notes (in digital format) we ask that you wait to email the author your critique until after the meeting has adjourned.
- Although we have no production or submission requirements, we do ask that if you intend to submit your stories for critique, that you offer critiques in return. It's the right thing to do. Members that do not offer critiques in return for the group critiquing their work will be asked to remove themselves from the group.
It is recommended that new members attend three meetings to get a feel for how our group operates, before submitting anything for critique. - Meeting attendance is mandatory to be part of the WorD group email list.
Members must attend one meeting before being added to the groups.io email list.
Members are asked to attend a minimum of one meeting every 12 months to stay on the groups.io email list. Members that do not attend for a period longer than one year will be removed from the group. We do this in consideration for the authors that are sharing their stories with the members of the group.
- The group does not look at entire novels at once, but rather looks at a synopsis and a query letter first--similar to a letter that will be sent to an agent or publishing house.
- The attending members will decide whether or not the group should devote a quarter of a year or more to critiquing the entire work--novels can take 7 or more sessions.
- Once it is decided to critique the novel, we will work with the author to decide how best to break the novel into portions that can be critiqued during meetings.
- If it is decided that the group will NOT critique the novel, the author is welcome to ask members of the group if they will read the novel and critique OFF GROUP.
- We do NOT critique prologues to a novel that we are not critiquing.
- We WILL help you with your query and cover letter if you ask, even if we are not critiquing the novel.
There are a lot of resources on the RESOURCES page of this website. Please take a few minutes to check out some of the FREE writing-related information that has been compiled to help you become a better writer.
*Standard Manuscript Format
Professional markets have submission guidelines, and some of them are rather unusual; failure to follow the guidelines is one of the reasons stories get tossed into the rejection pile unread. Our manuscript guidelines are based on the same guidelines that 95% of professional markets out there use, and as a result, learning them now is something that will help you become more professional in this career field.
William Shunn has an excellent web page showing exactly what short story manuscript formatting looks like. He also has a web page showing what novel manuscript formatting looks like.
Mary Soon Lee also has an excellent webpage telling exactly how a SMS needs to be formatted