Six invites sent out

I have sent out invites to:

Wes, Sarah, Anita, Rob, Mary Ann, and Amy. This is everyone at the meeting tonight, who has not already been invited and signed up.

Follow the instructions to be able to post on this site.

I will invite others after future meeting when they have agreed to receive an invite.

Pushing blog posts

Anita said that to be useful, the blog would have to push posts out, rather than the user having to log-in to see if there is anything new. I agree.

There are a few ways of doing this, depending on your choice of browser and personal preference.

I have added two ways to receive pushed posts

Via your browser:

• If you use Firefox, then clicking on the small orange square (with a dot and 2 circle quadrants) will add a feed to your bookmarks. Each time a new Post is made, the title of the Post is fed automatically to your favorites list. Clicking on the blog title in your drop-down favorites list will display all post titles, without having to go to the Lincoln Write Stuff blog site. This works almost identically for Windows explorer (at least from IE 5 onwards). I don't know how the Mac handles this - but I suspect it is superior.

By your email:

• I have added an email subscription facility provided by Feedburner (now a part of Google). Simply click the link on the left hand side of the blog page that says Subscribe to blog and fill in your email address on the page provided. Verify your subscription when you get an email from Feedburner and you will receive one email per day of all posts made on that day. If there are no Posts then there will be no email.
  

I hope this helps users get the most out of our group.

Let me know if anything else is missing.

An experiment in labels

Tim asked the other night if we could arrange Posts in folders?
As far as I know this is not possible. Posts are archived by dates. However searching can be made simpler by adding labels for Posts. In this way Posts can then be searched or sorted by these labels (sometimes called tags by other blog software).
So what is a label?
Simply put it is a one word descriptor that describes the category that the Post fits in (think of it like a folder name).
This post might be labeled instructions. A Post can have more than one label, but then it will turn up under searches or sorts for each label.

I suggest the following labels for this blog:

• grammar - for posts on grammar (e.g. sneaked v snuck)
• craft - for posts on plotting or outlining, dialogue, descriptions, character development (e.g. are dead dogs ok)
  
• tools - for software, computing problems, hints or tips (Mac v PC, word v rtf, etc)
• non-fiction - for posts on journalism, essays, memoir (e.g. voice, flashback and truth)
  

Feel free to suggest others, but remember too many will get confusing and unwieldy.

You will find the box to add Labels for this post at the bottom left of the input page on each new post.

The other thing to remember is to use short meaningful titles for the original post, so that there is a chance of guessing the likely content.

Comments are kept with Posts, so make sure the comment is relevant to the topic posted and try to keep each post to one topic.

One final thought. On the top right hand side you will see a search blog. This will find the post(s) that contain that key word searched on.


Geoff

Write Stuff Critique Group 'Rules'

“Rules” for the Write Stuff at Lincoln PL

updated Sept 2006

General

• The Write Stuff is an open group.
• All are welcome to join. However, only those who have attended at least two previous meetings will be eligible to read their work.
• The group may be divided if it becomes too large; having about a dozen regular members is ideal.
• The meeting shall be chaired by a facilitator, who shall keep track of time, encourage open and sympathetic comments and record who will read at the subsequent meeting.
• Members unable to attend the meeting should notify the facilitator.

Presenting Work

• Those who will present at each meeting shall sign up at the previous meeting.
• A copy of the work (maximum about 1000 words, or 4 pages double-spaced) should be sent by the author to each person in the group by e-mail at least 24 hours before the meeting.
• It is recommended that the work be sent as an attachment and pasted into the body of the email.
• The words Write Stuff should appear in the title of all emails relating to the activities of the group to aid filtering and recognition
• Names, email address and telephone number of members are made available to others in the group for the sole purpose of distribution of material and comments.
• If a reader is unable to send their work out in advance, then sufficient hard copies should be made available by the reader for distribution at the meeting.
• If a reader is unable to attend the meeting at which they are to read, they should notify the facilitator as far in advance as possible to permit substitution.

Providing comments and input

• Members will read the work, make comments and be prepared to discuss them at the group.
• Comments should include two positive aspects that the reviewer found in the work and two aspects that may be improved.
• Comments should be as specific as possible, give examples and be limited to the craft of writing as it pertains to the piece under review. (see appendix 1 for critique guidelines)
• All work should be considered confidential within the group, copyright of the author and should not be distributed outside of the Write Stuff group without the written permission of the copyright owner.
• All work should be considered fiction and not taken as a commentary or the express views of the author, unless clearly stated as such, for example as an editorial piece, memoir or non-fiction.

Appendix 1 (with acknowledgment to lessons learned at The Gotham Writers' Workshop)

Characters – the people in the story

• Are the characters interesting? Sympathetic?

• Are the characters dimensional, or one-note?

• Are the characters well drawn? Are you able to “see” them?

• Is there enough character: action, dialogue, appearance, thought?

• Are the characters distinctive, different from each other?

• Does the protagonist have a strong desire?

• Does the protagonist grow or change?

Plot – the sequence of events

• Is the plot interesting? Dramatic? Is a good story being told?

• Is there enough conflict?

• Does enough “happen”?

• Is there a logical flow to the plot?

• Does the story move forward? Does the tension increase?

• Is there a strong enough climax?

• Are any parts of the plot unnecessary? Are any necessary parts missing?

• Is exposition provided effectively?

Point of View – the viewpoint from which the story is told

• Is the right POV used (first person, third person, etc.)?

• Is the POV too “close” or “distant”?

• Is the POV consistent throughout the story?

Description– the way things are described

• Are the descriptions effective?

• Is there too much or too little description?

• Do the descriptions utilize the senses? Are they specific?

• Are adjectives and adverbs overused? Are the nouns and verbs strong enough?

• How is the use of figurative language (metaphor, simile, etc.)?

• Are cliches being used?

Dialogue– what the characters say

• Is there too much dialogue or not enough?

• Is there enough use of “scene”?

• Does the dialogue sound natural?

• Is the dialogue rambling?

• How is the use of “stage directions” – the staging of the dialogue scenes?

• Does the dialogue reflect the characters?

• Is the dialogue too “on the nose” – where characters always say what they mean?

• Are the tags (he said, she scolded, etc.) unobtrusive?

Setting – the place and time

• Is the story grounded enough in place? In time?

• Is there too much or too little setting description?

• Does the setting enhance the emotion or mood of the story?

Pacing – the manipulation of time

• Are there sections that should be cut, or moved through more quickly?

• Are there sections that should be slowed down?

• Are there too many flashbacks?

Voice – the “sound” of the narrator

• Do you find the narrator’s voice appealing or off-putting?

• Does the voice sound natural or affected?

• Is the voice consistent throughout the story?

Style – the stylistic choices

• Are the words consistent with the narrator’s voice?

• Are the sentences and paragraphs too long or too short?

• Is the writing too wordy, or too spare?

• Are there any style choices that distract you from the story?

Theme – the underlying meaning

• Does there seem to be a point to the story?

• Is the theme too heavy-handed?

• Is the theme dramatized by the plot?

Grammar