Rules for Playing Nice in the Writer's Circle
Oct 30, 2010 10:56:06 GMT -8
Post by MeghanJH on Oct 30, 2010 10:56:06 GMT -8
All right, I've been meaning to do this for a while now, and with some hours free and a good computer at my hands I thought 'why the hell not?' I'm going to cover some basic rules/faqs about the Writers' Circle for newbies and oldbies alike to refer to. These are meant to guide those of you that plan on spending a lot of time here, and while I will be enforcing a certain number of them (you'll be able to figure out which), the vast majority are up to you to follow.
I've posted a lot of stories but no one ever responds!
Of course you have. This is the internet. Everyone on it is under the impression they are more deserving of attention than the next person. The cold, hard truth of the matter is that to receive critique you need to be willing to offer it up. That doesn't mean posting "That's cool. I like this part." or "Oh man, what a neat chapter!" over and over again. That is not critique. Critique is defined by dictionary.com as
So if you want to receive any help on your work, your best bet is to offer up some in return.
But I have critiqued things! I've still got no reviews!
This wouldn't surprise me either as TS.com is a big site, and members generally lurk about beyond the Writers' Circle. While it is frustrating not to receive any reviews, especially after putting time into looking over the work of others, you should remember that by examining the mistakes of others you can become aware of your own problems. If you are posting your stories here simply for an ego boost to say 'Look at what I can do!' you're probably going to end us disappointed. We're not all serious writers here, but those of us that are/would like to be are not around to simply boost your ego. Which leads to the next comment...
"Thanks for the critique. I'll take it under consideration."
No. No. No. There is nothing more insulting. You have posted your story here and requested critique for a reason. A person has not just spent a half hour going over your post line by line only to receive a 'Thanks, I'll keep it in mind'. Those of us that put effort into reviewing do so in an effort to help you as a writer improve. You can take it under consideration all you want, but if someone offers up comments about a glaring mistake that you refuse to change because you feel you're a phenomenal writer, then you're going to find yourself without reviews. No one wants to read the work of some jerk that's too high and mighty to admit they've made mistakes.
What the @$^*&$# is this crap?
Oohkay. I'll make this as clear as I can. I don't care what the hell member X is like on the forums. (well, that';s a lie, as a mod I do care, but as a mod primarily looking over the Writers' Circle, I don't). So-and-so can piss the living daylights out of you. They can be jackasses, douchebags, bastards, whatever you want to call them. They can gloat on Serious Business and criticize everyone on the Music forum. I. Don't. Care. The writers' forum is NOT, I repeat, NOT here for you to exact your revenge. Ripping apart the literary work of ANYONE because you don't like their personalities is not only passive-aggressive. It is rude to those of us that are trying to genuinely offer up helpful hints. So those of you that think you can waltz around pissing on the work of others simply because you have a grudge against a member, walk away now. It will not be tolerated. The mods expect that whatever happens outside of the Writers' Circle to stay there.
That being said...
I am such a super cool author! Look at my super cool writing! I'm going to get published! I'm going to be famous! I'm going to do this and this and this and this and where the hell is my armadillo?.
Stop.
We're all writers here. The vast majority of us do want to get published. Some of us are in the process of finding a publisher, some aren't. Some of us have been published, some haven't. But if you come in here strutting around like you've got a stick stuck up your arse then the members WILL tear you down and rightly so. They have all the right in the world to question credentials of anyone claiming to be an author and if you DO claim to be published you can guarantee that you will have to prove it. There's no room for your ego here so take it somewhere where people give a damn.
So to sum up, follow these handy rules and we'll all be fine:
-Want reviews? Review others!
-When reviewing, remember to not only treat the work of others as you want YOUR work to be treated, treat it as if you're speaking to someone who cries easily. We're here (in the Writers' Circle)to encourage each other, not to cut people down.
-Unless you're an egotistical douche bag in general on the forums.
-Leave issues with members at the door when you come here to critique. Don't treat a piece of writing badly simply because you hate the member.
-I will stamp out any ganging up I see in the arse.
-I will not stop people from questioning credentials though. After all, this is the internet, and you never know for sure if someone is telling the truth.
If you are being a jackass in any way (definition of jackass depends on the situation) I will not hesitate to offer up warnings. I don't want to have to, but the minute the Writers' Circle becomes a conduit for the issues on the rest of the forum, everything will go to hell. All I'm asking is that we treat each other with respect and keep forum issues outside of the Writers' Circle.
I've posted a lot of stories but no one ever responds!
Of course you have. This is the internet. Everyone on it is under the impression they are more deserving of attention than the next person. The cold, hard truth of the matter is that to receive critique you need to be willing to offer it up. That doesn't mean posting "That's cool. I like this part." or "Oh man, what a neat chapter!" over and over again. That is not critique. Critique is defined by dictionary.com as
cri·tique (kr-tk)
n.
1. A critical review or commentary, especially one dealing with works of art or literature.
2. A critical discussion of a specified topic.
3. The art of criticism.
tr.v. cri·tiqued, cri·tiqu·ing, cri·tiques Usage Problem
To review or discuss critically.
n.
1. A critical review or commentary, especially one dealing with works of art or literature.
2. A critical discussion of a specified topic.
3. The art of criticism.
tr.v. cri·tiqued, cri·tiqu·ing, cri·tiques Usage Problem
To review or discuss critically.
So if you want to receive any help on your work, your best bet is to offer up some in return.
But I have critiqued things! I've still got no reviews!
This wouldn't surprise me either as TS.com is a big site, and members generally lurk about beyond the Writers' Circle. While it is frustrating not to receive any reviews, especially after putting time into looking over the work of others, you should remember that by examining the mistakes of others you can become aware of your own problems. If you are posting your stories here simply for an ego boost to say 'Look at what I can do!' you're probably going to end us disappointed. We're not all serious writers here, but those of us that are/would like to be are not around to simply boost your ego. Which leads to the next comment...
"Thanks for the critique. I'll take it under consideration."
No. No. No. There is nothing more insulting. You have posted your story here and requested critique for a reason. A person has not just spent a half hour going over your post line by line only to receive a 'Thanks, I'll keep it in mind'. Those of us that put effort into reviewing do so in an effort to help you as a writer improve. You can take it under consideration all you want, but if someone offers up comments about a glaring mistake that you refuse to change because you feel you're a phenomenal writer, then you're going to find yourself without reviews. No one wants to read the work of some jerk that's too high and mighty to admit they've made mistakes.
What the @$^*&$# is this crap?
Oohkay. I'll make this as clear as I can. I don't care what the hell member X is like on the forums. (well, that';s a lie, as a mod I do care, but as a mod primarily looking over the Writers' Circle, I don't). So-and-so can piss the living daylights out of you. They can be jackasses, douchebags, bastards, whatever you want to call them. They can gloat on Serious Business and criticize everyone on the Music forum. I. Don't. Care. The writers' forum is NOT, I repeat, NOT here for you to exact your revenge. Ripping apart the literary work of ANYONE because you don't like their personalities is not only passive-aggressive. It is rude to those of us that are trying to genuinely offer up helpful hints. So those of you that think you can waltz around pissing on the work of others simply because you have a grudge against a member, walk away now. It will not be tolerated. The mods expect that whatever happens outside of the Writers' Circle to stay there.
That being said...
I am such a super cool author! Look at my super cool writing! I'm going to get published! I'm going to be famous! I'm going to do this and this and this and this and where the hell is my armadillo?.
Stop.
We're all writers here. The vast majority of us do want to get published. Some of us are in the process of finding a publisher, some aren't. Some of us have been published, some haven't. But if you come in here strutting around like you've got a stick stuck up your arse then the members WILL tear you down and rightly so. They have all the right in the world to question credentials of anyone claiming to be an author and if you DO claim to be published you can guarantee that you will have to prove it. There's no room for your ego here so take it somewhere where people give a damn.
So to sum up, follow these handy rules and we'll all be fine:
-Want reviews? Review others!
-When reviewing, remember to not only treat the work of others as you want YOUR work to be treated, treat it as if you're speaking to someone who cries easily. We're here (in the Writers' Circle)to encourage each other, not to cut people down.
-Unless you're an egotistical douche bag in general on the forums.
-Leave issues with members at the door when you come here to critique. Don't treat a piece of writing badly simply because you hate the member.
-I will stamp out any ganging up I see in the arse.
-I will not stop people from questioning credentials though. After all, this is the internet, and you never know for sure if someone is telling the truth.
If you are being a jackass in any way (definition of jackass depends on the situation) I will not hesitate to offer up warnings. I don't want to have to, but the minute the Writers' Circle becomes a conduit for the issues on the rest of the forum, everything will go to hell. All I'm asking is that we treat each other with respect and keep forum issues outside of the Writers' Circle.