A miscellaneous email from a friend took me to this place where you send 1st chapter or prologue as an attachment and he'll critique the first couple of pages.

Um, awesome!

But anyone know the ramifications of having your first chapter or prologue posted for the world to read?

I think I'd like to try this with all three of my current WIPs, one at a time, of course, starting with FH. Has anyone done it? If so, what were your impressions?

Meanwhile I'm busy reviewing, though my eyes are starting to get sore. I did four reviews today, but still have no idea what the current rankings are.

Oh wait! She posted them just in time!!

3 Brenta
5 Greg
0 Leah
7 Jennifer (AKA ME)
1 Mike
3 Eva
1 David
2 cathy
4 Jennifer
3 Cacy
9 L. David
8 Patty
5 Barbara
0 sheryl
1 Jessica
7 Ruthanne
1 Elizabeth
3 Stelios
1 John
2 Lindsay

So it's L. David, Patty, and then ME...

And I'm not too far behind. And my latest review just missed her deadline, so technically, unless Patty just posted another one, I'm tied for second. Not bad.

And the best part is so far I've only review people I owe. I will *try* to review everyone I owe during this thing (although obviously those people - Patty, Crash, and Anna - I owe more than three to will continue to be reviewed as they post new stuff). Of course if you don't have anything posted, I can't review you. So... post!

Jenn

I know who one of the upcoming EC choices is! Hah! And I'm not telling who it is:)

I will admit that I'm jealous, though. How DO you get noticed for such a wonderful thing?

E? You did it once upon a time. Remember anything special about that chapter to get it chosen?

Is it luck? Having alot of reviews? Knowing people who know people?

Or is it really based on having a kick-ass post? I'm 50/50 for wanting that to be the answer. 50% for because it should be merit-based, and 50% against because that indicates nothing I've posted has been kick-ass.

Somebody enlighten me... I've been a member for what, ten years now? Something like that. I'm sick of being invisible.

::Jumps up and down waving hands in the air like an idiot, shouting "Pick me! Pick me!"::

Yes, I'm in a zany mood right now. Finishing something as monumental as a new book is super kick-ass exhilarating. I wanna throw a party or something:) Don't think that would work considering everyone who reads this blog lives in different states.

So instead I'm bouncing around like an idiot. Good thing the kids are in bed:)

Jenn

An OWW Summer Crit Marathon!

The Summer Crit Marathon will last for one week, beginning on Monday, August 26th and continuing through Sunday, September 1st.

You may join at any time, but you must sign up to be counted. The "official" date/time assigned to the critique will be US EDT (GMT -4). Watch the OWW discussion list for more details and updates.

Perfect timing! I have a bunch of reviews to return and here's my extra incentive!

Let the games begin!

Jenn

So I read through some reviews of my chapters on OWW and one thing jumped out at me. One person (you know who you are) said "there was no question, so there can't be a reply." That got me thinking.

Here's the dialogue:

"Good evening," Baccer greeted him.

"Yes it is," Ryant replied. "How is the portal coming?"

Now, I always thought a reply is a follow up, not necessarily an answer to a question. If someone says it's hot, I can reply that it's been hot for weeks. Right?

Well, the dictionary is a bit ambiguous. It says:

To reply is to make answer in words or writing; answer; respond: to reply to a question.

I'm not arguing the review, I'm just curious if I've always misunderstood the meaning of reply or if it does work here.

Jenn

All in less three hours, I've written TWO 500 word contest entries, done a review on oww AND made dinner, as well as dished out some dessert. I'm on a roll, baby!

My latest entry? "You deserve to be a giant!"

Gotta love spam email, huh?

It's also posted on oww until tomorrow night. My first one lassoed a nice review already, which is super-exciting.

I shall see about writing some more tonight, but right now I have a fussy 1 year old who is apparently done with his dinner. Or should I say, the dog is done eating his dinner up off the floor from where baby boy threw it:)

Jenn

So, I just posted something to OWW that makes me crack up with how stupid it is:)

If you're on OWW member and have some time before tomorrow night (Sunday) I'd love for you to check it out. It's just under 500 words...

It's titled: "Aliens Abducted By Michael Jackson"

Yep. I'm still laughing...

Jenn

Gone, but not gone, I suppose:)

I was at the inlaws for twelve days and had a nice, relaxing time, but I *did* do alot of work. In fact, I got more writing/editing done in those twelve days than I've done in months. Insomnia stuck again while I was there AND I was participating in the proposal package focus group (which was amazing, btw, and I'll write more later) so I did alot of work and loved it.

I have edited the first three chapters of my still-playing-with-the-title book, and need a few volunteers to read through them since they're so new. I *may* post them on OWW, but if I did it would be closer to the end of the month. I'd rather have a few people who read the old versions take a look at the new one. I think I addressed every conceivable problem/question/concern from my reviewers and the members of the ppfg. I think they are super-sharp now... now all I have to do is examine the whole-book/plot issues I still haven't addressed. I have three possible solutions and I just need to pick one. I may do a poll, once I figure out how to summarize the changes I propose doing:)

Anyways, just thought I'd let people know I haven't been online much, but I've been working hard.

In other news, my story should be coming out this month in Beyond Centauri... I'm eagerly awaiting my payment and contributor's copy!!

Like I said, I'll post later about the ppfg. It really was amazing. I learned alot, as I had 13 reviews and did 13 reviews, not including the "please look at this revision" ones:) I've volunteered to hod another one in January, too, so if you have any WIPs you're going to be marketing next year, please think about joining the focus group. I think it's by far the best way to get feedback on a package before sending it out.

Tata for now...

Jenn

We have fifteen proposal packages posted in our focus group and participation has been excellent. Some packages have as many as eleven reviews! If you have a query letter, synopsis and first three chapters of your book(s) come join us - there's still time!

And even if you don't have a proposal package ready, stop by and see what your fellow OWWers are churning out and give your feedback, too. It's a great learning experience, and we can use as much feedback as we can get.

Jenn

I got a weird (or so I thought) comment on my query letter. My personal paragraph goes:

I've been writing professionally for five years. My publishing credits include several short story publications in such venues as EOTU Magazine, The Writer’s Ezine, Dead in Thirteen Flashes Anthology, Beyond Centauri, and Flashshot. I am currently an active member of The Online Writing Workshop for Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror.

Someone said this:

I was a little surprised that since you have publishing credits you'd list the OWW in your query letter. That spoke to me against your publishing credits.

So, if you have publishing credits, do you mention your workshop affiliations, or not? I think OWW makes me the writer that I am, and I'm proud to be a member. I also think you can't work in the SFF/Horror fields and not have heard of OWW. But does mentioning the workshop indicate a lack of real life writing experience, and/or somehow negate the publishing credits?

Thoughts?

Jenn

Well, the PPFG is up and running and we have four participants so far. I'm still having a hard time getting into things (it took me three days to read through a friend's first 50 pages offline, which is abysmal for me.) so I went through and reviewed all the query letters and will do the synopses and chapters more slowly as I can manage.

The support of my online friends and magazine staff has been incredible, and I appreciate everyone's understanding. It's going to be a crazy summer in real life, so my online world will surely suffer. I'm taking things slowly, trying not to do too much. Right now I'm going to stay on top of the PPFG since I'm the spearhead for it and after that's over, I'll be knee-deep in the July issue. May be off OWW for quite a while, but I'm leaving the chapters posted and keeping track of reviewers. I always try to pay people back, even if it takes a while.

Jenn

The Proposal Package Focus Group starts tomorrow, Monday June 9th at 8am EST at http://sff.onlinewritingworkshop.com/tiki/tiki-forums.php

I've just posted mine as an example, and there are three informational posts up as well. The Welcome post has all the information you should need on formatting, posting, and reviewing.

Have no idea what I'm talking about? Here's the blurb from the June OWW Newsletter:

Proposal Package Focus Group: From June 9th through June 30th, members will be able to post a query letter, synopsis and first three chapters as one package for critique by a focus group. The group will be led by long-time member Jennifer Dawson. Given the high word count, reviewers of these proposals will not do line nits, but instead give general feedback regarding plot hook, the quality of the writing sample, the likeability of the characters, etc. This event will be held on the discussion forum of OWW's Writer Space wiki, where the word count doesn't matter and the replies are easy to post and easy to read. It's just as password-protected as the workshop, but these posts do not affect your OWW submissions or review points. It's a more relaxed environment and the perfect place to hold such an event. So get those proposal packages ready! Visit OWW's Writer Space wiki if you haven't already (login and password are the same as on the workshop, but case-sensitive...the workshop's are not). The fun will begin on Monday, June 9th. If you'd like more information, contact Jennifer at: jenn001 (at) mac.com

The more participation, the more fun, so whether your book is in circulation or you're still on the first draft, join the focus group to get some feedback on your proposal package(s), see what others are doing, and offer up your feedback to other writers trying to get their books published.

Hope to see you there!

Jennifer

Decided today to quit Critters. I got the weekly ping, decided I should really go review something for my monthly participation, and couldn't find a damned thing to review. I opened two things that sounded interesting, but they were so badly written I couldn't even review them. How bad is that?!?

So I checked to see who still has my ms for RFDR, and only one person, who emailed me a few days ago to say she'd stopped reading when someone died and would get back to it when she could. Her exact words were:

Alright, I'm not finished critiquing(sp)! That's just where I stopped, see I was reading it, and then one of the characters died, and I got really sad, so I took a break, and then school started up again. So I'm sending you what I have so far, and letting you know that I'm still working on it =)~.

I opened her comments, and she'd only gone til chapter 3, when a bad guy died. Apparently that bad guy's death did a number on her. Go figure.

I do still have a ms I need to go through for Critters, one I've put off because of the crit marathon on OWW, but I wasn't doing it for credit, so I can still review it and quite Critter now.

So bye-bye Critters, of the awkward website, the weird posting rules, the impossible formatting rules, and the inability to pay back people because it's months between posts.

I'll stick with OWW, where I'm happy....

Jenn

I hope I'm not opening a can of worms here, but as I sift through posts on OWW, a few things have bothered me that I decided to discuss on the OWW writing group. The first one was about garbled submissions. You know, those funny symbols and such instead of quote marks? I found two yesterday and ended up not doing the second one due to the dialogue-heavy garbled submission. So I asked if I'm the only one noticing it, how to fix it (for those having the problem) and asked what you do when you're not going to review something because of it. Well, that seemed to work out well, and one of the offending posters went and fixed hers, without me having to speak directly to her. I shall now go read her post.

But today I have another problem. Here's my post on the writing group:

The problem that comes from going out of your way to review stuff you wouldn't normally review is that alot of things pop into your head.

Thanks for the comments and thoughts on the garbled submissions. I have another concern, now, that I thought I'd bring up.

On the workshop, where is the line drawn about sex/sexual scenes in posts? In the past, I've seen such sexually explicit chapters or stories headed off with a bunch of warnings. Warning: Adult Content. Warning: Sex. We have a nice little way of marking such posts when we make them "Adults Only" and though this doesn't guarantee the sixteen-year-olds of the workshop don't read them - heck, it might even encourage them too, I don't know - it does serve as a bit of a warning. But not only are people not using them, now there's not even a verbal warning in the author's notes.

I'm not saying such things shouldn't be written about, nor that they shouldn't be posted. I'm just wondering what the protocol is for warning people what they're about to read.

Back when I did reviews at work, I avoided those type of posts like the plague, making certain no one ever caught me using a work computer to read anything sexually explicit. Now that I review at home, I make sure I don't read these type of posts when the kids are around, just in case the older one looks over my shoulder, or I have to leave the computer. But when halfway through a chapter you're confronted with blatant sexual activity, with no warning, it's a bit disgruntling.

Am I the only one who would like some sort of flashing road sign that lets me know where I'm about to go?


Now, I think both people I'm thinking of when I say this will know exactly who they are, especially since I made mention to one of them directly in my post. I'm not trying to call anyone out, or even complain. I just want to know if there's anything specific in the rules or in the admission for membership that protects 16 year olds form reading this stuff, or me from reading it without warning while my kids hover around the monitor. I don't want to offend anyone, hurt anyone's feelings, etc.

I'm a weird morph of a person who has prudish values even though I'm not a prude. Does that even make sense? I'm the old fashioned, don't put anything remotely sexual in primetime tv, YA novels, PG-13 movies or anywhere else my daughter might find it. I also like big flashing warnings before I read something sexually explicit. Rated "R" is enough for me in movies, but most books don't carry warnings, nor do most posts on OWW. I prefer to read such stuff after the kids go to bed. What if I left a book on the counter, my kid picked it up, and read all about sex in a fantasy situation where no protection is used, no consequences occur, and everyone's happy about it? I'd be mortified and how do I explain that real life isn't like that? I don't even want to go there. I likewise prefer to keep such stuff off my computer for the same reasons.

But I have have no problem reading or reviewing the stuff. I'm not saying books should be rated like movies, (especially since I don't think movie ratings are specific enough) but there are times and places for such topics/situations and I'm just wondering, in a workshop environment, how you patrol it, and even if you should. I know there are two sixteen year-old boys on the workshop because I read the review one posted for the other, both mentioning their ages. I don't really agree with them being on the workshop to begin with, a nice 18+ would be nice, but then again, I'm the one with prudish values so I don't think the world agrees with me.

Anyways, done ranting now. Off to finish the review that sparked the rant:)

Jenn

I wanted it - I got it! OWW will be having a proposal package event in June. Here's the notice I drafted for the next newsletter:


We will be holding a proposal package event June 9th thru June 30th where members can post their query letter, synopsis and first three chapters all in one go. It will allow people to look through the entire package at one time. It also allows people with more than one book to post two or three proposal packages and pose the question, which one of these do you like best and why? Given the high word count, reviewers of these proposals would not do line nits, but instead give general feedback regarding plot hook, the quality of the writing sample, the likeability of the characters, etc.

This event will be held on OWW’s writer space wiki, where the word count doesn’t matter and the replies are easy to post and easy to read. There’s also a great rating system, which will allow readers and authors alike to see the top-rated packages. It's just as password-protected as the workshop, but these posts do not affect your OWW submissions or review points. It’s a more relaxed environment and the perfect place to hold such an event.

So get those proposal packages ready! Register for OWW’s writer space wiki if you haven’t already. The fun will begin on Monday, June 9th.

I'm excited! I have two packages ready, for FTB and CON and hope to have one for BTF and Laurin done, too. Depends on what I get done in terms of writing this month. So far it's all be reviewing...

They posted the totals tonight, a bit early, and I trailed Patty by one review. Considering she had 9 last night and I had none, I'm pretty proud of myself. The next contender is someone I don't know, with 10. I have 13, and I'm not done for the night, I don't think. I am almost done reviewing people i know and will get to branch off into new territory. I tried the under-reviewed posts, but all of them after 6K+ posts which in my opinion explains why they are under-reviewed. I firmly believe to get a solid amount of reviews a post needs to be under 5K. My favorite range is 3K. That won't stop me from reviewing the large posts, but I will have to be interested in the larger posts by the author's note, title, or first few lines before I commit to them. It won't do the author's any good if I'm not interested in what I'm reviewing...

On a side note, two of my staff members have volunteered to help me format things for our anthology and upcoming issue so that I'm not completely overwhelmed, and I'm starting to feel better. Still no calls for jobs, which is depressing. I still have my fingers crossed.

Anywho, back to work!

Jenn

Well, I usually try to stay invisible on the OWW writing group because in the past (yes, four or five years ago, I suppose) I'd often get mud slung in my face for questioning the norm. Eggs chucked by the usual suspects. And eventually I'd disappear, red-faced and angry because I don't understand how people can be so close-minded, not to mention mean. There's been more than a few heated discussions on that group, with name calling and such that makes people wonder if we're adults or elementary school kids.

But last night I started thinking about book proposals and such and I stepped out of the shadows and am awaiting the incoming missiles. You see, I've been looking for a way to have people review a whole book proposal. I found one face-to-face workshop in Ohio in September, but it's $85... and I don't live in Ohio. I proposed a book proposal/package workshop at OWW, if the interest is there and if we can go over the 7500 word limit:

What I'd desperately like to see is a proposal package "event" where we post our query letter, synopsis and first three chapters (and waive the word count limit if at all possible since the first three chapters of my latest project are over 8500) all in one go. That way people with more than one book they're trying to sell can post two or three of them and pose the question, which one of these three would you buy?

Yes, you can currently post your synopsis and chapters, but it's hard to get someone to read the whole submission package all the way through and I think the complete package is something that needs focusing on. It would be less nit-picking and more "does it grab your attention?" So the reviews themselves shouldn't take terribly long, just the reading through the proposal.

Everyone could put "proposal" in the post, and much like the crit marathon, it would be easy to seek out other participants.

Just my thought. I have a proposal package I'd love to get some thoughts on since everything is brand new, but I'm hesitant to pull down all of my current posts and break the package down into bits that may or may not be all read for the full effect.

And of course I got the reply back that it doesn't take reading 8500 words to decide if you like something. No, it doesn't, but it's helpful to know that the entire package you're sending out is solid. I also noted:

I suppose it is self evident, but when I review individual chapters I always pause on that third chapter and think, after reading these first three chapters, am I hooked. I give it the first three (when I can) and if something's not grabbing me, I explain where the problems are and what might be a better hook to make me want to read on. Not everyone does so, though.

Also, there's no way to post you query letter, synopsis AND three chapters separately, all at the same time for someone to read them all at once unless you're doubling up on something.

Another point is alot of people, myself including, will review one thing at a time and see if the person sends a thanks or pays back the review before I read anything further from a new person. By the time they've enticed me to come back to review something else, I've often missed the following chapters and there's a gap between what I read last time and what's posted now. That doesn't even cover the problem of not remembering enough
of the first chapter after a long gap in time. The simple fact of the matter is, if you don't know someone, the chances of them reading all of your chapter posts just because you hooked them is slim. We're a crit-for-crat group and most people don't want to invest the time in someone who may never acknowledge their time nor pay the favor back.

And finally, there's no way to post several proposals and have people compare them to each other.

Again, I'm not saying I'm right, I'm jut saying I think having people review my whole proposal at once would be very beneficial to me. If a group of people tried it out, I think it would be fun AND beneficial.

I tried looking for other writing groups or workshops that would handle this type of thing, and so far only one paying, face-to-face workshop at an Ohio writing conference is doing it. But it's $85 to join and I don't live in Ohio. If anyone knows of one that can be done online instead, please let me know.

Anyways, I reread Leah's post about suggesting events, so I thought I'd see if I'm the only one who thinks this would be helpful.

I'm ready for the firing squad...

Jenn

I have started back in on OWW and am slowly making my way through people I owe reviews to. Unfortunately, I realized tonight that I threw away my extensive list of who I owe what to. One of those, "Oh, I don't need to know who review Chapter 2 of this dead book!" moments when I was frustrated that I couldn't find a blank piece of paper in my notebook.

So I have a general idea of who I owe what to, but I may overlook people. Those being the people who I haven't been exchanging crits with for the past few months. Those stray one-timers might get missed if I didn't already return the favor. I hate that, but I can't chase down the garbage truck to find my list... begs the question of why I had it on paper when everything else I do is on the computer.

Anyways, if I owe you one and it seems like I've done everyone but you, email me. I don't mind:)

Jenn