Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Another Message about Online Critique
We have a total of ten people in "Online Cafe" our online critique group. If you would like to be a part, please let me know.
May Meeting
Hello Writers,
Saturday's meeting was very nice. George is hard at work on his humor book. Janet brought a piece she is submitting in a contest. Pat is working on a a companion book for a CD of songs. Mary is read a chapter from a fact based historical fiction. All the writings were well done and enjoyable. Notes and advice were given.
I am not 100% happy with where we are meeting right now. It is lovely, but a little small. It has no easily accessible restroom, and can fit no more than five comfortably. We are limited by having to choose free spaces. If we become a non-profit group, our options open up quite a bit. We could meet at the library free of charge.
If we became a non-profit, there would be a small fee charged annually. I am thinking, depending on how many people are interested, about $25 a year. I want to know what all of you at the Writer's Cafe think of this. Please click on the comment button and let me know if you are in.
Saturday's meeting was very nice. George is hard at work on his humor book. Janet brought a piece she is submitting in a contest. Pat is working on a a companion book for a CD of songs. Mary is read a chapter from a fact based historical fiction. All the writings were well done and enjoyable. Notes and advice were given.
I am not 100% happy with where we are meeting right now. It is lovely, but a little small. It has no easily accessible restroom, and can fit no more than five comfortably. We are limited by having to choose free spaces. If we become a non-profit group, our options open up quite a bit. We could meet at the library free of charge.
If we became a non-profit, there would be a small fee charged annually. I am thinking, depending on how many people are interested, about $25 a year. I want to know what all of you at the Writer's Cafe think of this. Please click on the comment button and let me know if you are in.
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Online Critique
This is the permanent place for our Online Cafe guidelines. once again, let me know if you would like your address added to the list.
1) Send the piece you want critiqued only to 3 to 5 members. Any more than that and you may have too many opinions to effectively improve your piece.
2) If there is a deadline on the piece, include that in your email message. Also include a word count limit if it is relevant.
3)If you receive a piece to give notes on and you cannot do it in timely manner, or do not care to do it, let the author know so he/she can send it to someone else.
4) Be equally honest and kind! We have friends and family members to tell us how brilliant we are, we need honesty from our fellow writers! At the same time, let us never forget that these written pieces are our precious creations. No one wants to be told that their baby is ugly and stupid and should go to an institution.
5) Give a brief description of what is to be critiqued in your email message, so the following can take place.
6) Only critique what is comfortable for you. If you don't feel comfortable critiquing poetry, send it back with an explanation. If you are not comfortable with violence, let the author know you would prefer not to get graphic crime stories.
It will take a little while to get to know each other in this way. We will learn which members are proficient at critiquing poetry, who is an excellent copy editor, and groups of people who really understand each others style. In the meantime, let's be patient and allow this to blossom. On Word documents, there is a 'Review' button at the top of the document. Use this button to insert your notes into the piece. If you have any questions about the mechanics of sending your pieces, or giving notes, or any of the above suggestions, let me know. If I missed a suggestion that should be on the list, please send it to me. Going on those of you that I have met, and the thoughtful intelligent feedback I have received, I am confidant that this is going to be a wonderful addition to our Writer's Cafe.
1) Send the piece you want critiqued only to 3 to 5 members. Any more than that and you may have too many opinions to effectively improve your piece.
2) If there is a deadline on the piece, include that in your email message. Also include a word count limit if it is relevant.
3)If you receive a piece to give notes on and you cannot do it in timely manner, or do not care to do it, let the author know so he/she can send it to someone else.
4) Be equally honest and kind! We have friends and family members to tell us how brilliant we are, we need honesty from our fellow writers! At the same time, let us never forget that these written pieces are our precious creations. No one wants to be told that their baby is ugly and stupid and should go to an institution.
5) Give a brief description of what is to be critiqued in your email message, so the following can take place.
6) Only critique what is comfortable for you. If you don't feel comfortable critiquing poetry, send it back with an explanation. If you are not comfortable with violence, let the author know you would prefer not to get graphic crime stories.
It will take a little while to get to know each other in this way. We will learn which members are proficient at critiquing poetry, who is an excellent copy editor, and groups of people who really understand each others style. In the meantime, let's be patient and allow this to blossom. On Word documents, there is a 'Review' button at the top of the document. Use this button to insert your notes into the piece. If you have any questions about the mechanics of sending your pieces, or giving notes, or any of the above suggestions, let me know. If I missed a suggestion that should be on the list, please send it to me. Going on those of you that I have met, and the thoughtful intelligent feedback I have received, I am confidant that this is going to be a wonderful addition to our Writer's Cafe.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Writer's Cafe Meeting Information
Writer's Cafe meets on the second Saturday of every month unless you are otherwise notified.
We meet at Cafe Bravo in Old Town Temecula.
The meeting starts at 1:00pm and ends at 3:00pm.
You are welcomed to bring whatever you are working on, either one copy or several, to pass out to other members. We have poets, and memoirists, fiction and non-fiction. There are playwrights and songwriters. If I have missed a category, like cook book author, well, we have one of those too.
We give each other notes. Some notes will seem like a revelation from the heavens, some don't seem to apply at all. Use what you like, don't use what doesn't fit. The atmosphere is warm, honest, and intimate. We hope to see you there.
We meet at Cafe Bravo in Old Town Temecula.
The meeting starts at 1:00pm and ends at 3:00pm.
You are welcomed to bring whatever you are working on, either one copy or several, to pass out to other members. We have poets, and memoirists, fiction and non-fiction. There are playwrights and songwriters. If I have missed a category, like cook book author, well, we have one of those too.
We give each other notes. Some notes will seem like a revelation from the heavens, some don't seem to apply at all. Use what you like, don't use what doesn't fit. The atmosphere is warm, honest, and intimate. We hope to see you there.
Welcome Writers!
Here is a central, neutral place for us to find out what is going on with our community. I will post announcements and events in our area for writers. I would like to invite any/all of you to post original work here, either to have critiqued or just to share. This may actually be a great venue for the Online Cafe. Let's give this a try. If you would like to post on this site, let me know and I will invite you as an author. I will also let people know our good news, as a group, such as who is being published where, or art festivals, and things. If there is a link you think we should have on this site, let me know. This website belongs to all of us!
Welcome, Writers!
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