If it seems like there are more new members than ever around YWS, then that's because there are! We're seeing about 15 people register every day, with some days seeing as many as 22 people joining the site. By the way, this only includes those who have registered and activated their accounts. It does not include people who have registered but have not activated.
Because of this, we're seeing a lot more activity in the Welcome forum than usual. So if you can, please take a couple minutes to stop by the Welcome area just to say hello to a new member or two. Also, please take the time to review literary works by new members! I think there's a tendency for older members to review stuff only by people they're familiar with. It's an understandable inclination, but it's also a shame; there are some truly excellent literary works being posted by new members but they're not really getting the reviews they need to improve.
If You're A New Member
If you're a new member reading this, welcome! I've noticed a couple things where people are having difficulty, and one of those areas is with reviews. At YWS, we believe in something called the critique sandwich. This is a type of critique where you begin with something good, say all the critical stuff in the middle, then end with something good. Just like with a real sandwich, you should consider the critical stuff the meat of your critique.
By the way, being critical doesn't mean being negative. It means being constructive. We want to help people get better at writing, and we want to encourage them to continue writing.
If you're confused about reviewing, all you do is go to the Discover Works page. From there, choose a forum (for example, science-fiction short stories). Then choose any literary work. Once you've finished reading, click on "Post Reply" or "Quick Reply." Once you get to the reply area, you'll see a small checklist to the right that will help you in writing a review. Once done, hit submit! When you review, you earn points, which you can then hoard, spend on literary works, and/or spend on gifts.
If you have any other questions, don't be afraid to ask.
