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Young Writers Society


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Sat Nov 12, 2011 12:55 pm
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Rydia says...



FAQ


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If your question is not on this list then feel free to ask it in this thread and we will try to answer you as soon as possible.
Writing Gooder

~Previously KittyKatSparklesExplosion15~

The light shines brightest in the darkest places.
  





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Sat Nov 12, 2011 12:57 pm
Rydia says...



Q: What goes here?

A: In the Novel Workshop forum, you will find and post either completed novels and novellas, or large portions of semi-completed novels and novellas. This is not a place for chapters, short stories, or plotting. If you’re looking for feedback on a few chapters, then try the novel forums, and we strongly advise people to check out the Writer’s Corner, where you can get feedback on your plot bunnies or novel ideas.

While most of YWS focuses on the writing process, the Novel Workshop area is more about the final product: making novel elements work together in a professional way so that our work is more likely to get noticed by publishers. Once a thread is opened, discussion can continue through completion and beyond.
Writing Gooder

~Previously KittyKatSparklesExplosion15~

The light shines brightest in the darkest places.
  





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Sat Nov 12, 2011 12:57 pm
Rydia says...



Q: How do I post here?

A: Posting in the Novel Workshop forum is simple and fun. You can go about it a number of ways, but we have two suggestions to make things as easy as possible on you and your reviewers. While normally on YWS, all posts are made in the forum areas, the Novel Workshop incorporates outside sources.

Option 1: Google Docs. Since we don’t want to fill a forum page with 50,000 words of text, you can cleverly use Google Docs to link to your novel or work-in-progress.

To create Google Docs, you need to sign up for a free account. Afterwards, you can navigate through and explore the documents yourself to get a feel of what it’s like. What you’ll find is a versatile Word-like program that will allow you to house your entire novel in one easy-to-access location. It also gives the option of coloured fonts so your reviewers will be able to make their comments clear and separate to the main frame of text! If you wish to chat with your reviewers while they review, there is a chat feature on the side of the document beneath the buttons labled “Save Now”, “Comments”, and “Share”. All discussion that takes place within the document should be suitable for all members of YWS and follow all YWS and Novel Workshop rules.

It should be noted that once a reviewer has made comment, other reviewers shouldn’t tamper with them. Commenting on other reviewers for discussion is just fine, though, so long as you don’t flame them in the process. If you want to make sure no guests view your work, just make the topic members-only viewing.

Option 2: Uploading a File. If you don’t wish to use Google Docs, you can upload a file to YWS containing your novel in all its glory, straight from your computer! Reviewers can then comment in thread, or upload their own edited version of the file. If editing within the document itself, be sure to turn on Track Changes in Microsoft Word by selecting “Tools” and “Track Changes”. This will make each of your edits appear in red to keep track of what you’ve done to change the author’s manuscript. You can also do this manually, but it’s fairly tedious work, so make things easier on yourself!
Writing Gooder

~Previously KittyKatSparklesExplosion15~

The light shines brightest in the darkest places.
  





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Sat Nov 12, 2011 12:58 pm
Rydia says...



Q: How do I upload a document?

A: Uploading a document to YWS is extremely easy and quick! To help you, though, we have a quick tutorial in this spoiler!

Spoiler! :
Step 1: Scroll slightly below the text box on the submit page until you see several tabs that read “Options, Upload Attachment, Add Cover Art, and Poll Creation. Click on “Upload Attachment.”

Image

Step 2: Select the file you wish to upload. Just for everyone’s sake, this file should be in either .doc, .txt, or .rtf format. If you use an older version of Microsoft Word, then you probably don’t have to worry: it’ll usually be right. If you have a newer version of Word, you’ll have to go Save As and select “Doc” from the drop-down menu to get the right file type. You can check the file type by looking at the file name once it’s saved.

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Step 3: Select “Add The File” once you’ve selected your file. The file will then upload to YWS.

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Step 4: Post the work onto the forum. You should see your attached document in an attachment box.

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Writing Gooder

~Previously KittyKatSparklesExplosion15~

The light shines brightest in the darkest places.
  





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Sat Nov 12, 2011 12:58 pm
Rydia says...



Q: May I post part of my novel?

A: You may indeed! While the Novel Workshop area is for larger works--novellas and most things 10,000 words and above, partial novels are completely welcome here! It’s a workshop, after all, and the writing process is a critical part of YWS! So if you have it and want feedback on where you’re going, how your characters are developing, or any other question a novelist-to-be has to ask, this is your place, for sure!

Now, as a caveat to our open policy, we do ask that you refrain from linking to individual chapters in this forum--they will either be locked if the post is a hyperlink to a doc with an individual chapter, or moved to the novels section where your individual chapters can be reviewed as normal pieces. Remember: this is a forum for larger works! We would also like to remind you to please avoid copy/pasting the entire novel into one post. It’s difficult to review and discouraging to look at, and so you might not get as much help as YWS could offer.
Writing Gooder

~Previously KittyKatSparklesExplosion15~

The light shines brightest in the darkest places.
  





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Sat Nov 12, 2011 12:59 pm
Rydia says...



Q: Do I need to review others?

A: Yes. Absolutely yes. We simply ask that you do so by the honor system. A good standard is to make two or three reviews for every work you post. This works much more slowly since we’re talking entire novels and novellas, but it also makes your critiquing much better, much faster.

However, since this is a workshop forum, and you’re looking at broader pictures, keep in mind that your discussions regarding the novel can be ongoing. Don’t think that you have to stop at a single comment! Open up a discussion about the novel. Are some characters off-balance with the others? Are there plot holes? Is there too much focus on a minor point? These are all excellent things to bring up with the author, and will all be appreciated thoroughly during the writing process. If you want to keep a closer eye on the novel, be sure to select “notify me when replies are posted” under the posting window.
Writing Gooder

~Previously KittyKatSparklesExplosion15~

The light shines brightest in the darkest places.
  





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2631 Reviews

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Sat Nov 12, 2011 12:59 pm
Rydia says...



Q: Is this the place to discuss potential plots or plots under construction?

A: Nope. Not unless you’ve already got a novel in progress posted and want input on the direction. Then you can continue the discussion on the thread itself.

If you want just your plot outline, premise, beginning idea, ect, want to keep the plot in a separate location to not spoiler readers right in the post, or want to keep the plot discussion on a slightly more visible forum, then feel free to use the Writers Corner forum on the community page. That is the place to let people know about your plot and your novel progress. While it does break the commentary up, it keeps critiques with the work itself and comments on the plot in another.

Sometimes, in Writers Corner, you can get comments about actually needing to see the work before posting. If that ends up being the case, you can use one of the proper novel forums or, if you have enough work to post in Novel Workshops, use this forum. But if you still want some preliminary feedback on your plot idea, then the Writers Corner is the place to go. There, you can give as much detail as you want on your idea (although more is usually better, since then those commenting have a better idea of which direction the plot will take and can give better feedback!) and not clutter up Novel Workshop with plots without actual work. After all, spoilers are evil!
Writing Gooder

~Previously KittyKatSparklesExplosion15~

The light shines brightest in the darkest places.
  








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