Woodstock Writers Guild
The Drinking Guild with a Writing Problem
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Guidelines
The Woodstock Writers Guild was formed in 2006 (if memory serves) by four friends looking to improve their writing skills. Other friends and associates expressed interest and joined the group in the intervening years. We meet every four weeks to critique the work of one of our fellows. The submitter should post his* piece to the WWG site one week before the next scheduled meeting date, then notify† his* fellow writers that the work is available for evisceration thoughtful critique. There is no minimum or maximum length, but keep in mind that your critiquers may‡ have other demands on their time, so they will review and comment on your work as the following 168 hours of their respective lives allow. Once membership had doubled to eight, we instituted a(n as yet untried) policy of allowing a "secondary" submission each month from a different author than the one scheduled for the meeting in question. Reviewers should critique the primary work first, then move on to the secondary submission only if they have the time and inclination to subject themselves to further critiquing duties. There is no formal schedule for secondary author submissions. Authors should feel free to email the group for the "all-clear" to submit their piece for secondary consideration. (This is just to ensure there are no tertiary or quaternary submissions.) Critiques may address any aspect of the author's work** — from grammar and use of language to plot points to technical inaccuracies — as long as the intent of the reviewer is clearly to help the author improve his* writing in general and the submitted piece in particular.
The Cliff's Notes version:
| Meeting frequency | Every four weeks. |
| Submission deadline | One week before next meeting. |
| Word count | Any, but longer pieces may receive less thorough critiques. |
| Type/subject of writing | Any, as long as primarily in English and understandable to a lay audience. |
| Secondary submissions | Allowed on first-come, first-served basis. To be critiqued secondarily, as reviewers' time allows. |
| Tone of critiques | Helpful, encouraging. |
| Alcohol consumption | Highly recommended, though not required. |
*Or her, if any women join in the future, or if someone decides to undergo gender reassignment.
†As in, "email."
‡As in, "do."
**Though they should of course address the work, not the author.
