Write or Die: A Science Fiction & Fantasy Writing Group
FAQ


Who can join?

       Anyone can join. The membership is totally open to any and all who are interested in joining and writing science fiction, fantasy, or horror. Our group includes experienced writers with decades of writing experience behind them, and newcomers who have yet to see anything in print.


When do you meet?

       WorD meets every other Tuesday (with some exceptions--see the meeting schedule). Meetings normally start at 6:45 PM and end at 9:00 PM. The group frequently goes out to dinner together at a local restaurant after the meeting.


What exactly do you do?

       We're writers of science fiction, fantasy and horror, and we gather together to share our work with each other...so it can be destroyed before our very eyes. BE WARNED: as a Critique Group, we will criticize your work. We look at it not to tell you how great it is--anyone can do that for you--but rather we look for mistakes and problems with your writing, and we will not hesitate to tell you when we find them. This is an extremely painful process, and not for the easily insulted.


So your group will teach me how to be a writer?

       No. There are a number of writing programs at your local colleges and universities that will do this for you. We expect you to already be a writer, who knows something of the business and the craft of writing and submitting your work to the market, who is looking for help with their work.


What if I don't write a lot?

       WorD has no restrictions on its membership based on writing or lack thereof, so you can join whether you only write occasionally or if you write fairly often.


How long will the group work on my story?

       We will spend only one meeting on any given story; once you get our critiques, it is up to you to act on them, taking or ignoring whatever advice you wish from what we offer. We don't look at stories again once they have passed through the group, in order to free up space for other stories (yours or someone else's). For this reason we don't look at 'works-in-progress', but rather only at completely finished, "I-want-so-send-this-to-an-editor-now" stories. Once we critique your work, you can't run it back through the group a second time.


I don't know how to critique, what do I do?

       Read over our procedure page and try this link. If you're still uncertain, confused, or intimidated, just try going to a meeting or two and observe how the rest of the group does it. Critiques don't necessarily have to be detailed; simply pointing out what areas you liked, and what areas you didn't like or found confusing, can be a big help to an author.


Who came up with this thing (and why)?

       Diane Turnshek is our beloved founder and frequently-late person. Because she had no one to critique the first draft of her first story, she created the WorD group.


Anything I should know before I join?