Author Topic: Private Writer's Forum Coming in June (Read 11259 times)

Rachel Swirsky · **on:** March 25, 2008, 12:19:09 AM

Sometime in June, the Escape Pod forums will be developing a private forum where escape pod fans can exchange stories online and receive criticism from each other without having to worry about copyright issues. We've got a really cool woman heading this project, and I'm looking forward to it.

jodymonster · **Reply #1 on:** March 25, 2008, 12:50:15 AM

good idea! very cool.

Heradel · **Reply #2 on:** March 25, 2008, 02:26:03 AM

Are we talking about a roped-off subsection of this forum or a sibling forum?

Listener · **Reply #3 on:** March 25, 2008, 12:48:05 PM

Whatever it is, I'm there.

My question is... the forum readers are but a tiny percentage of the downloaders of each episode... but they're the ones who are most likely to give feedback... so if we workshop with forum people as our writing group, then EP/PP/PC buys a story, then the forum on that story might be quite bare because the engaged readers have already read it.

Am I making sense? I may not be making my point very clearly.

Rachel Swirsky · **Reply #4 on:** March 25, 2008, 01:06:12 PM

I think the specific way the forum will be developed is to be decided later (I'd guess subsection that you have to register to see, like the contest posts).

Anarkey · **Reply #5 on:** March 25, 2008, 01:09:22 PM

Quote from: Listener on March 25, 2008, 12:48:05 PM

Whatever it is, I'm there.

My question is... the forum readers are but a tiny percentage of the downloaders of each episode... but they're the ones who are most likely to give feedback... so if we workshop with forum people as our writing group, then EP/PP/PC buys a story, then the forum on that story might be quite bare because the engaged readers have already read it.

Am I making sense? I may not be making my point very clearly.

I don't believe (from the Flash Contest experience) that there's complete overlap between the people who comment in the forums and the people who are interested in critiquing stories. There are plenty of forum commenters who are just in it for the fun of each story. I don't see it as a concern.

(I also see this as a cart before horse concern. First we have to have a forum. That works. And gives good feedback. Then your stories have to be first there, then fixable, and lastly sellable. THEN they have to be sellable to EP/PP/PC, which usually means a reprint, though there are exceptions. I'm not sure how often it would come up. And there's obviously a lag time between when a story would have gone through the critique process and when it might have been bought -- it might be a year or more -- and people might be willing to comment again at that point anyway. Though perhaps the editors can make it clear whether they would buy from the story pool. If they say they never will, then that will totally clear up any issues in this regard.)

Heradel · **Reply #6 on:** March 25, 2008, 03:22:55 PM

Quote from: Anarkey on March 25, 2008, 01:09:22 PM

I don't believe (from the Flash Contest experience) that there's complete overlap between the people who comment in the forums and the people who are interested in critiquing stories. There are plenty of forum commenters who are just in it for the fun of each story. I don't see it as a concern.

(I also see this as a cart before horse concern. First we have to have a forum. That works. And gives good feedback. Then your stories have to be first there, then fixable, and lastly sellable. THEN they have to be sellable to EP/PP/PC, which usually means a reprint, though there are exceptions. I'm not sure how often it would come up. And there's obviously a lag time between when a story would have gone through the critique process and when it might have been bought -- it might be a year or more -- and people might be willing to comment again at that point anyway. Though perhaps the editors can make it clear whether they would buy from the story pool. If they say they never will, then that will totally clear up any issues in this regard.)

I don't think they could say never because the people posting here will submit to EP/PP/PC, and partly because of the fact that they post here. And if they have a section they want comments on or they're a young writer that needs some help it's not really fair to them that in exchange for the help they get cut off from a market.

I think it's fair to say that posting a story for a critique isn't equivalent to it being submitted, though one of the editors could suggest in in strong terms via PM.

Listener · **Reply #7 on:** March 25, 2008, 03:40:53 PM

Quote from: Anarkey on March 25, 2008, 01:09:22 PM

(I also see this as a cart before horse concern.

I tend to do that a lot.

CammoBlammo · **Reply #8 on:** March 25, 2008, 07:33:57 PM

Quote from: Listener on March 25, 2008, 12:48:05 PM

Am I making sense? I may not be making my point very clearly.

Well, you've posted in the right place. I'm sure someone on this forum can help you with it.

Windup · **Reply #9 on:** March 25, 2008, 11:02:19 PM

Quote from: Rachel Swirsky on March 25, 2008, 12:19:09 AM

Sometime in June, the Escape Pod forums will be developing a private forum where escape pod fans can exchange stories online and receive criticism from each other without having to worry about copyright issues. We've got a really cool woman heading this project, and I'm looking forward to it.

I think this is a great idea. I'll be looking forward to participating in June...

Rachel Swirsky · **Reply #10 on:** March 26, 2008, 02:07:11 AM

If a story came through our slush pile at PodCastle that had been vetted on this forum, and I loved it and wanted to buy it, then I would do so.

I won't be *participating* in the writer's forum here, so there wouldn't be any nepotism (I know that wasn't the concern that was brought up, but still). There's not even any particular reason why I'd know the story had been vetted in our private forum unless the writer mentioned it in their cover letter, but I'd recommend they not do so (in general it's not good etiquette to mention whether or where a story has been workshopped, and particularly how it was received in the workshop).

gelee · **Reply #11 on:** March 26, 2008, 11:23:31 PM

Yay. I'll be looking for this.

Heradel · **Reply #12 on:** March 27, 2008, 04:36:54 AM

Any hope of it coming sooner than June?

Rachel Swirsky · **Reply #13 on:** March 27, 2008, 04:45:18 AM

Unfortunately, no; the very awesome person we recruited to run this won't see a let-up in her work-schedule until mid-May, and she wants to take the last couple weeks of May to figure out how best to organize the workshop.

But, hey -- releasing it in June allows for a nice spread of new, exciting Escape Artists features. PodCastle coming on Tuesday (so soon now! whee), and the forum in June...

Heradel · **Reply #14 on:** March 27, 2008, 05:07:01 AM

Quote from: Rachel Swirsky on March 27, 2008, 04:45:18 AM

Unfortunately, no; the very awesome person we recruited to run this won't see a let-up in her work-schedule until mid-May, and she wants to take the last couple weeks of May to figure out how best to organize the workshop.

But, hey -- releasing it in June allows for a nice spread of new, exciting Escape Artists features. PodCastle coming on Tuesday (so soon now! whee), and the forum in June...

I was checking partly because I have something half-done that I could use a closer deadline to force myself to get it on paper then transcribed to digital, partly because I think most of us have a slight... well, when Waiting for PodCastle began to remind me of a certain existentialist play by a certain Irish Playwright... The couple-month off thing is just giving me flashbacks. But since it's her workload (I'm guessing something collegiate, as that's about when finals are over) I understand.

I'd be remiss if I didn't ask about the trailing periods.

Rachel Swirsky · **Reply #15 on:** March 28, 2008, 02:46:15 PM

Quote

I'm guessing something collegiate, as that's about when finals are over

Good guess, but actually she's a burn ward nurse, and June is when her schedule will go from "new nurse who needs as much on the job as possible" to "nurse who has time for writing again."

Roney · **Reply #16 on:** March 29, 2008, 10:19:27 AM

Quote from: Rachel Swirsky on March 26, 2008, 02:07:11 AM

I won't be *participating* in the writer's forum here

I completely understand why, but still:

Palimpsest's crits were such an important part of the flash fiction contest.

Oh well, I'm sure the new forum will figure out its own dynamic. And I mustn't forget the bigger picture: new writing forum:

I may even have a story finished by June...

Rachel Swirsky · **Reply #17 on:** April 04, 2008, 04:33:06 AM

Thanks, Roney, that's sweet.

By the by, I usually try to give personal notes on submissions that come through to me at PodCastle. (Ann, who reads our slush and posts as hautdesert here, usually doesn't.)

hautdesert · **Reply #18 on:** April 05, 2008, 01:40:29 AM

Though sometimes I do. It depends.

Nowhere near as much as Rachel does, though.

Audita Sum · **Reply #19 on:** May 13, 2008, 02:13:39 PM

Sweet! I was wondering when there was going to be one.

ryos · **Reply #20 on:** August 04, 2008, 07:40:35 PM

I'm interested in this new writing forum. Did it come in June as planned, and if so, can I join? I'm (obviously) new here, and since it's a "private" forum I'm not sure if it's not there or if I'm just missing it. Thanks!

Edit: Just saw the "forum crit group live" post lower on the page. Now I feel like a doofus. Nothing to see here, move along please...