SHOCKLINES WRITERS GROUP (SWG) GUIDELINES
Once every month, each persons work will be sent via e-mail to the whole SWG group. The members have one month to read and critique each members work. All submissions and critiques must be sent to the group e-mail address (Nickolasecook@aol.com).
Critiques are sent to ALL members so that they can read and monitor that everyone is writing critiques, and doing them in a humane fashion (because why should we critique you if youre not critiquing others, or not doing it politely?). DO NOT send them directly to the individual being critiqued. Always use the group e-mail (Nickolasecook@aol.com).
This means for every critique written about someones work, you will receive a copy in your e-mail box. If we have 12 members, thats 11 e-mails a month. If the membership increases, so will your e-mails. If at any time the group grows too large, we will split the subs between us.
Keep your submission to a 7,000 max word limit, please.
If you want someone to critique a project thats over the maximum word count, you may post your request on the message board, and surely someone will take you up on it. This will have nothing to do with the monthly SWG critiques. It is an outside deal.
For those of us who wish to submit novel length material this will need to be done in no more than 7,000 word increments.
If the submission rate is too much for some members we may ask those members to form a smaller group to allow for the longer time periods between for those who do not feel comfortable with the month deadline. These members will critique one another, but may also partake of the other group(s) as well. But lets keep in mind that writing is sometimes best done under the gun- especially if you know someone is expecting a certain word count by a certain date.
In an effort to allow for even more valuable feedback from a wider range of readers, we are now including anyone who wishes to read and critique monthly submissions. If you would like to do so, please send an email to Nickolasecook@aol.com
Please remember that all rules of etiquette must be observed- whether you are the giver or receiver.
Important: All readers must also follow the monthly DEADLINES. These will occur on the first of each month, unless otherwise posted ahead of time.
We would like critiques to be a minimum of 250 words. This is a guideline; it can be more or less, but others are monitoring your critiques. If you always give short critiques, you may not get much back when it's your turn. Remember to treat others as youd like to be treated. This doesnt mean saying you like the story when you dont. It means providing constructive criticism in a humane fashion. Be honest, but polite.
Critiques should be pasted into the body of an e-mail or attached in a Word Document file. If you are unable to do either, please let Nickolas Cook know this ahead of time. Please do not send PDFs or any other type of file. Not everyone is able to access them, and then Nickolas has to spend valuable writing time figuring out how to send the darn things.
For work submitted, in the header of your e-mails either type:
SUBMISSION/[TITLE OF WORK]/[YOUR LAST NAME]
If youre sending in a critique, in the header of your e-mail type:
CRITIQUE/[TITLE OF WORK]/[AUTHORS LAST NAME]
All questions/comments can be addressed
directly to Nickolas Cook at Nickolasecook@aol.com, or posted on the
SWG Writing Forum Message Board.




