The Rules
(with brief explanations)

1. Remember who’s in charge
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2. Be respectful and courteous
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3. Critique the writing, not the writer
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4. Remember the Karma concept
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5. In the end, it’s about the writing
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6. Remember your role
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1. Remember who’s in charge.
    

I am the boss, the leader, the head honcho, the person who took the initiative and time to make this website and start this on-line writer’s group. In a sense, I am the god who has created this “universe” - but you can just call me Kevin.

What this means is simple: I have the final say over everything, including who is a member, what the rules are, how the group is run, etc.

If you don’t like it, start your own group.

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2.   Be respectful and courteous.
 

I believe that all humans are deserving of respect and courtesy, until they prove otherwise.  Using respect and courtesy also allows for a better functioning group.  I expect  everyone who joins this group to play nice, even if they think there is a really good reason why they don’t have, or shouldn’t.

Since this is my website and my group, I am the one who decides

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3.   Critique the writing, not the writer
 

Just so we’re clear, here, this rule is the exact opposite of Rule 2.  I expect everyone to show respect and courtesy to other humans; I expect writers to tear bad writing to shreds.  The worst writer’s groups are ones that have a rule banning “negativity”.

One of the most difficult aspects of being in a critique group for writers to learn is how to give criticism without being harsh.  Some writers take pleasure in denouncing everyone else, to the point that no one else learns from them, while some writers would never tell another writer: “This sentence stinks, change it”, even if it is what needs to be said.

If you have no problem telling other writer how bad they are, perhaps you should look for another group.

If you are uncomfortable being blunt, develop your own catchphrase along the lines of “I don’t think this sentence/section works as well as the rest”.  Eventually, everyone will catch on.

And finally, as writers, we must learn that when someone tells you “this stinks”, they may still like or even love you very deeply.  The sad reality is that loved one rarely, if ever, tell you when something is bad.

One cannot rely solely on your own instincts at all times, so eventually every writer needs someone whose opinion they have come to trust, even if that person regularly pisses them off by being “brutally” honest.

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4.   Remember the Karma concept.
 

What is the “Karma concept”?  Well, it’s nothing too new or too amazing, just the idea that one’s past actions will influence one’s future results, applied to a writing group.

In other words, if you want people to critique your writing and give you useful, in-depth, reactions, then you must be willing to do the same for others.

Not pulling your fair share is reason for dismissal from any writers group worth it saffron.

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5.   In the end, it’s about the writing
 

Cleverly placed before the end, this rule is also blazingly simple.  (At least, in concept - execution is another matter)  It is this:

The final product is what counts.

In the end, all I really care about is writing.  My writing and your writing.  This is not the place to go into a long discussion on why a writer writes.  The one item that is true for all writers is this:

The final product is what counts.

Everything before and after is fluff.

This group, then, has the following goal.  Help writer’s to write better and more often.  Nothing else matters, in the end.

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6.   Remember your role.
 

This is a tough one, and one that I break myself, at times.  There are two roles for every writer in a writers group.  As writer and as critic.

As a critic of other people’s writing, your job is to tell them where their writing is good (works) where it is bad (doesn’t work), and where it is wrong (spelling, punctuation, etc.).

A critic should never re-write another writer’s sentence.  Heck, I try not to suggest too many words; I’d much rather tell another writer “ww (wrong word)” or “ta (try again)”.  As a writer who uses unusual word choices frequently, I trepidly tred on this subject.

Now the hard part.

As a writer, your role is to be slammed.  Every aspect, every thought, every comma, and every word choice is fair game and if one of the critics has a problem with it, it’s their job to tell you about it, and it’s your job to listen to it.  More, if you want to become a better writer, it’s your job to think about it, too.

Then you can ignore, because, in the end, you’re the writer whose opinion matters most for your own work.  Just remember, however, one critic could be wrong.  Two critics could have the same misguided opinion.  By the time it reaches three, there is generally a problem and if you can’t see it or admit to it, maybe you should try doing the same thing in a different way and see where that leads.

And whenever everyone agrees against you, well, you’re either wrong or the next unappreciated genius who will only become famous after you die.

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