Subject:      Welcome to WRITERS - Frequently Asked Questions

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  Welcome to WRITERS!
      If you're looking for a group that talks about writing, editing,
  getting ideas, marketing, literary values...you're warm.  But we also talk
  about the Oscars, the lunchboxes we had as kids, buttered cats and gravity,
  Tori Amos and whether "Picket Fences" and "Northern Exposure" are too
  similar.  This too is part of our inspiration for writing, and it isn't
  something we intend to change:  one of the constants of WRITERS is that
  freedom to wander down conversational byways.  While it can lead us VERY
  far afield, it has also given us some of the finest material that WRITERS
  has seen.
      It also makes WRITERS something more than just an academic list: for
  many of us, it has become a true part of our lives, a place of friendship
  and mutual support.  That friendship and mutual support allows many people
  who always wished they could write to discover that they can.
      So if you are looking for a group that's extremely focused on the
  topics of writing, re-writing, and getting published...  you might want to
  look elsewhere.  Likewise, if your space for incoming messages is limited,
  you may also wish to reconsider your subscription to WRITERS.
      If you want to unsubscribe, please send the message "SIGNOFF WRITERS"
  to listserv@ndsuvm1.bitnet or listserv@vm1.nodak.edu.
      While there are no actual rules on WRITERS, there are some guidelines:
      Please don't redistribute the material from this list without
  permission.  You will find that the people here will almost always be happy
  to grant that permission, as long as you are courteous enough to ask them.
  All materials printed here remain the intellectual property of their
  authors and should be treated accordingly.
      Please don't ask "But what does this have to do with WRITING?"  There
  are other lists where this question never has to be asked, because
  everything is held very stringently to the topic of writing.  WRITERS is
  not one of these lists, because its members value it the way it is.
      Please be courteous.  Use the subject line of your messages, if you
  can, to identify what you are sending:  SUB for a submission, CRIT for a
  critique of someone else's submission, TECH for a discussion of technical
  aspects of writing, and FILLER for things unrelated to writing -- this
  allows people who have limited space to sort their mail more efficiently,
  and enjoy WRITERS more.
      For more information, send the message "/ship writers 28914" to
  listserv@ndsuvm1.bitnet or listserv@vm1.nodak.edu.  We recommend that
  everyone read this, as it provides help in understanding the list.
      Relax and enjoy the list.  If you don't understand something, ask!
  Writing is something we take seriously AND with a dash of fun, and we're
  happy to share that experience with you.
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