+=#+=#+=#+=#+=#+=#+=#+=#+=#+=#+=#+=#+=#+=#+=#+=#+=#+=#+=#+=#+=#+=#+=#+=# First Nut, 1995! Copyright 1995 Mike Barker (Hey, glad you could join us here this year. Keep writing!!!!) Once upon a time... The page just sort of sits there, waiting for words. Or (since this is the year of our electronic savor 1995) the screen sits there, blank and dark, with the little blobby cursor blinking, winking, waiting for you to tap at the keys, except... You don't know where to start. Or perhaps you scribble, secretly, around the crack of midnight or over the yawns of sunrise? Five minutes every day in the bathroom, twenty minutes every noon, and now you've got boxes and boxes of words that no one has ever seen? Make this your year on your list. Write here. Write now. And... (pardon me while I slip into something metaphorical?) Plant an acorn. Take that apple core out of the trash and plant a seed for Johnny. (we'll ignore the fertilizer--there's usually plenty around, no need to hunt for it:-) Add water, sunshine, and just a touch of exposure--then stand back! Because you are about to plant a tree, that may grow into a copse, or even a grove, which could turn into a thicket of wildwords, and--in time--a veritable forest of giant red words leaping out of the icy tundra of cyberspace into the glistening future! (with Firewords at midnight! and light zephyrs of poetic musing in the morn!) But new beginnings can be worrisome. You may wonder about your plot. "When should I plow?" "Should I till it or turn it or what?" "Does dancing in the light of the full moon with a neighbor really ensure a good harvest, or just a good fence?" "Is dancing with beagles or butterflies or some other friendly animus necessary for happiness?" And this is a great place to get some advice on your own little garden. I know, I know, sometimes we get noisy and seem too wrapped up in patting each other on the back and confused about who's leading the band. (hah! got you fooled! there isn't a conductor. Some of the folk are playing jazz while others prefer classical rhythm and boos. And the drummers all beat to different marches, ides, and rittles. Really! So sit down and add your own odd notes, grace tones and melodies as the band plays on...) But when the keyboard hits the end of the cable or the mouse runs off the edge of its cute little pad or even when quill-dipped ink slips slickly across smooth pressed bond paper... It's words, writing, putting together fiction and poetry--that craft of dreams and art of the blackest inkspots, that mystery of bemused inspiration, that wonder of the storytellers' way which ties these humble (and some not so humble:-) practitioners together. That's why... When the lightning of fairy poems crackles and the hairs on the back of your neck prickle... When the explosive crash of ice snapping resounds across ponds and lakes of frozen talents caught by an unreasonable thaw... When wordy flows remind us of the slow grandeur of the avalanche, the glacier, and the iceberg advancing implacable and awful in all their white glory... When the dry slither of sunbaked air draws mirages, dustdevils, and Englishmen out in the daylight... We'll know that you've been here! Look forward to reading you on the list! +=#+=#+=#+=#+=#+=#+=#+=#+=#+=#+=#+=#+=#+=#+=#+=#+=#+=#+=#+=#+=#+=#+=#+=# [Please feel free to print this FAQ and keep a copy for when you have questions! In fact, the author would be pleased if you did that.] The meat in this sandwich - v. 13, Jan. 1, 1995 1. Posting to the list--Submissions and other work 2. Help with LISTSERV 3. Some of our programs 4. Archives and other resources 5. PM&I 6. Other questions 1. Posting to the list--Submissions and other work Submissions: To provide all members with a copy and place it in the archives, send it as email to WRITERS@NDSUVM1.BITNET (bitnet) or to writers@vm1.nodak.edu (internet) (everyone will get a copy automatically). Please use the tag SUB: in your subject line. Those who prefer that their work not be archived should use the RFC (Request For Critique) heading below on a general announcement describing your work and saying that you will send a copy to anyone requesting it. You should be prepared for such requests by private email or the list. Critiques and comments for RFC work should be sent by private email. To help us recognize the kind of work it is, if possible put the following "tags" in your subject line as appropriate writing SUB: pieces (genre--poem, short story, essays, etc.) CRIT: critiques COMMENT: comments (some people have suggested that detailed technical critiques and quick comments should be tagged differently, thus the two headings) RFC: request for critiques--used to announce availability of a piece with exchange and critiques handled via private email OPIN: opinions TECH: techniques of writing (a good place for summaries of techniques, workshops, or other helpful aids) EXERCISE: exercises ROBIN: round robbins interesting WOW: writing related interesting bits (World Of Writing) WOE: electronic related interesting bits (World of Electronics) FILLER: non-writing related interesting bits FLAME: self-admitted stupidity; or, the dam burst and here's the spill list related INTRO: say hello now BIO: background about yourself (may overlap intro) SOCIAL: addresses, phone numbers, and other personal ads ADMIN: topics about the list use a plain subject line for odds and ends, like everyone else RE: for followups you can also make up your own - useful ones WILL be adopted. [Note: Novels or other longer pieces should be announced and offered to those whose email systems can handle them. Please do NOT post extremely large pieces. my rule of thumb: 50K or 5000 words in one post is pushing] As a self-imposed discipline, many of our members use the 50/50 rule - for every "chatter" posting, they try to post one posting relevant to writing. You may want to follow this rule to help maintain the focus on writing. Public chastisement, unfortunately, is NOT an effective method of promoting writing-related postings - it adds one more irrelevant post, and does not provide positive encouragement. 2. Help with LISTSERV To take a short vacation: send email to LISTSERV@NDSUVM1.BITNET or listserv@vm1.nodak.edu (internet) with SET WRITERS NOMAIL when you leave. Then send email with SET WRITERS MAIL when you return. To have the daily mail collected in one large mailing each day, send email to LISTSERV with SET WRITERS MAIL DIGEST To get only a list of titles each day, send email to LISTSERV with SET WRITERS INDEX To leave the list: send email to LISTSERV with SIGNOFF WRITERS To subscribe to the list: send email to LISTSERV with SUBSCRIBE WRITERS yourfirstname yourlastname To get a list of members: send email to LISTSERV with REVIEW WRITERS BY NAME 3. Some of our programs Story swap - each participant writes a story around a common theme or title, then the stories are "swapped" - and you rewrite the story you get. (NOT CURRENTLY ACTIVE) Parsons M&I - the small town newspaper of Parsons, Iowa needs correspondents. A new issue came out in March, 1994 - if you haven't read it, get a copy! A new version is hot on the presses right now! Watch for it! Title challenges - these are interesting phrases proposed by a member as possible titles for you to write a piece (story, poetry, or other form) around. Just another one of our ways of provoking writing... Dare to be bad challenge - this is a self-imposed discipline, to write and submit at least one story for publication each week. Variations on the basic challenge are up to you, but several published writers have recommended this program as a definite way to get published. Round robbins spring up from time to time - essentially a form of writer's relay race, with the hope that someone will take up the baton and finish the race. Sometimes we have several participants grabbing the baton at the same time, and somehow these races don't seem to reach a finish line very often, but they are quite entertaining... and another method of provoking writing. Square robbins are another program, with a moderator who paces and selects the public postings to help maintain the integrity of the race. We also have sine robbins, with a "writer's bible" issued along with the first post which provides guidelines for the style and other issues of the runners. A "convention" has been the author's name list - each person adds their name with a colon, thus allowing branches if two people want to add sections at the same point. E.g. such a list might look like tink:jc:randy:bill:ming. Just add your name when you post a new section. Other programs include QOTD (quote of the day) and WOTD (word of the day) - both intended to provide you with thoughts to help you keep writing. Note: all of our programs are open to submissions from anyone - but don't overload the list with all of your favorite ideas at once. Pace yourself, and tantalize us with your good taste! 4. Archives and other resources To learn how to access the archives of the list: send email to LISTSERV with /ship writers 9073 /ship writers 9106 in the body of the message. You will get email with directions for further access (note the correction in 9106!) For other useful documents, send email to LISTSERV with the following message (replace xxx with the desired number) /ship writers xxx 20779 94/02/12 12:38 133 Critical approaches (deconstruct and struct) Chris Lott's discussion of two approaches to literary criticism 25290 94/02/03 12:45 159 Re: help and some general talk about criticism Randy Money's discussion of an approach to writing 21535 FAQ: A Preliminary List of Sparks and Irritants - some upsetting topics Tink's discussion of what causes anger on this list 16215 FAQ: Writers Compendia (Rel. 4) - more detailed FAQ 18858 FAQ: Tink's Primer on Copyright - a guide to copyright questions 20826 FAQ: SUB guidelines (DRAFT!) - submission guidelines 20849 FAQ: CRIT guidelines (DRAFT!) - critique guidelines (if you find other helpful documents in the archives, please let me know and we'll add them to this list!) [Archive numbers changed last year. If you find a mistake in these numbers, please let me know!] and if YOU want to write one of these useful documents, let me know! 5. PM&I The local newspaper is irregular, but you might like to read it. These are the archive numbers for past issues. (Most of the original issues are now out of print, unfortunately.) Parsons M&I issues volume number V1N1 out of print V2N1 out of print V2N2 out of print V2N3 out of print V2N4 3403 V3N1 3404 V3N2 3463 V3N3 4635 V4N1 27580 6. Other questions There may be other information or help you would like. Ask, and someone will (usually) answer. Sometimes you may be asked to help turn the answers into a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) piece, sometimes you may have to repeat the question a few times to get an answer, but don't be afraid to ask. +=#+=#+=#+=#+=#+=#+=#+=#+=#+=#+=#+=#+=#+=#+=#+=#+=#+=#+=#+=#+=#+=#+=#+=# Should old plot engines be forgot... And never poetry rhyme... We'll make the words to ring again... And sing of old plot lines! Happy First Nut, 1995! And look forward to many more words from you! +=#+=#+=#+=#+=#+=#+=#+=#+=#+=#+=#+=#+=#+=#+=#+=#+=#+=#+=#+=#+=#+=#+=#+=#