Over the new couple of days we will be implementing some changes to the way the groups work on the site. As part of the changes, we are very excited to welcome several high profile writing experts to the site, including top literary agent, Simon Trewin, and best-selling author, Rebbecca Ray. Read on for more details:

• Group members will now only have one piece of work in a group at any one time.


• This work may be
    - A poem/ article/ short story
      - A synopsis and short chapter of novel/book
    - A synopsis and some scenes of a full length stage play/film
    - A short film/ short play
    In other words, no full length plays, films or books. Anyone wishing to receive comments or critique
  from our experts on such longer works should apply through our fee-based critiquing service (coming soon).


• Instead of the current 'Group Leader' concept, we now have a bank of Experts who are successful writers, agents, producers, directors, script editors, publishers, poetry editors etc. Any of them, as appropriate, may comment on your work- they will always try to be helpful, positive and constructive, while recognizing that you want to improve your writing- as we all do. Experts will no longer be confined to a particular group and may comment across different genres if appropriate.


• Experts are, by their nature, busy people, so we offer no guarantees as to the frequency of their comments.


• Other group members may also make comments and discuss the work with you.


• When you are ready to add a new piece to the group, the previous piece will automatically be removed (it will still be visible and available for comment in the archive if you have selected the 'Everyone' viewing option).

We believe that this system will have significant advantages over the old one. In the past, members could upload numerous large items to a group and inevitably receive little or no comment due to the sheer volume of work, or even obscure the work of other group members. Now, with only one work per member visible in the group at any one time, we can almost completely guarantee that one of our experts (please note, we can't guarantee a specific expert) will comment within the two week period. Other group members will also be more likely to make comments on single shorter extracts.

In essence therefore, these changes will bring more focus to the groups and hopefully incourage more interaction between group members (we will be implementing several further changes to improve group interaction at a later date).

Finally, we will ask some of the most active members of the WriteWords community to take on 'Welcoming' roles within the groups. These will be people who enjoy regularly posting comments on the site and their role will be to make new members feel welcomed, as well as, we hope, to encourage members of their group to interact. They will also hopefully give each group a sense of cohesion.

Please bear with us over the next few days while these changes are implemented. For existing group members, we will be moving all but the latest work out of the group. You are obviously free to change the work to another if you wish (this is done quite simply by selecting edit next to the work you wish to post, and then highlighting the appropriate group. The previous work will be automatically removed from the group.)

Please also note that these changes do not affect the archive at all. Full members may continue to post as many, and as large works as they wish there. There is however no guarantee that experts will comment on archive work.

If you have any questions on the new group formats, please post them below.

David,
the new plan sounds really balanced.
Becca.

Sounds like an excellent forward thinking strategy, and should be best for all concerned.

Look forward to seeing the new world.

Sounds good to me David.

---Jib

Yes, sounds like a quite equitable system.

David, I replied this morning to say that I thought it was an altogether excellent idea for both readers and writers, but it seems to have gor lost. Cheers, Hilary

I have to agree with the concensus here - although I'm only a new member (and still a part-one at that!) it seems a shame for the less prolific writer's work to get lost among work from people that may well be better known here, and equally if I see five pieces of work from one writer I tend to read one or two and leave the rest for another time which may or may not come.

Eh? Could you run that past me one more time David? Only joking...

One of the advantages will be better visibility and therefore more equality for each writer/group member- and also it keeps the work fresh and moving on. I'm personally quite keen that when a piece of writing has had a wide range of comments, perhaps even a debate, that it's then useful for the writer to swap that piece for another- so that their work progresses and develops. The commented pieces don't leave the site anyway- they live in the Archive and can still be accessed perfectly easily.

David, this approach sounds most constructive and logical.The new strategy I hope will minimalise bias and ensure that each writers "work" is given some attention and approached professionally and constructively.
The concept of a Writers group as being approachable,informative,unpretentious, and enjoyable, is an experience I think most writer's would relish.

Regards

Lauren Paige

One or two points on the reorganisation, especially as far as poetry groups are concerned.

1. Since poems are usually shorter than other texts, I see no harm in allowing two poems at a time. When I comment, I sometimes want to compare two poems.

2. I agree the poetry group should be subdivided, but will contributors be allowed to upload work in more than one group at the same time? Say, to avoid congestion, one poem in each of two, even three groups at any one time. I'd certainly want to do that. (David, your post in the forum doesn't say that the poetry group is to be divided. Anna mentioned this in her email to me. I think there should be several poetry groups.)

3. For subdivided poetry groups, I'd suggest theme rather than style divisions. (a) Love poetry/poems of personal experience. (A more sexy group name might be 'You, Me, Her, Him'.) (b) Humour/satire/fun. (c) 'Big Issues' - social, political, war, injustice, protest. (d) Places. (e) Miscellaneous. People should have somewhere to put poems that don't fit any category. Since 'miscellaneous' is a bit of a dead word, call it 'Gallimaufry'.

I hope this won't put the cat among the pigeons (to coin a phrase).

James.

now my head is really beginning to hurt

o.k., I think we can all agree that this is going to be good for all of us, and leave it at that. Now...when do these experts start reading our work? I want to be discovered!!

David, with all the changes you are making and the (very valid) reasons you give for making them, isn't the next obvious step, restricted membership?

I personally don't want restricted membership.

I'd like to think that this site can be a supportive and enriching environment for everyone. And perhaps this kind of friendly 'home' is just what someone who's felt nervous and lacked confidence all their life needs - an unthreatening place to try things out and grow!