I in common with most people, I think, enjoy sharing our work on here and it is helpful to receive positive feedback from everybody, however I wonder how we stand with regard to entering our work which we have posted here, in competitions.

Many competitions state that the work should not have been previously published or broadcast, does posting on here count as either or

as write words is in effect a closed site because of the membership procedure is it no different from circulating your work between your friends for critique and refinement.

I believe the latter view is the correct interpretation but views please especially form those who have or are involved in running or judging competitions

If publishing on here is seen as previously publishing or broadcasting then it will severly limit the work that is uploaded.

take care

david

That's an interesting question.

I see it as no different from circulating your work within a writer's group for feedback and development, but I suppose it depends on whether people see it as finished work before they post it up, especially if no substanial changes are made to it once it has been posted. If it is considered finished work then this is a publishing space, if people have posted a piece unsure whether it is finished or not then it's a work-space, even if the feedback given is that it is fully achieved as a piece of writing and no changes need to be made.

You would need really to be asking the competition runners whether they would consider posting on this site as publishing or not - this isn't hard to do and most people who run comps are happy to talk to entrants.

Do you send out to many comps and mags?

I have sent out about 8 and all but 2 have been published. 1 in a comp I didnt expect to win but on the if you dont enter logic
and the other I was a little sad not to have got a prize ( was only about £25.00 but still it would have been nice)

To encapsuate what you are saying you beleive provided we say anything on here isn't finished and only posted for critique then its OK .

Although I still think that the get out is it is a closed group by virtue of we have to pay to join so it is no different from reading the work at a writers circle to obtain critique. I however bow to your superior knowledge and the fact hat you are a lady.

david x

Is it a closed group though Olebut?

I mean, it is in some ways (jobs, full interviews, directory, etc). But, anyone can come and have a look at my work here and do even when they're not members. So, as far as my work is concerned, isn't it a broadcasting space then?

I too would like to know the answer to this. I want to enter the Poetry Soc's competition, but think I probably won't be able to send them any of the pieces I've put up here. As I've put up quite a few, I'm going to have to write one specially. This is OK. But, what if it's not as good?

---Jib

Jib

but the access is limited to a month so by default it is closed it would be simple of course if that were the only thing stopping it being taken asa closed group then the non memeber access could be altered to have soupcon of selected pieces posted with the agreement of the writers on special page(s) many sites allow entrance to view certain aspects.

ref your entry into the Poetry Society comp

2 suggestions

a) the work could of course equally be your best yet

Jib I have amended this david x

Well actually, anybody can have a look at my work on the site whenever they like, as I made it available to everyone. They don't even have to be a part member.

I could have chosen to restrict it to certain groups. But, I don't see the point in posting on the web and then not letting everyone read my stuff.

I agree about posting but that perhaps puts us all in a dilema which now means that we should only post old work which we have decided is no longer appropriate for competition entry an dthat will perhaps devalue the site.

As Fevvers said, let's just ask the competition organisers. I'm sure there will be some that are happy with the situation and others less happy.

yes a great idea if time allows prior to sending off the entry and they bother to reply in time

Just phone 'em up Ol'. Then you won't have to wait for your response.

phone we have only just got the electric string where I live Mr Bell's invention hasn't reached us yet we use internet pigeons to communicate on the web

I think this is such a new area in terms of what constitutes publishing- my instinct is that this is not technically published, but as Jib says, check each one out- and I'll do some research too.

Surely works put on this site are not published? There are lots of on-site mags these days and when you submit to them, the pieces that go in are chosen by the editors, other things don't appear. Here, you can post up anything, so it isn't published work, unless we were to call it self publishing.

I agree. I don't consider my work here as published becuase it's self-selected and because I use the space as a tool for feedback.

Some competitions (e.g. the Poetry Soc is one) say that it should NOT have been published or broadcast.

"Poems must not have been previously published or broadcast, and must be the original work of the author.", rules of the Poetry Society competition.

This site could well count as a broadcast space.

So, I've just spoken to someone at the Poetry Soc, who's emailed a link to the Poetry Group page of this site to the lady who organises the competition. I've also left a message on her voice mail asking her to give me a call.

...So, watch this space guys as far as their competition goes anyway.


Cheers!
---Jib