Submission Deadline: May 2021
Online Critique Group
This is an online critique forum for your creative writing drafts and WIPs. We aim to create a system in which all writers benefit through this constructive exchange and informed encouragement of one another’s creative writing. In this attempt, we want to maintain a safe space for all writers and to help gain insight in their work through constructive honesty, difference and disagreement.
Kindly take a few minutes to read the following Code of Conduct and Submission Guidelines before you can start participating in the critique group.
Code of Conduct:
1. Read, absorb and then comment. Do not rush into feedback.
2. Stay relevant and focussed on the text. Identify problems by reference to writing craft techniques and always try to provide constructive suggestions. Always be specific: praise specific strengths, techniques, and passages; suggest improvements for specific weaknesses.
3. Do not make any personal comments, comments related to your own personal preferences or values, or psycho-analyse the writer or their work.
4. Do not criticise a mouse for not being a tiger - don't criticise texts on the basis that they don't comply with your taste or style. If the text is in a developmental stage, understand and acknowledge the room for improvement through revision and editing.
5.Please provide critique to other participants’ work kindly and regularly, as they would do for you.
6. While comments and remarks are appreciated to encourage dialogue between the participants, make sure to not spam or discuss matters not relevant to the critique group in the forum. Don’t engage in any arguments in the public forum.
7. Avoid imposing your own personal vision on other’s work, avoid criticising style, avoid offering general solutions, avoid fixating on spelling or grammar mistakes. Be aware of your own personal prejudices and unconscious biases.
8. Do not argue with feedback. Obviously not all feedback will be useful - so you may consider and ignore feedback that you don't agree with or feel won't help your writing. Don’t publicly criticise feedback. Considering dissenting opinions will always make you a better writer.
9. Praise good work & explain why you like it. Do point out inconsistencies and plot holes, flabby sentences, over-generalisations, confusions and incoherence. Don’t rewrite other people’s stories.
10. Be kind. Be encouraging. Offer feedback that will help people grow. Critique the text not the writer. Don’t take criticism personally.
11. Note that the administrators and the moderators of the group reserve the right at their discretion to remove anyone from the classroom who:
fails to abide by the rules and principles, or any laws of Singapore
expresses any form of abuse or intolerance on the basis of race, religion, culture, ethnicity, age, sexuality, gender, political views or class.
12. Disruptive behaviour including trolling, cyber-bullying, harassment, racist and/or bigoted comments will not be tolerated. Warnings may be given by moderators for irrelevant or disruptive comments. In some cases warnings may not be given and those engaging in disruptive behaviour will be banned. The decision of the moderators is final.
13. Sharing any aspect whatsoever of another writer’s ideas or work with someone outside the group (including a spouse or significant other) is strictly prohibited unless the writer has given permission beforehand.
14. Plagiarism is unacceptable and will not be tolerated.
15. All complaints should be emailed to the WTC Team: Jon, Uma, and Ben.
Process of Submission and Feedback
1. To submit a manuscript for critique, every must participant must critique at least two of the other participants’ work before making a submission. The only exception to this requirement is your initial submission.
2. Only submit your own, original work. Do not submit a text more than once. Do not submit texts that have already been accepted for publication.
3. Submit work in the following format:
a. double spaced, 12 pt, Times Roman
b. Formats: .docx or .pdf
so everyone can view the documents. Always keep a separate spare copy of your
submission.
4. Submit at least 500-1000 words of text. Do not submit texts of more than 1,000 words. Do not submit more than 2 submissions at any time. Add a synopsis in the beginning for context if you deem necessary.
5. Please name your documents in the following format: NameofWriter_TitleofPiece_Draft01
Please vet your work for grammatical errors and typos. Submit only work you consider complete after you have revised it to your best possible standard. You should look at the Speak Good English Movement’s web page for resources on good English usage: https://www.languagecouncils.sg/goodenglish/resources
6. While posting critique or feedback as annotations on the document make sure to download your own copy the document to do so and re-upload as the critiqued version. Do not annotate on the original document.
7. Rename the critiqued document as NameofWriter…Title_Critique_NameofReviewer
8. You may also tag your work as Beginner/Intermediate Level so reviewers have more context while critiquing your work.
Thank you for reading, and we hope you have a good and educational experience through sharing and critique.
This competition and event is proudly supported by the