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First-time visitors to the site, or returning members, here are some answers to often-asked questions:
Listserv:
What is the Listserv?
Will I get a lot of mail if I join?
How do I join?
What else do I need to know about the Listserv?
Critique Groups:
How do I join a critique group?
Do writing critique groups meet in person or by e-mail?
Once I’m in a group, what are the submission guidelines?
How do I give a good critique?
How do I receive a critique?
What is proper e-mail etiquette for a critique group?
Listserv:
What is the Listserv?
The Listserv is a communication tool (a private e-mail forum through Yahoo Groups) for members of Wisconsin’s SCBWI and designed to connect WI writers/illustrators, get tips, tools and share experiences. The Listserv is the first place you’ll hear about up-coming events in our state. We’re a generous group of writers/illustrators that hold a wealth of information to enhance your writing/illustrating life. See the guidelines below.
Will I get a lot of mail if I join?
Yahoo Groups allows you to set your preferences. You can select individual e-mails, daily digest (a complilation of the day’s postings) or web-only (read posts on the web). You decide.
How do I join?
This Listserv, designed primarily with WI SCBWI members in mind, is available to all members of SCBWI and set up as “By Invitation Only” and not listed in the public forums. Please e-mail Peggy Tromblay for your invitation. If you are not currently an SCBWI member, please register at www.SCBWI.org.
Non-SCBWI members will not be admitted.
What else do I need to know about the Listserv?
Postings must be relevant to the topic of children's book and magazine publishing and must demonstrate respect for the SCBWI chapter, its members and their opinions. Members of the Listserv who post messages that in the opinion of the moderator do not follow these guidelines will be removed.
Postings must be relevant to the topic of children's book and magazine publishing and must demonstrate respect for the SCBWI chapter, its members and their opinions. Members of the listserve who post messages that in the opinion of the moderator do not follow these guidelines will be removed.
Events/Advertising:
Please remember this listserve is not designed as an advertising service for non-SCBWI events/organizations. We do however, welcome members to post information regarding specific classes they teach and other area events involved in/and related to the children's publishing industry.
When you sign up for the list, you have options for how you'd like to receive your messages:
Individual Messages means each individual post to the listserve will arrive in your mailbox. Daily Digest compiles all listserve postings within the previous 24 hours into one email. No Email requires that you visit www.groups.yahoo.com/group/WISCBWI
to read all messages. No messages will be automatically delivered to you.quette:
Once you are successfully registered and on board, please take a moment to introduce yourself and your work.
When you reply to a message, delete everything except the part that you're replying to. Remember to sign your name.
- Use normal punctuation, capitalization, etc. (All caps means you're shouting and is considered rude.)
- Keep messages relevant to the purpose of the listserv.
- Congratulatory Messages/Personal messages should be sent to the individual involved, not the list.
- Use a subject line, and if the subject has changed, change the subject line too. This is most helpful for finding the threads of specific topics.
- If a listserve subscriber, in the opinion of the moderator, is abusing the listserve, the moderator either will send that person a private (off-list) warning or will remove that person from the list if the violation is severe.
- If someone sends a posting to WISCBWI that you find inappropriate, offensive, or troublesome, please send a message to the moderator. The moderator will follow up with you directly, and will also contact the original poster without revealing your identity unless you request otherwise. All of these contacts will be done off-list. We very much adhere to the "praise in public, criticize in private" philosophy. It helps list atmosphere, and it also cuts down on off-topic list traffic. It's up to you whether you would also like to contact the individual directly about the posting. But if you choose to do so, please contact the original poster off-list.
- To change your status on the listserv (including unsubscribing), please use the following links:
Critique Groups:
How do I join a writing critique group?
Easy. Just email me, Lisa Moser, and I’ll send you a questionnaire to fill out to help match you to a corresponding writing group. Sometimes it takes two or three months to gather like-minded writers, so please be patient.
Do writing critique groups meet in person or by e-mail?
Both. Some groups just meet in person. Some groups just critique by e-mail. And some groups do a combination of the two. It is recommended that you have e-mail and computer accessibility since manuscripts are often submitted by computer in advance of critique meetings.
Once I’m in a group, what are the submission guidelines?
- All stories are submitted in 12-point font, double-spaced format.
- To submit a picture book or early reader, send the entire manuscript. Please realize that these usually do not exceed 1200 words. To submit a part of a novel, please send up to 20 pages. Entire novels are not covered in whole because it takes weeks and weeks of time and an extremely high level of critiquing ability.
- We will start out critiquing a story a week. As time progresses and the group develops, we might move to critiquing a story every five days, but the timetable will depend on the members’ input.
- Always paste your story into the body of the e-mail.
- There will be a rotation for submissions. Knowing your date for submission gives you a goal to shoot for and lets you plan your writing schedule.
- Submissions will go out to the entire group on Monday. Members should try to give a thoughtful, complete critique in 3 or 4 days, a week at the very latest. Sometimes, life comes up- vacations, sick children, visitors, etc. If you are unable to give a critique in a week’s time, please alert the group and then try to complete the critique as soon as possible. It’s important to be a reliable, dependable group member so that everyone can proceed with revising based on the critiques provided.
- Sometimes when an author submits a story, she is looking for specific feedback. Please mention that in your e-mail. For instance, someone might say, “I’m wondering if the plot line is a little convoluted. Are you able to follow it easily? If not, where do you get lost? Any suggestions on simplifying?”
How do I give a good critique?
- Approach each critique with kindness and honesty. It’s important to get honest feedback to improve a story. It’s critical, in fact. Just as important is the ability to say things in a constructive, positive manner.
- Be specific in your feedback. “This is a nice story,” and, “I can already picture the illustrations,” are not effective tools to help an author revise. Give the author an idea of what is really working and what is not. For example, you might say, “I loved it when you developed your character through actions. I knew Greg was mad when he kept kicking that can down the road.” Or, “I laughed out loud when the ant couldn’t get the picnic basket into his anthill. That kind of humor will certainly appeal to children.” Or, “You might think about the length of your opening paragraph. It seems a bit description heavy, and it’s important in a picture book to introduce the character pretty quickly.”
- Use the Critique Sandwich. A good critique starts off by telling the author what he has done really well. Again, be concrete and specific. Follow that up with suggestions on where you think the story might be improved. Finally, end on a good note. Encourage and support the author.
- It’s good to give an overall critique of a story, but it’s just as important to mark areas within the body of the text. Commenting on an especially lovely line, gives the author concrete, specific feedback as to what she is doing well. Likewise, highlighting lines that are confusing or may need to be rewritten allows the author to hone in on weak passages.
How do I receive a critique?
- You will be receiving a lot of feedback. You will have to sort through the comments, think deeply, and make decisions on how to revise your story. Please know that you do not have to, nor is it wise, to take every piece of advice and twist your story around. It is the author’s prerogative to pick and choose from the suggestions offered.
I would be remiss if I didn’t also add that, in my opinion, it is the authors who listen and learn who actually end up succeeding. If you find that you are defensive and shut off to any suggestions, you will not improve your writing or your story. It is through hard work, dedication and a willingness to make a story its very best that authors stride down the road to publication.
- I’ve developed a little trick that helps me sort through critiques. If everyone in my writing group mentions the same problem, I underline that section in my copy of the story. A solid underline means I definitely need to go back and make changes. If, however, the opinions are divided on a topic, or if I feel strongly that I disagree with their suggestions, I make a squiggly line. A squiggly line means that I need to think about it more deeply before I make a revision.
What is proper e-mail etiquette for a critique group?
- Always paste your story into the body of the e-mail. Do not send your story as an attached document.
- Use “Reply All” when critiquing a story. All members of a critique group benefit from hearing members’ thoughts, opinions and suggestions.
- ALL CAPS is considered yelling in e-mail etiquette. (It makes me flinch whenever I see it.) Try to use a different colored font, italics, underlining, bolding, or other method to incorporate your comments into the body of the story text.
- It’s good to keep a file on your e-mail to store all of your feedback from this critique group. It’s probably a good idea to print out the critiques you receive so that you can refer to them as you’re writing.
Links
SCBWI
Publisher's Weekly
CBC-Children's Book Council
CBI-Children's Book Insider
Purple Crayon
ALA Newberry Medal
CCBC-UW-Madison
Badgerlink
Kids Mag Writers
CBC-Children's Book Council
Verla Kay's Website For Children's Writers and Illustrators
Smart Writers
ICL Transcripts of Workshops since 2000
Renaissance Learning - Word Counts/Reading levels of books
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