I. What is Cacoethes Scribendi?
II. List Addresses
III. What are unacceptable/acceptable posts?
IV. How to submit to the list?
V. What are the participation requirements?
VI. The Cacoethes Scribendi policy on harassment
VII. How do I unsubscribe or change mail options?
*NOTE: This list is restricted to adults 18 and over.
There is a participation requirement. No lurking permitted.
I. What is Cacoethes Scribendi?
Juvenal, a Roman poet and satirist once said: "Many suffer from the
incurable disease of writing, and it becomes chronic in their sick
minds." If you have this irresistible urge to fill up blank pages, you
find yourself composing stories while you're in the shower, in the car,
or in the check-out line, and people ask you whether you're all right
because "you have a strange look on your face," or you roll into bed at
3 a.m. (or you jump out at 3 a.m.) because you have a story that just
won't go away, and you talk about your characters as if they're real
people, then you have the disease of writing. This workshop is for you.
It's not a 12-step program, but here you will find other writers who have
the disease, who do understand everything that goes on in the writer's life.
This workshop is for all levels of fiction writers, whether you've just
decided to write or whether you've already been writing since those
first books you made in kindergarten. Also welcome in this group are
creative nonfiction, personal essays, memoirs, since they use the same basic
mechanics as fiction, anyway. We all have stories to tell that will enrich others'
lives. This is the place to relax, turn off the internal editors, and to tell those
stories. We're here to nurture each other, help each other grow, to commiserate
(after all, the writing life can be lonely), and of course, write, write, write.
Here you can feel free to explore, find your voice, practice. Writing exercises
will be posted on a regular basis to give your creative muscles a little stretch,
for those times when you're afraid to face that blank page, or when you don't
know where to take your character next. Along with the exercises you're
encouraged to submit works in progress and to participate in discussions.
There are only a few restrictions--no pornography, fan fiction, poetry,
or gratuitous violence. We also have a participation requirement of one
submission and one critique a month. Lurking is not allowed.
II. List Addresses
To post a message to the Cacoethes Scribendi mailing list:
send your email to: [email protected]
If you need to contact the Moderators, the address is:
[email protected]
Yahoo!Groups Homepage:
http://www.yahoogroups.com/group/Cacoethes-Scribendi
The Cacoethes Scribendi Homepage
http://www.geocities.com/cswritingworkshop/
Remember, this is your homepage, so if you have anything you'd like to
see or post (i.e. exercises, URL's book reviews, etc., etc.) write the
Moderators.
III. What are unacceptable posts?
*SPAMS
*Flames
*Chain letters
*Virus alerts
*Scam alerts
*Poetry (unless submitted under CHAT heading and not offensive)
*Fan fiction
*Graphic sex and violence
Sex and violence have their place in fiction if it advances the story.
If your submissions contain profanity, any sex or violence, please
Include a qualifier in your header or in the first line of your submission, so
other listmembers can make the choice to read or not to read. If you
have any questions, don't hesitate to ask the Moderators.
Any attempts at unacceptable posts will result in unsubscription and you
will be banned from participating in the future. We want this list to be
a safe, friendly place where writers can feel comfortable posting their
work and participating in discussion.
IV. How to submit to the list?
We expect that new members will want to lurk, in order to get the feel
of the list. We feel that two weeks is a reasonable amount of time to wait before
getting your feet wet. If you do not post anything within two weeks, the Moderators
have the right to unsubscribe you. If you're having problems getting started, or don't
have the time because real life obligations keep you from the list, please write the
Moderators. Otherwise, we'll think you�ve lost interest, and you�ll be unsubscribed.
Okay, now what?
*Before posting anything, please introduce yourself. Post a short bio
about yourself and/or writing interests.
*Participate in discussions. This is voluntary, of course. We talk
about everything from writing-related news to beekeeping. As long
as it fits our guidelines for acceptable posts, you're welcome to talk about
anything. Think of this as a virtual coffeehouse. Pull up a chair, pour your
favorite beverage, and feel free to share good news, or rant and rave.
*Before submitting your own work, we ask that you critique one submission
before posting your own. Don't feel comfortable or "qualified" to critique?
See the Cacoethes Scribendi Guide to Participation or write the Moderators
for help. We don't expect in-depth literary criticisms or line-by-line editing.
(However, they're welcome, if you�re so inclined!) Everyone has something
valuable to contribute. It can be as simple as why or why you do not like a story.
*After you submit one critique, submit your writing practice or work in progress.
Don't know where to start? Try freewriting. Set an amount of time, say, ten or fifteen
minutes. You can write about anything that pops into your head, or you can choose
a word. Try: Love, Letter, Rain, or choose a random word. Keep writing for the
allotted time without going back to edit or cross out anything. If you can't think of
anything to write, then write: I can't think of anything to write, or write your last
sentence over and over until something new pops into your head. It'll get easier
the more you practice. We will be posting weekly exercises to the list. Old and
current exercises are on the webpage.
http://www.geocities.com/cswritingworkshop/
The procedure for posting exercises or writing practice is as follows:
In the Subject line type:
Writing Practice (or WP): Your name Name of exercise
Example:
WP: Katrinko "What I Did On My Summer Vacation."
Please don't type your own exercise when replying to another exercise.
Start a separate post. This cuts down on confusion, and your hard work
won't be missed. You are welcome to submit works in progress such as novel
chapters, short stories, personal essays, memoirs, etc. Please don't use this list
as a dumping ground for feedback. This goes without saying, if you want feedback,
please reciprocate. Critiques are a gift. Someone took the time to read, to think
about, and to comment on your work. If you don't have the time to critique his/her
work, please send a note. We understand that real life gets in the way, so please,
let's keep the lines of communication open.
All submitted works are the property of the author. Do not copy or forward
anything from the list without the author's permission. Doing so will result in being
banned from the list.
The procedure for submitting works in progress is:
Type in the Subject line:
SUB: Name of work (author's name)
Sub: "Jellybean Juice" (Katrinko)
To critique or give feedback to any submission:
CRIT: Name of work (author)
CRIT: "Jellybean Juice" (Katrinko)
Please avoid simply hitting reply. It'll cut down on the confusion.
For works over 3,000 words, it's advisable to break the submission into
smaller segments. Some mail programs turn long posts into gobbledygook.
Because of recent virus scares, no attachments are permitted on the
list. The mailing list does not support attachments, and they will be
automatically stripped off. Any attempt in sending a virus to the list
is grounds for immediate permanent banning. Also, do not send
attachments (without prior permission) to the Listowner and
Moderators. If you send an email with an attachment, it will be deleted
automatically.
V. What are the participation requirements?
It's fine to lurk for a week or so, to get the hang of everything, but
continually lurking is prohibited. It is intimidating to send your work
to a list when there are people not participating. This list is about
sharing and helping each other.
After one week, introduce yourself with a brief bio. If you do not show
any participation within two weeks, the List Owner has a right to
automatically unsubscribe you.
The participation requirement for this list is one submissions and two
critiques a month. If you do not meet the requirement, you will be
unsubscribed. This is to protect the other members and their work.
Also, Web only/NoMail settings are not allowed without prior
communication with the Moderators.
Some of you might feel uncomfortable critiqueing. Please read the
Cacoethes Scribendi Guide to Participation to get you started. Or
write the Moderators. We'll be happy to help.
Sometimes real life interferes with list participation. If that happens,
just send a note to the Moderators.
VI. The Cacoethes Scribendi Policy on Harassment
We'd like to think of this as a friendly list, where we share not only
our writing but our personal trials and triumphs. We also hope that
long lasting friendships happen as a result of this list. After all,
writing can be a lonely business. Exchanging personal information such
as home addresses and phone numbers is done at the risk of individual
list members, and the List Owner and Moderators cannot be held
responsible.
However, (we hate to bring this up, but sometimes--unfortunately--this
happens on mailing lists.) the subject of harassment needs to be
addressed. Any harassment will not be tolerated. If ever a listmember
feels he or she has been sent an inappropriate email from another list
member (such as SPAMS, stalking, threats, or viruses) please contact the
Moderators immediately. We hope it never comes to this, but we'll take
appropriate action when necessary. SPAMs, stalking, threats, and
viruses are also a breach of Yahoogroup's privacy and Terms of Service
policy. If you ever experience this from another listmember or from a
Yahoogroups member, immediately write Yahoogroups at: [email protected]
VII. How to unsubscribe or change mail options
We hate to see you go, but unfortunately, real life can get in the way.
If you're a member in good standing, you're always welcome to return.
Log onto your member page at:
http://www.egroups.com
Click on MY GROUPS, and it will list the communities to which you're
subscribed. From there you can change your mail options to Digest, or
you may unsubscribe.
Or you can unsubscribe via email:
[email protected]
Write your email address in the body of the email.
If you have any problems or questions, please contact the Moderators:
[email protected]
Now, let's get started . . .
The Moderators
Cacoethes Scribendi
