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[ eureka! ]
Jan. 27th, 2008 05:55 pmHi, everybody!!
That poll I put up - over 50 volunteers. You guys are incredible. (I almost used a cuss word right there, but saved it just in time.) I am totally over the moon. The best part is the name. Y'all ready?
The No Stairway Anthology -![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
nostairway
I love the name. I ain't even gonna front. :)
The first post in that community is our guidelines and overview, so please give those a read if you're interested. As I said before, things have changed a lot since we started talking. Even now they're pretty rough draft - it's only been two days - but we've got a pretty good idea of how things are going to go. If you have any questions,![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
maygra and I have open posts. (Hers is here.)
As a side note, I'm aware that there are folks who maybe aren't the biggest fans of this idea, and that's a shame. But hopefully the guidelines will clear things up for them, because I'm definitely seeing a lot of misconceptions on those posts. In fact, why don't I go ahead and touch on some of the highlights?
As I see it, the benefits are twofold; for readers and for writers.
Each issue of the Anthology will hold a number of stories that have been screened for basic typos and grammar, and then passed by at least three editors. Those editors look for originality, innovation, use of language and pacing, anything that'd make a story grip a reader's attention. They look for stories that challenge and move us, stories that twist us up; their goal is to fill the Anthology, not pare it down. We'd like to showcase as many stories as possible. Each story is archived at a website - those of you who boycott LJ can still play - and a reader's guaranteed to be able to browse these stories whenever they want, in a format that's readable and clear. The editorial oversight board and administrators make sure that each issue has a range of stories, something to appeal to any taste.
And for the writers, first and foremost is that each story is assessed purely on its merits - all identifying information is stripped away before the editors even see it. Doesn't matter what your name is, you've got the same shot as anybody else. If your story is published to the Anthology, that'll mean exposure for not just your single story but all your works, because there's a link to your LJ or your IJ or your website, whatever you want.
The last benefit for writers is something we sort of snuck under the radar. Every single author who sends in a story has the option of recieving comments from the editors. Doesn't matter if you get published or not. Three objective editors will tell you what they think is good about what you wrote, and where you might be able to improve. It's not a line edit or a beta process - we have day jobs to think of! - but it's a quick summary that we hope will be helpful. You don't have to take it, of course, but I sure plan to. People with editing guidelines are going to look at my stuff and give me their honest opinion. I know nobody's going to tell me what I want to hear, and I also know nobody's going to be mean or catty about it. Dude. Awesome.
So that's us! Have a look over those preliminary guidelines, ask any questions you want. When things are finalized and ready to go, we'll have a big going-live party and you're all invited.
That poll I put up - over 50 volunteers. You guys are incredible. (I almost used a cuss word right there, but saved it just in time.) I am totally over the moon. The best part is the name. Y'all ready?
The No Stairway Anthology -
nostairwayI love the name. I ain't even gonna front. :)
The first post in that community is our guidelines and overview, so please give those a read if you're interested. As I said before, things have changed a lot since we started talking. Even now they're pretty rough draft - it's only been two days - but we've got a pretty good idea of how things are going to go. If you have any questions,
maygra and I have open posts. (Hers is here.)As a side note, I'm aware that there are folks who maybe aren't the biggest fans of this idea, and that's a shame. But hopefully the guidelines will clear things up for them, because I'm definitely seeing a lot of misconceptions on those posts. In fact, why don't I go ahead and touch on some of the highlights?
As I see it, the benefits are twofold; for readers and for writers.
Each issue of the Anthology will hold a number of stories that have been screened for basic typos and grammar, and then passed by at least three editors. Those editors look for originality, innovation, use of language and pacing, anything that'd make a story grip a reader's attention. They look for stories that challenge and move us, stories that twist us up; their goal is to fill the Anthology, not pare it down. We'd like to showcase as many stories as possible. Each story is archived at a website - those of you who boycott LJ can still play - and a reader's guaranteed to be able to browse these stories whenever they want, in a format that's readable and clear. The editorial oversight board and administrators make sure that each issue has a range of stories, something to appeal to any taste.
And for the writers, first and foremost is that each story is assessed purely on its merits - all identifying information is stripped away before the editors even see it. Doesn't matter what your name is, you've got the same shot as anybody else. If your story is published to the Anthology, that'll mean exposure for not just your single story but all your works, because there's a link to your LJ or your IJ or your website, whatever you want.
The last benefit for writers is something we sort of snuck under the radar. Every single author who sends in a story has the option of recieving comments from the editors. Doesn't matter if you get published or not. Three objective editors will tell you what they think is good about what you wrote, and where you might be able to improve. It's not a line edit or a beta process - we have day jobs to think of! - but it's a quick summary that we hope will be helpful. You don't have to take it, of course, but I sure plan to. People with editing guidelines are going to look at my stuff and give me their honest opinion. I know nobody's going to tell me what I want to hear, and I also know nobody's going to be mean or catty about it. Dude. Awesome.
So that's us! Have a look over those preliminary guidelines, ask any questions you want. When things are finalized and ready to go, we'll have a big going-live party and you're all invited.
