Online Writing Circle
Keeping the critique alive after May.
Next Critique Cycle
October 1, 2013 - October 31, 2014
Frequently Asked Questions
The Online Writing Circle is a Google+ community for dedicated writers who wish to remain in contact and share work with each other after graduation.
SUNY Oswego’s creative writing program provides the opportunity to share your work and get feedback on a regular basis. Your classes give you deadlines and motivation to keep writing. Your classmates give you the opportunity to discuss writing, and your professors encourage you that writing is worthwhile. If you will miss the deadlines, the conversations, the critiquing process, the feedback, and the motivation you have here at Oswego, you might be interested in joining us.
By becoming a member, you will be guaranteed:
1. One piece of your writing will be read and critiqued by another member every month. You will receive encouragement and feedback that will help you stay on track.
2. You will get to read and give feedback on the writing of one of your peers every month.
3. You will have the opportunity to talk to other writers about writing and life once a month on a Google Hangout. No matter how separated from the literary community you might feel after graduation, we’ll help you stay connected.
How it Works:
Our community has three major deadlines each month.
On the first of every month, members must check our Google+ page where the results of a critique lottery will be posted. You will see your name paired with one member to send your work to and another person who will send their work to you. You will be responsible for emailing a piece of writing to the person you were paired with by 11:59p.m. along with a brief description of the kind of feedback you’re looking for.
Check your email for the work you were sent, too. You have two weeks to read this and write up thoughtful feedback that will help that person.
On the fifteenth of every month you simply email your critique or feedback before 11:59p.m. Check your own email for your feedback. For the rest of the month, you work on anything you want, be it revising, writing something new, or sending your work off to journals.
Start thinking about what you will submit the next month. Prepare something, whether you’re resubmitting the same piece or something new. (Also, make sure you respond to emails from the Online Writing Circle so you're entered into the next critique lottery.)
On the last day of every month everyone joins together for a Google Hangout at the specified time. You don’t need to prepare anything in particular to say— just be there and enjoy the virtual company.
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In order to be a member of the Online Writing Circle you will need:
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A google+ account. (sign-up for free here)
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A background in creative writing and critique
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A willingness to let people see your work
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An ability to meet deadlines
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A desire to help others in their writing lives outside the classroom.
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Possibly a webcam of some sort. (If you don’t have one currently, but would like to take part, please apply anyway.)
If you meet all of the above criteria, please fill out the application below! If you are accepted, we will be in contact with you and provide an invitation to the group. After you pass through the trial period, you'll be a member.
Apply now!
How does the Critique Lottery actually work? Doesn't it fall apart if there's an odd number of members?
The Critique Lottery starts with members emailing the Writing Circle email account with the genre they're planning to submit. On applications, all members state genres they're able to critique, which is where we get our pool of possible critiquers for each submission.
The lottery aspect comes in because pairings are made using random list generation. This works in a circular fashion (A to B to C to D to A.) in order to account for any number of participants, which is where we get our name "Online Writing Circle."
So you probably will be sending your work to a different person than is sending you work, but everyone gets to read something, and everyone gets something critiqued.
Do I need to have graduated in order to participate?
No, we do not require that our members have graduated in order to join. This critique group began as a means to stay in contact after graduation, but we are open to any dedicated member who wishes to join.
Do I need to be a creative writing major/minor in order to join?
Nope! We welcome anyone who wants to write and help others with their writing. We prefer that you have some background in writing, revision, and critiquing though, but we understand that you can come to these skills in a variety of ways.
What if I don't have a webcam, can I still apply?
Yes. While this might prevent you from taking part in the face-to-face conversations, you can still participate in the critique lottery. You'll have to make more of an independent effort to get to know other members, though.
What if I need an extra day to polish the last bit of my piece that I'm submitting?
The idea behind the group is to help give deadlines to those who need them in order to stay on track, so the deadlines are important. We hope you will get your work in on time. But, we understand that life is a spontaneous roommate that sometimes does very unexpected things. If you do need some last minute time, please email your critique partner explaining that you will be sending your work the next day so they don't think you forgot about them. (This also goes for if you need an extra day sending a critique to someone.)
Can I join the Online Writing Circle in the middle of a critique cycle?
No... and yes. You can definitely apply at any point during the month, but if you first enter the group in the middle of the month, everyone participating has already been paired off and started working, so you'll have to wait until the next month to join the critique lottery. With that being said, you are more than welcome (encouraged, even) to join in the conversation on Google Hangout at the end of the month.
What's this about the "trial period?"
When you first join, you'll begin a two-month trial period. All this means is that if you meet your deadlines each month and positively contribute, you remain a member, and if you don't, you're dropped from the group. While we obviously don't want to drop anyone, this is to ensure that all members get something critiqued and something to critique every month. We've promised everyone that, and need to be reliable.
After the trial period, you are perfectly able to miss a month here and there as long as you notify the group before the first of the month you’ll be skipping.
Is it possible to get dropped after the trial period?
Yes. Again, we don't like doing this, but would consider dropping for the following reasons:
-You are absent for more than two critique lotteries without informing the group, leaving someone else without a critique partner.
-You miss your deadlines consistently, never respond to emails, etc.
-There have been a number of complaints relating to your critiques, whether that means that they are consistently late, unhelpful, or otherwise.
-You have discouraged other writers, engaged in disrespectful communication, or used any form of hate language in communication with another member.
I got dropped because I was really busy, but I'm in a good place now, and I really want to be a part of this group again.
That's okay! You can reapply at any time and start the process over. Depending on the reason you were dropped, your application may or may not be reaccepted, but we're okay with second chances. This group is about helping other writers and if you can demonstrate you're ready to help, we welcome you.