Hello all.

I hope that April was a productive month, both with NaPoWriMo and ScriptFrenzy. I hope that the literary challenges didn't overwhelm you and that you conquered them with pride. If you were behind, and the pressure of writing every day did get to you, you now have a long time to relax and prepare yourself for NaNoWriMo later in the year. For those of you who have no idea what I am talking about - it's ok! Nothing had changed.

As you know, the prose folder has been closed for quite a while. This is due to a large backlog, which is due to the fact that many critics weren't doing their jobs. Those critics have, since then, either been demoted or have left due to personal reasons.

We have, since then, gathered more critics into our fold - and they are proving to be reliable and good in their jobs. Hopefully the prose folder will reopen soon. On our main page is a list of the critics and what they critique. This is to let you, the members, know who is who. Hopefully you will visit their pages and browse their works, as many of them put in so much effort here and desperately need comments on their own work. You don't have to be a critic to leave a positive comment, so go make their day.

On that note, if you ever feel that a critic has been unduly negative in their critique, or if they are critiquing you in person and not your work, please note *MagicalJoey (with a note appropriately titled so I know what it's about) and I will try to solve the problem. Remember though, that a good critique sometimes has to be harsh, and you posted your work for critique. If the work is especially meaningful to you, and you know that you can't accept anything possibly 'negative' in a comment, then don't submit it here. Remember: we critique everything that is submitted --> except for pieces that flout the rules. (Rules can be found further down in this journal.)

Please also note, that as we are a critique group, we don't promote your works. If you are looking for more exposure, please don't submit to us and waste both our time and yours.

I also want to ask you, as members, to try and bring new members in to the group. I am sure that you have many watchers and friends who would like constructive comments/critiques on some of their work - invite them to join us. If you can't physically invite them, then get them to come to our page and click 'join'. I accept all join requests.

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I have added a list of Literary/Critique guides in the 'About Us' section of the group. These cover things like Character Creation, Dialogue and a whole lot more, feel free to check it out.

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Prose Folder Closure:
We need to temporarily close the Prose for Critique folder as we have a huge backlog there. We, as a team, are working through this, but it is not fair to have new works come in while the Admin staff are working through the older stuff. I will let you know when the folder is open again.
NOTE: This does not affect the poetry folder. That folder is still open.

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Rules:
We critique everything that comes through our doors. If you don't want a critique, don't submit your work.
Unfortunately we do not take school/university essays as it is not really our job to work on them. You need to find a friend or family member to critique them for you.
Flaming or bashing a critic in any way will result in a temporary ban. If it happens again the ban will become permanent. The critics work hard and give their best work, so if you don't like what they have said keep your opinions to yourself. Alternatively, if you are unhappy or feel that a particular critique that you have received is unfair, contact me, *MagicalJoey, and I will try to sort out the matter amicably.
One submission per week only applied for both prose and poetry.
This is not obligatory, but we appeal to you to please place something within your artists comments that you wish us to focus on during our critique of your work. It makes critiquing much easier if we have a guideline to what you are looking for.
Original writing only, both prose and poetry. Please don't submit writing that is not yours.
Fan Fiction of any kind is NOT allowed.
There's a limit of 3000 words applied on prose entries. Both chapters and  short stories are included in this limit.
Stories with multiple chapters: We accept chapter one only!
All forms of literature are allowed, but no explicit erotica please.
We only affiliate with active groups that have been around for more than 2 months.

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Critique Philosophy:
_{Adapted from}

When I critique a written piece, I am not arguing against it, you don’t have to defend it.
When I critique a written piece, I am not saying it’s awful, or terrible, or anything of the sort.
When I critique a written piece, I am giving an opinion—not a mandate.
When I critique a written piece, I choose one that is already pretty good. I don’t waste my time on something that can’t be improved upon.
When I critique a written piece, I choose the written pieces that will actually benefit from criticism because they’re already mostly "there".
When I critique a written piece, I thoroughly research what I suggest. I’m not just talking out of my ass.
When I critique a written piece, I put a lot of effort into it. I read, reread, write, rewrite, etc. I can put an hour or more into an in-depth critique—again, I’m not just talking out of my ass.
When I critique a written piece, I don’t expect you to agree with all or any of my suggestions, and I don’t expect you to change anything. If you do, kudos. If you don’t, at least you've been open-minded.
When I critique a written piece, I am as respectful as I know how to be. I am a hard ass, but I’m not malicious.
When I critique a written piece, I try to keep in mind that I am fallible, and no matter how meticulously I’ve researched and how hard I’ve worked, I know sometimes I’m wrong.
When I critique a written piece, I am absolutely aware that my own written work can need as much or more work. My suggestions are humble.

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That's all for now folks, have a great time writing!
Jo