Getting things together

[megwrites]

A few people expressed interest in a writer's group online that's SF/F (or at least SF/F-ish) that would be for inclusivity-centric critiques but also said they (like me) don't have a lot of finished work to submit or would also just like to meet other like minded writers and hook up with beta readers and what not.

So, if I were to start such a community here and on LJ (or elsewhere) that would be a sort of smallish place with some shared values and lenient rules so that if a person just wanted to get opinions on a snippet or ask for trouble shooting or talk about (as said) "brain weevils" re: writing, how many people would want to get in on it?

And what shared values would be most important. Inclusivity is great but really rather vague.

Opinions? Complaints? Random comments to make?

A lead on what to name such a comm would be helpful as well.

Comments

[tangledaxon]

I don't think I chimed in before, but I'd be interested in such a community. Especially since this sounds like it would be more focused on community interaction than critiquing.

I'm not sure about shared values. I'm not terribly good at community organizing (online or offline), so I'm probably not the right person to weigh in. I just wanted to say I'm definitely interested. :)

[matt_doyle]

I'd be interested, on either LJ or DW. As for the values... tougher question? XD

[inkstone]

Like I said before, I'd be interested. Preferably here since I don't hang out on LJ anymore.

[holyschist]

Yes! However, cannot brain right now.

a jumble of things

[flo]

First things first: I think I'd want to get in on a community like that. I'd like to pay forward some of the help that I've gotten with my own work, and I'd also love a place where I could beg for help with troublesome projects and have a good chance of finding someone to take a quick look. I think it might need to strictly be kept to making connections with other people for writing/reading help in order to avoid the need for formalized rules about reciprocation.

Aside from that, the only other helpful rules I can think of might be a) no gratuitous whining outside of the weekly gratuitous whining post, or gratuitous venting out of the gratuitous venting post, b) be courteous and honest, c) don't be afraid to say no or tell people you have helping you that there will be a delay, or that you're stuck, and d) don't be afraid to be specific when you're asking for help. People can always say no or bow out later on if the project isn't what they expected.

I think the most important shared value would be willingness to communicate coupled with an understanding that there will be issues and annoyances anyway, but that they'll be easier to pinpoint and sort out if people mention them. I don't know what the modding situation will be, or how much it'll be needed if the community starts out small, but a mod rotation might help to distribute the pressure of maintaining the community.

[ithiliana]

I commented over on LJ because I was reading over there, but would probably participate more on DW.

I am sorry if I missed this before--I would prefer for many reasons the default be locked to members only not public.

[dunmurderin]

I realize this is coming in very late to the discussion, but I found this post by following a series of links from inclusive_geeks @ LJ and I'd like to say that I would be interested in this community should it ever get started.