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HEY! I LIKE TO WRITE! BUT I'M NOT USED TO WRITING ON THE INTERNET. HOW DO I GET THIS GOING?
Simple. Well, kind of. You get a Wordpress (it's free! www.wordpress.com) and then start writing. You'll be added to the e-mail list and your link will go up. Get to writing.
NOTE: We respect your privacy and will not release your e-mail address to ANYBODY. Our sole purpose is to keep our writers up-to-date on new features and goings-on.
BUT HOW TO I SET UP A WORDPRESS?
Go to www.wordpress.com
01. Follow the prompts to set up a new account.
02. Log into your account.
03. Find the Appearance Tab on the lower left, and click it.
04. A page called Manage Themes will display.
05. Scroll through and pick something you like.
06. Click on it and activate by clicking on Activate, in the upper right of the pop-up.
07. Go back to Appearances.
08. Click on Widgets.
09. Go to Links and click Add.
10. Click the Save Changes button.
11. Go back to the left-hand tabs, and click Links.
12. Under the left-hand tab, click Add New.
13. Fill Name with The Undeniables
14. Fill Web Address with http://www.theundeniables.org
15. Click Add Link.
16. If you want, you can go back to the Links tab, click Edit, and add / delete as you please. All we ask is that The Undeniables is linked.
17. Go to the Posts tab, on the left.
18. Click Edit.
19. Roll over the Hello World! title and click Delete.
20. Click the Pages tab.
21. Click About.
22. Highlight existing "This is an example . . ." text, and write about yourself and what you're doing. This is the all about you page. When finished, click Update Page, on the right.
23. Click Posts, Add New.
24. Choose a title.
25. Type away in the box provided, or copy/paste from another document.
26. Click Publish.
27. Click View Post.
28. Congratulations! You're on your way. Get yourself a Coke, and get us one too.
The more you play with this thing, the more comfortable you will get, and the more features you'll stumble across to make it more personal. It's a great tool. These are just the basics to get you rolling.
THE NUMBER ONE RULE IS TO WRITE EVERYDAY? THAT'S CRAZY!
Sorry. That's the rule. You have to write everyday, no matter what. This is the basis of what we are doing here. The reasoning is that the entire project, from day one to year fifty, is about training the mind to be able to write whenever the writer wants. Developing discipline. Practice. The more a person does something, the easier it gets. Also, it's a good, systematic way to consistently create a body of work. The bigger the body, the more gold. Write everyday.
WHAT HAPPENS IF I SKIP A DAY? WILL I GET BEAT UP?
No. Actually, nothing will happen to you. We can't force anyone to write everyday. And we don't have the means to reprimand anyone. You'll never get kicked out, you'll never get chastised, hell there's so many people, we might not even notice. There is no actual "punishment" for missing days, other than you cheating yourself out of one day of writing. You are accountable for yourself. If you skip a day, that's on you. This is the way a writer acquires discipline. On their own.
THIS DOESN'T SOUND LIKE A WRITERS WORKSHOP AT ALL. I THOUGHT PEOPLE MEET IN PERSON AND DISCUSS THEIR PIECES AND HOW TO IMPROVE IN THEIR LITERARY ARTFORM?
True. This isn't a regular, every day kind of writer’s workshop. This is completely online and the writers aren't mandated to meet in person or to comment editorially on each other’s pieces.
Why, you might ask? Because we want there to be an inclusive feel to this The Writers Workshop. We want all types of writers - beginners, veterans, poets, novelists, dabblers, zealots, amateurs and pros – to all feel welcome within the walls of The Writers Workshop.
Sometimes all a writer needs is to know there are other people writing around them. Sometimes all a writer needs is to feel competitive. Sometimes all a writer needs is a tad bit more structure. Sometimes all a writer needs is a little bit of pressure, knowing that people out there are reading their writings. Sometimes all a writer needs is a little bit of everything. So we do what we do, structure it how we structure it, and offer what we offer, so every single writer we have in The Writers Workshop will get something out of it.
We liken this, The Writers Workshop’s process, to a marathon. Everyone is racing on their own, keeping pace on their own, mentally driving themselves on their own. But, every step of the way, there will be someone in front of you, behind you, and next to you, running towards the same goal. That is the essence of how this The Writers Workshop works.
It always comes back to writing every day.
However, if a writer desires more of that traditional type of writers workshop, we do have our The Writers Workshop versions. If you’re curious about that next tier, feel free to contact us personally. info@theundeniables.org
I'M SHY. I WANT TO KEEP MY POSTS PRIVATE. CAN I?
No. Only public posts. No private posts. One of the major concepts of The Writers Workshop is to expose a massive amount of writing to the public. That will not happen if writings are locked behind a password. To evolve the writer, we must be courageous enough to show works in progress and subject ourselves to criticism. Besides, what's the point of a writer’s workshop if people can't read your stuff?
HEY, I'VE BEEN NOTICING PEOPLE WRITING DIFFERENT GENRES BUT YOU STILL CALL THEM SESSIONS. WHAT THE HELL?
We have a range of choices in terms of literary forms. Once a writer joins the ranks, he or she may choose one of those forms. A "session" is how long the writer will be writing in that specific form. Our sessions are currently two months long. The moderators will let all the members of The Writers Workshop know when a new session is beginning and when it will end.
Once a writer chooses his or her literary form for that session, they may not change. Not until the session is done. When the session is done, the writer may continue to write in that literary form or choose to write in a new one. Again, once a form is chosen, the writer must write in that form for the duration. Every day. No matter what.
HOW LONG IS A SESSION?
We said two months, my friend.
SOUNDS CHALLENGING. I LIKE IT! SO WHAT ARE THE LITERARY GENRES I CAN CHOOSE FROM?
We currently offer Novel, Poetry, Correspondence, Creative Non-Fiction, Short Story, and Flash Fiction. More on the way. We will alert you via e-mail, when new genres become available.
Novel. A fictional prose narrative of considerable length. Basically, a book. You must write one chapter a day. Yes, you read that right. One chapter a day. If you're a first time writer, don't start here. If you're an experienced writer, don't start here. The only reason someone would choose this form in it's incarnation with The Writers Workshop is if they are nuts. Or if they have a lot of courage and conviction. Either way, good luck with this one.
Poetry. A composition in verse. The writer writes a minimum of one poem a day. Short as a haiku or as long as an epic. Any style and any form. It is entirely up to the writer. So long as the writer writes a minimum of one poem a day, it is acceptable.
Correspondence. Communication through letters. The writer must write one letter a day. It can be of any length, any subject matter within taste, it can be to whomever, fictional or real, alive or dead, or it can written to concepts such as dreams or city traffic. It's up to the writer. A minimum of one correspondence a day.
Creative Non-Fiction. A factually accurate account, utilizing literary styles and techniques. Yeah. We don't really know what that is supposed to mean, either. But basically, it's taking a real life story that could be found in a newspaper, and writing it in the style of fiction. Take that how you will. One piece a day for creative non-fiction.
Short Story. A work of fiction, usually written in prose and in a narrative form. There is no actual word count for what a short stories length is, however, for The Writers Workshop, by the end of the session, there should one completed short story. Whether it is a month or three, the goal is to finish one short story. The daily condition is a little lenient here as well. We could say one chapter a day, but ultimately, it falls on the writer to decide. Write once a day to complete one short story by end of session.
Flash Fiction. Generally speaking, it is a work of fiction ranging from 250 words to 2000 words. However, there is no established definition for what flash fiction is, except that it is really short fiction. For The Writers Workshop, one flash fiction piece must be written per day.
SO, WAIT A MINUTE. AT THE BEGINNING OF EACH SESSION I CHOOSE A LITERARY GENRE. STICK WITH SAID GENRE FOR THE DURATION OF THE SESSION. WRITE, EVERYDAY, IN SAID GENRE. AND THEN WRITE, EVERYDAY, IN SAID GENRE AGAIN. AND THEN WRITE EVERYDAY. WRITE EVERYDAY? AND THEN WRITE EVERYDAY. THIS IS ALL IT TAKES TO BECOME AN AWESOME WRITER?
That is the theory, my friend. However, it's a lot harder than you think. Try it out for a session. Let us know how you feel then.
UNDENIABLE? WHAT IS THAT?
You know what? You ask to many questions. If you have anymore, just e-mail us directly and we'll be happy to answer them: info@theundeniables.org
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