VN Writing Circles. Interested?

[Vin Howard]

1. A small, tight group; like 5 people or so?

2. I would prefer some way of privately sharing work (for reasons I will discus below); I don't have any attachment to any certain kind of method, so whatever works best; also, integrating the irc in some way would be nice (I mean, that is where the idea came from, so that just shows how useful the irc is)

3. I would prefer a group of like-minded individuals who I can show my work, and relying on them to give me highly useful (maybe you could even say "specialized") critiques

4. This is a hard one. I think to figure who messes well with who, you'll need to have people talking to each other, getting to know each other better (I think the irc would be great for that). But if I would have to say something about myself, it's that I am very serious about writing, and I take a "Learn from the East; write for the West" approach to my writing.

As for what I would like to see from a writers circle, that would be a tight knitted group of individuals who can fully rely on each other to provide relevant, high-quality critiques of each others works; it would also be a place to show of writing you don't want to reveal to the public just yet

[Sharm]

Question 1: How many people would you prefer to be in a group with?

Size isn't really important, it's the quality of feedback. As long as there are enough voices to get more than one opinion on each person's project and aren't so many people involved that people get lost in the shuffle then it's good.

Question 2: What is your ideal way of working within a circle? What I mean is, do you prefer using LSFs existing writing forum, using google docs, or something else?

Anything that encourages a real dialogue is good for me, I'm flexible.

Question 3: If the circle sizes are limited, would you prefer a range or writing experiences, similar experiences, or perhaps matching one experienced writer with some less experienced writers?

I'd prefer the group to have similar tastes in genre. Having a gory horror writer critique a fluffy magical girl romance doesn't work terribly well for either party.

Question 4: If the group sizes are limited, would you like to write a but of info about yourself, your writing style, possibly samples and experiences? Might make it a bit easier to find groups that match.

I think a basic indication of genre and some idea of what content ratings to expect would be good.

[Laiska]

This is a neat idea. To answer in order:

1) I think a group of 3-5 is a strong size for a writing group. The regular bunch of folks I met up with during November for NaNoWriMo was around that size (5, sometimes 6), and it worked out well for peer motivation and discussion.

2) Forums are a good platform for writing discussion, but I would worry about co-opting the Lemma forums for that purpose, since it is more of a public space.

3) I think that what is most important, moreso that skill level, is a meshing of interests and personalities. It 3 of 4 people in a group are otome game enthusiasts, and the 4th cannot stand them, I don't see there being happy relations within that group. Hurdles of skill/experience level are easily overcome, so long as the shared enthusiasm is there.

4) In the event of limited groups I don't see there being a problem with writing a bit about oneself, if that's what you are asking?

[TrickWithAKnife]

Regarding writing about ourselves, I figured it may be a way to help avoid potential personality clashes. As others have said, we all have our own interests and preferred genres, so I figured if people can see some info on other members, they'll gravitate towards a group they will probably work well with.

[Allegra Hughes]

Question 1: How many people would you prefer to be in a group with?
Honestly, I don't think it's a big deal. Worst case scenario you have groups within groups working on specific topics. Like genres for example?

Question 2: What is your ideal way of working within a circle? What I mean is, do you prefer using LSFs existing writing forum, using google docs, or something else?
LSF would be nice, however it may be easier to have a group google doc, so people could post their ideas and others could comment on them, etc. I don't have an exact VN but I'd love just practice writing and see how that works.

Question 3: If the circle sizes are limited, would you prefer a range or writing experiences, similar experiences, or perhaps matching one experienced writer with some less experienced writers?
Probably a range of writing experiences under VN writing. So probably something like, those who know how to write otome games, vs horror, vs fantasy, etc. However it would be nice to have those with similar styles to pair off for editing

Question 4: If the group sizes are limited, would you like to write a but of info about yourself, your writing style, possibly samples and experiences? Might make it a bit easier to find groups that match.
I think that would be easier and I wouldn't mind writing that up!

[kaleidofish]

Here's another opinion to add to the pile. I'd be especially interested in this for practice "challenges" that can be done in the group, like writing sprints (everyone writes based on a theme/prompt for 20 minutes, then we discuss each other's work afterwards). There's some genres I would love to write VNs in but have no experience with, so I'd love a circle that could help me out!

Question 1: How many people would you prefer to be in a group with?
5-7 would be ideal.

Question 2: What is your ideal way of working within a circle? What I mean is, do you prefer using LSFs existing writing forum, using google docs, or something else?
Private chat room (IRC or Skype), private forum space. I know LSF has allowed groups (iirc Pet Project & Errant Heart were two that did) their own special forum areas before...maybe this would qualify. Although, a Google Doc sounds appealing...

Question 3: If the circle sizes are limited, would you prefer a range or writing experiences, similar experiences, or perhaps matching one experienced writer with some less experienced writers?
Range of experiences!! The more diverse the range, the better. Everyone has something they can teach/learn from one another, no matter how beginner or pro they are. A range of writing styles would be cool too.

Question 4: If the group sizes are limited, would you like to write a but of info about yourself, your writing style, possibly samples and experiences? Might make it a bit easier to find groups that match.

Yep, I can do that.

[DragoonHP]

Question 1: How many people would you prefer to be in a group with?
5-10.

Question 2: What is your ideal way of working within a circle? What I mean is, do you prefer using LSFs existing writing forum, using google docs, or something else?
Something like Google Docs is going to be a lot better than posting in forum because people can comment on individual prompts easily (and without butting in an existing conversation

Question 3: If the circle sizes are limited, would you prefer a range or writing experiences, similar experiences, or perhaps matching one experienced writer with some less experienced writers?
Range of experience.

Question 4: If the group sizes are limited, would you like to write a but of info about yourself, your writing style, possibly samples and experiences? Might make it a bit easier to find groups that match.
Sure and I think it's kind of required to do that.

[TrickWithAKnife]

A group of around 5 members sounds ideal, but I've very flexible on that.

I like Google Docs for sharing writing samples, but can be flexible.

I hope to join a group that is proactive about improving. Things like writing challenges would be fantastic.

I don't have a lot of writing experience, as I'm still writing my first VN. A sample of that can be seen here.

I'm trying to break out of the habit of writing functionally - a side-effect of being surrounded by non-native English speakers for the last 6 years.

Feel free to PM me, chat on IRC (Trick on #renpy), or respond here.

[TrickWithAKnife]

Alright folks, let's get this thing underway!

I've updated the first post in this topic to help keep info a bit more organised for people who are searching for other circle members. Of course, you could also scroll through the topic if you prefer.

Don't be shy about commenting or contacting people. This is a new thing. There may be some rearranging and changing of plans initially, but that's all part of the fun.

This is where we become much better writers than we could have been before. This is where we can take pride in the writing of other circle members and know that we helped play a part in their masterpieces.

[DreadLindwyrm]

OK. I'm interested.

I haven't really been hanging around the forums much - I tend to spend more time in various IRC chats, or on skype.

I'm not a brilliant writer, although I have run roleplays, so I should be good at the creative side :/

I do really want to improve though.

Size wise... I have no idea. Small enough that people feel like contributing, large enough that there's useful feedback?

I'm happy to go with any medium that lets things be posted up, especially if it allows for versions to be kept so we can see the improvements.

A range of experience and experiences is good, provided the more experienced writers don't take the attitude of "we know how to do it - do it our way or else", and actually show *how* to write well.

Bios would be useful.

[TrickWithAKnife]

For anyone reading this, be aware that group forming may be a bit slow this month due to NaNoReNo. People are welcome to jump in at any time.

[Allegra Hughes]

For anyone reading this, be aware that group forming may be a bit slow this month due to NaNoReNo. People are welcome to jump in at any time.

Sounds good. I'm glad things are forming to start with

[Maelstrom-Fenrir]

This sounds awesome, writing groups are a wonderful thing. Anything with the purpose of making people (and myself) better writers is something I'm always interested in.

Question 1: How many people would you prefer to be in a group with?

Doesn't matter a lot to me. Size isn't really a big deal, with more people you get a better variety of opinions.

Question 2: What is your ideal way of working within a circle? What I mean is, do you prefer using LSFs existing writing forum, using google docs, or something else?

I'm flexible with anything.

Question 3: If the circle sizes are limited, would you prefer a range or writing experiences, similar experiences, or perhaps matching one experienced writer with some less experienced writers?

Wouldn't that be the better thing in general? Different levels of writers so you get a variety of opinions about things so you can understand how others see it.

Question 4: If the group sizes are limited, would you like to write a but of info about yourself, your writing style, possibly samples and experiences? Might make it a bit easier to find groups that match.

I'd probably do that regardless of size. I'm a pretty open person.

[TrickWithAKnife]

The dust has cleared after nanoreno, so people should be more available now. If you want to be part of an existing writing circle or form a new one, do it now. Not tonight. Not next week, right this moment.



Group A - En Dash -
If a proper name is wanted, it'll be changed later.

We have a dedicated forum. If you join, I'll send you the link, and set up your own section of the forum, of which you'll be moderator. That makes it easier for people to post their writing samples and others to provide feedback without competing with each other.

Looking for:
People who will be proactive about improvements, and interested in some writing challenges or experiments to help hone our skills.

To join:
PM me or tell me through IRC.

Current members (Anonymous if requested):

Caveat Lector
Laiksa (or Iaiksa? Hard to tell with the forum font)
Maelstrom-Fenrir
Nanashi
PhoenixStardust
Raithfyre
Rosstin
Sakura Hughes
Skeletan
SyronicHero
Tempus
TrickWithAKnife
Trixarian

EDIT: Ok, the group is getting pretty big. I don't think I'll be adding new names to the list. If you are interested in joining a group, just follow whatever people say in their posts.

Joining this writing circle is not like joining a VN team. You are welcome to try it out temporarily, jump between groups, or join more than one if you wish.

[Rozume]

*raises hands in the air* Definitely interested in joining Group A!