Other Worlds Writers Workshop

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[edit] Other Worlds Writer's Workshop

Founded in 1997 by professional authors S. A. Bolich and Holly Ingraham, this sub-and-crit workshop for science fiction and fantasy has provided education and feedback ever since.

It maintains a homepage, but the work actually goes on by means of an e-mail list. (see links below)

Membership varies from 40 to 100 members, usually about 60. Members are over 18 only, so that adult material can be handled in the regular workshop, though YA and juvenile projects are also accepted. Members must have an orientation to commercial professional work and sales. Because of the last, this workshop is not suitable for those who prefer the standards of hobby writing, amateur writing, or literary writing.

OWWW accepts for submission prose fiction, whether long or short, also all material associated with selling this, like cover letters and sales synopses. The genres of speculative fiction are partially covered at the home page, but if it would appear in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction or be published by Tor Books, it's probably okay here.

Submissions of poetry, game scripts, or screenplays are beyond Other Worlds' mission, and not accepted as submissions. Simply, they believe one cannot critique forms in which one has no experience of creation, and one cannot expect to find anyone else in this workshop both trained and willing to critique these formats.

For the same reason, OWWW does not accept horror, pure alternative history, nor erotica, which run on different templates than speculative fiction does. Horror runs on thriller and suspense templates, pure althist on historical fiction templates, and erotica on its own templates.

Fantasy, futuristic, or paranormal romances are only accepted on an intermittent sub-list of members with experience in the genre.

Members are expected to do six critiques before their first submission, and then crit about twice what they sub. Critiques are expected to be detailed "macro-crits" not "postcard crits." This means each crit is quite a bit of work, but each one received is usually extremely helpful. As a result, feedback can seem daunting ("They found this much to pick at?") but the emphasis on positive help forward can make it possible for writers to make great leaps of improvement.

Members who become inactive through not doing subs or crits are dropped, so that it does not become a "reading list" and the member's electronic copyrights are protected. A number of people have joined, left when they got too busy, and come back when they had time for the work again. This is considered normal and positive.

People who only crit and do not sub are listed as "professional critters," and are also in danger of being cut. OWWW feels that people who do not write and finish projects do not really know the process of writing, and so are not any more helpful than any other intelligent reader.This is a workshop for writers, not for readers or critics: everyone should be writing and therefore eventually have something to sub.

As well, when there is interest, a subsidiary "Six Keys Workshop™" is taught online for beginners and intermediates in how to write speculative fiction and how to critique. Secondary lists are for general chatting in the group (keeping talk about movies and books off the main list, which is business only), and one for f/f/p romances.