A Note From Ye Olde Editor...

...Well, okay, I'm old, but I'm not the old editor. So...

Welcome back to The Writers Guild Presents. This has been shepherded along by @dngn4774 and @the_poet for an incredible forty-two installments in just thirteen months! They've showcased the writing of a handful of writers, and we've seen some amazing stories. By "handful," I mean thirteen, including Dngn4774 and The_Poet. Thirteen writers over forty-two installments, four of those only once, and I'm one of those four.

Why am I telling you all this? Just pointing out that these guys have not been playing- WGP is work, and getting submissions is hard! But as hard as that is, The Writers Guild Presents could not exist without the writers who have contributed original stories for each and every installment. Seventy-two stories by thirteen writers is a pretty hefty output, and keep in mind that the top contributors to the WGP also put out a large amount of stories to the Fan-Fic forum on their own, and often participate in the Character Creation Contest- the other deadline-saddled forum mainstay.

Here's the thing though: The idea was to showcase stories from as many writers as possible, and to be a sort of co-op, where writing and editing duties would rotate from week-to-week, helping each other grow and improve in our writing. Basically, we're talking about an online magazine, published by Comic Vine members, and tucked away on the Fan-Fic forum. There was even talk of possible "management positions," as The Guild grew. A bit grandiose, perhaps, but a worthy vision for a worthy idea.

However, discount us four writers who only submitted once, and our two previous compilers, and that's seven regular writers doing most of the writing. The comments have been pretty sparse too. Bottom line: this hasn't been working out exactly the way everyone hoped.

Dngn4774, the man who started it all, was going to shut it down and call it done. Fool that I can be, I asked him if I could take a crack at it. Disheveled and wild eyed, he ran in a zig-zag pattern for the door, threw me the keys over his shoulder, and hollered for me to make it work, or shut down and lock up when I leave. ...Well, not really. He just said, "Sure thing! Go for it!" Point is though: I ain't plannin' on leavin' - get me? But for that to work, The Writers Guild has got to change. We need some new blood- we need you!

So here’s a few things you may want to know about the new Writers Guild:

1. How do I join The Writers Guild?

If you’re reading this, CONGRATULATIONS! You’re in The Writers Guild!

If you’re still not sure, here’s a tip: only those who have truly been accepted as members of The Writers Guild can see the special black-white-and-red "The Writers Guild Presents" banner at the top of the page. Go ahead and check…I’ll wait… Did you see it? Of course you did! It’s a normal image!

Look, The Writers Guild is not some secret society with exclusive membership. If you want to participate, all you have to do is let me know. I'll tell you how in a bit.

2. What’s the difference between something I post, and getting showcased in The Writers Guild Presents?

Two things: 1) The WGP gets pinned at the top of the forum, and 2) If your story is included in The WGP, it will get edited.

3. So what’s the big deal about getting pinned?

It means a post is held at the top of the forum until it’s unpinned. Ideally, that means more exposure and more readers, which would hopefully mean more comments on your regular posts to the forum. Basically though, The WGP is just where you get to say, “Hey, take a closer look,” without it getting buried under other new stories and people bumping their old stories.

So basically, the only exclusive thing about The Writers Guild is that The Writers Guild Presents gets to take advantage of the pin system. Thank our mods for that.

4. What?! You’re going to edit my work?

Absolutely. I believe in well written stories. Am I perfect? No, but I try for it in my writing, and I think you should too. Bad spelling and grammar will be the first thing to make people leave your story and go find another one. I want to showcase stories, but I want to showcase good writing as well. So if you submit something to The WGP, I'm going to edit it. It's not a question. Just due to time constraints, I probably won't send it back to you for approval. I will not edit out content. My goal is just to correct spelling, punctuation, etc. Again: I'll probably miss something. It happens.

If I get a story that just plain needs a rewrite, that I'll send back. If I have time to offer constructive help, I will. If I don't, sorry, we'll try again next installment.

5. How often will The Writers Guild Presents be coming out at this point?

My goal is once a month, starting in November, 2014. This little info piece you're reading now is the September WGP, and the October WGP will be a spiffy new Writers Guild Library. I think you all will like it.

6. Why just once a month?

Simply put: I have one of those annoying real world lives that needs attending to. I have to pay bills, etc., and unfortunately, it's not Comic Vine that pays those bills. So once a month is what I feel like I can accomplish, along with the real world things I am responsible for.

Also, we've tried weekly and biweekly formats for both The Writers Guild Presents and for the Character Creation Contest. My personal opinion is that it becomes overwhelming and produces burnout. Not everyone is a writing juggernaut. Some (like myself) need time to think about what they're going to write, and I am going to need time to edit and post.

7. So what kind of stories are you looking for?

Anything, AS LONG AS IT IS WITHIN THE FORUM RULES (but see #8)! I'm not a moderator, but I know a few, and I won't hesitate to sic them on you! (I didn't mean for that to rhyme, but it happens all the time.) Pretty basic overview of that: we have an all ages audience here. So no strong sexual themes and no excessive swears. The full rules can be found elsewhere. Contact a moderator if you're not sure.

Original fiction, fan-fiction, poetry (maybe), whatever.

8. So nothing is excluded?

No script form. Exceptions might be made. I doubt it, but I believe in "never say 'never'."

Please note: Script form is allowed on the Fan-Fic forum. I just personally don't care for it, so I don't want to deal with it for the Writers Guild Presents. That is the only reason for the exclusion here.

9. Does it have to be new stuff?

No, but it's still subject to editing.

10. So it's okay if I've posted it already?

Yes. There used to be a rule that stories submitted to The WGP could not be previously posted on Comic Vine. It had to be a new story, or a new chapter of an existing series.

I told Dngn4774 that I wanted to toss that rule, and he thought it was a good idea. So this is us loosening our collars and having a little more fun with The Guild.

11. Does this mean we're not going to see "the same seven writers" every installment?

That's not up to me. It's up to you and your submissions. If only seven people submit on a regular basis, that's who you're going to see. If only one does, you're going to keep seeing that one person's story. @impurestcheese gave us a great series in "Patron Saint of Crime," and it's been the sole story in a few issues of The WGP. If there's only one story, there's only one story, but this is part of the reason I want to open it up to previously posted material. On a weak month, I hope to feature older stuff.

12. Alright, so who do I contact?

Me! Dngn4774 and The_Poet are taking a much deserved break from managing The WGP, so this is currently a one man show. I may go crazy and need psychiatric help, and then editing help, but for now, I want to see how much of it I can do. There's a few things I haven't told you yet- they're surprises.

13. How do I contact you?

Pretty normal: PM me your story. It's just that simple. I'll read it, edit if necessary, and it'll get posted in a future WGP.

14. You're serious?

Not always, but at the moment, yes.

***

Thanks for checking in, and start sending me your stories! See you sometime in October with the library! -cb