FSFW FAQ

What's the cost? ... FREE. No dues, no fees, no charges.

How do I join? ... Just contact us on the forum or by email. Our calendar shows time & place for our next meeting.

Can I just 'show up'? ... Sure. Why not? But check the calendar for last-minute change of place or time!

What happens at my first meeting? ... We discuss the pieces we've shared in advance (at the previous meeting or by email). If you want your work in the next discussion, you'll need to send us something in time for us to read it before the meeting. Contact us here or by email to arrange it. We'll also try to share with you the pieces already in the queue for discussion at the next meeting.

FSFW Charter

Our Purpose is to bring together Fresno writers of science fiction and fantasy for face-to-face discussions of each other's work in the hopes that each writer will improve from the feedback.

Our Method is to read each other's works in advance and discuss them during our meetings. The "queue" (order of precedence) recognizes first for review the works from those writers whose previous reviewed work was the least recent (or none).; also, the general deadline to submit for a Tuesday meeting is the previous Tuesday Midnight (to allow for reading over the week).

Our Needs from each member are:

  • Attend: If you're not at the meetings, you can't hear anyone else's ideas, and no one else can hear yours, Also, you'll fall behind in ongoing matters.
  • Write: FSFW's greatest value to you is feedback on your own writing. To get feedback, you have to submit. Include a summary of previous material, if the piece for review is not the beginning of the story. Furthermore, submit works in progress: feedback on a finished piece might help you improve as a writer generally, but feedback on a piece you're still working on will also benefit that specific piece.
  • Read: Your contributions to the discussion will be greatest if you have read the material. If you haven't read it, you're limited to general and reactionary comments only.
  • Notate: When you read for review, mark your copy. Don't rely on memory!
  • Return mark-ups: If you know that a piece we're reviewing is still in revision, return your marked-up copy to the writer.
  • "Best & worst": In your comments about each piece, specify the part you like the most, and the part you like the least.
  • Give & take civilly: Give only comments that you mean to be helpful to your fellow writers. Criticism must be constructive. Take all comments from others in the same vein.

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