Our goal - to encourage and assist writers of all genres.

"Don't tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass. ---Anton Chekhov"

General Questions

Q. What is the Writers' Forum?
A. The Writers' Forum is a place for people to gather for story ideas and share techniques on writing.  You may also post stories in the Writers Gallery.

Q. What types of writing can be submitted?
A. Fiction, non-fiction, and poetry on any subject that doesn't break the Terms of Service are fine. Throughout the forum, the word "story" will be used, but articles, poems, etc. are very welcome in the forum as well.

Q. Are only story submissions allowed?
A. No. Anything literary is welcome. Book discussions and book reviews help writers learn what works and what doesn't by discussing successful (and unsuccessful) stories. Submitting good reference material is a great help. Questions on story ideas and techniques are always welcome. And, of course, asking for a hammer to smash the current writer's block is expected.

Q. How can I submit my story/poem/article for critiques?
A. You can post the piece in the Writers Gallery, or you can post a link to an outside site that hosts your writing.

Q. What types of stories are against the TOS?
A. While stories can contain incidents such as sex or torture, these incidents must be off-screen, so to speak. This means that characters can admit what happened, can try to deal with the aftermath of an incident, etc., but there can not be any graphic descriptions of the actual events. (This includes flashbacks.) A certain level of violence in the descriptions is permitted, (such as sword fights, gun fights, etc.) but no stories that glorify the inflicting of pain. If you're not sure if a story is within the Terms of Service, please feel free to send the story to a moderator so they can review it and okay it. While satire is allowed, please do not base the satire on any members of Renderosity. Any such pieces will be treated as regular attacks on members and will be dealt with under the Terms of Service. Please do not post copyrighted material without the creators' permission. A small sample may be posted for educational purposes, for example, a sentence from a book when discussing writing styles or a particular author, but please do not post stories or exercises without permission. Please do not post links to sites with stories that break the TOS, either.

Critiquing

Q. What kind of comments can a writer expect?
A. People will comment on whatever aspects of the submission they deem important. Comments will range from a general impression of the story through a detailed analysis of description, point of view, grammar, etc. If there is a specific area that you want assistance with, then please post that at the top of the submission. This forum is designed to help people improve their writing skills. If you are not prepared to get a list of suggestions on how to improve your writing, then please do not post. If you receive a detailed critique of many flaws, please be flattered that someone thought your submission was worth the time for such detail.

Q. What is considered a fair critique?
A. Any comments that are stated tactfully, with respect shown to the writer, are fair. Please give reasons for the comments posted. If you don't like a submission, please explain where you think it went wrong, and, if possible, where you think it could be improved.

Q. Can I critique a work if I haven't posted a submission?
A. Of course! Writing is a very personal process. Not everyone is confident enough to share their work. There are incredible editors who don't have the ability to compose their own stories, but can deftly polish others' stories to perfection. All critiques will be centered around the submissions, not about the submitters! All writers and critiquers will be treated with respect. You can disagree with the comments, you can argue the comments, but all participants in this forum will be treated with respect.

Contests

Q. Will there be contests?
A. Occasionally there will be challenges and the annual Halloween and Holiday Contests both have a Writing category.