Forum / WRITERS ACROSS GENRES (WAG)

• 
  Ann Bogle

  Mar 17, 11:47pm

  Here's what I'll ask you to do. Send an email to me at AnnBogle1@aol.com if you are interested in forming, in Stephen Hastings-King's words, "a coherent web organization for writers across genres." The name of the group will emerge, as James Lloyd Davis says, but for now we want to keep the idea intact. David Ackley has suggested WAG for Writers Across Genres. Put WAG or cwofwag in the subject line. Include your contact information -- as much as you'd like to include but minimally your first name, last name, middle name or initial if you sign by it, your email address, your city, your affiliation (in our case, Fictionaut), your website if any. You may wish to include the url for your Fictionaut profile. An entry would look like:

  Ann Bogle
  AnnBogle1@aol.com
  St. Louis Park, Minnesota
  Fictionaut
  Ana Verse at http://annbogle.blogspot.com

  I'll keep a directory of these entries as they roll in.

• 
  James Lloyd Davis

  Mar 18, 12:22am

  For those of you who have not been following the thread from which this call derives, we have decided to initiate an organization around Stephen Hastings-King's suggestion

  "...a coherent organization that advocated for the interests of writers across genres..."

  If you are interested in joining with us, and I do hope you will consider it, we will begin to make that idea a reality.

  Beyond Stephen's suggestion, the membership will decide the group's structure, charter, its vision and leadership, its stated goals and course of action, first through discussion, then through nomination, and the democratic process ... one member, one vote, if we are so agreed, or through democratically elected officers and committees.

  Written media and the publication industry are changing quickly and writers, the sole source and backbone of that industry, should have an opportunity to influence those changes. Such an organization as Stephen has proposed could give us that influence.

  Join us.

• 
  Sam Rasnake

  Mar 18, 01:12am

  I'm in.

• 
  Ann Bogle

  Mar 18, 01:25am

  James, requirements for membership?

• 
  James Lloyd Davis

  Mar 18, 02:50am

  Requirements are sticky, given the current difficulty for publishing fiction of any length, i.e. novels, short stories of length greater than say 5,000 words, or novellas. Many people have published flash fiction, poetry, due to the increasing number of blogs and webzines.

  Because we are initiating this organization from within the Fictionaut Forum, why don't we throw it open to the membership of Fn for now ... and when we have some canvassed here for a time, have a large enough group to work with, we can begin to think about a vision and core values for expansion.

  It's something for everyone to think about, but there is enough exclusivity in the industry and in journals run through academic institutions.

  If we truly want to be "writers across genre," that means that academic qualifications should probably not be the key and, to be honest, a universal definition of 'published writer' would be a matter of infinite debate.

  Let's face it, the foundations of publishing and the scope of what defines a writer is in flux, just as surely as the media that are its foundation.

  For now, let's be inclusive. The 'invitation only' status of Fictionaut has brought together a wonderful array of talent. It works for Fn, so let's open the membership to Fictionaut members right now and perhaps, once we've defined our organization, we could adopt the invitation standard for expansion ... or, if we so decide as a group, we can then develop standards for membership.

  Remember that the larger the group, the more voice, the more influence it can bring to bear.

• 
  Ann Bogle

  Mar 18, 03:05am

  Great reply.

• 
  Frank Vander Rasky

  Mar 18, 03:18am

  "Let's be inclusive."

  Writers, unpaid. Yes.
  Writers, paid. Yes.
  Poets, unpaid. Yes.
  Poets, paid. Yes.

  We are ALL writers.
  Yes, yes, yes, yes to that.

• 
  Kim Conklin

  Mar 18, 12:37pm

  I'm in.

• 
  Ann Bogle

  Mar 18, 02:27pm

  Seven so far. I send receipts.

• 
  Susan Gibb

  Mar 18, 03:58pm

  I've just forwarded a request.

• 
  Ann Bogle

  Mar 18, 04:02pm

  Ten. I'll continue to accept contact information. Perhaps someone aligned with WAG would like to begin a Fictionaut group page.

• 
  Sam Rasnake

  Mar 18, 04:49pm

  Started.

• 
  Matthew A. Hamilton

  Mar 18, 04:55pm

  Count me in.

• 
  Jane Hammons

  Mar 18, 05:31pm

  Count me in, too!

• 
  Joani Reese

  Mar 18, 09:55pm

  I'm in. Will send info. tomorrow.

• 
  Darryl Price

  Mar 19, 06:51pm

  Thanks for the invite. I'm in, too. But couldn't contact Ann at above addresss.Will try again. It failed to send at Google.Still I find this whole concept really exciting to behold. Already it's a great group of people. We need Bill Yarrow in here when he gets back from India.Thanks for coming up with the great idea for a Writers Across Genres group.It's gonna be amazing to say the least.Looking forward to reading the work to come.

• 
  Ann Bogle

  Mar 19, 10:18pm

  Darryl, I've gotten email from google email addresses already. I wonder what.

• 
  Ann Bogle

  Mar 19, 11:59pm

  Darryl's received. Seventeen.

• 
  Darryl Price

  Mar 20, 03:22pm

  Yeah!

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