Spring Cleaning 2k15!

[Brigid ✩, No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader.]

Hello everyone!

So, I feel like things have been a bit disorganized around here lately, and that maybe there haven't been enough helpful discussions and feedback happening. I would like to do a bit of cleanup, and to start some more specific writing-related discussions. I'm willing to do most of this myself (of course, the other mods are free to help if they want to), but I just wanted to make sure I cover everything. Right now my main focuses are:

- Cleaning out all the folders: deleting/moving/archiving irrelevant or dead topics
- Starting new, more specific topics and folders
- Creating some kind of master list of writing resources that everyone would be free to contribute to
- Testing out a better feedback system––I know we discussed this like a year ago and I never did anything about it, but now I think I'd have more time to actually handle it. I'm thinking up ways to start some kind of workshopping thing, so ... stay tuned.

So I guess my main questions for you guys:

- Is there anything else you think should be changed/updated?
- Do you have any suggestions for new topics or folders? And/or are there any old/dead topics that you would like to be revived?

Thanks!

[Isaac]

[sees the word "cleaning"] [hisses and runs away]

Although I like the premise of organizing writing by category, I feel it gets a bit cluttered. I.e. I'm in the poetry folder a lot, and there's like, what, 200 topics in there? Which is great, I'm glad everyone is writing poetry, but it gets a bit chaotic. I'm not sure if we should reform that or not. I wouldn't throw a fit if we didn't, but that's just something I've observed.

[Brigid ✩, No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader.]

Haha I'm sorry ... I won't delete things unless they're really, really off-topic and/or no one has posted in them in like a year (excluding people's writing topics maybe ... ?).

I have that concern about the poetry folder as well. It's super overcrowded and I feel like for the most part, it's the same few people posting a lot of topics (not that you guys are at fault, since that's the way we asked for things to be organized). Maybe just for the poetry folder, we could ask that we just have one topic per poet? Unless that would be too confusing.

Personally, I feel like things ran a bit more smoothly when everyone had their own topic where they posted all their writing (regardless of genre), but at this point it would be a huge pain to change everything back again. So uhhhh, I don't know. Either way I think we end up with a lot of clutter, things not getting feedback, etc. But maybe if we had a stronger feedback system there wouldn't be as many people starting new topics? Ehhh I will try to figure something out.

[Mindy]

Wow you're committed...
Thanks for doing all the hard work

[Mindy]

Maybe keep them categorized by genre, but in each genre have subfolders with each writer's name. But I think there might be too many genres? Maybe we should keep it simpler, like Poetry, Contemporary (which is realistic), Historical (same), Fantasy, and Science fiction.

[Brigid ✩, No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader.]

Mindy wrote: "Maybe keep them categorized by genre, but in each genre have subfolders with each writer's name. But I think there might be too many genres? Maybe we should keep it simpler, like Poetry, Contempora..."

Unfortunately you can't make subfolders in Goodreads groups––too bad, because that would make things a lot easier! But even if it were possible, a lot of writers in this group write in multiple genres so I don't know if that would be very effective.

As for genres, I think they're pretty broad already, but I can go through and see if there are any that aren't being used.

[Mindy]

Nah I only thought it should be broader if there were subfolders, but if there aren't then it would only get more cluttered by condensing.

[Isaac]

Brigid *Flying Kick-a-pow!* wrote: "Haha I'm sorry ... I won't delete things unless they're really, really off-topic and/or no one has posted in them in like a year (excluding people's writing topics maybe ... ?).

I have that concer..."

Oh yeah, I wasn't suggesting you delete it or anything! I like the one topic per person thing but yeah, what do you do with all those extra topics now? :\ Hm. I don't know, maybe someone else will think of something.

[Brigid ✩, No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader.]

Hayden wrote: "Brigid *Flying Kick-a-pow!* wrote: "Haha I'm sorry ... I won't delete things unless they're really, really off-topic and/or no one has posted in them in like a year (excluding people's writing topi..."

I know you weren't suggesting that, I was just kinda thinking out loud (or writing out loud?). :D Yeah I don't think I will completely rearrange things that way.

What if we had both, though? Like people could have their own personal topic, but could also post in the genre folders if they wanted to? So people could just do whatever they prefer? I'm thinking it would just be one folder though, instead of having a million alphabetically-arranged ones.

[Isaac]

Brigid *Flying Kick-a-pow!* wrote: "Hayden wrote: "Brigid *Flying Kick-a-pow!* wrote: "Haha I'm sorry ... I won't delete things unless they're really, really off-topic and/or no one has posted in them in like a year (excluding people..."

That might work? We could try it out and see what happens.

[Brigid ✩, No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader.]

Yeah, might as well give it a try. ;)

[Krys]

I think this is an awesome idea!

I also like the idea of a better feedback system.

So yes. I love these ideas.

[Elliott]

I'm definitely down for a better feedback system- I love reading other people's stories and it's hard to know which stories to read and critique that would actually be helpful for the author. If you need any help with any of this, Brigid, let me know!

[Brigid ✩, No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader.]

Thanks Alicia! I'm in the middle of designing a good workshopping format, and I may run it by you before I post about it. :)

[Elliott]

Awesome!

[Allison]

I think that individual topics for each person that posts in poetry a lot would work. That mostly because for me, I'm like, "okay, have I posted this one yet?" and then I spend thirty minutes digging around and getting distracted by Hayden's and Kriss's poetry amazingness. I get distracted soooooooo easily.

[Isaac]

*blushes* Oh, stop. But yeah, I do like the singular poetry topic idea still (even though I obviously haven't been listening to myself).

[Brigid ✩, No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader.]

Yeah, I think I may start some kind of "poets" folder where each poet can have their own individual topic. You three are mostly the ones posting poetry and you write a lot of it, so I feel like it would make more sense to keep it all more consolidated. :)

[Isaac]

I'm down for that. I have a collection of my poetry going in my writing section of my GR profile, so it would be nice if I could just continually upload that there and link it.

[Allison]

That would be really nice. I'm for that idea.

[Krys]

Oh, this would be very helpful o___o

[Brigid ✩, No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader.]

Haha okay, I will set that up!