Virtual Clarion FAQ

WHY CLARION? | HOW IT WORKS | ETIQUETTE | MS REQUIREMENTS | FEES | SIGNUP

Why is Virtual Clarion the best way to go?

Virtual Clarion is the only online workshop that offers advice on written material of the student's own choosing and guarantees interaction with well-known professional writers and editors. In addition, Virtual Clarion is the only online workshop that provides you with a definite two-week window within which your story critique will be completed (though novel critiques may take longer). Others may cost less, but can't assure that you'll receive feedback from knowledgeable sources within a reasonable time frame. Virtual Clarion also provides opportunities to meet and interact with current and former Clarion Workshop students -- some of the most talented young writers in the field today.

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How does Virtual Clarion work?

1. Join the Clarion Circle. Prospective workshoppers who do not already belong to the Clarion Circle may join by making a tax-deductible donation of $50 or more to the Clarion Foundation. Membership in the Clarion Circle includes many benefits useful to all writers, such as online chats with name authors, contract advice, a members-only message board, a mentor program, and more.


2. Pay the basic workshop fee. Virtual Clarion takes place in a restricted area of the Clarion Circle message board. To gain access to the workshop's restricted area, you must pay an additional basic fee of $25. The basic workshopping fee allows you to access the restricted workshop area for a period of one year. During that year, you may freely contribute to critiques or just observe them. You do not have to workshop a story in order to participate in Virtual Clarion. It's perfectly all right to simply observe or make occasional comments. This in itself can be very instructive. Your basic fee also entitles you to submit one short story for critiquing. Additional story critiques may be purchased at various rates depending on the length of the piece to be critiqued.


3. Choose the piece you'd like to workshop and complete the Virtual Clarion submission form online. You may submit short fiction (up to 40,000 words), a complete novel, or a 30-page sample of your novel and an outline of the rest. Be prepared to email your submission to the Virtual Clarion Workshop Coordinator as a zipped Word file.


4. The Virtual Clarion Workshop Coordinator will contact you. At this time, you'll be asked to pay any additional fees due if your piece is over 7,500 words long or you have already used your annual story critique allotment. As soon as the coordinator has read your story, determined which instructor is the best match for you, and scheduled your critique, she'll let you know. Normally, this takes about a week for short fiction; two weeks for novels.


5. Your work is made available to the instructor and/or to all Circle members and the dates of your critique are announced. For stories, the manuscript is made available to the instructor and all Clarion Circle members as a downloadable PDF file. Novel critiques take place one-on-one via email between the workshopper and the instructor. So for sample chapters with outline, we'll provide your instructor with a downloadable PDF; for complete novels, you'll be asked to supply your instructor with a printed hardcopy of the manuscript.


6. The critique takes place.
   
   For stories: Only one story is critiqued at a time. The workshop coordinator posts a message signaling that the critique has begun. During the first week, each workshopper posts a substantial critique in turn. The author may only contribute clarifying comments during this period. At the end of the week, the instructor posts his or her critique, after which the author may contribute substantial comments. During the second week, a free-form discussion of the story and comments takes place. This back-and-forth discussion includes all workshoppers, the instructor, and the author.
   
   For novels: The instructor reads and studies the manuscript, marking it up along the way. The instructor writes a detailed critique with clear advice about how to improve the book, which is emailed to the author. The author may respond with a list of up to ten follow-up questions, for which the instructor will provide reasonably detailed answers.


7. The critique is moved to the unrestricted archive area of the Clarion Circle message board where it can be read and studied by all Circle members. (This applies only to stories. Novels are not posted for downloading, and the critiques are not archived. Novel critiques take place exclusively between the author and the instructor.)

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What are the workshop's rules of conduct?

To ensure orderly, respectful, and constructive dialogue during critiques, all workshoppers are expected to abide by these guidelines. In addition, everyone who posts on the Clarion Circle message board must agree to a set of more general rules of civilized and respectful behavior.

1. Always be polite. It sounds like common sense, but it's worth repeating here. It's easy to forget that someone reading a post cannot see you smile or detect that note of sarcasm in your voice. When posting a critique, make sure any humor is obvious and appropriate for all audiences, and never at another participant's expense.


2. Read the entire submission before posting a criticism. A story that starts out slow or problem riddled can get stronger and redeem itself, a transition possibly worth mentioning in a critique.


3. Don't forget the good. When criticizing a story it's tempting to focus on its flaws and forget its strengths. Be sure to mention both. Authors learn from what works as much as they do from what doesn't.


4. A critique is about the story, not about the author. While generally obvious, it's sometimes easy to forget where a story ends and the author begins. Always ensure your comments are about what is written and not who it is written by. Likewise, as difficult as it might be to watch people dissect a story that you've spent days, months, or even years completing, remember that any feedback is meant to be constructive. It is okay to ask for clarification, but not to lash-out at a critiquer.


5. It is not enough to say a story doesn't work. When critiquing, explain to the author why and where, and, if possible, offer alternatives the author might try. If you are the author, read a critique with an open and honest mind. Not all advice will work in a particular story, but always try to understand what the critiquer is saying and, just as important, why.


6. Keep in mind that this is not your story. What the author needs is your opinion about how to improve his or her story. Your opinion about how you would write it if it were your story is much less helpful.


7. Remember not all stories will work for all audiences -- and that's okay. Face it, even the most brilliant stories are loved by some people and hated by others. Read every critique (and comment on as many stories as you can) regardless of where a story or critique falls on the love-hate scale. Problem areas and strengths can still be identified by astute readers, even if the story doesn't suit them personally.

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What are the format requirements for manuscripts?

Your story should be science fiction, fantasy, or horror.

All manuscripts should be double spaced on an 8-1/2" x 11" page with margins no smaller than 1" all around. Use a font that is no smaller than 12-point and is easy to read, such as Palatino, Garamond, or Courier. The title of the piece and your name and email address should appear on the first page. All pages should be numbered, preferrably in the upper right-hand corner. Both story and novel manuscripts should be emailed to the workshop coordinator as zipped Microsoft Word or RTF files. If your piece is a novel, you'll be asked to provide a printed hardcopy of the manuscript to your instructor after your critique has been scheduled.

Please note: Virtual Clarion does not workshop fan fiction, franchise fiction, or other niche fiction that requires detailed familiarity with the established worlds and characters of other writers. This is not a comment on the quality of such work. It is mainly a practical matter. It is difficult to locate and schedule professionals with the very specific knowledge required to critique these stories. In addition, a story may only be critiqued once in the Virtual Clarion Workshop. Due to our limited resources and a desire to apportion those resources fairly, we do not conduct second-round critiques.

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How much will it cost to workshop my piece?

In addition to the cost of a Clarion Circle membership (a minimum donation of $50), all workshoppers must pay the basic Virtual Workshop fee of $25 per year. If the piece you want critiqued is longer than 7,500 words or you have already critiqued one story since paying your basic fee, payment of an additional fee is required as shown below. The basic workshop fee allows you to participate in Virtual Clarion as an observer and critiquer for one year. It also entitles you to workshop one short story during that time, or to take a $25 discount on the critique fee for a longer piece of work. You may submit additional pieces by paying additional critique fees for each one.

What all this complicated stuff boils down to is that being a Virtual Clarion workshopper costs a minimum of $75 per year -- that is, $50 to join the Clarion Circle, and $25 in basic workshopping fees. This basic package allows you to contribute to workshop critiques for one year, and to have one short story workshopped during that time.

Virtual Clarion Fee Schedule:

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Basic Workshop Fee (Comment, observe, and submit one story of 7,500 words or less or take $25 off the cost for a longer piece.)

$25.00

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Additional short Story (fiction of 7,500 words or less)		$25.00
Long Story (fiction of 7,500-40,000 words)		$100.00
Novel Sample & Outline (first 30 pages of the manuscript plus an outline not to exceed 10 pages)		$250.00
Novel (not to exceed 100,000 words)		$500.00
Long Novel (over 100,000 words)		TBN *
* TBN = To be negotiated.

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PLEASE NOTE: There are a limited number of Virtual Workshop slots available each year. Filing an application assures you of a place in the queue. It does not, however, assure you of a critique within any particular length of time.

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How do I sign up for Virtual Clarion?

To get started, just click the button that describes you best.

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Updated May 16, 2008