With Six Sentence Sunday ending this month, it's been proposed that the Brigade start a members-only version to showcase snippets from our group (whether published
or not). On Monday 28th January, an inlinkz similar to the one for the Amazon tagging parties will go up for members wishing to take part. You'll need to post your URL, name and email. Only your name will show after entry and your email will only be used to contact you in the event of a problem. The sign up will remain open until Friday, but please note we're only allowing a maximum of twenty participants at this time. You'll need to have a snippet up by Saturday morning, approximately one paragraph (150-200 words long), and please have SFR Brigade Presents either in your title or the top of your post to keep them consistent. Links will not be checked, nor will snippet lengths! It's in your own interests to stick to the guidelines, make sure your link is correct and live on time, and to help promote the event in general. Use the hashtag #SFRBP.
The idea is not just for fellow members to read and comment (and promote please!) but hopefully to attract new readers to the genre, which needs as many of us as possible to spread the word to be effective. We're not limiting the event to one day so that everyone has time to read the snippet, so where possible use a direct link to your snippet rather than just your blog (if you're using Blogger and set up a post before you sign up, look to the right of your post as you compose it, and you'll see 'Permalink'. Clicking on that will give you the direct URL which you can copy and paste into the inlinkz. Not sure for WordPress, sorry!). Otherwise visitors may be put off hunting for your snippet if you blog a lot.
Those of you familiar with Six Sentence Sunday, Science Fiction Fantasy Saturday and/or Sample Sunday will have an idea of how this system works. Those of you who don't please feel free to ask, either via the comments, the SFR Brigade group on FB, or message me on Facebook - Pippa Jay. I'll be posting an example on my blog here on the 23rd January just to give you a rough idea.
Please note - you do not have to be published to take part! This is not just intended for members to sell current works but also to help build readership for current, new and aspiring authors. You will not be excluded because you don't have something published.
I'm definitely in. I may not participate every week, but if I can make the deadline before all the slots are snapped up, I'm there!
ReplyDeleteReally looking forward to reading the work of some of our other writers and authors.
BTW, could we make the entry length "up to" 200 words? I'd certainly have no qualms with posting or reading shorter paragraphs, and some of mine run pretty short.
Also, exchanges of dialogue may be several paragraphs in length, but this would be okay as long as it's not over 200 words, yes?
Yep, up to 200 it is then and yes, dialogue is fine (or short paragraphs if that's how the chosen snippet rolls) as long as it's not over the 200. :)
ReplyDeleteSounds great! Is there going to be a comment rule, like comment on 5 blogs or something like that?
ReplyDeleteI think we should leave it open - people can read and comment as and where they please. We'll see how it works out. I don't want to lay down a load of rules that then mean the snippets need patrolling (one of the reasons SSS is ending), or for anyone to feel under pressure - we're all busy people! But I think if it seems only a handfull of the same people are doing all the reading and commenting, maybe we'll have to adjust the system.
ReplyDeleteI'm in! I enjoyed SSS but the genres varied to such an extent, I inevitably stopped looking at the other blogs. I wonder how we can best get the word out. Unpublished writers would likely participate if they knew agents and editors were taking a look. Published authors want potential readers to do so. Maybe it's just a matter of the right hashtags and some purposeful advertising in SFR bookclubs.
ReplyDeleteSounds great, Pippa. Some weekends I have more time than others. I've found that by commenting you do start to build online relationships.
ReplyDelete