(overly formal, but sadly necessary.  do read it all, please -- there
is legal stuff in here that you agree to when you are subscribed to the
list -- Mary Anne)

The Erotica Writers' Workshop

Guidelines for Prospective Members
April 25, 1996
Last updated - May 9, 2000

==============================================================================

These guidelines contain IMPORTANT information for prospective members.
Please read them THOROUGHLY (we _do_ mean THOROUGHLY) and familiarise
yourself with the conditions of list membership. The key conditions are:

1. You are required to maintain an active participation by submitting
   your own works in progress and by critiquing the submissions of others.
	(see footnote 1 at end of file - Non-writing Members)

2. Works are *not* to be distributed beyond the list without the permission
   of the author. Any such distribution will cause you to be removed from
   the list. You should not read a submission unless you fully intend to
   provide feedback to the author.

NOTE: Feedback may be in the form of a formal critique, informal
comments/impressions, advice as to appropriate markets for the
piece, an offer to collaborate by providing illustrations/photographs
to accompany the work, or by an offer to publish the work or an
agent's offer to represent the author in the marketplace.  Do not read
a submission unless you intend to do or (in the last three cases)
seriously consider doing one of the above.

3.  The list is intended to help us improve as writers.  Flames, chain
    letters, for-profit solicitations, political or other types of
    advocacy (however valid the cause), personal attacks, etc, will not
    be tolerated.

4.  Confidentiality is very important!  Please do not discuss the list
    membership outside the list.  Not all members have divulged (or
    wish to divulge) to their family, friends and/or co-workers that
    they write erotica/pornography, and inadvertent disclosure could 
    cause them great distress and even personal or economic loss.

5.  Given the somewhat controversial nature of the material we are 
    working on, and the current legal status of erotica on-line, we
    must require that each member attest that they are of at least
    18 years of age.  The list administrators regret this condition.

Okay, got that?  That's the general scoop -- specifics follow.  
Please read on...
________________________________________________________________________
Thank you for your interest in the Erotica Writers' Workshop.  You must
read these guidelines THOROUGHLY and respond to them in order to become
(and remain) a member of the Workshop.  When we hear from you we will
start processing your membership.  Please give us a week to respond.
_________________________________________________________________________

PURPOSE AND STRUCTURE OF THE EROTICA WRITERS' WORKSHOP:
_______________________________________________________

The Erotica Writers' Workshop exists for two primary purposes:

  - To create an environment where Works In Progress can be passed
    around and critiqued so that the author can find the weak spots and
    polish the manuscript into a sellable work.

  - To give people interested in writing erotica professionally a support
    group of peers where information can be shared and discussions of
    the task of writing can be carried on.

Note: The Workshop deals primarily with erotica.  For other genres of
writing (short fiction, novels, poetry, nonfiction, screenplays, nature,
exercise workshop, writing chat, etc.), we recommend the Writing Workshop:
Send mail to , with the message
"SUBSCRIBE writing  " in the body of
the text.  Do not put anything else in your text.

* Because this is a workshop, membership (except for specifically
  approved non-writer members as discussed below) is restricted to 
  participating members.  Group memberships are not allowed.  If you 
  are sharing your partner(s)' account, contact maryanne@mamohanraj.com 
  and explain your situation.  Such situations are decided on a 
  case by case basis.

* If you're writing a novel, please submit it in chunks of 1-3 chapters
  (under 40K).

* The key word in the Erotica Writers' Workshop is "Workshop".

* Every member of the writers group is expected to take an active part in
  the proceedings.  We are here to become better writers, not to watch
  each other.  If you don't take an active part in the writer's group,
  you will be dropped from the membership list.

* Because we have limited space for members, everyone is expected to
  participate, both by submitting your own works and by critiquing the
  submissions of others.  If you don't participate, you'll be removed.
  There are no hard-and-fast guidelines for how long "non-participation"
  lasts; we're learning here.

* We require:

	One critique or piece of market info every month.

* We suggest as a starter:

	1-2 submissions every month of fiction or poetry.
	2-4 critiques or pieces of market info every month.

* Works are submitted for critique only.  Submission is not considered
  publication. The fact that the list membership consists of active,
  participating *writers* acts to support this consideration.

NOTE: WORKS ARE *NOT* TO BE DISTRIBUTED BEYOND THE LIST WITHOUT THE
PERMISSION OF THE AUTHOR. ANY SUCH DISTRIBUTION WILL, AT THE VERY LEAST,
CAUSE YOU TO BE REMOVED FROM THE LIST. PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT ANY SUCH
DISTRIBUTION MAY EXPOSE YOU TO LEGAL ACTION FROM THE AUTHOR AND/OR THE
WORKSHOP. YOU SHOULD NOT READ A SUBMISSION UNLESS YOU FULLY INTEND TO
PROVIDE FEEDBACK TO THE AUTHOR.

* The writers who constitute the list membership will take a serious view
  of someone who redistributes their work without permission. The rule is
  intended to help protect you in two ways: it protects you from exposing
  yourself to possible legal action and it protects your own work from
  uncontrolled redistribution by others.

* The list administrators do not control what is posted to the
  workshop. Be advised that some of the material may be controversial in
  nature.  By joining the list, you are agreeing to treat such
  material in a respectful fashion.  Submissions which deal with
  pedophilia, incest, nonconsensual sex and snuff will be flagged as
  such.  Details of this policy will be available to you upon joining...

Still interested?  Great!  Next is an idea of what it'll be like once you
join...
_________________________________________________________________________

DETAILS OF HOW TO PARTICIPATE:
______________________________

It is not necessary to critique every submission, but the more you put
into the list, the more you will get out of it.  The guideline on
participation is to spend at least half an hour writing a critique
every month, on average.  If you cannot spare this time, this list
is not for you.

As an author, you will be expected to polish your work as much as possible
before submitting it for critique.  This Workshop is designed to help you
improve your writing skills; it is not a proofreading service.

When receiving critiques, you will be expected to read our comments and
suggestions, consider them seriously, then decide what to use and what
to ignore.  Do not try to defend your work, even if you think the
response is rude or misses the point.  This Workshop is much like a
live, face-to-face workshop in that the serious participant must be
prepared to develop a thick skin and deal maturely with sometimes
negative reviews.

In addition to helping the author, the time you spend on critiques will also
help you better understand the craft of writing.  Really.  We promise.

Okay, you're itching to join now, right?  One more important thing first
-- technical details of importance once you join.  If you don't get this
stuff right, we send you nasty notes. :-)
_________________________________________________________________________

ADMINISTRATION DETAILS - ONCE YOU JOIN:
_______________________________________

The management address for the list is currently:

	maryanne@mamohanraj.com

Please send your administrative questions to this address and NOT to
the list!  Additionally, one of the list administrators is always
available to answer your questions about the list (Mary Anne -
maryanne@mamohanraj.com or Brian - brian@isi.edu or John -
johnmc@softway.com)

You must preface all subject lines with EROS:, followed by the message
type, eg SUB:, CRIT:, MARKET:, CHAT:.  This is essential to list
management and will ensure your contributions are recorded accurately.

EROS: SUB: A Hot and Horny Night (John Smith)
EROS: CRIT: A Hot and Horny Night (John Smith)
EROS: MARKET: Penthouse Raises Rates!
EROS: CHAT: New words for penis??
EROS: BIO: John Smith

EROS: ADMIN: (only to be used by administration members)

Send your critique to the entire list, so we can all learn together.  Your
responses to a critique of your work should be sent only to the original
critiquer.  List members should not post critiques of critiques -- they
use up valuable time and list space.

Finally, all the preliminaries are over -- here's the climax -- the
technical stuff!
_________________________________________________________________________

PARTICIPATION DETAILS: HOW TO JOIN
__________________________________

Okay, you've read everything, right?  Here's how you join the workshop:

Wait -- don't do it yet!

READ THE LEGAL STUFF BELOW!

By joining the workshop, you agree to the following:

* I have read (thoroughly) the guidelines for membership of the Erotica
  Writers' Workshop email list.

* I understand that membership of the list depends upon my maintaining an
  active participation by submitting my own works in progress and by
  critiquing the submissions of others.

* I will not distribute works beyond the list without the express
  permission of the author.

* I am of at least 18 years of age.

Okay?  Good.  Now read the last little bit here, and you're ready to
actually join.

You go to www.egroups.com/group/erosworkshop and follow their directions
for joining.  If you're not yet an egroups user, you'll need to provide
them with an e-mail address (to send your mail to) and a password (that
you select).  Once you've requested membership in the EROS workshop, we'll
be sent your request.  It may take a few days to process your approval, so
please be patient.

Once you're added, egroups will send you a welcome message with some
additional files.  You MUST read these files, as they contain essential
info and will greatly smooth your participation on the list.

Once you've done all that, please post a bio to the list (subject header
should be EROS: BIO: yourname):  who you are, where you live and work,
what you like to write and read, etc. Please include your full name (real
name, not pen name) and email address so people will know who you are and
how to reach you.

It is a good idea to save a copy of this document, in case you need to
consult it at some future time.  I know everyone says that, but this one
is really pretty complicated.  Any suggestions on simplifying it are
greatly appreciated.

Thanks for reading...
_______________________________________________________________________
      Mary Anne Mohanraj (maryanne@mamohanraj.com) Driving Force
_______________________________________________________________________
 
FOOTNOTE 1:  NON-WRITING MEMBERS
 
NOTE: The only exception to the participation requirement applies to
non-writing list members.  Persons who are involved in the
erotica/pornography industry in non-writing capacities (editors,
publishers, photographers, illustrators, agents and the like), may be
permitted to join the list  upon approval by the list administrator if she
determines that such membership will benefit the list as a whole.
 
The number of non-writing members will never exceed the number of writing
members.  Non-writing members will not be required to meet the
participation requirement, and are not expected to submit works for
critique, but are allowed and strongly encouraged to provide feedback
on the works submitted by writers, information on marketing
opportunities, and discussion based on their knowledge of the
erotica/pornography industry which may be of help to  writers in
obtaining publication of their works.
 
Non-writing members are expected to abide by all other list rules,
including but not limited to those regarding restrictions on distribution
and discussion of submitted works outside the workshop.  If you join as a
non-writing member, please understand that you may be asked to leave
if the list grows so large that your spot is required for a writer.