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Getting Started!

The Awesome Author's Group

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Welcome to the Group!

The Awesome Author's Group has been created by Authors for Authors. We hope that we can help you become a better Writer by helping you:

    • Refine your writing skills
    • Know what it takes to be published
    • Prepare your work so that it is more ready for a Literary Agent or Publisher to see

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Our Info...

Our official website:

http://awesomeauthorsgroup.blogspot.com/

Our Email address:

nryanburk@yahoo.com

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�Our Tools...

This presentation was created to help you understand how our group functions and also show how we use the tools available to our members.

These tools come from our three meeting places:

  1. Library Meetings
  2. Facebook
  3. Google Docs

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Library Meetings

Our Members meet weekly on Tuesdays at 6:00 PM at a specific Library.

At these 1 hour meetings, we go over tips about how to be better writers, vote on business, and so forth. (To learn more about our meetings, please follow the link.)

http://www.facebook.com/groups/332424520126924/doc/341747472527962/

We also trade paper copies of our work...

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Paper Copies

For Library Meetings you need to print off 5 copies of a sample of your work to be reviewed by other members.

Stapled to the front of your page(s) is an Author's Group Review Form.

(A copy of this form is available at our meetings.)

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The Review Form

Page 1: Filled out by the Author of the work, explaining what their project is all about

Page 2: Filled out by the Reviewer, giving feedback

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Reviewing Between Meetings

When our weekly meetings are over, we each go home with 5 copies of other members' work.

Over the week, we review their work and fill out the 2nd page of the review form stapled to the work.

At the next meeting, we give the samples back to the Authors with our attached review.

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Facebook

What if our meeting time changes?

Where will our next meeting be held?

To better manage our Library Meetings, we use a Facebook group found here:

http://www.facebook.com/groups/332424520126924/

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Facebook page

It is a good idea to check our Facebook page at least once per week (between Library Meetings). We use it to post:

  • Changes or Updates on Meeting Times and Places
  • News About the Group and Members
  • Basic information about how our group works
  • Etc.

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Online Reviewing

But what if you can't make it to a meeting?

Do you have any other options?

Due to popular demand, we have added an online component to our Work Review Process. This online component is hosted on Google Docs. This is a free and secure service which allows us to post things online with a controlled level of privacy.

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Google Docs

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Docs Folder Tour

Here is a brief explanation of the different folders found in our Google Docs Folder...

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***New Work to Review

This is where Authors place new digital copies of their work for others to review.

Each member will want to check this folder often to make sure no one's work goes unoticed.

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***Give Feedback Here!

After reviewing another Author's work, a member will save the reviewed copy and move it to this file..

Authors can find the edited and reviewed copy of their work here.

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"Writing Tip of the Week" Collection

Did you miss our last meeting? In this folder, you can find small notes on our tips for improving your writing.

Members who give these tips in the Library meetings can make digital copies of them if they wish and place them here.

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How to Use Google Docs

  1. Create a Google account and be added to our Group. For instructions on how this is done, please visit this Instruction Page:

http://www.facebook.com/groups/332424520126924/doc/341734022529307/

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How to Use Google Docs...

2. Post a sample of your Work Online. To do this, you must click on the "Awesome Author's Group" folder, then click on arrow button titled "Upload" by the reddish "Create" button on the left of the page.

Find your copy on your computer and complete the uplaod. Now, a digital copy of your work will appear on your Google Docs main page...

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How to Use Google Docs...

3. Make sure members can see your work. There is a folder titled:

"New Work to Review"

All you need to do is find the link to your work on the Google Docs homepage, drag it to the "New Work to Review" folder, and let go of our mouse. This will move it to the right folder so everyone in our group can find it.

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How to Use Google Docs...

***DON'T FORGET!

If you were not able to make it to our library meetings, then no one will have a review form for your work!

If that is the case, then you will need to make a copy of our online review form, (found in the Group's main folder on Google Docs). You will need to fill the first page of it out online, then save a copy of it. Make sure its title matches the title of your work so it is easy to find by your reviewers. For example, this may be the titles you use:

  • My Awesome story by John Doe
  • My Awesome story by Jonh Doe (Review Form)

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Reviewing Others' work

To Review other member's work online through Google Docs, simply visit the "New Work to Review" folder and see what is available.

If you have a paper copy of the review form from our library meeting, then you fill that out as you read the work online. If you don't, then you will need to make a copy of the Author's digital copy of the review form. So before you review the work, you will see these files in the "New Work to Review" folder:

  • My Awesome story by John Doe
  • My Awesome story by Jonh Doe (Review Form)

After you review the work, you will create a copy of the review form, and title it something like this:

  • My Awesome story by Jonh Doe (Review by Jane)

Make sure to drag your filled out form to the folder "Give Feedback Here!" Open that folder, and then drag the file to the right Author's Folder.

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Read your online Reviews

Between meetings, you can check to see if you have any Google Docs reviews by following these steps:

  1. Open the folder "Give Feedback Here" located in our group's Google Docs folder
  2. Find the Feedback folder with your name. (i.e. "Feedback for John Doe.")
  3. In that folder, you will find digital copies of review forms filled out by Authors who have reviewed your work.

(Of course, if you used paper copies all along, you will already have this in paper form.)

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Thank you!

We hope that this presentation has been helpful for you.

See you at the next meeting!