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General Information and Guidelines

While this site seeks to be an unbiased forum for all work, there are certain guidelines in place to avoid deliberate offence.

Writers International reserves the right to reject any material deemed to be offensive. In simple terms, those submitting their work are expected to display respect for others by showing no intentional malice or desire to inflict anguish or harm, be it physical, mental, or spiritual. While personal opinions are honoured and respected, we reserve the right to determine whether submitted material is a genuine opinion, or whether it contains a hidden agenda towards intolerance and/or hate.

If, as a user of this site, you feel any material to be offensive on any grounds - particularly regarding race, religion, sexuality, or gender - you are encouraged to contact us and explain your concerns. Writers International will then review the material, and follow up with the appropriate action. This may include requesting an amendment or notation from the author, mediating between the author and the concerned party (your name will not be disclosed), or removal of the material. Any concerns will be taken seriously and treated with respect.

Writers International aims to be a safe forum for the free discussion of ideas.

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Authors

PLEASE READ THIS SECTION BEFORE SUBMITTING ANY OF YOUR WORK!!!

The 'Writers International' website (herein referred to as 'The Site') is not a secure site. When you submit work for posting on this site, please be aware that the Copyright on your work CANNOT be protected, and can be easily 'lifted' by any interested parties. Submitting your work will be considered an acceptance of this risk.

When submitting a piece of work, it is preferred that the story/poem/article is less than 2000 words. The ideal length is 500-1000 words. Longer items may be accepted, subject to approval. If an item is interesting but lengthy, you may be asked to abridge it to a specified length, or it may be posted in our 'multi-part stories' section.

When submitting a piece of work for posting, please provide a valid return email address. This will allow readers to provide feedback for your work, and also to ask your permission if they wish to quote your work or use it in some other way. Writers International will forward these messages on to you, in order to protect the privacy of your address.

To give the readers an idea of what inspired your work, please include a small article (between 2 and 8 lines) about the background of the work.

To allow the reader to get an idea of who wrote the work, it would be great if you could also include a little background about yourself (including a photo or caricature if possible) with your first submission. This is usually not needed with subsequent works, but it can be updated at any time.

Once a month, one story and one poem will be chosen to be featured. The selection will be based on grammar, spelling, plot, setting out, and background. The featured submissions can be found on the AWARDS page, along with any special mentions that have been awarded.

Submission of work is at the author's own risk. Neither Writers International nor Carrie Harris (the webmaster) will be held responsible for how any submissions are used by readers. By submitting your work, you are agreeing to this disclaimer, and acknowledging that your work may be used by others.

If you have read and agreed to these guidelines, submit your work by clicking here and attaching your piece with relevant details to the blank email that will open.

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General Users

Due to the public nature of this site, you are permitted to keep a copy of any work that appeals to you for PRIVATE USE. You may not publish any work that appears on this site (printing for others, posting on a website, or any other means) unless you acknowledge the author of that work.

There is a direct link to Writers International mail at the top of every piece of writing, with the necessary information to direct your message to the appropriate author. You may use this feature to provide feedback, give ideas, seek permission to use the work, or contact the author for general enquiries. Also, some authors may choose to display their personal email address on their 'author' page. This is NOT to be used for any purpose other than that which is relevant to the function of this site.

When contacting the author with feedback, please keep your comments positive. Constructive criticism is encouraged, but non-constructive criticism is to be avoided. The authors on this site enjoy writing and wish to develop their skills, so do not make comments that are cruel, or undermine the author's confidence.

The authors featured on this site are at different levels and stages of writing - remember that no matter what their level, they are all human. If you can't say something encouraging or helpful, don't say anything at all.

It is FORBIDDEN to use any work on this site for financial gain (except where you have contacted the author and they have provided written permission, in which case you MUST acknowledge the author).

It is permissible to use any item in full or part for student papers, exams, thesis, or any other study-related purpose; however, you MUST acknowledge the author. (In some cases, using the work of another without acknowledging the author is deemed plaigerism, and may result in disciplinary action by your educational facility. This may include expulsion. This is generally not a problem if the author of the work is acknowledged).

Other than these stipulations, please use common sense and consideration when browsing and reading the works on this site.

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About The Images

On the top of every page are six colourful images. These images were contributed by Celeste Smith, Jasper Braxton, Greg Jones, and Liz Braden.

I asked these four to provide a range of images depicting the act of writing. There were no rules as such; the artists had free range for interpretation of the task. In response, they came up with these amazing images.

Unfortunately, due to the diminuative size of the finished images, some very clever details in two of the pictures are overlooked. That's why I chose to display larger versions of the images in question, so you too can see the creativity and imagination involved in these pictures.

This picture was created by Jasper Braxton. Some of Jasper's poetry is posted on this site; don't forget to take a look. Jasper has a quality writing style, and an excellent command of the English language. What you couldn't really see in the small version of this picture is the creative use of the English alphabet. All of the letters are artistically intertwined to create this picture.

In a very creative and artistic interpretation of the task, Greg created a hand made out of letters. As with Jasper's picture, Greg has twisted and woven the English alphabet into an expressive image. Greg also created the purple picture; pencils laid out to form a flower. It is difficult to see the detail at that size, but it is a quality piece of work!

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