inkstains

WELCOME TO INKSTAINS!

We are a bi-weekly, prompt-based writing community, dedicated to helping members hone their creative writing skills. Whether you write as an amateur or professional, whether you’ve just started or have been writing for ages, and whatever your social or cultural background – we welcome you.
Questions, suggestions, and/or comments can be directed to any of your friendly mods:

pipisafoat,

lalalaleigha,

mercredigirl, and

azuire.

THE CONTEST

Our main contest is a weekly stand-alone with a variety of prompts & additional restrictions. Members are free to submit prompt ideas and will be credited when the submissions poll is posted.

THE TOPIC

Every Monday, a topic will be posted by either a member or a moderator. It will be accompanied by a submissions poll, where participants can link their entries and request editing.
At this time, Dreamwidth does not allow members without a paid account to post polls. However, don't let this stop you! If you have a free account and would like to host a week or month of prompt(s), you are more than welcome to. One of the moderators will be glad to create and post the poll for you - with you getting all the credit, of course. Results are announced on Wednesdays.

SUBMISSIONS

The weekly topic post will contain the submissions poll. Here, you can showcase what you’ve done with the weekly prompt. Take the prompt and make it your own; we accept poetry, prose, prosetry, screenplay/scripts, and fanfiction. Art and music is also welcome, as long as there is a written element. You are also free to write in any language you wish, but please include an English translation in your entry.
When submitting, bear in mind that the audience includes members with different sensibilities and histories. Kindly include warnings if your submission contains the following elements:
- Explicit sexual content,
- Graphic violence,
- Strong language,
- Self-harm,
- Abuse/assault,
- Incest,
- Character death (especially suicide),
- Sexual violence and sexual scenes of dubious consent or non-consent,
- Underage sexual activity,
- Anything else which you believe may trigger a reader.

VOTING

Use one account to vote (no sockpuppets!), but you may vote for as many entries as you wish. Feel free to advertise the community and your entry to your friends, but ask them to read all the entries and vote fairly if they're interested, not just show up to support you.

TIPS AND TRICKS

Every Friday, Tips and Tricks will be posted. This is a writing advice column aimed at sharing experiences and helping one another with any problems they may be facing in their writing. Any member is welcome to write a column of their own and submit it to the moderators, who will read over it to a) check for any spelling/grammar/etc errors and b) make sure it's relevant to the community.
You’re also welcome to bring to our attention any ongoing external competitions or submissions call, so that we can share the news with everyone!

EDITING

You are welcome to sign up for an edit when submitting your entry – you’re guaranteed at least one edit per entry, if you do. You’re also invited to contribute your editing skills to the editing team!

REQUESTING AN EDIT

The editing request form is posted alongside the entry submission form each week. Spelling and Grammar (language consistency, punctuation) is included.
We provide two levels of editing:
Light (L): This is a moderate edit, where editors focus on the good points of the piece, but provide kind feedback on how it can be improved. Authors who are shy about their work but would still like to work on it should choose this option.
Example 1: A Light edit by

pipisafoat
Example 2: A Light Edit by

azuire.
In-Depth (ID): This is a tough edit that examines content and grammar with a critical eye. Authors who want thorough, honest criticism should choose this option.
Example 1: An ID edit by

pipisafoat.
Example 2: An ID edit by

azuire.

JOINING THE EDITING TEAM

pipisafoat and

azuire run the editing team, so feel free to PM either of them with your preferences (how many edits you’d like per week, if you can edit poetry/prose/scripts, etc.) If you have little or no experience with editing, you’re welcome to read other editors’ comments before you sign up. You are also welcome to read some general guidelines for prose, poetry (coming soon), and screenplay (coming soon).

FURTHER COMMUNITY RULES

We have a strong belief in author responsibility, and we are working to make this as safe a space as possible for all members. No free passes with slurs, "it's just a joke!", or "you're being too sensitive!". Really. Having a character with prejudices is acceptable, but the story itself must be presented respectfully. That means:
- No racism. This includes cultural appropriation, exoticism, etc.
- No discrimination against (non-)religion. Honest questions are all right, stereotyping is not.
- No ableism. Don’t throw around words like "blind" or "crazy".
- No sexism, homophobia or transphobia.
- No classism.
If any member feels uncomfortable with anything that another member has written or said, please inform a moderator and we will do our best to resolve the situation as civilly and safely as possible. Conversely, if we have missed something because of our own privileges, do call us out at once and please accept our apologies.