Submission Guidelines

Have you ever heard of Fight Club? This is nothing like Fight Club.

  1. Writers must attend two consecutive workshops before being considered for submission.
  • Learn the art of constructive criticism by critiquing others writing, so that you know what to expect when submitting work.
  1. The group conscious democratically determines interest in reviewing every individual piece of writing before review.

The submission process is a 3 week undertaking and takes dedication by everyone involved.

  • Week 1: the author asks the facilitator if they can submit. The facilitator will address the group about reviewing the particular piece of work by asking questions to the author to determine if the piece of writing is appropriate to review. If the group decides to review the work, then the author is able to submit work the following week for review.
  • Week 2: the author delivers the piece of writing to the group for review. The author will advise the group of the feedback quality needed for the writing.
  • Week 3: after the group has a week to review the writing, the group members critique the piece openly. The writing is then returned to the author.
  1. Original work submitted with the intent to revise, and publish whether online or print. This is not a forum for personal validation.  Public offering of the finished narritive is the goal of the workshop, so please do not waste the group’s time.
  • Underground Writers Unite has a blog and aims to publish a book using Createspace as the printing press. If you would like to submit work as an exercise to better your style and voice, please consider offering your work in that forum.
  1. Original submissions of fiction and non-autobiographical non-fiction prose are the accepted form of writing in the workshop. No poetry, no memoirs.
  2. No fan fiction, or FanFic.
  • FanFic is any work which embellishes, alters or rewrites the work of another (usually a published author) with new story lines, characters, alternative endings, beginnings and substitute sets of morals, ideals or sexual politics. Respect intellectual property and be original.
  1. Submissions are no greater than 5,000 words. Submissions of a single chapter or scene of a book in progress is acceptable.
  2. All work must be a complete cohesive piece of writing. No outlines, character studies, descriptions, scene settings, or mind maps.
  3. Writer must make work available a week before the review. Bring as many typed copies as there are members of the group. Make all copies 1.5 spaced so that reviewers can make remarks between the lines. Writer must also make the piece of writing available online in the group forum. No hand written copies.
  4. No overtly repulsive material meant to shock, or disrupt the peace causing harm to the group conscious. Leave all personal politics and agendas at the door. Be respectful to your fellow authors.
  5. All reviewed copies are returned to the author with the name of the reviewer.
  6. Theft of any intellectual property by one member of another members work i.e.; Story ideas, characters, scenes, lines of dialog will not be tolerated and will be dealt with in the harshest manner by the entire writing community. Social media has given us the means to protect all ideas and label plagiarists to the general public if necessary.