Codex Writers Group

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 This article or section is written like an advertisement.
Please help rewrite this article from a neutral point of view.
Mark blatant advertising which would require a fundamental rewrite in order to become encyclopedic for speedy deletion, using {{db-spam}}. (June 2008)
This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards.
Please improve this article if you can. (June 2008)

The Codex Writers' Group (aka "Codex") is an online community of professional-level speculative fiction writers in the early stages of their careers who are actively writing. Codex was created in January 2004 to:

  • Promote exchange of information, ideas, and writing wisdom among professional-level writers across the globe
  • Facilitate rapid (7 days or less) short fiction critiques
  • Provide a central place for compiling writing resources, knowledge, and connections
  • Sponsor workshops and other career- and skill-building events
  • Offer more opportunities to shape the future of speculative fiction

Members of Codex include winners of the Writers of the Future contest, novelists[1], and writers whose short fiction works have appeared in magazines such as Analog, Asimov's, Intergalactic Medicine Show, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, and Interzone magazine.[2]

Contents

[edit] History and Membership Requirements

Codex was created in January 2004 by Luc Reid, a member of Orson Scott Card's 2001 Literary Boot Camp.[3] Membership is free but is restricted to writers who have either achieved a professional fiction sale (based on SFWA qualifying markets) [4] or completed a major, by-audition-only speculative fiction writing workshops. Current qualifying workshops include Clarion Workshop, Odyssey Writing Workshop, or Orson Scott Card's Literary Boot Camp.

While more experienced writers are welcome, the focus is on writers in the early stages of their careers.[5]

[edit] Summary of Online Forum

The Codex Writers Group includes writers living on four continents[6]. Codex members have access to an online forum, a writing resources page, and facilities to enable peer critique, such as the rapid critique system and the Spotlight.[7]

[edit] Critiques and Contests

A major benefit of Codex is the ability to receive honest feedback from writing peers in a supportive environment. The different mechanisms for this are:

[edit] Spotlights

A Codexian who wishes to undergo the spotlight submits a representative body of work, totalling less than 21,000 words. During the course of the month of the spotlight, other Codexians post their comments about the work of the author, discussion about how that person can take their writing to the next level.[8]

[edit] Critiques

Any Codexian can post a story or novel for critique, which is downloaded by any other members who wish. Credit is earned whenever a critique is given, and credits are received when feedback is left. The balance of critique credits are listed on member profiles, and members strive to keep a balanced number of credits given and received. Credits are assigned in proportion to the length of the pieces, reflecting the effort required to critique longer works.[9]

[edit] Rejection Factory

A Codexian submits their story, as though to an actual editor. Anonymous Codexians consider the submission and provide feedback on why they would reject or accept the submission.[10]

[edit] Contests

Codex contests range from themed contests with a single story by each participating author (the "Halloween" contest is a mainstay) to contests running for multiple weeks and possibly multiple stories (Codexian Idol and Flash Fiction Contests) and contests pairing collaborators. The contest entries are stripped of identifying information, and votes and comments are also anonymous. Codexians are able to select pseudonyms as part of their profile, enabling anonymous discussion on contest-specific threads during the course of long-running contests. There is no prize for winning a Codex contest other than peer recognition and improved skill. However several contest stories have gone on to publication, sometimes even while the contest itself is still running.

[edit] Workshops and Collaborations

Codex has forged a core of rising writing professionals who know each other well and are cooperating to improve each other's skills.

[edit] Collaborations

2007 saw the publication of two books rising from collaborations of Codex members.

[edit] Codex Workshops and Retreats

The first Codex Writers Workshop (CoWW) will be held June 2008, to include a short story track and a novel track. Attendance is only open to members of Codex.

The Codex Writers Retreat (CoWR) will be held the week following CoWW, enabling authors to write full time in a supportive and focused environment.

[edit] Notable Codexians

The following Codexians have won major awards and/or have books on shelves. A more comprehensive listing of publications by Codex Writers can be found at the Codex Library Website.

  • John Brown, author of the Dark God series [summer 2009]
  • Tobias S. Buckell, author of Crystal Rain, Ragamuffin, and Sly Mongoose
  • Nancy Fulda, creator of AnthologyBuilder.com
  • Jim C. Hines, author of the Goblin Quest series
  • Elaine Isaak, author of The Singer's Crown and The Eunuch's Heir
  • Alethea Kontis, NYTimes bestselling author of The Dark-Hunter Companion, AlphaOops: The Day Z Went First and Beauty & Dynamite
  • James Maxey, author of the Bitterwood series
  • Judson Roberts, author of the Strongbow Saga series
  • Diana Rowland, author of the Demon series [Bantam, summer 2009]
  • Lawrence M. Schoen, author of the Amazing Conroy series of stories, and founder of the Klingon Language Institute
  • Ken Scholes, author of The Psalms of Isaak series [Jan 2009]

Codexians whose work has been or will be published in the Writers of the Future anthologies include Aliette de Bodard, Scott Roberts, Eric James Stone, Ken Scholes, Diana Rowland, David Goldman, Michael Livingston, Floris Kleijne, Andrew Gudgel, Lon Prater, William Katz, Brad Beaulieu, Luc Reid, Matt Champine, Tom Pendergrass, Robert Defendi, Joy Marchand (writing as Joy Remy), Matt Rotundo, and Jim Hines. [12]

[edit] External links

v • d • e
Major Speculative fiction writing workshops
Teacher/Student workshops
Peer-to-Peer Workshops

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Codex Bibliography: Novels (2008). Retrieved on April 2008.
  2. ^ Codex Bibliography: Short fiction published in magazines (2008). Retrieved on April 2008.
  3. ^ Former Bootcampers Published: Luc Reid (Aug 2003). Retrieved on April 2008.
  4. ^ Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America, Inc., Qualifying Professional Markets (Jan 2008). Retrieved on April 2008.
  5. ^ Codex Writers Home Page, Membership Requirements (Jan 2008). Retrieved on April 2008.
  6. ^ World Map showing location of Codex Writers Members (2008). Retrieved on April 2008.
  7. ^ Codex Writers Home Page, Current Facilities (Jan 2008). Retrieved on April 2008.
  8. ^ Codex FAQ: What's the Spotlight? (2008). Retrieved on April 2008.
  9. ^ Codex FAQ: What is the critique system like? (2008). Retrieved on April 2008.
  10. ^ Codex FAQ: What's the "Rejection Factory"? (2008). Retrieved on April 2008.
  11. ^ Quote from Jay Lake regarding Prime Codex (2008). Retrieved on April 2008.
  12. ^ Writers of the Future Contest Winners, 1985-2006 (2007). Retrieved on April 2008.