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What is Writers' Village University?Writers' Village University, or WVU as it is better known, is an international writers' group devoted to helping members become better writers. It is more than a great place to learn how to write; it's a living, breathing community of writers from around the world. Education should be a life-long pursuit for beginning and experienced writers. At WVU, you'll get to know a community of friendly, helpful members who have made education an important part of their lives. WVU is a full-time support service that is always growing and offering new classes, seminars and special programs. As a member, you may take as many courses and workshops as you like. Many seminars are included, too. You won't need to spend thousands of dollars on MFA programs, university creative writing courses and workshops. Best of all, you can fit courses to your schedule and pace. Programs are available for every level of writer. There is no need to worry about harsh, intimidating criticism of your work. We prefer to encourage and build confidence. We provide Feedback Guidelines that encourage detailed, constructive criticism with an emphasis on balance. We know it's just as important to point out the strong points in a writer's work as it is to suggest areas to improve. I have just joined WVU. What do I do next?Some useful links for new members:
We also highly recommend that you scout out a permanent study group in which you'll feel comfortable. Read the WVU Study Group FAQ for further information. Is there anyone who can help me get started?A WVU site guide will be contacting you soon after you join. A WVU site guide's role is different from that of a F2K mentor's. A WVU site guide will help you learn your way around the University, answer any questions specific to the site, and suggest courses you might like to take. WVU site guides don't give specific feedback to each assignment. It's your responsibility to contact your guide once he/she has made the initial contact. It's important to note that the site guides are fellow WVU members who volunteer to help new members; they are not instructors. WVU courses are based on what we call "peer learning". We have found that members learn best from one another, as we all come from different backgrounds, including different cultures and different parts of the world, and therefore have valid experiences to add to the WVU. If you haven't heard from a site guide after a few days, please contact Site Guide Coordinator. When will my password be activated?You will receive a password shortly after your application is received. Password Information
I forgot my WVU password. Can you send it to me?Please contact the Site Guide Coordinator. Include your name and the email address under which you joined. Your password information will be sent to you shortly. My WVU password won't work. What's wrong?Usernames and passwords are case sensitive. All lower case and upper case letters need to be typed in exactly the way you entered them when you registered. If you originally submitted "JANE" as your password upon registration, it won't work if you try typing in "Jane" to access the site. CoursesWhat are the different writing courses available at WVU?WVU courses are divided into seven main sections - The General Business of Writing, Comedy Writing, Fiction and Screenwriting, Literature Studies and Reading Groups, Non-Fiction, Journalism and Business Writing, and Poetry. Check out the Course Book for a complete listing of the courses offered. WVU offers its courses in four different formats. Classes are usually four to six weeks in length and contain weekly readings and writing assignments. Seminars are shorter in length (one to three weeks), following the same weekly format as courses although, depending on the seminar, the assignments often reflect on readings rather than writing. The Workshops have been developed to provide an open forum for sharing work-in-progress. The Programs provide a scheduled framework for accomplishing writing goals, and give members the opportunity to give and receive encouragement from peers during self-directed writing activities. How are courses conducted at WVU?If you have taken F2K before joining WVU, you will be familiar with how courses are taught at WVU. If you have not, read on to find out what makes WVU courses unique. WVU courses (whether classes, seminars, workshops and programs) are based on what we call "peer learning". Course developers write the lessons for the courses, but the real learning takes place in interaction on the message boards amongst classmates. We have found that members learn best from one another, as we all come from different backgrounds, including different cultures and different parts of the world. We all have valid experiences to add to WVU. WVU focuses on writers helping writers. WVU's courses work within this philosophy. However, thanks to the efforts of one or more of our members, some of WVU's courses are also offered as facilitated. Peer courses are indicated with even-numbered course codes. Facilitated courses are indicated with odd-numbered course codes. What is a course facilitator?A course facilitator is available to answer questions you may have about the course, but he/she isn't in the role of an instructor. The course facilitator, available only in facilitated courses, will answer your questions about the course and its lessons. He/she will monitor the board to see if any problems are developing. Feel free to post any questions you may have on the classroom message board of a facilitated course, and the facilitator will respond. Where are the courses conducted?WVU is an online site, which means courses are conducted online. Lessons are available on the site at all times. Students post their work on the classroom message board designated for each course. They are encouraged to post feedback to their classmates' assignments, as well as questions and comments for discussion. Students may also attend meetings held in chat rooms via the site's own Java-enabled chat rooms or IRC, although these are not compulsory. In short, you will no longer need to worry about being late for a class, or having to dress up for it. Lessons are just a mouse click away! How do I register for courses?Members may register up to two weeks before the start date of a course. Registration closes on the day the course begins or when it has reached its maximum number of students, whichever comes first. Peer courses never have a class size limit; some of the facilitated courses do. Find the name of the course you want to take listed on the Calendar. If it's starting in the next two weeks and registration for the course hasn't closed, you may get to the registration form by clicking the course name on the Calendar, which will take you to its main page. You'll see the registration form linked on this main page. Be sure to check off the course code when registering. How do I know when courses are starting?Check the Calendar for the current schedule of course offerings.
Where do I go for more information on the courses?
AssignmentsWhen and where are assignments posted?Lessons are available at all times. You'll find them linked on the main page of each course. Where do I post my assignments?You may post your assignments on the classroom message board of the course you are taking, as well as in your permanent study group room. How do I post my assignments?You may create your assignment as a word processing document. It's a good idea to use a spell checking program once you're finished to ensure there are no spelling errors. The most common way to post your assignment to a board is using the "Edit" menu on your screen. Once you've completed and saved your work in your word processing document, highlight the complete document, and then click "Copy" from your "Edit" menu. Go to your class or group discussion board, and click "Post A New Message". This can also be found by scrolling to the bottom of the page. Fill in your name, email address, and the title of what you plan to post. Place your cursor in the upper left-hand corner of the main message box. On your screen, click "Paste" from your "Edit" menu. This will paste your work to the message board. Next, click "Preview Message" to see what it will look like once it's posted. If you want to make any changes, click the "back" button on your browser to return to your original entry. Once you do this, you need to make at least one change before posting. Otherwise it won't post your message, claiming it's a duplicate submission. When you are satisfied with the way it appears, click "Post Message", and it will be posted on the board. If you determine later on that you want to delete your post from the board, the only way to do that is by planning ahead of time. You need to provide a password in the space provided when you post your message, which can be used to delete your message at a later time. I use AOL, but I can't get my message posted on the board. What's wrong?AOL users need to use the keyboard command to paste their work to the discussion boards. Follow the instructions under "How Do I Post My Assignments", but instead of using the "Paste" command in the "Edit" menu, you'll need to use the keyboard command of "Control" plus "V". Another option is right clicking on your mouse for the paste function What is the difference between "Post A New Message" and "Post A New Response"?If you want to respond directly to somebody else's message, then you would use "Post A New Response". Feedback should always be posted under "Post A New Response". You will find "Post A New Response" toward the bottom of the page after someone's message. If you want to post a message that isn't related to another person's, then you would use "Post A New Message". You'd use this when posting your own assignment. "Post A New Message" can be found at the top of the board and also by scrolling to the bottom of the page. What is the difference between "Preview Message" and "Post Message" on the discussion boards?After you've typed in your message, you may click "Preview Message" to see how it will appear to all who read it. If there is something you'd like to change before actually posting it, click the "back" button on your browser to return to your original entry and make the necessary changes. Once you do this, you need to make at least one change before posting. Otherwise it won't post your message, claiming it's a duplicate submission. It's strongly recommended that you preview your message first. If you prefer not to do so, simply click "Post Message", and it will appear on the message board as is. What does "Subscribe" mean?A subscription to a room means that all posts from the room in which you have subscribed will automatically be sent to your email address. To do this, click "Subscribe" on the group discussion board. Fill in your email address and check off the space that says "Add Address to List". All future posts will then be sent to you via email. This needs to be done for each room from which you'd like to receive the posts. I keep getting posts in my email from the room(s) I'm in. How do I get them to stop?You've "subscribed" to the room from which you're receiving posts through email. Go to the room and click "Subscribe". Add your email address in the requested space, and click "Delete Address from List". This will stop the posts from automatically going to your email address. This needs to be done for each room from which you're receiving posts. What does "Search/Personalize Display" mean?You can personalize how you want the posts to show up on your class discussion board. You have a choice of the order in which they are listed, the length of days, weeks or month in which you want to search for a particular post, as well as those posted by a particular person or title. Click "Search/Personalize Display" and set your preferences. Once you've done this, click "View Message Index", and it will show the screen exactly as you have indicated. I posted something that I now want to remove. How do I do that?The only way you can delete a message is by planning ahead of time. You need to provide a password in the space provided when you post your message, which can be used to delete your message at a later time. I see some assignments with words or phrases highlighted in bold, italics or even underlined. How can I do that?What those assignments have used is HTML coding, the "language" for use on the Web. HTML codes surround the words that you want to make appear differently. HTML code appears within the greater-than and lesser-than brackets (a.k.a. pointy brackets) that appear on your keyboard on the comma and period keys. Because the HTML tags will disappear and leave only the formatting, for these examples, I am leaving extra white space within the code. Actual code will not have these extra spaces.
< i >this is italic< /i > appears as this is italic < b >this is bold< /b > appears as this is bold < u >this is underlined< /u > appears as this is underlined < h3 >this makes a nice heading for a chapter < /h3 > appears as this makes a nice heading for a chapterRemember to use a tag right before and immediately after the word(s) you want to format. Use the forward slash (question mark/slash key) to turn off the code. If you don't do this, your entire post could be bold/italicized, etc. Use Preview Post to make sure that the formatting is the way you want it. (With thanks to Charity Tahmaseb) FeedbackHow can anyone expect me to give feedback? I'm no expert.We evaluate other people's writings every time we read something, even famous authors. Our opinion counts. We encourage peer feedback in this course to help us improve our writing. It helps to see how our writing comes across to others. You can find some guidelines to offering feedback at Feedback Guidelines. Study GroupsWhat are WVU Study Groups?Study Groups supplement the classrooms by providing a consistent group of fellow writers to exchange work with. Please read the WVU Study Group FAQ for complete information.
To which study group am I assigned?You choose your own study group. For further information, please read the WVU Study Group FAQ. Assembly HallWhat is Assembly Hall?Assembly Hall is a general message board for members to post questions and comments for other members. ChatsHow do I join the chat discussions?Details about how to access the chat rooms can be found by going to Forums. What chats are available?WVU provides a wide range of chats for its members: Topic Chats, Guest Chats with published members and outside published authors, and weekly get-to-know-each-other chats. Topic Chats and Guest Chats are held once each month. The World Wide Chat meets every Saturday at 3:00 p.m. ET, 8:00 p.m. GT in #fiction-1. The Tomorrow Chat meets each Saturday at 10:00 p.m. ET in #fiction-1. Each Monday, Writers' Night Out meets at 8:00 p.m. ET in #the-other. Some courses offer chats, too. If so, details will be posted on the main page of the course. All chats are optional. What is IRC?IRC stands for Internet Relay Chat. It is an alternate way of accessing the chat rooms and can be used if you don't have a Java-enabled browser. Although WVU isn't in partnership with any IRC program, we can provide you with the URLs to learn more about a few of the various programs available. Amiga amIRC
http://www.vapor.com/products/?prod=amirc Bardak
http://207.16.16.37/Bardak/ IRCle
http://ircle.netmug.org PalmIRC
http://www.pda.tucows.com/palm/preview/34464.html BitchX
http://www.bitchx.org Windows dIRC
http://www.dragonmount.net/software/dirc/ IrcCE http://www.movsoftware.com/ircce.htm What is ICQ?ICQ is an Internet Chat Program. Its initials stand for I Seek You. Although WVU is not associated with ICQ, many members use it to keep in touch with one another. You can find out more about what it is by going to the ICQ web site. What other types of chat programs are there?Besides ICQ, two other chat programs often used by WVU members are: It isn't necessary to have Yahoo or AOL as your ISP to use these programs. Copyright InformationI'm worried about someone stealing my work if I post it on a public board. Do you have any copyright information?Below are various links for information on copyright laws.United States Official Copyright Office site This site has general and legislative information on copyrights Comprehensive site which explains all the aspects of copyrights. Find out what's protected and what you can use from the Web Author's Licensing and Collecting Society-protecting and promoting author's rights Site explains how EC Copyright Directive threatens writer's incomes Site explains how to get permission for copyrighted material you may want to use Site has basics of copyright laws, and an interactive resource with links to instructions and forms for registering a U.S. copyright 10 Big Myths about Copyright Explained Includes a brief introduction to copyrights Site explores Canadian copyright reform. Explains the background, phases, and evaluation of the reform GeneralI have changed my email address. Whom do I inform?Send a message to webmaster@wvu.org to inform us of any email changes. Site PolicyWriters' Village University, run by Bob Hembree and a team of dedicated volunteers, is an online writing site offering a wide variety of courses to help its members develop their craft and to meet other writers. Common sense dictates that we don't borrow anyone else's writing for our own use. Plagiarism will not be condoned. Each member has a username and password that are to be used for their own personal use. They are not to be shared with non-members. WVU is a place for writers of all cultures, religions and lifestyles to nurture their craft. We don't approve of censorship, however we must be considerate of fellow members. It would be naive to think we can write honest fiction without offending someone. Some of the most important works of literature were offensive to many. We should, however, keep the works that attack the lifestyles, cultures or nationalities of any group off our bulletin boards. Our function is not political, but to maintain a friendly, nurturing learning environment for all of our members. Works that cross these lines should not be posted. If you have a work that is questionable, it is best to use another forum or to email your work to others willing to work with this type of material. WVU Freedom of Speech policy:
Any posts that violate the freedom of others will be removed.
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