Frequently Asked Questions
Listed below are the most Frequently Asked Questions about our group and the conference. Perhaps your question is here. If not, please contact us!
Group Related Questions
Q: How many members do you have?
A: The number varies from year to year. Around 30, though several are not local and not able to attend regularly. We typically have about 20 in attendance at each meeting — which includes members and guests.
Q: Do I have to live in White County to become a member?
A: Definitely Not. Many of our members are from neighboring counties. We even had a registered member who lived in Alaska! Come to a meeting and get to know us!
Q: If I attend meetings, will I be expected to join?
A: Not at all. You can come to as many meetings as you want and participate as much or as little as you like. You can join when and if you’re ready; we’re just glad to have you there!
Contest Related Questions
Q: How do you keep the judges from knowing who the authors are?
A: This is why you send a cover sheet. Our method is to number the cover sheets ( which contain the authors’ names and addresses) and the entries ( which don’t have any identification on them) as they come in, then separate the cover sheets from the entries. The cover sheets are kept by the awards committee, and the entries go on to the judges. When the judges make their decisions, they simply tell the awards committee the numbers of the winning entries in their contest. The awards committee finds the corresponding cover sheets, which have the names of the authors, and voila! We have a winner!
Q: Why don’t you read, publish on your site, or make copies available of the winners’ pieces?
A: When you enter a contest, you are not giving up any of your publication/distribution ‘rights’. This means that WE have no right to distribute it. Many of our entrants are 1) trying to sell their work; 2) entering it in other competitions and/or 3) publishing it themselves. If we publish it on our site, or distribute copies, we are infringing on the copyrights of the authors.
Q: Do you tell how many entries there were in each contest?
A: Last year we had more than 365 entries overall. Some contests had dozens of entries and some had a few. When we pass out awards at the Conference, we usually announce how many entered.
Q: What is Manuscript Format?
A: Publications and contests require submissions to be in Manuscript Format. This is a form that is a consistent way of presenting your work. Editors and judges know where to look for certain information and find this form makes it easy to edit and qualify your work. Contests are a great way to polish your skills in following these instructions, so you will be ready to send your work out for publication. See our page on Formatting Guidelines.
Q: How do I know if my piece is considered published?
A: This is one of our most frequently asked questions. WCCW considers a work to have been published once it has been presented to an audience via any publicly accessible platform: blogs, web sites, or ebooks, or printed materials.
Conference Related Questions
Q: Why is there a registration deadline?
A: The registration deadline is so we will know how many people to prepare for. There is seating to arrange, handouts to prepare, food to order — even the size of the room is affected by the attendance. It actually helps cut down on the expense, and that savings is passed on to you in lower fees for the conference.
Q: What happens if I just wait and pay at the door the day of the conference?
A: You take a chance. We will not turn anyone away, since the main reason you’re there is to hear the speakers and to meet other writers. However, you might miss out on lunch. If you were unable to register in advance, but then discover at the last minute that you are able to attend after all … come and join us. We’ll make room for you!