Want to be a part of Last Day of Summer?

We thought it would be easier to encourage people to contribute to the site if we made our writing intentions clearer here on the site.
The new system we have set up for new writers is one were the writers can determine the extent of their involvement in the site. The premise is that if you wish to post frequently, that is, at least once a week, then you will be made a "writer". Someone who posts less than once a week is made into a "contributor". Writer status means the option of having a picture and more detailed personal section of the site. A contributor has name and email address present on the site.

One who wishes to become involved in writing for the site should write up a potential post that you think could go on the site and submit it with a name and email address using the form below or send it to Michael Wright or Ben Tang. We will review it and decide if your writing would be right for the site. If it is, we will send you and invitation to join the group on blogger.com where you can make regular posts to the site yourself. More details will of course be worked out once we have you writing (trade secrets, you know).

Submit your first post here:

Name:      
E-mail
:  

 


Before you decide to write, though, look through the simple guidelines we have set up for writing:

Basic Guidelines for being a member:

1) Members of "writer" status cannot be inactive for 7 days. That is to say, within 7 days of your last post, a new one should be up, or writer status will be changed to "contributor". *Breaks from writing are common and normal, and will be arranged on a case-by-case basis.
2) Overtly explicit content in posts may be subject to moderation or revoking of writing/contributing status.
3)  The content of the posts can cover anything except the above. Examples:
   a. Personal issues, feelings
   b. Events in your life
   c. Random thoughts
4) The site design and code is edited by Michael Wright and Ben Tang. Any suggestions on design are welcome.
5) Complaints should also be sent to either of these two as well.
6) These guidelines are not very strict and may be different for each contributor, given that everyone involved has vastly different lives and schedules.

Some thoughts on what to write and why you should write (by mike):
The intent of this site is to be a forum for individual writers to post their thoughts on events or things in their lives. It is also intended to be a place where one can read others thoughts as well. The writer becomes reader and vice versa. The tone of writing should be personal and conversational, as if you were talking to a friend or writing them an email. An individual's posts will not be edited for grammar or content (except what is listed above), those things are left to the discretion of the writer. I tend to write in a more formal way, because I feel that is the way that I can best get my point across. No one else is restricted to this way of writing, except for the idea that how one writes should be in a way that one feels best expresses one's thoughts. A post does not have to be as long as mine are either. You can write more or less; just write as much as you need to fully flesh out your idea, give background information, and explain yourself. I think a good size to aim for, if one must aim, is about 600 words, but that is certainly not a rule.

Within the intent of this site is a more personal cause for writing. I think that by expressing your thoughts in writing, you can better understand your own thoughts, and by extension, better understand yourself. There is a lot of room for self-exploration in writing, and I think this site can be a suitable forum for that. And so, in writing about your thoughts, dreams, family, daily life, etc, you may be able to get a better feel for them by sharing them with others.

You may feel the need to censor yourself. Certainly you will not want to share the most intimate details of your life with a variety of readers. The point of the site is to not give away all of one's secrets. Rather, the point is to share meaning found in things. What you write should be an expression of that meaning in some way (see previous posts on the site for examples). Of course, you can share intimate details if you so desire.