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Entrance Exam - How to Join


WHY IS THERE AN ENTRANCE EXAM?

This is not a guild for everyone.  If we are going to help promote your work, we want to make sure our efforts are worth it.  Suckers Guild will never ask for money.  What we will ask for is active participation from good, quality writers.

WILL THE GUILD TREAT EVERYONE EQUALLY?

No.  We will reward those who do the most work for the group.  Suckers Guild has a loyalty program.  Certain activities will give you points.  The more points you have, the higher you are in our ranking.  The higher your rank, the more we promote you.

WHAT IS THE ENTRANCE EXAM USED FOR?

The entrance exam and the questionnaire will determine your initial ranking.  The more books you've published, the higher your initial ranking.  That just seems fair.

However, if you are a gifted writer who is yet unpublished, the entrance exam will show us your skill and improve your rank.

HOW DO I INCREASE MY RANK?

Loyalty to the guild will increase your ranking.  Examples of activities that will raise your grade:
1)      review other members' published work
2)      provide peer review or beta reading for members' unpublished work
3)      engage in social activity with other members via Twitter, Facebook, Blogger, etc.
4)      help promote guild members to potential readers.
More on the ranking system will be revealed as the guild goes live.

To apply, complete both Part One and Part Two of the entrance exam in a word processing program.  Save your submission as an .rtf or .pdf and email to suckersguild@gmail.com.

PART ONE OF THE ENTRANCE EXAM

Take the first chapter of one of the following open source books.  Rewrite the chapter in your own genre and style.  For example, take Alice and Wonderland and change its genre (e.g. make it a romance, a mystery, erotic vampire tale, science fiction, steam punk etc.).  Submit ONLY the first chapter.  No more than 10 pages, please.

Here are your options:
                                  Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
                                  The Time Machine by H.G. Wells
                                  Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
                                  A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs

Special note: the language in these tends to be 'old-fashioned'.  You will have to edit tone and word choice as well to fit your genre.

PART TWO OF THE ENTRANCE EXAM

Revise one of the following pieces.  All are known to be really, really bad examples of writing. Choose one following:


Make your choice more readable by improving:
1.      word choice
2.      clarity
3.      show don't tell aspects
4.      realistic dialogue
5.       anything else you want to change


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