 
Welcome! If you're here to join the Crossroads Author Consortium, you're in the right place!
If you're just here to learn more about us, you're still in the right place.
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MIssion and Vision Statements
The vision for the Crossroads Author Consortium is to bring together a group of authors on Writing.Com who are committed to the art and craft of writing. Because they are authors, they write and have active portfolios on Writing.com. Our group will be diverse in all the usual ways, but will also be diverse in their artistic vision and in their understanding of craft. Our group will share the conviction that diversity in all its forms expands our horizons, deepens our understandings, and enriches our lives and our creations. Our group will learn from each other. Our grouip will serve each other and the broader Writing.Com community. Our group will engage in serious conversations about writing, and will provide in-depth, helpful, and respectful feedback to author requests.
The mission of the Crossroads Author Constortium is
 to encourage Affliates to engage with each other in ways that are respectful, helpful, and kind;
to provide forums where Affiliates can be their genuine selves and give others the space to do the same.;
to provide safe forums on Writing.Com where the Affilates can have honest conversations;
to provide brave forums on Writing.Com where Affiliates can dare to be true to their art and and to themselves;
to provide opportunities for Affiliates to learn from each other;
to provide opportunities for Affilialtes to serve other members of the Consortium;
to provide opportunities for Affiliates to serve the broader Writing.Com Community;
to provide ways in which Affiliates can advance the understanding of the art and craft of writing, both for themselves and geneally.
Because online interaction is fundamental to the mission and vision of the Consortium, we have articulated a " Crosstimbers Code of Conduct"  to help guide members in these interactions. While there are ten guidelines, they can be summarized as be kind, be helpful, be respectful, and don't be a jerk.
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It's easy. We're open to every member of Writing.Com who
(a) has at least one public item in their portfolio;
(b) has given at least one public review;
(c) has commented in at least one forum;
(d) is at least 18 years old;
(e) has been a member of Writing.com for at least 6 months;
(f) agrees to comply with the " Crosstimbers Code of Conduct" ; and
(g) is committed to discussing and advancing the art and craft of writing.
The " Crosstimbers Code of Conduct" has ten items, but the quick summary is, be kind, be respectful, be helpful, and don't be a jerk.
If you meet these qualifications, you're in!
There's more, but that's the basics.
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What do you get out of becoming an Affiliate?
As with most things, what you get out of it depends on you and how you choose to participate.
The primary benefit is the connection with a group of authors committed to the discussion and advancement of art and craft writing.
For starters, we have a members-only discussion board dedicated to the art and craft of writing.. This is a safe place where you can be your authentic self, which means it's also a brave place where you can share your hopes and fears, dreams and nightmares, loves and hates. We'll have discussions on craft, on plotting, on agents, on query packets, on wirting teasers, and many other topics. It's a user-driven space for members to take the conversaton where it needs to go as long as it's related to writing. Sadly, it's not a place to discuss fun things pinochle--unless you need nuances of the game as element of a story you're writing.
The Consortium also has volunteer opportunities. We have a formal process for recognizing excellence in reviewing, called ROAR, for Recognizing Outstanding, Awesome Reviews. Volunteers send ROAR badges and gift points to reviews that show special excellence in supportive, helpful, in-depth reviewing. On request, the Consortium will reimburse up to 2000 GPS per month per member for this purpose.
Other volunteer opportunities involve reviewing items submitted by WDC members on the " Crosstimbers Review Forum" . We have an informal mentoring program for promising WDC black cases. We have a novel workshop group available " About Crosstimbers Novel Workshop" , although it's currently on hiatus. We also sponsor a regular contest " Tales Shown, Not Told Contest" where members can volunteer to be judges--or to enter, of course.
We have a planned members-only peer-to-peer reviewing board where Affliates can exchange reviews for works in progress. We also plan periodic contests and other fund-raisers to support both Consortium activities and worthwhile charities on Writing.Com. The " 23 Skidoo Contest" is an example of one such contest.
Stay tuned--we expect to be evolving as the membership grows.
Other opportunities re possible. We may eventually sponsor more activities, and we'll need managers to assist with those. We may have specialized sub-groups who are interested in mentoring, or fund-raising. If you're interested in volunteering, or if you've got ideas, let us know--just drop a note to Carol St.Ann   or Max Griffin 🏳️🌈  .
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The Crosstimbers
A History and a Metaphor
I shall not easily forget the mortal toil, and the vexations of flesh and spirit, that we underwent occasionally, in our wanderings through the Cross Timber. It was like struggling through forests of cast iron.
— A Tour on the Prairies, Washington Irving.
The " Crosstimbers Author Consortium" takes its name from an ancient forest that starts in southeastern Kansas, stretches across Oklahoma and beyond, into north Texas. The forest is a metaphor for our community, for our fiction, and for ourselves.
In 1832, Washington Irving joined a party of mounted rangers on an expedition to Indian Territory. They found a prairie bounded by dense, forbidding forests. This dark mosaic of gnarled, blackjack and post oaks hunkered close to the rocky ground. Prickly underbrush snagged all who entered and blocked progress. These forests, these Crosstimbers, stood as a barrier and a boundary between the civilized East and the wild West.
Today, these forests endure, stretching from southeastern Kansas, coiling around Tulsa, and snaking along I-44 to Oklahoma City and beyond. These trees are small in stature, usually less than thirty feet tall, but they are survivors. They can live for centuries. Many of the ones Irving wrote about are still around. They survived droughts and downpours, dust storms and blizzards, fires and farming. They even survived urban intrusions. The forests are mostly oak, but they are diverse. They include hickory, pine, redbud, and hackberry trees. Vines, briars, and sumac tangle about their rough bark.
Like our namesake, we are survivors. We're diverse. The path we take to good craft can be prickly, but we'll push through. We're in this for the long term. We're not flashy, but we've got all the basic elements down. We won't let a few crowd out everyone else--every author contributes to the ecology of our group.
We are the Crosstimbers.
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What do we expect of Affilates?
We expect Affiliates to comply with the " Crosstimbers Code of Conduct" .
We expect Affiliates to interact with other Affiliates. We expect members to respect and comply with Writing.Com ratings requirements and other policies. Beyond that, it's up to Affiliates to decide how often and in what manner they interact with the Writing.Com community.
That's it. If that's all you do, you'll miss out on what else we have to offer, but we want the Consortium requirements to acknowledge the ebbs and flows of life. Peoplle will have different levels of engagement at different times.
Senior Managers for the Consortium will monitor the membership for these minimal membership expectations. Except for serious violations of the Code of Conduct, we will consult with Affiliates before removing them from membership.
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Senior Managers and Founders
We're eager to have you join! Just fill out the application below.
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