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Structured Feedback For Your Stories; Taylz Is Live and Free! Aug 29

Taylz.com is a free website for short story writers to test and develop their work. We aim to supply you high-quality, objective critiques from experienced writers, as well as a hungry, global readership.

We have designed an incentive based system whereby writers anonymously read and rate one another’s work using a simple but thorough personalised survey format, giving you constructive, forthright feedback without any flannel.

Our plan is to build a comprehensive library of the latest, most exciting new short stories available online. We want Taylz to be a natural port of call for readers interested in new voices in fiction, as well as a lively, creative forum where new and established writers can receive constructive feedback.

We’re interested in stand-alone stories that can be read in one 15-20 minute sitting – ideal for the average commute, lunch break, or as a bedtime read.

What’s the idea behind Taylz?

Our plan is to build a comprehensive library of the latest, most exciting new short stories available online. We want Taylz to be a natural port of call for readers interested in new voices in fiction, as well as a lively, creative forum where new and established writers can receive constructive feedback.

We’re interested in stand-alone stories that can be read in one 15-20 minute sitting – ideal for the average commute, lunch break, or as a bedtime read.

We are launching the site in two phases. Phase 1 is our story-building phase which is exclusively for writers. We plan to use Phase 1 to build up a bank of stories and writers, that we can then use to attract readers for our Phase 2 launch of the site. Phase 2 will be aimed at the reading public across the English speaking world, and will be packed with new original fiction from Phase 1.

How will Taylz help me improve my writing?

Honest, informed feedback is very hard to come by for writers, both new and established. Even in writers’ groups, where feedback is given in person, there can be a tendency to sugar-coat the pill.

The Taylz review system, which has been designed, tested and honed by working writers, encourages reviewers to be supportive but honest, and to focus on specific areas that the writer might wish to look at. A good Taylz review should be helpful above all else. It should leave the writer eager to get back to their story and make it even better.

Once we have extended the site to include the reading public, only the very best stories will be promoted, but all writers should benefit from putting their work through the Taylz review process.

How much does it cost?

Nothing. Taylz is free. We have no plans to charge either readers or writers for using the site, nor to add any annoying advertising.

How will Taylz find the best new short stories?

By encouraging new and experienced writers to upload their new pieces of short fiction, giving them a platform to receive objective feedback from their peers, and then vigorously promoting the best stories to the general public.

Stories will be reviewed using a scoring system based on a wide range of reader reviews, and the top stories will be the ones that have consistently appealed to these readers. There are no shadowy gatekeepers on Taylz, no panel of anonymous critics sitting in judgment, which means that a brand new writer will have as much chance as an experienced one of having his or her story discovered.

How does it work?

Writers upload their stories and are then asked to anonymously read and review other writers’ work. Each writer receives one review of their own work for each review they complete.

Reviews are structured around a series of questions covering all the key aspects of writing fiction. These questions have been designed to encourage useful feedback, rather than simply shapeless opinion. Writers can also, if they wish, ask reviewers to comment on particular aspects of the story.

Each reviewer then gives the story an overall score out of five, and stories with an average score above a certain threshold are promoted to the readers of Taylz.

It’s important to stress that while the top-stories are not selected by secret judging panels, neither are they determined by thoughtless populism. There is no kneejerk ‘Like’ button on our site. Our system is designed to create careful, considered reviews and we’re confident that the most polished and interesting stories will rise to the top.

Can I sell my stories on Taylz?

No. Taylz is a free site both for writers and readers (with no advertising!). We plan to add functions to link your Taylz profile to your website, or Amazon pages, for readers who want to find out more about you. We aim to provide our promoted stories with an enthusiastic readership, and hope that Taylz will be an invaluable step for new writers in reaching a wider audience.

For more information and our contact details, please visit taylz.com.

You can also follow us on Twitter and Facebook, and we will try to keep the noise to a minimum.