In a place like New York, where talented writers abound, the simple act of getting your work out there can be daunting. The Veillee is a place to put one’s work in front of others as a first step towards gaining the courage, motivation, inspiration -- or whatever is needed -- to spark the inner flame. It is an online community in support of creative imaginations.
There are many stories yet to be told; hopefully this little corner of cyberspace will provide you with a nice place to share yours. Welcome!
How does it work?
Each week we will post a specially chosen piece on The Veillee home page. From there, we hope a dialogue will develop, offering encouragement and constructive criticism to the author. Please keep in mind, if you want to join our community, you must contribute to an atmosphere of positivity. This does not mean that one should avoid suggestions for improvement, quite the contrary! Just make sure that your critiques have substance, and come from a place of goodwill.
What forms of writing do we accept?
The Veillee accepts works of fiction, non-fiction, poetry, plays, and screenplays.
Short works for short attention spans.
We ask that submissions be kept between 1500 and 3000 words. We want people to read our work, and let’s be real, we live in the ADD generation. Brevity will help win readers. Selections from larger works are absolutely welcome!
How does one get involved?
Simply send your work in doc or pdf format to veilleesubmissions@gmail.com.
What does the word "veillee" mean?
The word itself (pronounced "vey-YEE") is simply French for “gathering,” but here we’re choosing to associate with the word’s historical connotation. Back in the days of old, and all the way up to the mid-twentieth century, people in the rural parts of France would hold special get-togethers to while away the long winter nights.
In these country communities, men, women, and children would come together for nightly storytelling and singing. The stories often centered around traditional fairy tales, which served as warnings to children by describing terrifying encounters with wolves in the dark forests -- a very real threat back then. Nightly gatherings were a way to pass the time, to impart moral and cultural values, to bond as a community, and to escape the rigors of daily farm life.
Eventually the wolves began to disappear from France, and, with the coming of the Wars, so did the veillees themselves. Of course, this form of community storytelling does still exist in other parts of the world, and it is from such traditions that we draw our inspiration.
Please, come and join our gathering!
What about idea thieves?
Any time an author puts work out into the world, there is a chance that work will be plagiarized. The Internet is kind of like the wild west when it come to this sort of thing -- there’s no sure way to prevent ideas from being stolen.
Therefore, we advise all Veillee writers to protect their ideas. This is a place to workshop and practice the craft of writing; a place to post short pieces that cannot be easily duplicated. If you have a groundbreaking idea, please think long and hard before posting it.
Also, take a look at this excellent advice from WriteItSideways.com: http://writeitsideways.com/can-you-prevent-writers-from-stealing-your-stories/
There are risks, but there are also great benefits in posting your work online. Be smart, and try to avoid sharing the key to your life’s epic work. We want you, not some talentless plagiarist, to get rich off it!
Please note: authors post work on The Veillee at their own risk. The Veillee is not responsible for any stolen intellectual property.
To anyone looking to rip someone's content off while visiting: Please note that legal action will be taken if you are caught plagiarizing any of the work and/or ideas displayed on this website. Steal at your own risk, and know that there is a special place in Hell for you where other unoriginal idea theives dwell...
