4Literature's newest feature is a Scoop-based discussion forum. Scoop is an open source program generously released by Kuro5hin. The beauty of Scoop is that everything is democratically decided by you the users of 4Literature. Here's how it works:
1. You become a member of 4Literature by clicking "Make a new user" and following the directions. This is free and will allow you to do the things mentioned below, as well as customize the way you see the things on 4Literature.
2. You write a book review (it can be a book that appears on 4Literature, but doesn't have to be), short story, poem, or essay.
3. Your fellow 4Literature users will then vote on whether they think the submission is a good one. This is to keep the quality of submissions high, and the number of spam messages low. If it gets approval from enough people then it will be permanently posted on the site. If not, you can always revise it and re-post it later using the suggestions made by those who voted.
4. Others will read the story and post their comments. Still others will rate the comments of those who have come before them, a fun way to support or criticize another person's comment, as well as make sorting through the messages simple.
Or, if you're not quite ready to tell about your favorite book or show off your own work, you can just do steps 1 and 4 and enjoy what others have written.
So, where should you start? Perhaps with an essay about why you think Shakespeare's works weren't written by Shakespeare or a discussion about Captain Ahab of Moby Dick. Maybe you'd like to share what makes 1984 by George Orwell your favorite book (you'd choose "Other - Fiction" for the section when you submit it since it does not appear on 4Literature). Or, perhaps you have a short story you'd like some advice on, or would like to show off that sonnet you wrote for your literature class last year. It's really up to you.
Look around the site, read some more detailed instructions. Have some ideas, questions, or comments? You can post them below, or ask by email.
