Do you check participants’ writing standard before accepting them?
Yes. If you’ve never taken part before, and haven’t posted a lot on the forum, then I’ll ask you to send me a link to something you’ve written. A blog, a page from a WIP, or just a few paragraphs of free prose written specifically for the purpose will all do the job.
This is one of my favourite activities in the run up to the NiaD, as people have sent me all sorts of diverse and fascinating blog articles and stories. 