Young Writers Society

Hello, Robyn here :)

I just joined YWS about an hour or so ago, and so far it seems really awesome!
Unfortunately, I don't have much experience in writing, but hopefully I'll improve.

Well, thanks for your time!

Robyn

Welcome, hope you have a good time here.

Two rules;

1. Try and use proper grammer, this means limited chatspeak, as were trying to promote good writing/
2. Try and do two reviews for every peice you post. Also do two reviews before you post any of your own work. Just try and keep the 2:1 ratio.

Oh and rule 3, Have Fun!!!

Alright, thanks Scarecrow!

I have a question: Is there a rule against posting in topics that have not been updated recently?

Thank you :)

Robyn

Not directly, but it's generally annoying when people raise topics from years ago.

I'd say don't raise topics from more than a month ago unless you really, really want to. And don't just post a random comment in one of your peices just to raise it to the top of the page.

On a side note, haha to all the greeters for beating them.

Hi Robyn!

We're so happy to have you here at YWS.
Scarecrow mentioned our top rules, but I'll let you in on a few others as well.

1. When you post you work here on YWS, be sure to rate it. If it's G - PG-13, it will show up on the front page for more people to see! However, be sure to rate your work R if it contains extreme/graphic violence, or use of the f-word. It won't show up on the front page, but our younger members are kept safe.

2. Keep swearing in literature and away from other forums. This is self-explanatory, and it seems like you won't have any trouble with it, so I won't lecture!

3. When reviewing someone's work, make sure you follow a few simple guidelines:
-Be constructive. Reviews like, "OMG THIS IS SOOO GOOD!!!1!11" don't count! Here at YWS, we want your writing to improve, not stroke your ego.
-When being constructive, give suggestions and ideas on what you think can be improved. This gives the author not only another person's perspective, but it opens up many new ways of thinking for the writer.
-Be nice! This is important. Make sure that your reviews are constructive (as good reviews should be), but not directed personally at the author in any way. Telling some one they suck is not helpful, and will get you in trouble. So when going through stuff you think should be improved upon, also add what you liked about the piece. Compliments can help an author soak up critisism better.

4. You'll see that a lot of members have different colored names. This is a simple system that gives you a quick look at who the staff is around here!
-Blue Greeters are like the YWS welcoming comittee! If you have any basic questions about the site, send a PM to a user with a blue name! The love to help out.
-Purple Instructors (like me!) are here to help your writing improve. We give some of the best, in-depth reviews of your work, and we do that because we want you to improve as a writer! If you ever need a review on your work, just send a purple user a PM.
-Light Green Junior Mods are moderators over specific forums, like Fantasy or Dramatic Poetry. Since Moderators have big jobs, Junior Mods are able to focus on small things the Mods might not catch.
-Dark Green Moderators are the bosses around here. They're a great bunch of people devoted to help running this site.
-Red Admins are the heart and soul of this community. If you ever have any problems with the site, or any sort of issues with something YWS-related, just let them know and they'll get to it as soon as they can.

Well, with all of that stuff out of the way, I guess I can show you around the forums a bit!
First, there's the Literary Forums where you can read, write, and review all of the great stories and poems our members here have to offer!
Then you've got Community Forums like The Lounge, where you can relax, The Information Desk, if you have any questions, or something like About the Authors - you can tell us all about yourself there!

So, you don't write much? Well, what do you like to read? Fantasy? Romance? ^_^
It's so great to have you here! If you have any questions, comments, concerns, random outbursts, or would just like to chat, send me a PM or drop a note in my guestbook!

Happy writing, and welcome to YWS!


~anti-pop

Thank you Scarecrow and anti-pop :) That cleared a lot of things up for me. I'll try my best to remember all those rules.

I've been exploring the site, and I noticed that users have "points." What exactly are these used for and how are they earned?

Robyn

Robyn wrote:I've been exploring the site, and I noticed that users have "points." What exactly are these used for and how are they earned?

That's a fantastic question!
Points are earned by reviewing other member's work, mainly. However, in some of the Community Forums, you can earn points just by posting there too! You earn points for the length of your message you post. The highest amount of points you can earn per post is 50 points.

The main reason points are so important is because every time you want to submit a story/poem, you have to have at least 150 points. When you submit a story, you will have to automatically pay 150 points and be rewarded with 50. (This, however, does not mean that you can post a story if you only have 100 points!)
For the Literary Advanced Critiques Forum, for instance, you have to pay 500 points to post a story. (I know - wow!)

Points are also used as a sort of currency (for fun) here on YWS. You can use points as prizes for contests, or as a small donation to someone who's left a helpful critique. Whatever you choose!

Every so often (every two weeks? I believe), the points are reset and everyone begins again at 300.
This way, everyone can have a turn being on the Leaderboard!
This is also so you have extra points to post a story (so you won't have to review three times as many other posts).

If that wasn't clear, just let me know!


~anti-pop

That was crystal clear, anti-pop, thanks :)

*sigh* I have yet another question, haha.
When I post, under my name it says "New Member."
When does this go away?

Robyn

Edit:

Oh, what do you know, now it says "Novice." haha
I'm guessing it has something to do with how long you've been on the site
or how many posts you've made.

Hello Robyn(BTW, I love your name!) I'm Tori!


I bet your writing is pretty good, you should post some of it sometime!

I hope you'll find everybody here nice and welcoming.

It looks like everybody above me has already gone over the rules, so I won't bore you with another endless list of them!

If you have any questions you can PM me or almost anybody else, we do service with a smile!

Have a fantastic day!

God Bless!

Why thank you, Tori :) I love your name too, short for Victoria, right?

Thanks for the warm welcome! I'm not sure when I'll be posting my writing though, as I'm a little shy when it comes to other people reading my work. Hopefully I'll overcome that :)

Robyn

Hey, Robyn, and welcome to the site!

I'm Demeter, nice to meet you Thankfully you've been handed a great deal of the rules and stuff, so I won't need to bother, haha.

Oh, what do you know, now it says "Novice." haha
I'm guessing it has something to do with how long you've been on the site
or how many posts you've made.

Yes, you're right! Clever girl! It depends on how many posts you have. I don't remember the exact number of posts for every title, but next you'll be Junior Writer, Writer, then Senior Writer, Novelist, Speaker of the Forum, Master of the Forum etc. And then we have those Epic Novelists etcetera, who have about million posts.

Well, you might be wondering why you haven't yet received any greets from the official Greeters aka. blue people. This is because of the friendly competition between blues and us purples, and for this week we have switched places. Purples greet and blues instruct, and whichever side has made more greets/reviews in the end of the week, wins. (Which is us.)

YWS holds many interesting and amazing features, and I hope you have a thoroughly enjoyable time getting to know the site. And by the way, if you still have many questions and would like to feel at home more quickly, you can get yourself a Mentor for the first month! The Mentor will review everything you post here during the month, show you around, introduce you to people and overall help you to feel comfortable and like a family member. For more info, check the Buddy System thread in this forum (Welcome forum).

Happy exploring (and PM or guestbook me on anything anytime)!


Demeter
xxx

Heya Robyn! Welcome to YWS!

Everyone's been over the rules already. So, what do you write? What's your favourite book or author?

Hope you have fun on here and beware: YWS is addicting!

Meadow

Demeter:
Thank you :) "Epic Novelist" sounds cool but a little impossible haha.

MeadowLark:
I'm not quite sure what I write yet, I usually get inspired by something random and jot the idea down, then go from there.
I have read many fantastic books, but I must say the one that stands out the most is the one I'm currently reading -
Pet Semetary by Stephen King.

Robyn

Hi Robyn! I have a friend with that name, spelled the same way and everything, so that's cool.

Since you know all the rules and stuff, I'll just reassure you that YWS is a great place to learn, or continue to learn, to write. It really helps when people read your stuff with constructive feedback, or bug you to keep going, so don't be afraid to post some of it! I get new ideas and tips here everyday, it's really great.

A short note on reviews - I see you've done one already, which is great! - they must be at least 250 characters long to count, so if you're thinking your review count is off, that's probably why! It confused me at first, so I thought I'd mention it.

Welcome to the site! I'm sure you'll [s]get addicted[/s] love it. Don't hesitate to ask if you need a review, or have questions, or just want to talk!
-Mars

Robyn! Welcome to YWS!

You have a pretty name! It reminds me of spring time when all the robins return and the rains start falling and everything is green and pretty. Anyway! I'm June, it's really nice t meet you.

So! The rules have been given out, great. Take a look at the FAQ! It's rather helpful: faq.php

As Mars said, reviews should be at least 250 characters to count as a review. To review, simply go to the literature forums, drag up a piece, and type away! But! Don't forget to make that review worthwhile.

For instance, a good review is where you give the author your feedback. Just run briefly over everything you liked, and so on.

However! You can alternatively give a "critique". It will be counted as a review, and the process is just the same. Only difference is, in critiquing, we point out any errors we may have noticed (spelling, mechanics, punctuation, etc), and then we tell the author what could have been improved, and then, we give an "overall" which is just where you state all of your thoughts/opinions on the piece... what could have made it better (removing or adding something).


Don't be afraid to post your writing! We're gentle as lambs here, and we accept anything. Don't be shy, post it, and we'll provide you with positive feedback.

Hmm, yes! You've asked about ranks? Here's the legend:


New Member: 0-4 posts
Novice: 5-14 posts
Junior Writer: 15 - 49 posts
Writer: 50 - 99 posts
Senior Writer: 100 - 249 posts
Novelist: 250 - 499 posts
Speaker of the Forum: 500+ posts
Master of the Forum: 1,000 posts.

When you hit novelist, you can have your own custom title . A custom title is those bolded letters beneath your name. You can edit it as often as you wish.


Also! There's the stars that come with reviews!

Yellow/Gold

5 Reviews = 1 Star
25 Reviews = 2 Stars
75 Reviews = 3 Stars
150 Reviews = 4 Stars
250 Reviews = 5 Stars


Blue Stars:


350 Reviews = 1 Blue Star, 4 Gold Stars
450 Reviews = 2 Blue Stars, 3 Gold Stars
550 Reviews = 3 Blue Stars, 2 Gold Stars
650 Reviews = 4 blue stars, 1 Gold star
750 Reviews = 5 blue stars

Red Stars:

850 Reviews = 1 Red Star, 4 Blue Stars
950 Reviews = 2 Red Stars, 3 Blue Stars
1,050 Reviews = 3 Red stars, 2 Blue Stars
1,150 Reviews = 4 Red stars, 1 Blue star
1,250 Reviews = 5 Red stars


Hmm... let's see... if you're in need of a buddy to help you around, you can get one here:

topic20053.html

Simply just PM a mentor who seems interesting to you, and they'll take you from there.


It seems that everything else has been covered already, but! If you have any questions, PM me or post them here. Hope you enjoy it here!

Welcome aboard!

June