Young Writers Society

I was browsing through the forums, and I found this. I am not sure if I am allowed to post here (it's not locked), but hey! I just thought I would give my input:

Tips

• Give some leeway within your storybook, it can be both boring and tiring having to keep on checking DTs to find out what is happening in the current chapter.
• Try not to deny too many people from entering - although it can be complicated keeping up, it will encourage more activity and will help churn out ideas for plots.
• Let people know the important details! Nobody wants to keep asking when it is set, what races are allowed etc.
• If there are already five fantasy storybooks going on, do you think the people want another one? Try some horror, or romance, or even make a poll in the lounge.
• Set limits, rules and some basic guidelines.
  - How many characters can I have?
  - Can I control other people's characters?
• Let people know if the standard rules still apply (god-modding, etc).
• Be active and read through it reguarly. No users want to see the owner posting every other month - if that happens, it won't even last that long anyway!
• Give a rating. Is 'R' content allowed?

Just a few ideas that came into my head. Maybe Maybe (hehe!) could give us some tips, she has done a great job with Autumn's Beginning!

-Mark

I had noticed a few things that really do make a storybook fail. Not to make you think these things will make it fail. But you know...

1. Keep the plot going
Try to keep away from the page long romance posts, it won't help anybody. And try to make a new event for Posters to feed off on. Like make one of the main characters die( One of your characters of course)
2. Don't be a god
Ive had the sad experience of seeing my books fly away into nothing because I overpowered the characters too much...don't make that mistake. 3. Nudge the Common things
I mean don't try to completely make a Genre of storybook. Maybe try to make Reality stick with Fantasy. Just don't stick too close to the Common things...or you won't even get a view.
4. State a goal for the Posters imietetly
If you don't, They will do run rampant over your storybook and evently you will lose track of your OWN storybook.
5. Keep the thing on top of the page
It might get lost into the back of the forum and gather dust. Posters will forget about it eventually and will move on...50% of storybooks don't last long.
6. If new, review!
If you post too many Storybooks and don't review anything...you will be dragged into the 'review corner'. That is, you don't get points for anything! So review as much as you can and you will get the ablility to have points again.

Have Fun- Ghostwriter.

Alright, here we go.

-Be polite. It doesn't do any good do be disrespectful to anyone on a storybook. If someone is doing something wrong, PM them about it and tell them gently what they're doing and how they need to fix it.

-Respect the rules. If the creator of the storybook specifically puts something in the rules of their storybook, do your absolute best to follow them. If you have a problem with something they put, PM them about it or just don't join. Maybe it isn't the right storybook for you. See here for the actual storybook guidelines.

-Monitor your posts. Please. Try to keep your posts at least two decent-sized paragraphs (about five sentences each). That way, it should help the story progress, as well as improve your writing skills.

-Spell-Check. Having a lot of words spelled wrong in your posts can frustrate other writers in the storybook. Try to keep your spelling as clean as possible. It'll help your writing flow better as well.

-Follow the plot. If there's already a set plot for a storybook, do your best to stick with that plot and get your characters into it. That way, you won't be stuck on your own, relying on the other authors to bring your character in. This can get frustrating on both sides. Also, if there's a set plot, don't go out and create some other plot as well if it doesn't make sense and/or advance the other plot.

-Keep the plot moving. If you don't, then the storybook dies. Some of us have been here long enough to know that most storybooks don't last very long because there's no plot progression. If you have an idea to keep the story moving, either share it in the Discussion Thread or run it by the author.

-God-Modding is not good. Unless you're in a storybook where it is allowed (it will be posted in the rules of that specific storybook) just don't do it. It ticks off other writers and will most likely discourage them from writing with you if you can't give your character any flaws. Remember, no one is perfect.

-Include a profile. Most of us know this by now (I would hope). A profile sets your character aside from the others. Your profile should include (depending on the storybook you're in) all the basic information (Name, age, gender, appearance, personality, and history). The creator of the storybook may or may not provide a profile outline of what should be included.

-Don't spam/clog. If you want to have a discussion about your favorite type of muffins with another author, great! But try not to do this in either the storybook thread itself or the Discussion Thread. It will clog it and frustrate the other authors. Communicate through PMs if you want to have that conversation (or any other conversation that has nothing to do with the storybook).

-Be open. Don't restrict the number of people who can join your storybook. If you want your storybook to be a success then you have to allow people to partake in it, or else it will die. If your storybook does have a certain amount of people who can join, or a deadline profiles must be posted by, try to keep it reasonable. Don't give it only three characters or three hours. Not everyone is on the internet 24/7.

-Try to keep posting to a minimum. Wait, what? But this is a storybook, and posting is good! Right?
Well, yes and no. Yes, posting is good (obviously). You definitely want to keep the plot moving. And at the same time, no, posting is, or can be, bad. If it's only you and one other person posting at one time, try to limit yourself to only a few posts back and forth. That way, other people won't have to read through pages and pages of just your posts. Especially if it's romance. I don't know many people on here who want to read through pages of kissing (No offense to those who do, of course). Some authors may become discouraged and stop writing in the storybook.

-Be friendly. Pretty much going along with being polite. If a new member joins and wants to join your storybook but don't know what to do, take the time and explain it to them. Don't just tell them to ask a mod; the mods are already busy enough!

I think that's about it for now. Hope these help, and everything Aedomir and Ghostwriter have posted are definitely great tips as well. Have fun storybooking, everyone!

-May

I've actually got a question...

Okay, so everyone else seems to be able to get a picture in for their character profile but I just can't figure it out. I keep posting links and I know that it gets annoying because no one really ever wants to go to the links. So how do you get a picture to show up?

It's simple fiction!

Here's the code, for example

Code: Select all

[spoiler][img]http://www.premierproductions.ca/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/ellie-goulding-under-the-sheets.jpg[/img][/spoiler]

Then, you'll have


What you have to do is click the spoiler button and then click the image button. Then, all you have to do is post the link in between them! Easy

If you still don't understand, just PM me and I'll sa it clearer for you.

xoxo Skins

Oh. Okay, thanks.