Announcement: Writers Forum Rules and Guidelines

[The Admin]

Writers Forum Rules and Guidelines

Welcome to the Writers forum! The Writers forum is intended for discussion of all things writing-related including writing tips, processes, and other aspects involved in writing.


As a member, it is your responsibility to familiarize yourself with the forum's rules before posting. Posting in this forum implies that you read and understand the rules and guidelines and that you accept responsibility for the appropriateness of your thread or post.


Navigation:

1. Introduction
   
2. General Posting Guidelines
   
3. Rules & Guidelines for Posting in the Writers Forum
   
4. A Guide to the Threads of the Writers Forum
   
5. How to Report

[The Admin]

General Posting Guidelines

Please be sure to follow the Terms of Service and Rules and Guidelines here, as in all forums.

Common violations to avoid:

Spam. Posts that are gibberish, off-topic, contain advertisements or begging, or have low or no content are considered spam. Please ensure that your posts are on topic and contain an appropriate amount of discussable content.

Flaming & trolling. Posts directed at another member which are hateful, abusive, or intentionally inflammatory are considered flaming. Making intentionally inflammatory or provocative posts to incite responses from other members is considered trolling.

Asking for/offering homework assignments. Asking people to do your homework for you or offering to do other's homework (either for free or for payment) is a serious academic violation and is not permitted on Gaia.

Terms of Service violations may result in a warning or a ban on your account.

If you find Terms of Service violations, or threads that may need moved to a different forum, please use an appropriate report. The procedures for doing so can be found here.

You can find online moderators by following the "View Forum Moderators" link at the top of the forum.


Gaia Staff will NEVER ask for your password! If anyone asks you for your password, report it.

[The Admin]

Rules & Guidelines for Posting in the Writers Forum


Forum Guide: Where to Post

• Original Stories/Prose
  Post your original stories, essays or other writings here.
  
  
• Original Poetry/Lyrics
  Post your original lyrics and poems here.
  
  
• Fanfiction
  Post writing based off existing series or works here.
  
  
• Collaborative Works
  For serious collaborative works between multiple writers.
  
  
• Writing Contests
  Take part in or start up your own writing competition.
  
  
• Writing Arena Discussion
  Get critiques for your piece in the arena or discuss the writing arena in general.
  
  
• Books
  Discuss published authors and their works.
  
  
• Promotions
  Advertise your writing website/blog/account/etc.
  
  
• Services (a subforum of Mini Shops)
  Sell your writing and/or editing services for gold.

Tips for Posting

• Be coherent! Keep in mind that you're talking to writers in here, and we tend to take language pretty seriously. Please try to keep the chatspeak/txt tlk to a minimum. The same goes for deliberately poor grammar and spelling--there isn't a fire, so slow down and take the extra couple of seconds needed to type a full word and use a little punctuation. Some web browsers (like Firefox) even have built-in spell checkers.
  
  
• Check to see if your topic is already in discussion. The Writers forum sees a lot of topics come and go. It's a good idea to check through the first few pages of the forum before making a thread, because there's a good chance a similar topic (or two) is already floating around. If there are already several threads on a topic, yours may be sent to the Recycle Bin or Chatterbox.
  
  
• Bumping is naughty! The Writers forum a slow forum; topics will often stay on the front page for many hours. There is no need to bump a topic if it's still on the first page. Note that a bump is any post, regardless of content, which serves the purpose of bringing your thread up to the top of the forum. This includes double-posting--if you have something to add, please edit it into your previous post.
  
  
• Necroing threads is naughty too! (Necromancy: posting in a topic that has been dead for a week or more). "Official" threads linked to from a sticky and threads which have an enduring discussion or purpose can be necroed, but if you post in an old thread make sure you are bringing something new to the discussion.

Threads That Don't Belong

• Redundant Threads
  These are threads that we already have official discussion threads or forums for:
  
  • I have writer's block! -> Official Writer’s Block Thread
    
  • I need a name for my character/story/country/etc. -> Naming Guidebook
    
  • Give me ideas/help me with my plot -> Think Tank and Idea Box or Prompt me!
    
  • How do I become a better writer/get published? -> Writing and Publishing Tips and Links
    
  • Writing games -> Word Games forum
  
  
• Repeat Threads
  These are threads that would logically go here (maybe) except that there have already been far too many of them:
  
  • Where can I post my writing? (The following sites are popular responses)
    
    • Deviantart
      
    • Livejournal
      
    • Quizilla
      
    • Fictionpress
      
    • Fanfiction.net
      
    • Critique Circle
      
    • All Poetry
    
    
  • Mary Sue threads (except when very unique. The 'Mary Sue Litmus Test' is not unique)
    
  • "This is my character!"/"Post your characters here!" threads
    
  • General "I like writing!" or "who here is a writer?" threads and other topics of little discussion value
    
  • Help me research/find something! (Try Google, Google Directory, Wikipedia or a library first)
    
  • General writing polls. For example;
    
    • Favorite genre/what do you like to read/write
      
    • Favorite writing utensil (ex., Pen vs. PC)
      
    • Favorite point of view
      
    • Polls that don't generate discussion
  
  Repeat and/or redundant threads will only survive if they are extremely unique, we haven't seen that particular repeat in a long time, and/or they have a substantive discussion beyond the normal level for their type.
  
  
• Homework Help Threads
  The Writers forum is not a homework resource. We can help you refine existing ideas or written work by offering critique, but we are not here to supply you with ideas, accumulate research, or write on your behalf. Plagiarism is a serious academic offense, and any threads asking for people to do all or part of your homework for you will be deleted. Attempting to trade gold for papers or other homework may result in a temporary or permanent ban. "Homework help" threads will only be allowed on the grounds that they generate interesting discussion. "Research" threads may only be allowed on the grounds they create discussion and are of benefit to other writers. If you are looking for feedback on an essay or creative writing piece, please post them in the Original Stories/Prose forum.
  
  
• Game Threads and Roleplays (RPs)
  "Games" are threads which are structured primarily around a "gimmick" or rules. This may include things such as "Answer a question and make a question for the next user", "Round Robin" story creation threads, or threads which are based around a structured cycle of user input. Games can also include "What would your MC/Villian/Etc do/say/think/etc.?" threads. Game threads are not allowed in the Writers forum because they rarely generate discussion or help people developing their writing skills. Games are best suited to the Chatterbox or Word Games forum.
  
  Roleplays belong in Barton Town or the Chatterbox.
  
  
• "Post your poetry/prose here!" Threads
  Topics asking for other people to share or post their work in your thread are considered redundant and are better suited for the Chatterbox. If you want to post a thread about your own work, or read the writing of others, please use the Prose, Poetry, and Fanfiction subforums.
  
  
• Writing Request Threads
  Threads asking for writing requests, either for gold or free, have no discussion value and are not allowed in the forum. Instead, please try looking through the Services subforum of Mini Shops for a writing shop, or hold hold a contest in the Writing Contests subforum for lots of responses!
  
  
• Quote Compilation Threads
  Threads asking for others to post quotes will be moved to the Chatterbox unless they deal specifically with some aspect of writing (i.e. quotes ABOUT writing or that are helpful to writers).
  
  
• Discussion of the WF or its subforums
  These threads are off-topic in the Writers Forum. If you wish to discuss the forum itself, please use the Gaia Community Discussion forum.

To Present and Future Denizens of the 111
The 111 is a special place for many writers forumites. It's a place to hang out, chill and relax with other people outside of normal thread discussion. If you're a newcomer to the thread, it's suggested that you lurk and read through a bit of post backlog before jumping in. Please keep the general forum customs in mind. In addition, it is important that everyone read the following guidelines. Everyone.

• The Gaian Terms of Service always applies. Cases of harassment, trolling, flaming, derogatory and hateful comments will be treated the same way they are on the rest of Gaia. The 111 is not an excuse to act like an a**.
  
  
• Remember that as a chat thread, you are in close proximity and prolonged conversation with other Gaians. Think of it as a group of friends and strangers talking together. Like in real life, friendships and frictions will occur. You cannot make people like you, and you cannot force your opinions on others. Does this mean other people can say extremely hurtful things to you? No. But you should be able to deal with the knowledge that someone may not personally like you. Similarly, if you don't particularly like someone or want to hear what they have to say, don't go out of your way to make your opinion known. Either sort it out in a mature fashion, or use the ignore feature to block posts and PM's.
  
  
• Beyond that, just remember that we're all here to have fun, so don't take things too seriously (that applies to everyone). Just treat people like you expect to be treated and read the stickies, and you should get along in this forum just fine.

[The Admin]

A Guide to the Threads of the Writers Forum


The Stickies

• Writing and Publishing Tips and Links
  Have a question about publishing? Take a look, and if you can't find the answer, ask here.
  
  
• Think Tank and Idea Box
  Use this thread for help with all your plot- and story-related woes.
  
  
• The Naming Guidebook
  Need a name for your character, city, world, book, etc.? This sticky has you covered.
  
  
• The Writer's Block & Inspiration Thread
  Have writer's block, or just looking for some inspiration? Find it here.
  

Help and Q&A Threads

• The Question Box
  This thread is a general catch-all for all your research-related questions.
  
  
• The World Building Thinktank
  Includes lists of questions for worldbuilding and links to helpful sites.
  
  
• The "I need help with my beginning" Guide
  Need help with starting your story? Look no further than this useful thread.
  
  
• Gaia's resident history and weapons buffs
  Similar to The Question Box, but specific to weapons and history questions.

Prompt/Dare Threads

• Prompt Me!
  Use the random number/dice roll post feature to get both word and image prompts.
  
  
• The Gaia Fantasy/Sci-Fi Dares Thread
  Silly dares for you to include in your story when you get stuck.
  
  
• Serious Fantasy/Science Fiction Challenge
  Similar to the above, but with serious dares that can actually be used.

Critique and Beta Threads

• Writer Swap!
  Swap your work with other writers for mutual critique.
  
  
• Get a Beta be a Beta
  Well, it used to be in this forum...but now they've got a guild!

Other Useful Threads

• The Writer's Forum Link List
  A massive directory of the most interesting and useful threads in the forum.
  
  
• The Research Help Thread
  A place to get help with doing your own research, as well as links and a Q&A.
  
  
• Fizzlesticks' Grammar and Punctuation Guide
  A useful guide to the most common grammar and punctuation errors.
  
  
• The Writer's Glossary
  A glossary of writing terms, covering, well, everything you can think of.
  
  
• The Anti-Guide
  A reverse guide to every story cliché and trope you could ever think of.
  
  
• Top Reasons Why You'll Get Your a** Kicked in the WF
  A list of things to avoid when posting in the Writers forum.
  
  
• Extremely detailed character sheet template
  Need a character sheet, or want to debate the usefulness of them? Here's your thread.
  

Just For Fun

• The 111
  The Writers forum chat thread.
  
  
• The Riddle Room
  A place to exercise your brain on original and unique riddles.
  
  
• You know you write too much when...
  A funny list of "warning signs that you may need to take a break... or get some help."
  
  
• Awesome lines that have no place to go
  Got a quote or two you that don't have a story to put in? Share them here.
  
  
• Tektek Your Characters (With a Twist!)
  Use TekTek's avatar creator to make your character and talk about the items you used.
  

Threads that are similar to/repeats of the threads in this list risk being sent to the Recycle Bin or Chatterbox.

[The Admin]

How to Report

Abuse of the report system will result in a warning or ban of your account.

Report a Post

Use the button when an individual post in a topic contains inappropriate content.

Reasons to Report a Post:


• The content of the post violates the Terms of Service or forum rules.
  
  
• The content of the post is off-topic.
  
  
• The member who made the post has a signature which violates the rules.

Report a Topic

Use the Report this Topic button at the bottom of the page when a topic is not appropriate for the forum.

Reasons to Report a Topic:


• The topic violates the Terms of Service or forum rules.
  
  
• The topic is in the wrong forum and should be moved to a more appropriate forum.

If you need to contact a moderator via Private Message, please use the "View Forum Moderator" link at the top of this forum to find a moderator.



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