Welcome to the Writing School - Class is now in session

Welcome to the brand new Writing School. May learning and fun be had during your stay here. However, in order to make the most of your stay, there are some rules to be had.

Before we get into that, though, let me introduce myself. I'm Veyrael, one of the main moderators for the entire Art and Writing section. I've already had an opportunity to get to know some of you. I hope that you guys will make great use of this new resource. With this new school section, our intention is be able to help those who are in need of general writing assistance; this ranges from instructions of grammar and basic English to brainstorming ideas. Members of any skill level are welcome, from the beginner writing to the more advanced writers.

As the intention of this section is to help out with writing, I do have some things I need to make clear.

Posting

1) This is a section to help your fellow writers. Questions and guides are more than welcome, as is the sharing of ideas. This is, however, not a place to post writings, unless it is for the purpose of seeking assistance with wording and such; in cases like that, keep it to a simple snippet, or simply link to the work in question.

2) It is okay to ask for comments, but please only do so once. As a rule of thumb, repeatedly asking for people to go review your work is generally frowned upon. We all want people to come and comment on our writings; if you really want people to comment on your work, take time to comment on other people's work in the fanfiction or originals sections. While this is a place to ask for help and receive criticism, please keep actual reviews to the writing sections themselves, or take it to PM/VM.

3) If you are confused about something, then ask questions. Please be specific when you ask questions. As this is a place to learn, this is what you make out of it; the more specific your question, the more specific your answer will be. The more you know, the better off you will be, especially in the realm of writing.

4) Quality, not quantity, is the key. By that, I mean that if you are posting a guide, please be as detailed and specific as possible. As with writing fiction, detail can really determine how helpful the guide is. The more detail present in a guide, the better the guide's quality.

5) Stay on topic. Nothing is worse than when someone is seeking help in a thread, only to have their thread veer off into discussion unrelated to their question. Such things should either be mentioned in a separate thread or continued on via PM/VM. Please do not derail threads; if Holly or myself sees any threads getting derailed, posts will either get deleted or moved into their own separate threads at our discretion.

Etiquette

As in the normal writing sections, there is a certain form of posting etiquette which we need to have displayed. In order to receive the best help you possibly can, these rules of etiquette must be followed.

1) Do not spam. Spam in this case is considered to be a comment entirely unrelated to the thread at hand, or simply a short comment without much thought put into it.

Here are some examples of spam-

"Cool I like it."

"Awesome! Please continue, that was the best thing ever!"

"omg u suk"

"wil u b my frind"

Here are some examples of what is not spam-

"Wow, I found your guide to be very useful! I like all of the detail you put into it, as well as how you organized it!"

"That was a great read. I loved the way you used foreshadowing in that story."

If you like or dislike a writing or guide, please be prepared to state your reasoning why. Just telling someone that you liked or disliked something helps no one. Oh, and don't be afraid to ask questions.

2) Debate is encouraged, arguing and flaming is not. Rather than continue the argument, try and be the better person and drop it; if you must continue, please take it to PM or PM either myself, Holly, or one of the other members of the mod team and we will look into it. Flaming other users will not be tolerated, and if arguing and flaming continues, warnings and even infractions will be handed out at our discretion. It is okay to disagree, so long as both parties mention their points in a calm and civil manner.

3) If you are posting a guide, please cite any references you are using. Nothing is more hurtful to any budding writer or artist than to have their hard work be stolen by someone else. Plagiarism is an insult to all forms of art; by all means, if you found a great resource, do share. However, do not claim something you did not make as your own. Plagiarism will not be tolerated, and will result in the locking of threads, deletion of posts, warnings, infractions, and various other nasty things Holly and I don't like doing.

4) Be mindful that this is a board for all ages and skill levels. Not everyone who comes to the School is a master writer. Skillful writing comes with time and practice. Refrain from putting down your fellow students, especially if they are struggling. Instead, try and help them along if you can. It is by no means expected that you are to be a master writer upon your participation, but do respect the opinions and wishes of your fellow students.

5) The rules of the ZU forums still apply. Please follow all of the regular rules of ZU when posting here. Your fellow students will appreciate it.

If you have any further questions, please PM/VM either Holly or myself.