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| Frequently Asked Questions |
If you have any questions that aren't answered on this page, let me know and I'll look into adding them.
How do I...If you have any questions about how to use this site, check out the help page, How to use this site. Unless you want to ask about chat, then you want the Chat Information and instructions page. AccountsWhy should I get an account?You don't have to. They're purely optional. But you get a whole bunch of nifty features that only work if you have an account. If you don't get an account, your comments will have 'Anonymous' in the coloured title bar instead of your name. You will also not have a say in which articles are posted to the front page; only members with accounts get to vote on that. Why do you need my real email?Write On does not display your real email anywhere. We use your real email for only a few things, but they are rather important. Most important of all is when you sign up for a new account, that is where we send you your password! Next, if you should forget your password, this is where a new one is sent. When you submit an article, you are emailed when it is either posted or dropped, and if you want to use the 'story digest' feature (see User Preferences) this is the email address we use. In short, you can put a false email address there once you've created an account, but if you forget your password you won't be able to use that account any more. You can read the privacy policy for more information. ArticlesWho decides which articles are posted?You do. When somebody writes an article, it goes into the moderation queue where members vote on whether to post it or not. For information on the process of selecting stories to post, see Choose Stories. This site only works if you participate! Can I get you to critique my story?No. Write On does not handle critiques at all. This is a site for discussing the art and craft of writing. We do have a section for exercises where you can practice specific writing techniques, but anything more than a short scene is not particularly encouraged. There are several reasons for this. The first is that I haven't yet seen a web-based critique site that impressed me at all, I don't see why Write On! would be any different, and I don't want to run a site that I'm not impressed with. The second is that I want to participate in everything that goes on here, and I don't know how to properly critique stories that are outside my preferred genres - I don't know the conventions, I don't know what's expected, I don't know what's cliche. I also don't want to leave a story uncommented on. A third reason is that several people have said that they've never seen a site like this, and I'm sure that if I open it to critiques, the critique requests will very quickly outnumber the articles, making this site interchangeable with the multitudes of other interactive writing sites. The exception is the diaries - you can post anything you like there. Your diary is your space. If you want to post a bunch of short stories there, or even a novel, you're welcome to - but serialize something that long, as the site will cut off a diary entry at roughly 10,000 words, and it won't warn you. If you want to ask for comments and critiques, you're also welcome to - just don't expect it. Also keep in mind that your diary is public and can be read by anyone, so if you don't want the world to read your story, don't post it. If you're looking for a critique group, there are lots out there. Try searching for the words "critique group" and the genre you are interested in. Can I have my short fiction published here?No. As I mentioned above, that's not what this site is for, and there are lots of other places that will publish short fiction. In addition, I can't afford to pay, and I have neither the time nor the inclination to sort through submissions and decide which ones are "good enough" to be published. You are welcome to post anything you like in your diary, however. So what type of articles can I get published here?Any article about the art and/or craft of writing, really. Take a look at How is this site organized? for an idea of what types of articles we're looking for. In particular, articles that take a fresh look at some subject relevant to writing will be the most appreciated. This means both that you should pick your article scope carefully - don't try to cover too much in one article, or you won't be able to go into enough depth - and that you should try to avoid the "same old, same old" stories that you can find on any introductory writing website. I just noticed an error in an article I submitted. Can I change it?You can't directly change an article you've posted or submitted. If it's a small change, like a couple of typos or misused words, post an editorial comment requesting the change and an editor will fix it for you. If the changes you want to make are substantial, possibly from feedback you've gotten from other readers, you can also delete your story at any time if you feel it necessary, if it is still in the voting queue. How is this site organized?There are two ways an article is filed: sections and topics. If you are writing an article, the best way to figure out where your article belongs in each is to read the descriptions below then browse through each section (by clicking on the section links at the top of the page) and topic (by clicking on the topic images in each article's header) Sections are the primary "filing system" in use on this site. Each section represents a broad category of article subjects, and says a bit about what kind of thing you can expect from the articles filed inside. Write On!'s sections are:
Topics are small labels that show in greater detail what the article is going to really be about, what its primary focus will be. In general, any topic can be used in any section. Write On!'s topics are:
When writing an article, browse the topics and sections to figure out where it fits the best (yes, the descriptions above are deliberately vague!). An article with the wrong section and topic labels may not be approved, while one with appropriate section and topic labels is much more likely to be approved, all else being equal. Can I display your headlines on my site?Certainly. Write On! publishes an RDF (located at www.write-on.indy/backend.rdf or www.write-on.org/backend.rdf) which contains headlines and summary text for the most recent articles. You are welcome to display this on your own site. However, please restrict how often you update the .rdf file to at most once per hour, or you may end up blocked from downloading it at all. CommentsHow do I get my comments to display my name/email/homepage?First, you need an account, otherwise all of your comments will use the name 'Anonymous'. Once you have an account, you can go into your User Preferences page and add whatever you like for email and homepage. (see User Preferences help.) I just noticed an error in a comment I posted. Can I change it?No. You can reply to it with the correction, though. Can I promote other sites in my comments?That depends on a lot of things. See Write On's spam policy before posting a promotion. One type of promotion is permitted, whether the item being promoted is related to writing or not: .sig advertising. You are welcome to put a link and a short description of anything you would like to advertise - most people use it for promoting their website - in your Sig (see User Preferences). Remember that the length of a sig is limited, so keep it short or the end will be chopped off. The site keeps telling me I have a new reply to one of my comments, but I've read it already! How do I make it go away?Replies to your comments are displayed in the sidebar until they are marked as "read", then they disappear again. Unfortunately, due to the way the program behind this site counts "read" comments, you have to load the article, diary, or poll the comment is attached to before a comment is considered "read". The program assumes that when you load an article, you've read every comment on the page, and doesn't actually count individual comments, only the highest numbered one on the story page the last time you viewed it. What is this site's spam policy?I don't like spam. I will delete it. It's fairly simple, actually.
This is not an exhaustive list. If you see a post that you think is spam, email help@write-on.org and I'll look at it. Repeat offenders will have their comment and story posting privileges removed. |
Trademarks are owned by whoever owns them. Content is owned by whoever posted it. Don't look at me, I just run the place.
If you're interested in the gory details, look at the
legalese or the privacy policy. (I knew I had to have one of those eventually...)
Having trouble with anything? Your questions not answered in the FAQ or the tutorial pages? Email help@write-on.org for help.
