Jed's Super-Dooper 'Ask a Mod' Thread (for all your Newbie Questions)

jvc · Aug 23, 2014

GlennDoyle said:
Hi. Very new here.

Just have one quick question at the moment.

I noticed on the SYW section for screenwriting it says post no more than 10 pages. Is this a strict rule?
I'm wondering because I have 12 pages I would love to share once I get my post count up.

Thanks.

If the rules of the forum state that it has to be no more than ten pages, then don't post more than ten pages. You could post more later, but start with the first ten.

deb22 said:
Hi, I was wondering about the Animal/Nature forum. Is it ok to post actual writing questions to this forum? It appears that it is more of a help forum for an actual problem. I ask because I write a lot of fiction stories based on my photography. I photograph only wildlife and write both shorts and novella's.
It is highly descriptive and environments are accurate, but it is told through the eyes of a particular animal.
I couldn't even tell ya what genre it is exactly.
Thanks

Hard to say without knowing the question, but if it's a basic writing question, then it might be better to post in the Basic Writing Questions forum. You'll get a lot more answers there, as it's a much frequented forum. If you feel it is really appropriate for the Animal/Nature forum, then you can go ahead and post it in that forum. At worst, the moderators of that forum will see that it's a better fit for BWQ and move it over there for you.

Death · Oct 23, 2014

Which mod should I contact to change my username?

regdog · Oct 23, 2014

MacAllister or AW Admin

filiasophia · Oct 23, 2014

Posting A Polling Question

Hello, and thank goodness for this thread!

I'm exceptionally new to AW and have a question I would like to ask the collective for information purposes/inspiration. Is there a proper place to do such a thing? I don't want to put my foot in it right off the bat.

Thanks in advance!

regdog · Oct 23, 2014

It depends on the type of question. If it is genre specific then you can post in the room for that genre. Casual non-writing questions can go in Office Party

filiasophia · Oct 23, 2014

Thank you!

regdog · Oct 24, 2014

You're welcome

RCtheBanditQueen · Nov 23, 2014

I have a question; I hope this is the correct forum in which to ask. I know that a new user has to have 50 posts before posting anything in the Share Your Work or Brainstorming Sandbox. I know I read through some of the rules that some kind fairy posted on my hello post, but I can't find it at the moment... Are we allowed to reply to posts in those forums before we have 50 posts? I.e., commenting on someone else's work to start getting involved in the AW community so folks get to know us before we post our work?

amergina · Nov 23, 2014

RCtheBanditQueen said:
I have a question; I hope this is the correct forum in which to ask. I know that a new user has to have 50 posts before posting anything in the Share Your Work or Brainstorming Sandbox. I know I read through some of the rules that some kind fairy posted on my hello post, but I can't find it at the moment... Are we allowed to reply to posts in those forums before we have 50 posts? I.e., commenting on someone else's work to start getting involved in the AW community so folks get to know us before we post our work?

Yes.

Not only can you reply to others post in SYW before you reach 50, you are heartily encouraged to critique others work as a way to engage in the community. So YES. And Yes.

There are also some threads in the SYW section where you can post before 50 posts, such as the various "post the first 200 words..." Though with those, I'd critique a few posts first, then post.

(And I'll have to check with the room mods, but I don't think the idea sandbox required 50 posts to post, since it's about brainstorming and not really critiquing.)

Mary_MO · Nov 24, 2014

I'm not sure where to ask this question, but I have a galaxy tab note pro 12.2. I use this to write and store everything.

Where can I start a thread about the best type of word doc I can download and/or purchase for my writing?

crehbohrahku · Nov 24, 2014

Where should I post to get criticism for my story once I've reached 50 posts? I see too many possible places and I'm not sure which one is the right one.

Kylabelle · Nov 24, 2014

Mary_MO said:
I'm not sure where to ask this question, but I have a galaxy tab note pro 12.2. I use this to write and store everything.

Where can I start a thread about the best type of word doc I can download and/or purchase for my writing?

Hi, Mary. I don't know anything about your particular device, but there have been several threads about various writing programs and applications. Basic Writing Questions and Roundtable are two places where you might get some good info about that if you start a thread describing what you're looking for. Check those forums and see which one seems more like a fit for your investigation.

crehbohrahku said:
Where should I post to get criticism for my story once I've reached 50 posts? I see too many possible places and I'm not sure which one is the right one.

Hi there and welcome! Once you've participated a bit and read in some of those areas, and offered comments on some of the pieces posted, you might have a better sense. It depends on what genre your story is.

DCVermillion · Dec 7, 2014

Is there a limit to the number of posts per day, was wondering.

DCVermillion · Dec 7, 2014

Oh, and what is the character limit in a post.

DCVermillion · Dec 7, 2014

And the land speed of a roadrunner

Kylabelle · Dec 7, 2014

DCVermillion said:
Is there a limit to the number of posts per day, was wondering.

Nope.

DCVermillion said:
Oh, and what is the character limit in a post.

No idea, but I don't think I've seen that around here either. Some pretty long posts get made here and there.

DCVermillion said:
And the land speed of a roadrunner

Faster than his water speed, I expect.

DCVermillion · Dec 7, 2014

Kylabelle said:
Nope.

No idea, but I don't think I've seen that around here either. Some pretty long posts get made here and there.

Faster than his water speed, I expect.

Ah, cool, was curious about all three

was new here ( or still am rather) and wondered.

DCVermillion · Dec 7, 2014

amergina said:
Yes. Not only can you reply to others post in SYW before you reach 50, you are heartily encouraged to critique others work as a way to engage in the community. So YES. And Yes.

There are also some threads in the SYW section where you can post before 50 posts, such as the various "post the first 200 words..." Though with those, I'd critique a few posts first, then post.

(And I'll have to check with the room mods, but I don't think the idea sandbox required 50 posts to post, since it's about brainstorming and not really critiquing.)

ahh, cool, I was wondering that too

RandomWords · Jan 24, 2015

Hi!
What a labyrinthine treasure trove this place is! I was lost for three days below decks before I found this hatch. (Pretty sure I glimpsed a Minotaur down there).

Noob question - is there a thread or a post somewhere that addresses naive fears about how posting your work here will affect later publishing efforts?
Thanks!

Kylabelle · Jan 24, 2015

Hi there, RandomWords, and welcome to AW.

That question is raised approximately once a month. There are a number of threads where people address it, but before you go searching for those, there is also a brilliant FAQ that might very well put your concerns to rest: http://absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=256502

RandomWords · Jan 24, 2015

Kylabelle said:
Hi there, RandomWords, and welcome to AW.

That question is raised approximately once a month. There are a number of threads where people address it, but before you go searching for those, there is also a brilliant FAQ that might very well put your concerns to rest: http://absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=256502

My concerns will now rest in peace.
Thanks!

zellieh · Jan 27, 2015

What counts as a post?

What counts as a post? If I leave a comment in reply to someone's else's post (or thread, or comment), does my comment count as a post?

I understand I need to reach 50 posts before I can share my work. Does this mean I need to leave 50 comments as replies to others, or make 50 posts to start threads? Or a mix of the two?

I only ask because other sites I have accounts on seem to differentiate between 'making a post' = posting an entry (or starting a thread) and 'leaving a comment' = replying in the comment threads to an entry/post/thread, so I'd like to know how you're using these words here.

amergina · Jan 27, 2015

zellieh said:
What counts as a post? If I leave a comment in reply to someone's else's post (or thread, or comment), does my comment count as a post?

I understand I need to reach 50 posts before I can share my work. Does this mean I need to leave 50 comments as replies to others, or make 50 posts to start threads? Or a mix of the two?

I only ask because other sites I have accounts on seem to differentiate between 'making a post' = posting an entry (or starting a thread) and 'leaving a comment' = replying in the comment threads to an entry/post/thread, so I'd like to know how you're using these words here.

Either starting a thread or posting within a thread counts as a post. (Though posts in the TIO forum are not counted.)

There is a general caution not to zip zip zip to 50 posts for the sole purpose of posting in SYW. The better bet is to read and critique in SYW as part of getting to 50 posts. (You can comment on threads in SYW; you just can't start new threads.)

zellieh · Jan 27, 2015

Oh, I wasn't intending to go for 50. I'm not even sure I want to submit anything for review. But since a number was mentioned, I was curious about how it was counted.

Thanks for explaining it.

RCtheBanditQueen · Feb 8, 2015

What does RYFW mean?

Jed's Super-Dooper 'Ask a Mod' Thread (for all your Newbie Questions)

jvc

Fearsome Dragon Mod

Death

regdog

The Scavengers

filiasophia

regdog

The Scavengers

filiasophia

regdog

The Scavengers

RCtheBanditQueen

amergina

Pittsburgh Strong

Mary_MO

crehbohrahku

Kylabelle

unaccounted for

DCVermillion

DC Vermillion

DCVermillion

DC Vermillion

DCVermillion

DC Vermillion

Kylabelle

unaccounted for

DCVermillion

DC Vermillion

DCVermillion

DC Vermillion

RandomWords

Kylabelle

unaccounted for

RandomWords

zellieh

amergina

Pittsburgh Strong

zellieh

RCtheBanditQueen