question for the Staff team / all Users - about tutorials..?

[beijoseternura]

Hello dear Staff team and all readers , 

 

I wanted to ask you: would it be a good concept to devise some kind of tutorials for the forum?

The reason for this is: I have read in many obs, and also fictions, that the authors felt kind of uncertain and then wrote sentences like, it's my first obs, my first fiction, please be nice, etc.

I think it would be an idea, approach to design tutorials for observations, or even stories in a separate area?
 
The following questions could be answered for example:
What do I have to consider if I want to write an observation?
How do I describe a situation the best?
Which topics are not allowed?
How can I write a good fiction?
How can I describe the protagonists / plot to my readers in an agile way?

 

Someone can ask his, her questions and the others could help him with proposals, answers?

It could possibly make it easier for some Users to post and enjoy writing their own stories?

 

Of course it's just a suggestion. At first I had thought of writing an e-mail to the staff team, but I opted for a public post, so all users can share their opinion.

 

Thank you all for your opinions and have a nice day.

[SleepingPhlox]

Honestly having tutorials on how to write stories would just put people off I think. Then it would sound like there is ONE right way to write an observation or a story and therefore it is possible to get it wrong.

There are people that practise writing often here and there are people that just want to quickly talk about something they saw and are not interested in prose.  There are people who have been writing for a long time and people who are new.  There are people who like to write concisely and to the point and people who adore flowery descriptions.  There are many ways to write and outside of grammar and spelling conventions there is no set of rules on the exact right way to do it.

It's okay if people are nervous with their first pieces.  pretty much everyone has passed that milestone at some point.  confidence comes with time.  And practice is good for the budding writer and there are so many resources online for tips and improving.  In fact I think the best thing to do for new writers is to give feedback so they feel encouraged and write more!

[bloom]

1 hour ago, SleepingPhlox said:

Honestly having tutorials on how to write stories would just put people off I think. Then it would sound like there is ONE right way to write an observation or a story and therefore it is possible to get it wrong.

I basically agree with this. I think a guide to writing obs wouldn't be the worst thing in the world (although I personally feel it'd be superfluous), but there are literally thousands of writing guides on the internet for actual stories that people can refer to if they feel lost about that aspect of posting here. 

[Pomegranate]

I think it would be nice to have a guide for things such as observations, but maybe not for fanfics. Observations are factual and I’d like to see a guide so that people leave in every detail they can, however stories are fictional, so it’d be better to let people be creative in that sense

[SleepingPhlox]

A guide for observations would be different based on who was writing it though.  Everyone likes to read something different.  I'm more interested in the setting, what everyone happens to be doing and I'd prefer little to no physical description.  Others absolutely want physical description and couldn't give a toss about describing the setting.  Some prefer just the facts while others need something a little more flowery.  Observations are real events but writing them is similar to writing stories, once they follow the forum rules and aside from grammar considerations there is no "right" way.  So given that, who would decide on the proper way to write an observation?  And it would be a certainty that no matter what the guide included, people would disagree and complain. "Hey!  you forgot to tell everyone to include nostril shape!  All observations should include nostril shape!"

If I were a newbie and I saw a guide to making sure people include every detail I would feel like it's a checklist I must follow and wouldn't bother posting anything at all.

Now if there were guidelines on how to observe and note sneezes in the wild without crossing the creepy line...that would be a good idea!

[MaiMai]

I'm agreed with the others who have posted that it might make newer members more wary of posting things such as stories/observations rather than doing the opposite. I know if I had had guidelines like that as a new member, I would have felt a lot of pressure to conform to it.

And I think it's perfectly natural to be nervous about posting fiction and such, especially for new members. Some of us older ones still find it kind of nerve-wracking now!

Also, people do sometimes post in the Observations, Stories and Art section asking for advice on writing and such, so that's always an option, too.

[tma]

What everyone is saying completely makes sense.

Just a random suggestion:

How about a list of people willing to beta/editor/ proofreader??

That way IF people are looking for someone to beta, but don't want to be a bother- there could be a list of people open to the idea of being a beta.  But this list would in NO way mean that people would **need** to have a beta?

The list can be edited if people find themselves unable/unwilling to take that on at a point in time.  There can also be a way to include what types of material that a person feels able/willing to beta.

Just a thought

[beijoseternura]

hello, thank you for all your opinions. I would like to add something. I'm sorry if I explained it wrong. I did not mean with tutorials a guide that tells exactly how to write an observation. Every user likes to read something else, everyone writes in a different spelling style. It does not mean it has to be written that way, otherwise it's wrong. That would unsettle everyone.

I rather thought that users who have questions about observations, fiction, etc., can ask their questions or get an advice.

I publish stories on another website and they also offer beta readers and 'tutorials', and they're used a lot there - so I thought maybe it would be a good idea, since there are many authors on our forum, too.
As already written - it was just a suggestion.

 

@tma your idea with beta reader would be great, it takes so much time to translate your own fictions that were not written in English. Thank you for your recommendation.

[Chanel_no5]

On ‎2018‎-‎05‎-‎12 at 3:58 AM, MaiMai said:

 Some of us older ones still find it kind of nerve-wracking now!

Oh God yes! What she said! Many of us never stop being nervous when posting stuff we've created. Personally, I don't think I ever will.  

 

Anyone who wants to ask questions about observations, stories and art, or ask for a Beta, can do so in the root forum. Right here:  

http://www.sneezefetishforum.org/forum/51-observations-stories-amp-art/