The Tips & Tricks Page

On this page you will find helpful advice for authors, editors and members written by those best suited to advise you on a range of issues.  Each month a different topic will be covered, so check back here if you want some tips.

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The Forum Moderation Team
By C James & RHawes16, Forum Moderators

There is a great deal of mystery and speculation at GA regarding the way the site is managed and the teams that operate to keep the site going. In the last edition of the GAzette, we provided some insight into the work of the Writer Support Team and in this edition we provide you with a glimpse into the inner workings of what may be GA's most controversial body, the Forum Moderation Team (FMT).

The FMT is somewhat notorious at GA, particularly over recent months, and has a tarnished reputation. Moderators have, individually and collectively, been referred to as "dictators", "tyrants" and "bullies", but is this reputation really deserved?

Before we look at how the team operates, let's begin with a simple question - does GA need Moderators? A better question might be, do those people who come to the site want a forum full of spam, a forum where members are free to insult and abuse each other, a forum where every discussion thread is allowed to descend into bitching, sniping, sexualised banter and meaningless ranting?

It is the job of the FMT and its members to maintain order on the forum, to shield members from abuse and to protect the site from potentially devastating legal action. Sometimes this means that Moderators need to make unpopular decisions or take controversial action, but without the safeguard they provide, GA would not be the place it is today.

Despite the valuable service the FMT provides, rumours still abound about how the team operates. Some have even claimed that Moderators stalk the board looking for members to ban, but in reality the banning of members is always a last resort, an option taken after great deliberation and only when there is no other choice.

When a member is banned, the Administrators at GA post a notice on the board informing the membership. This is done to quell rumours before they get started and to assure members that there were valid reasons why the action was taken. It is important that we are open about these reasons, but this openness can work against us. Most of the work the FMT does takes place behind the scenes, so all the members ever really see is what happens when major action is taken.  This article is intended to answer some of the questions raised about the FMT over the past few months and illustrate what moderators really do at and for the site.

Forum management is one of the most important aspects of a Moderator's role. Often this involves moving posts that have been created in the wrong forum, but sometimes it can require a little more creativity. For example, one of our eFiction Authors recently had a problem; someone else had started a thread for his story, and he too had started one. However, he wanted to be able to edit the first post in the thread to reflect new chapters, as well as have the threads be merged. He PM’d me to ask if they could be merged, so I looked, but saw a problem: merged threads sort chronologically, so the author’s post would not be the first in the thread.

I posted this conundrum in the moderator’s forum, asking for advice on how to proceed. As the discussion progressed, Matthew suggested that one of the Author’s old posts, one that he would not mind losing, be moved into the thread to become the first post (so that he could edit it himself). So, I PM’d the author and asked, got the go-ahead, and gave it a try using one of his old posts from a game thread in the lounge. It worked. The thread was merged and sorted, and he can now edit both the contents and titles of the first post in the thread.

Now, to give you an idea on how seriously we take the privacy of our members, I asked the Author for permission (which he graciously gave) to use this recount in this article, even though it is very innocuous.

I’ve heard many rumors that the FMT has its own restricted-access forum, that only Moderators and Administrators can see. Well, guess what? It’s true. I’ll bet I got your attention when I mentioned a restricted access forum? There is a reason for that: anytime anything is secret, or restricted, it is human nature to want to know about it, and it is also human nature to assume the worst in many cases. This is why there are so many conspiracy theories involving secretive government agencies: secrecy, by its very nature, breeds suspicion.

The flip side of that coin, though, is that sometimes there are good reasons for secrecy. In the context of the FMT, this is certainly true. One example is to protect the privacy of the people we deal with.

The best way to explain this is to run through a typical example; suppose user X gets a little too worked up when posting a reply and crosses the line of good forum behavior by flaming User Y. There are several ways a Forum Moderator might find out about this. One way that one of us might simply see it, and another is the “Report!” button that is at the bottom left of every forum post. If a user clicks on it, they are asked to fill in a reason, and then the report is sent. That report is essentially a PM to every Moderator on GA.

Once one of us sees the post, and determines that it is indeed a flame, that post will be moved into a sub-forum of the FMT forum, called “Disputed Posts”. Once there, the Moderator that moved it is required to do two things: post to explain to the other Moderators why the post was moved, and also PM User X to inform them about what has happened.

At that point, there is often a lively debate amongst the Moderators as to what to do. Sometimes, the post will be judged to be acceptable, in which case it will be moved back to its original location. In other cases, the post will be judged to be unacceptable, and the FMT will debate what action to take. Often, that will be a polite PM to the poster, explaining why the post was judged to be unacceptable, and why it will not be returning. In the case of repeat offenders or a serious rule violation, warnings may be given.

In cases like that, we need to be able to discuss, in private, the situation so that the privacy of the poster can be preserved, and so that the right decision can be made. I’ve seen a discussion thread for the removal of a single post run past 50 replies, so these decisions are certainly not taken lightly.

So, what happens when a member's behaviour is deemed unacceptable? Do the Moderators immediately talk about banning them? The answer is no. Banning is always an option available whenever disciplinary action is required, but in the vast majority of cases it is deemed unnecessary and other options are considered.

Usually, a friendly PM is sent to the member concerned and, provided they respond positively to the message, no further action is taken. However, there are times when a friendly message simply isn't sufficient.

When further action is required, Moderators have a number of options available to them, including placing a member on post moderation, where their posts will need to be approved before they appear on the board, issuing a formal warning, often with an increase to a member's warn counter, or a temporary suspension from the site, a time-out to allow the member to calm down and let the situation diffuse.

However, these options are rarely used. It is more common for a Moderator to talk privately with the member concerned, discuss what has happened and seek to find a resolution that requires no formal action. Moderators are here to keep the forum running smoothly and to protect the site and its members. It is a difficult job and one that often causes problems for those who volunteer to undertake the task of moderation, but I think it's fair to say that GA is a much better place because of it.

From Imagination to Publication

Steps every writer should know

You never know when it’s going to hit. You could be lying in bed trying to sleep, at the movies with your friends or family, driving down a long stretch of highway.

Oftentimes, when you least expect it, your brain starts moving at a rapid pace, formulating and creating an idea for your next masterpiece.  You can’t wait to get home or get up and fire up the old computer and start working it out into actual words.

The process from that point on is different for everyone, though there are certain steps that are necessary in getting that idea out of your head, onto paper or into your computer and ready for the public eye.

At some point in the beginning stages of your story you should work out a rough outline.  The ideal time for this is before you even put that first word down.  Though, speaking for myself, I often get too excited to just get started and find myself making my outline after the first chapter or two is written.

The best reason for an outline is to remain focused and to keep working towards the same direction.  If you have something to follow you are less likely to stray off into side stories.  Not all side stories are bad, but too many of them can cause confusion and often times frustrate the reader.

An outline does not have to be specific, each author is different.  You don’t need to sit and write out what’s going to happen in each chapter.  Some outlines are as simple as one paragraph with a description of what will transpire in the story.  Much like a website has a ‘mission statement,’ one paragraph explaining it’s purpose.  How much you want in your outline is totally up to each individual writer, it’s just best to get a rough plan out on paper before your story progresses too far.

Another import part of this is a list of characters.  You start out with two in mind, but they all have friends, family and pets.  The best way to keep them sorted is to have a handy list of each characters name and a one or two word explanation for their role in the story.

So you have your outline and you have your list of characters, it’s time to sit back and let your brain flow through your fingers.  Many writers, myself included don’t stop to think about punctuation and spelling, you just want to get it all out.  After all there’s spell check for that right? 

Well of course, but when you story is all done a simple spell check will not fix everything.  After you have finished writing you need to go back and read it.  Fix any glaring errors and see if there’s anything that just doesn’t sound quite right.  Words missing, phrases jumbled any number of things could have happened while you were a writing machine!

Once you have read it over and are satisfied to let someone else read it, your next step would be to find editors and beta readers.  I would highly argue against being your own editor, another eye is always beneficial.  Close friends are also not recommended for this task.

Many close friends would read it over say it’s great and not get down to the nitty gritty that often needs to be done.   If you do not know of anyone that can do this for you GA can help, with a very active editor/beta reader program. 

With an editor and a few beta readers you can get advice and ask questions to polish your story into becoming the best it can possibly be.  Once it is at it’s best there are tons of option to get it out into the public eye.

Websites are always taking story submissions.  Not all are accepted at every site.  However, GA does offer a place for new writers to post their stories.  A great way for a writer to start getting exposed to the public eye.  Something important to remember is to include your contact information with your story.  Feedback good and bad is a valuable experience.

Most emails will be positive, a lot providing constructive criticism, but there’s always someone that likes to mouth off about something just for the sake of mouthing off.  So be prepared to take the good with the bad, the bad doesn’t happen often, most people who will take the time to email an author do it because they really liked your story.

GA has many programs to help the budding author if you have questions about storylines, building suspense, character development or basically anything that you need to know, there is a place on GA to ask it, whether it’s in the writer’s corner or the newly developed mentoring program if you need any help at all there’s people at GA that are here to help!

Vance Lista

Editing Tips...

How Far Should You Go?

There can be little doubt that editing is an extremely complicated process.  Sure, anyone with basic literacy skills and a spellchecker can read through a story and correct spelling and grammatical mistakes.  It's not exactly brain surgery.  Yes, it takes a certain degree of skill and patience to comb through a story and spot the errors, to know how to put them right and to do so in a way that is helpful to the author, but as any good editor will know, this is only part of the process.

The job of an editor is not just to correct mistakes, but also to help an author learn to be the best that they can be, to make their story shine.  For many authors, this may just mean rewording a bit of dialogue to make it seem a little more realistic or helping them to develop their descriptive skills, but sometimes a little more work and creativity is required.  So, what do you do when you get a story or scene that doesn't quite work?  Do you shrug your shoulders, correct the mistakes and move on or do you work with your author to help them fix it?

The answer to this question goes straight to the heart of the dynamics between author and editor.  Some authors just want a glorified proofreader to look over their work, stick in a few commas and fix the spelling, but a good author, an author dedicated to developing their talent, will want something more.  They will want their editor to help them to learn, to improve, to fix those sentences, paragraphs, scenes, even whole chapters that just don't work.

A good editor should never be afraid to tell their author when there is something in the story that simply isn't up to par.  The question is, how do you do it without upsetting your author?  How do you help them fix their story and expand their skills without offending them?  Let's face it, the majority of authors have fairly fragile egos and telling them that their story is a steaming pile of crap is probably not the best way of dealing with the situation.

Ideally, the best approach is to discuss with your author right at the start how they would like you to deal with problems with plotline, structure and weaknesses in their writing.  A gentle, but proactive approach is best.  Authors rarely know what they actually need from an editor.  Let's face it, there are very few authors who are truly capable of judging their own strengths and weaknesses, so it may be up to you, their editor, to spell it out to them.  Suggest to them that the best way to deal with such problems is for you to let them know if you spot something that isn't working.  Offer to provide notes to explain the problem and suggestions about how to fix it.

When you encounter a problem, don't be afraid to let your author know.  Sure, they might get a little frustrated, but isn't it better that they hear from you that their story isn't working in places rather than from the readers afterwards?  You need to be tactful, direct and, wherever possible, provide suggestions to help address the issues you encounter, but a good author will appreciate the opportunity to make their work the best it can possibly be rather than to publish something that is merely mediocre.

So, how do you go about it?  One of the mistakes many editors make is to attempt to rewrite difficult sections themselves.  Never do this.  You're an editor and even if you know you can do a better job of it than the author, your job is not to become the author, but to guide them, help them to learn how to improve, let them write their own story in their own words.  Think of it this way - when you're teaching someone to drive, you can get behind the wheel and demonstrate the manoeuvres as much as you like, but until they're in the driver's seat they'll never master the technique.  You can guide them, whisper words of encouragement in their ear, but if you do it for them they'll never learn.

When your author sends you a new chapter/story, read through it and be prepared to make notes about what you see.  Be honest.  When your author writes something that you really like, tell them.  If a section of the story moves you, let them know.  And where you see something that isn't working, be sure to tell them what, where and why.  Maybe your author won't be interested in correcting their mistake, but if they are really serious about their writing they will listen, learn and rework a section until it's just right.

The editing process isn't about getting a piece of text, looking it over and sending back a corrected version, it's about developing a story.  As an editor you play a vital role in the growth of your author, helping them expand their skills and making them the best that they can be.  If they have to rewrite a chapter a dozen times before it's right, so be it.  It's only through this process that an author can learn to master their craft and a story can go from being run-of-the-mill to a work of literary art.

© RHawes16