Site Suggestions/Regeneration

[Logan]

We are a product of the rubric to which we write to. We write for the score, more times than not, because it brings with it recognition of our ability to write and to do so in an eloquent manner.

I am all for mass recruiting, because what are legends if there are none left to speak of them?

It would be great to see the current make-up of the "Althanas Core" go on to become prestigious writers, but frankly I'm more interested in seeing Althanas grow once more.

It is in growth that we are challenged most of all. It is one thing to write your best work when you are questing with a brilliant author who works with you. It is quite another to take a young writer under your wings and help him grow to become as good as, nay I dare say better, than yourself.

Thank you, Sighter, for posting in this thread and bringing to the forefront anew.

[Taskmienster]

Logan, you know melodramatic writing isn't necessary for OOC posts... right? Lol

[Sighter Tnailog]

I'm going to say something about Logan's point because the rubric lies as the key structural driver of elitist thinking on Althanas. I want to say that I think JUDGING IS GOOD. It makes Althanas what it is, and we should take solace in the fact that we do have a lot of talented folks working and writing on this site. But it contains the dangers inherent in comparison and competition; we work for scores, not for fun, and we decide over time that the rubric rules the roost when it comes to determining quality.

I am largely responsible for the current rubric. I solidified its current category scheme, I spearheaded its adoption by the moderators, I goaded the then-administration into its adoption, etc. It is my baby.

And what an ugly baby.

I think the rubric is wonderful in a lot of ways, and I might even use it one day in grading papers for a future class. But for our purposes, I think it is deficient. I think it tilted the balance of the game too much in the direction of a writing contest and too far away from the fantasy and diversion that attracts newer players.

I've often thought we might find a way to rehabilitate the old rubrics, the ones that were simpler and less sophisticated, but fairly self-explanatory and more attuned to the demographic the game attracts.

At the same time, the current rubric might call people who would otherwise not develop to stretch themselves beyond "simpler and less sophisticated" categories into something deeper and more mature.

I don't pretend to know the perfect solution. And I think "let people choose the rubric they want!" is silly, as new people will see three enormous rubrics they have to choose from and be immediately turned off by it.

For comparison's sake, if anyone is interested in the history of the rubric...

1st Rubric
Setting
Style
Coherence
Character
Creativity
Dialogue
Brevity
Weaponry
Conclusion
Wild Card

2nd Rubric
Introduction
Setting
Strategy
Writing Style
Rising Action
Character
Dialogue
Climax
Conclusion
Wild Card

With all this in mind!

While the rubric is important and all to attracting new players, it is not the most important factor.

I'm going to present what I think are the three critical elements of Althanas' flourishing.

1. Althanas works best when it has a large number of students in high school -- or whatever is the equivalent for our non-American friends. High schoolers are generally learning something. They are growing, they are changing, they are at a creative moment in their lives when their style is developing and maturing. Althanas can benefit from their productivity, free time, and exploration by providing them a simple service: a free, open environment in which to grow.

If you are in high school, invite your friends to Althanas. Some of them will suck. But honestly, the Althanas flourished precisely at that time when we had a lot of people in high school and their friends active and posting.

2. Althanas works best with a mixture of unformed and developing content. Instead of thinking of continent writing as a "fanfiction" exercise, where other players will have the "opportunity" to play around in someone else's creation, we should think of it as a collaborative project. Raiaera always worked best when I was willing to let it go and surrender control -- to let others paint it with their own ideas and development.

To this end, Althanas content needs periodic rebooting and cleaning. The time is fast approaching when my own continental baby, Raiaera, may need something of a similar reboot. And long-standing aspects of our tradition -- the Eternal Tap, the Wars of the Tap, the Demon Wars, etc. -- may need updating, revision, and emendment.

Don't be afraid to change the past. This is JUST a writing game. Althanas is not real. (Sage wisdom for those among you who seek truth: Althanas actually is real. Your job is to construe the world it creates in order to summon that reality which deserves to be. Go read Mircea Eliade and then follow it up with Tolkien's "On Fairy Stories" and conclude with a jaunt through the interviews and public appearances of China Mieville.)

3. Be good to one another. No community can exist without this simple commandment.

[Saxon]

1. Althanas works best when it has a large number of students in high school -- or whatever is the equivalent for our non-American friends. High schoolers are generally learning something. They are growing, they are changing, they are at a creative moment in their lives when their style is developing and maturing. Althanas can benefit from their productivity, free time, and exploration by providing them a simple service: a free, open environment in which to grow.

If you are in high school, invite your friends to Althanas. Some of them will suck. But honestly, the Althanas flourished precisely at that time when we had a lot of people in high school and their friends active and posting.

You make Althanas sound like some sort of machine bent on pedophilia, taking in high schoolers through a revolving door and quickly losing interest in them once they graduate/turn of age. =P

I agree, though. Much of Althanas's population has been fueled by high schoolers, and since we almost have multiple generations of members on Althanas it can probably be said that each generation was populated majorly by people in that demographic. While that's always been the status quo, I think we should also appeal to people of the college level and beyond, even if we do so already. I mean, everyone is green behind the ears no matter what age you are when you're starting out, so it'd probably be a good idea to recruit by expanding our target demographic rather then focus on what we've always had.

Having high school students join has it's advantages in that they're already learning, experimental and fairly flexible to new things. But, they also have their disadvantages. You can average about 4 years of gauranteed uninterrupted activity from a high schooler until they graduate if they maintain an active role as a member of Althanas, but once college or whatever hits they tend to fall off the wagon. And not usually by disinterest but because of time management.

I think instead of trying to maintain the revolving door we always had, we should also be focusing on some air of permanency in the members we attain. A way of accomplishing that is to try and also appeal to people who already have gone through the upheaval with their lives of moving out, working, college, etc. and can afford more time to spend doing as they please. This would yield not only more activity but a less volatile member base that is less affected by the change of the seasons during the year unlike what we have now.

Just a thought.

2. Althanas works best with a mixture of unformed and developing content. Instead of thinking of continent writing as a "fanfiction" exercise, where other players will have the "opportunity" to play around in someone else's creation, we should think of it as a collaborative project. Raiaera always worked best when I was willing to let it go and surrender control -- to let others paint it with their own ideas and development.

This is already in the process of being done, I think. I've also thought that regions should be more hands-on for the players with events and activities and less about giving them stuff to do because it's the standard. Ways of accomplishing this is providing them good reference material to draw from for their quests so they'll end up incorporating stuff from the region themselves, and in effect are region-writing themselves. Other ways would be creating events occurring within the region that draw players in and allow them to make the choices that direct the story and the region in a particular direction. I think the death of activity within a region lies in either too much structure or static events like mission boards with little input on the players on what happens to the region overall.

However, I do not think that any of this needs to be accomplished by repeatedly hosting global events for the sake of getting everyone involved in something massive. Big events are shiny and attractive on the onset, but it's been repeatedly proven that these events tend to either stall out or crash and burn more then four or six months out. This applies to events that have affected regions specifically, i.e. NOT tournaments. Things like the FQ or the Adventurer's Crown are nice, grand ideas on paper, but I think the logistics of them once tackled are a nightmare if not seen through appropriately.

Instead of repeating this cycle over and over again, I propose we focus more on domestic events and activities within regions with limited inter-regional cross-overs unless properly coordinated. It'd keep the plans small and within the control of region writers, allowing them more margin for error, creative freedom and practice with management so that when we actually get into big events on a global scale we're all prepared to work together in planning and execution of said event.

With that, I've got something I want to add to your list;

4) Leadership - I know it's said a lot in these forums that the staff or people in charge of a event are blamed when the shit hits the fan, but I think there needs to be a reminder of what leadership and management is for administering these events. Neither of them are done well or even good when the person in charge of the event is doing all of the work themselves. Good leadership and management is not killing yourself in order to get an event done or quitting halfway through it.

Each section of the staff has multiple people on it for a reason, and I think the head honchos for these events in the future need to practice and take advantage of the art of delegating work to the people they have assigned to them instead of trying to take on the majority of the work themselves. This tends to lead to more mistakes and leaving the leader holding the bag when the other members of a staff for a event aren't assigned stuff to work on for the overall event. When using your team and working with them, you open up far more freedom for yourself to work on leading the project instead of developing it, which will allow you to plan further ahead and not play it by ear.

Have a plan, work on it with others and give them room to assist you on creating the desired result for your project. Simple, effective logic, but very often it's misused or even not used at all.

[oblueknighto]

I've fought against solo quests precisely because they encourage insularity; the thought that never would someone deign to risk letting someone else mess up their perfectly crafted prose.

I follow this, though sometimes it is just impossible to find someone who is willing to write with you. Crazy, I know. I also don't really like the rubric and I've never really looked at it but I read the comments for me and other people.

Oh yea, I'm in high school and told people about RPing and all but they don't really like writing. Nobody.

Good points everybody and yes it's a game. A role playing game.

[Requiem of Insanity]

Ya, but are not solo's in their own way writing?

I mean, if your going to fight about getting people to write, why are you against one of its base forms? So what, people want to write a story by themselves and have it critiqued. Big whoop. Not everyone is into writing a solid post, but then having to wait three four and sometimes weeks for one post in a story. It's silly, ruins the fun, and crushes people's desire to write on the site.

I mean, we all have been there. We write with someone then they go off into the sunset looking into the light and, *poof*, we never see them again. It's mind bogglingly annoying. At least with a solo you can write at your own pace, enjoy the story your writing, and not feel pressured to throw up some garbage scribblings just so other people won't castrate your cat for not posting.

I'm all for recruiting, and for getting the people to write more on the site as groups, but if we're going to preach about how the purpose of this site is to "WRITE" then let's not get negative feelings towards all the aspects of it.

[Duffy]

2nd Rubric
Introduction
Setting
Strategy
Writing Style
Rising Action
Character
Dialogue
Climax
Conclusion
Wild Card

My scores would be considerably higher if we used this Rubric...

[oblueknighto]

Ya, but are not solo's in their own way writing?

Yea, they are writing in their own way but what's the point of having it on Althanas if it's a solo? I find no fun in that since Althanas is a writing community where we write together. If anybody wants to write solo's all the time they can do as they please but then why bother posting it on Althanas? Why bother even having solo's? Why bother join Althanas in the first place?

Rubric this rubric that... it all roots from the rubric telling people that this sucks and that doesn't, that is how you write. There shouldn't be a 'correct' way of writing though grammar and spelling should be right. Just too annoying when everybody writes differently and they have to be marked, changes in everything. Too harsh on the judges because they need to put scores with these things when all writing is so different.

[Tainted Bushido]

Yea, they are writing in their own way but what's the point of having it on Althanas if it's a solo? I find no fun in that since Althanas is a writing community where we write together. If anybody wants to write solo's all the time they can do as they please but then why bother posting it on Althanas? Why bother even having solo's? Why bother join Althanas in the first place?

There is a time and place for solos. Now, making all your content, solely the property of Solos is one thing. It creates a faux atmosphere of elitism, where people WANT to write with certain characters. (Valentina Snow was notorious for this. She used to only write with a handful of people and everything else was a solo) However, to deny that sometimes its better to develop a character solo without others pushing and prodding is also an unfair treatment. They have their place like anything else. I disagree with the credo "No solo's, ever!"

Rubric this rubric that... it all roots from the rubric telling people that this sucks and that doesn't, that is how you write. There shouldn't be a 'correct' way of writing though grammar and spelling should be right. Just too annoying when everybody writes differently and they have to be marked, changes in everything. Too harsh on the judges because they need to put scores with these things when all writing is so different.

And this is true too. The rubric is meant to be suggestions on how to advance your hobby as a writer. Its like writing a short story then giving it to a friend to see what they think. I used to be that guy in high school, when I would ignore my geometry teacher and write stories because I thought I was the hot shit. Many of those ideas were abandoned as I matured as a writer, but occasionally a thought or idea from that era seeps through.

The point is, the site was designed as a form of creative writing workshop. The Rubric was created as a means of adjudicating the sorts of things that enhance creative writing. I remember vehemently opposing the changing of the rubric, almost as hard as I opposed changing the bazaar.

Then again Sighter can tell you I was against a lot of policy changes, citing that putting more restrictions down hinders the experience, where free form was the way to go. Am I right? Probably not. In the end I think I'm just too lax about policy to really give a damn one way or another.

However the point of the rubric is to give you pointers on how to improve, it should not and cannot become the sole reason you work on the site. The second that becomes true, its time to put that rubric out to pasture and shoot it. Its become a menace to the society it was meant to help. Now, is a rubric perfect? That goes into a philosophical debate about how Humanity can only create imperfect constructs, due to our imperfect nature. We cannot fathom perfection, yet strive to achieve it, and in not achieving that, we either do one of two things;

1) Forfeit the contest and stop trying, realizing perfection is unachievable and hence the entire exercise is without merit.

OR

2) Double down and keep trying, working on the problems you have and pushing them forward. You may not achieve perfection, but you will continue to try until you can.

Neither are healthy attitudes and are rather extremist. These are the worst case scenarios. There is a happy medium between them, but really when you look at the people that stay on site, its usually in regards to how this site is judged. I get more people complaining or arguing with the critiques of their threads than anything.

[oblueknighto]

I disagree with the credo "No solo's, ever!"

Hmm, I must say that I personally don't have any ideas of my own. I try to avoid solo's but it's that isn't always the case with people, since people have their own lives and all. It isn't good to be too straightforward either, it's not very good to put things at extremes with 'never' and 'always'.

1) Forfeit the contest and stop trying, realizing perfection is unachievable and hence the entire exercise is without merit.
OR
2) Double down and keep trying, working on the problems you have and pushing them forward. You may not achieve perfection, but you will continue to try until you can.

I write for fun, is that a problem? Simple because I enjoy writing stories about random characters, that is why I join PbP RPing sites like these. I think this sort of RPing is the most entertaining where you don't know what your character is going to do until the other characters make some kind of influence on them.

I don't really know what it's like to be a writer but I guess it would be hard work yet rewarding. Most of the things in like are like that.