Welcome to Character and Plot Realism Q & A!
My name is karalianne (Janna), and I'm one of your moderators. I've been moderating this forum since 2006, so I'm pretty well-versed in how the forum works. Calliopes.Sin is my co-moderator this year, and we're going to be trying out a few things to see if we can make your experience better.
- Before you post a question thread, check the [TOPIC] threads (click on the Subject header and it will put them all together, or use the handy-dandy list we're maintaining right here on this thread) and have a peek at the Starting Your Research thread. Always try to find the answer on your own first!
- The moderators will create threads about specific topics. These threads will be identified by the header [TOPIC]. This should make things easier to find. Please do not create your own [TOPIC] threads! We will modify subject lines for threads that qualify for this distinction and leave a note in the message about it.
- Feel free to continue to create new threads to ask questions, if your question isn't covered by one of the [TOPIC] threads, or if it is covered by more than one. Do your best to make your subject line as specific as possible! This will make it easier for people perusing the forum to choose questions to answer. e.g., "Help!" is not helpful; "How would one make a shelter on a desert island?" is much better.
- If your question is specific to a particular location, please precede your subject with the country in question (e.g., Canada: What's the weather like in Toronto? vs How many boats in the harbour at Victoria?).
- Be aware that any threads with a reply (including a "bump") will be removed from the list of threads that need replies. This doesn't mean you can't bump your threads (as it says elsewhere, you are allowed to do this!) it just means that they won't be kept in the list if they've been bumped. ("Bumping" is when you post a reply to your own thread to move it back to the top of the list of threads on the forum. Since the list here also draws attention to your post, you'll want to think about whether you want to attract the attention of people who don't check this post daily or just let it be.)
- Be nice to each other! Please don't pick on anybody. This is not the place to call people names or tell them they're stupid for not knowing something. Rather, it's a place for the sharing of expertise and knowledge.
- Please try to keep your language clean; this may not be an all-ages forum, but some people are more sensitive than others. If you can note "strong language" or "sensitive material" in your subject lines, that will help others know what to expect. (This is more a suggestion than it is a rule.)
- If you have a question that is very sensitive in nature, and you aren't comfortable asking it in the forum yourself, you may PM the user fshk with your question. She will then post it and note that it's an anonymous question. Don't worry, fshk is an ML and is very trust-worthy! (Of course, if you would rather not ask her because you know her in real life, feel free to ask either myself or Calliopes.Sin instead.)
So, basically, if you're an expert on something, keep an eye on the [TOPIC] thread that pertains to your area of expertise. You can also check the list of threads that need replies that is maintained here in this post. When a new post appears, or a new question is posted, be sure to check it out so you can offer your input if you are able to help out. We try to keep the lists in this post updated daily, but sometimes we fall behind. We don't like that, as it makes for a LOT of work when we do get to it! The date displayed in the subject line is the last day the lists were updated.
A good way to keep track of threads is to 'subscribe' to them. At the bottom of the initial post to a thread, you will see a little arrow followed by the word "Subscribe." If you click on this, an option will appear below it. Click the checkbox to the left of the words "Subscribe to this page" and you will be sent notifications (you can manage how these arrive via 'My NaNoWriMo' > 'Manage Notifications').
This is sort of how we did the forum a couple of years ago, with some modifications. Last year, the PM list of experts was incredibly difficult to maintain, and we moderators think that it will be better to share your expertise with the whole forum!
Thanks for your attention to this matter, and happy writing!
Questions, comments, criticisms, etc. may be directed to either myself or Calliopes.Sin at any time.
You can find the thread about the questions in the forum description here; please don't make more of these!
[TOPIC] Threads (alphabetical by subject line)
Abortion
Acrobats/circuses
Acting (film)
Amnesia
Amputation
Anxiety Disorders
The Army
Art School
Asthma
Ballet
Bathroom Graffiti
bipolar experiences
Birth Defects
Blindness
BULLIES!
Cameras
Cancer
Catholics
Character Names
Child Abuse
Child Development?
Child Prodigies
Children and their abilities
Claustrophobia
Cloning
Coeliac Disease
Color Names
Colorblindness
Concussions...?
Court case proceedings?
Cystic Fibrosis - the personal experience
Deafness, Deaf culture, and Gallaudet
Dictatorships
Diabetes
Diseases
Down's Syndrome
Drugs
Dyslexia?
Electrocution
Emancipation
Epilepsy?
Farming
Female pirates
The Flu
Forensics
Foster homes/adoption?
Funeral
Furries!
Golden Eagles
Gymnastics
Gypsies
Hauntings
Heart Defects and Effects
Herbalism
HIV/AIDS
Horses
Hospitals
Hypothermia
Indonesia
Italy
Kidney failure
Kissing?
List of Mythological Creatures?
Long-Term Disability
Magazine publishing
Medical Allergies
Medical Ethics
Mental Illness
Mining
Motorcycles: Harley models, helmets and conversations, riding sidesaddle and tickets
Movie Quotes
Muteness
Nanotechnology?
Necromancy
OCD
Orangutans
Orphanages
Paramedics, EMTs, and Ambulances
Paranormal Investigations
PHOTOGRAPHERS?
Psychiatric hospitals
Psychic investigators
Psychology
rape
Schizophrenia
Suicides
Superpowers
Traumatic Brain Injury
Twins
USA: Adoption
USA: City of New York: A Guide
USA: College
USA: Foreign Adoption
USA: Life in Florida
Vampires
Werewolves
Women in the military
Your first kiss...
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-Janna
NaNoWriMo Co-ML, Calgary
NaNoWriMo Moderator, Character & Plot Q&A
NaNoWriMo Moderator, All-Ages Coffee House
NaNoEdMo ML, Canada
ScriptFrenzy ML, Alberta
http://chatnano.net
The Book of Tim
50,060 / 50,000
Sep 28, 2008 - 02 44
Ignore this. I am officially an idiot.
14,750 / 50,000
Okt 15, 2008 - 20 35
I have a question - is there anyway to find where you posted comments already? So that you can see what other people have written since or if you helped at all??
50,321 / 50,000
Okt 18, 2008 - 15 16
Right now, it looks like the best way to do that is to Subscribe to the thread. You can then check on it easily enough from My NaNoWriMo>Manage Notifications>Pages - that will list the threads you're subscribed to, and you can click on the title to see how things are going.
0 / 50,000
Okt 19, 2008 - 17 33
How do you create a new forum?
50,091 / 50,000
Okt 20, 2008 - 18 23
You don't. Only administrators can create new forums, and we will accept suggestions, although there are no guarantees. IF you'd like to suggest a new forum, feel free to post in the Suggestions forum.
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Heather
Forums Moderator
2,339 / 50,000
Okt 21, 2008 - 16 27
I know how to check a thread I already subscribe to.
But how do I subscribe to a new one!?
69,059 / 50,000
Okt 22, 2008 - 12 47
First post of the thread has the Subscribe pop-down menu thingy.
51,498 / 50,000
Nov 4, 2008 - 17 26
If I had a thread that needed a reply, would I PM you with the link or just post it here?
Thank you.
14,852 / 50,000
Nov 8, 2008 - 14 45
Err, too much clarity confuses me. Sorry. I'm an idiot.
I looked at the topics and I didn't see a thread that matches my question. But, you are saying that I can't start a new topic?
I need to kill a character, he's going to choke to death. But the whole death site, with burial customs, isn't what i need.
I guess I'll go google death and choking and find info the old fashioned way. But, great forums btw, the feedback people give on the message boards are so much more fun than plain old googling. ;)
50,321 / 50,000
Nov 8, 2008 - 16 41
No, you can post a new thread, just don't put a [TOPIC] tag at the beginning of the subject line.
50,321 / 50,000
Nov 8, 2008 - 16 42
You can "bump" the thread (by replying to it yourself) or hold off until I have time to update the list of threads. I will find it eventually, I promise!
If you can't wait, just PM me the URL and I'll add it.
50,656 / 50,000
Nov 10, 2008 - 06 05
How do I search this forum for a thread I created last week, and to which I thought I'd subscribed twice before? I am not subscribed, and I have tried every way I know how to find it again with no success. Help.
50,321 / 50,000
Nov 10, 2008 - 17 03
PM me with the subject line and approximate date. I will see if I can locate it for you.
If you can't remember the subject line, if you can remember what it was about, that will help.
28,765 / 50,000
Nov 12, 2008 - 12 55
My main character is a model but i know next tonothing about modeling, given i have never done it in my life! What is the avergae process to become a model? How do you find out about photo shoots? What is the average age of a model? Anything and everything is welcome!!!
59,948 / 50,000
Nov 24, 2008 - 22 39
Is there a search feature for these forums, for the sake of tracking down old threads?
50,091 / 50,000
Nov 26, 2008 - 08 29
There is, but it is currently disabled. You can use Google to search the site by adding "site:nanowrimo.org" to the search terms.
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Heather Dudley
Forums Moderator - Broke? You can still donate!
Have you read our Codes of Conduct for the forums yet?