How To Work This Operation

[Galia Meobo]

Those of you who are new to this establishment: welcome. I'm glad that you chose to join this guild and be apart of the writing experience. If you haven't done so already, please go back and read the rules for this guild before continuing. They have vital information. If you've already read them, then continue to the next post biggrin  

[Galia Meobo]

I'm sure there are those of you out there that are wondering why I've posted a how-to when it should be obvious... Well, it's not as obvious as you may think. There is a certain way to go about posting in this guild since it is NOT a role playing guild and it's different from a regular discussion guild. So this is how you work this tricky operation:  

[Galia Meobo]

If you're BRAND SPANKIN' new to the guild:

I've let you in because you have proven to me that you have skill as a writer and can prove that your work is your own (unless I've made an exceptional agreement with you). You followed the directions for how to get yourself in to the letter and showed you are determined to be apart of this experience. You've also made an unwritten contract to me (the guild owner) that you will follow the rules.

As you have probably figured out. This is a guild for writers: novelists, authors, composers, poets, lyricists, etc... All literate and original work is accepted (parodies are harder to deal with). If you don't fit any of these, then your either here because you love to read original work or you got turned around on Gaia somewhere (a lot of us have been there, don't worry). There are two forums where people can post their works who don't have a subforum to their name: the Stories forum and the Poetry forum (lyrics go in the Poetry forum). There you are allowed to post your original works for other people to read and enjoy.

When you post a new work, I suggest that the post that is your work in the thread have a different post style from the rest so people can differentiate between commentary and the actual story/work (for an example, make a visit to the respective subforums).

If you would rather people not post anything in your threads and just send you a message or vote in a poll you've made, TELL THEM IN YOUR THREAD! People aren't going to respect your guidelines unless you tell them what they are. If you post a separate thread for discussion on one of your works, type the title of the thread your work is in and "discussion" in the title of your discussion thread. But I prefer you not create a separate thread for discussion since one of the two could get lost in translation.

Have fun biggrin  

[Galia Meobo]

If you have a subforum to your name:

I have done this because you are either 1) a known author on more than just Gaia, 2) have a lot of popular work that you've posted in the guild, or 3) Other details that are specific to you and I have discussed with you directly. Having your own subforum is a privilege, so abusing it will either get it taken from you or make me lock it temporarily.

This is something people that have them have rightfully earned. If you have your own subforum, the rules of the guild and Gaia still apply. But if you have more specific rules that you want people to follow (for example: "nobody else can post anywhere in my subforum"), send me a message with all the rules you have in mind, I'll review them, and post the ones that are within reason as an announcement thread in your subforum so it's the first thing people see when they come to read your work. Otherwise, they only have to stick to the rules already given by Gaia and this guild.

Post separate threads with the title of the work and "discussion" in the thread title to avoid clutter all over your work if you allow discussion of your work in your subforum. That way if some people have a lot to say about your work, it won't take over the thread you've posted it in. Also, make the posts that are your work a different style from commentary posts to avoid confusion. (for an example, see one of the subforums with a username for a title)  

[Galia Meobo]

If you're a reader/critic:

You have the most pressure on your shoulders to behave. You have made an unwritten contract with me (the guild owner) to be constructive and gentle with your criticism; to NOT start a debate or argument; and to be very detailed and very clear about the point you're trying to get across in your commentary when giving a writer feedback about their work. In a nutshell: BE NICE TO THE WRITERS AND THEY WILL BE NICE TO YOU!

I understand what it's like for someone to read your work and criticize it just for the sake of making the writer feel lower than them. It's happened TOO MANY times to me and many writers I know personally. Just because you have the power to correct a person doesn't give you the right to be dominating or rude. Your criticism is supposed to be a suggestion or advice, NOT rules or regulations. I understand helping a person fix grammatical or punctuation errors, but be nice about it. It's enough stress coming up with something to write about let alone writing it.

Follow the rules specific to each writer that has posted them, if you'd like to make a comment on someone's work and they've said they don't want posts in their thread save for their work, don't post in their thread. Follow their rules as well as the rules that this guild and Gaia have set in place.

And don't forget.... have fun heart  

[Galia Meobo]

Things that apply to all the writers here (an extra notation if you will):

-Unless your thread has multiple works in it, title the thread with the title of your work. It makes it easier to find specific writings when the title... is in the title.
-You will know if I am going to give you a subforum, and you have the right to decline one (though I doubt many people will). I will discuss the matter with you directly before I make the change to the guild, and any works you have posted elsewhere will be moved to the subforum that is to your name unless you make a different (and reasonable) request. All other matters, questions, and queries will be discussed directly, so don't panic.
-If you have any questions, queries, or comments about my rules, my setup, or me personally, please send me (Valiant Desolation) a message and I will get to you as soon as I am able. Like I have said before, I do have a life to tend to.