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nixie View Drop Down
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    Posted: 28 Jul 2016 at 12:15am
[subject proudly borrowed from the Starship Troopers screenplay]

The following is not ‘official’ in any way. It merely reflects my observations from participating in the forum. 

Veterans: If you have had a different experience or expectation, please comment!

Noobs: This should serve as a basic introduction, and get you started.


When Do I Post?

After you receive your confirmation e-mail from NYCM.  (Not the auto-message from Submittable, but the one that comes directly from NYCM a few days later)

Where Do I Post?

Creative Writing Corner is an open forum. This means that anyone on the internet can see what is here.  When posting links to stories, you are *strongly* advised to post in the forum for your contest – which can only be accessed by those in your contest.

What If I Posted in the Wrong Place?

You can't delete posts - even your own.  But you *can edit them.  Visit your post, click "post options" in the top right corner, and select the "edit" option.  You can then erase your text, replace it with a message that it was posted in error (sometimes, if you change the subject to "please delete - posted in error" the admins will take it down for you), or even add a link to your correct/preferred post.

What Do I Post?

Add a “New Topic” (this will start your very own thread - so be sure you do it from within your contest's forum, and not here in CWC) and in the subject, include the Challenge #, Group/Heat number, and the Title of your piece:

Ch2 Gr17 My Title

In the body of your post, include the prompts, title, and synopsis/logline

Link your story.

  • Pasting your story into a post means it will be here forever - you can't delete the post.  
  • Sharing your story read-only from your google drive, onedrive, or blog allows you to unshare, remove, or password-protect it later. 
  • Pasting the link without making it live (clickable) is sufficient - but there are lots of stories to read, and the time it takes to copy and paste that into a browser is enough to send some people on their way.  The easier you make it for people, the more people will respond :)

If you use Google, please note that if you are looking at your story, you can’t just copy the address from your browser – it will point users to their own google drive, or give a permissions error (depending on how you go about it).  Most reliable: look at your google drive.  See your story in the list of files? Right-click it and choose the option to share a link (or whatever they are calling it this week).  Make sure you chose “view” permissions – and use that link.

For additional info, check out JensPenDen's "How To Post Your Story To The Forum"! 

Wait – How Do I Link Stuff?

In the body of your post (for example, if you want the title of your story to be a clickable link to your story):

Type your text   “MY TITLE” - then highlight that text.

Click the 5th button on the toolbar (earth + links of chain)

In the box that comes up, leave the two drop-downs alone – you are looking for the third box, the text-box with no drop-down! If you selected text before clicking the link button, that text appears in this box.

Replace “MY TITLE”  with “myurl.com”  (note that I did *not include http:// in that – it will be added by that drop-down box just left of where you are typing.  If you include it here, your link will be http://http://myurl.com and will not work)

[step by step with images here]

Linking In Your Signature

This one is a bit more challenging because you have to do it like a programmer ;)  Some people link directly to their story in their signature, but it is probably preferable to link to your forum post – that way folks also know where to leave you feedback!!

To add a link to your signature:

  •        Click member control panel
  •        Click profile
  •        Scroll down til you see the box for your signature
  •        Follow the example below (Parentheses have been added in order to ensure the text is displayed and not 'interpreted" and presented as an actual link - replace them with square brackets.  Replace the first blue text with your link. Replace the second blue text with the 'friendly' words you want to appear in your signature)

 (URL=http://mylink.com) The text I want you to see (/URL)

 That says:

["this thing is a url"] "display this text*["/end of the url stuffs"]

There is a limit to the number of characters in your signature. (150 characters max)  If you have multiple entries in your signature and your edits don't seem to save - length is usually the issue.  Try a link shortener like Tinyurl to cut the length of your links. 

How Do I Get/Give Feedback?

Getting feedback:  Post in the forums, and review other peoples’ stories!

Giving Feedback:

  1. “I liked your story” is not really very helpful feedback.  While it is nice to hear, the point of feedback is to make us better writers.  So take a minute to talk about *why you liked (or disliked!) a piece.  What, as a writer, struck you?  Strong, defined characters? Descriptions that made it easy to visualize? Dialog that felt so real you thought you were standing there? Just as importantly, what didn’t work for you, and why didn’t it?  “I didn’t like X” isn’t very helpful either – talk about why X didn’t hit you quite right, or what felt off about it.
  2. It is customary to review the work of those who have reviewed yours.  If you do not return feedback, you will find that as time goes on people realize this and are less willing to invest in critiquing your stories.
  3. Think about what would help you as a writer – and start there.  With a short time and tight word count, we know everyone is rushed – a few minor typos or punctuation errors are going to creep in. Are they worth commenting on?  If it is every sentence – maybe.  But if is it a handful – maybe that’s not the most constructive thing you can offer your colleague.  

It’s hard work to come up with real, Writer-y feedback.  If you can’t think of any, it’s OK to say so.  That’s a statement in itself.  Take a minute to explain what you felt was right with the piece, in that event, so the author knows “what to do more of.” Don’t have time? It’s OK to let it lie and come back another day. Most writers will appreciate quality feedback over immediate response, so if you don’t have time to do it well, it’s OK to wait until you do. If you are worried about it, you can always pop a quick comment of “loved this – have more extensive feedback but no time to type – back to you tomorrow!”

Quality trumps instant gratification. Star


SPOILERS

Got something to say but don't want to ruin the fun for everyone else?  You can use the "SPOILER" code to hide your text.  here are the rules (As above, replace the () with square brackets):

(SPOILER)The word "spoiler" should be in all caps. Hitting "enter" will end the 'hide". If you need a line break, use shift+enter. When you're done, end your spoiler by adding

(/SPOILER)

(Same text, but with square brackets):

Spoiler Spoiler

The word "spoiler" should be in all caps. Hitting "enter" will end the 'hide". If you need a line break, use shift+enter. When you're done, end your spoiler by adding


*********

As I step away from managing the Master List, I am adding this link, with instructions for making and maintaining a master list.  As that task changes hand for any given contest, hopefully the info there will make it easier on each new person.



Edited by nixie - 30 Jul 2020 at 10:43pm
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (2) Thanks(2)   Quote Scarlet Screenwriter Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 Jul 2016 at 12:22am

Nixie?  You bucking for an Admin's job at NYCMMM?  You''re putting them to shame! 

Do you think it's worth making screen videos of the various steps for linking things etc.  ... not talking heads, just what's on your computer screen with voice over ... "how to" videos ...




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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote nixie Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 Jul 2016 at 12:28am
Originally posted by Scarlet Screenwriter Scarlet Screenwriter wrote:


Nixie?  You bucking for an Admin's job at NYCMMM?  You''re putting them to shame! 

Do you think it's worth making screen videos of the various steps for linking things etc.  ... not talking heads, just what's on your computer screen with voice over ... "how to" videos ...



I actually have docs with screenies for some of these processes - but, for very good reasons, NYCM does not allow attached files in the forum.  I am hesitant to link to external resources - someone who is feeling generous and offers web site space could go away, site could go away, etc. - so was looking to make as simple a 'one-stop' as I could.

And no - i already have a beyond-full-time job. lol  But I have spent nearly as much time in the last 48 hours sharing this info individually as I have spent on the List - and it is the same set of questions every time we have a new contest.  The info is scattered around the forums - if you know where to look. But the people who need it most have no way to know where to look. 

So am hoping to create a place where they can find it without too much trouble - and if they don't, that I can link rather than retyping, copying, pasting, etc. :)  So - how do I continue to be supportive of new folks - and lazy at the same time, so I can get some good reads in?  Voila! :)

Nix

(and p.s. - totally stole plkphoto's feedback post while i was at it!!!)

Anything else already in the forums that should be immediately stolen and added above for the new folks?


Edited by nixie - 28 Jul 2016 at 12:44am
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Scarlet Screenwriter Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 Jul 2016 at 1:27am

Never heard they didn't allow video files to be attached in the discussion forums ... of review forums ... unless it is a new rule ... I have dine it before ... You might have to put them on YouTube first ... I'll try one from YouTube and one from my web storage ... EDIT: IT SEEMS TO HAVE TO BE YOUTUBE LINKS ...






Edited by Scarlet Screenwriter - 28 Jul 2016 at 1:35am
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote plkphoto Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 Jul 2016 at 1:29am
I think that she's trying to write a post where nothing is hosted on an external site, just in case someone removes it or cancels their YouTube account, or something. That way this post can carry on from year to year.

Of course, nothing stopping people from adding cool links and videos in the comments! It's just the first post that would really need to carry over. Smile



Edited by plkphoto - 28 Jul 2016 at 1:30am
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote milesmum Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 Jul 2016 at 1:33am
Originally posted by Scarlet Screenwriter Scarlet Screenwriter wrote:


Nixie?  You bucking for an Admin's job at NYCMMM?  You''re putting them to shame! 

Do you think it's worth making screen videos of the various steps for linking things etc.  ... not talking heads, just what's on your computer screen with voice over ... "how to" videos ...


Totally! NYCM Academy!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Scarlet Screenwriter Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 Jul 2016 at 1:34am

Here's a YouTube uploaded "How To" screen recording ... So, I guess, everything must be uploaded to YouTube, which converts it to a Flash Video File ...









Edited by Scarlet Screenwriter - 28 Jul 2016 at 1:38am
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Scarlet Screenwriter Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 Jul 2016 at 1:39am
Originally posted by plkphoto plkphoto wrote:

I think that she's trying to write a post where nothing is hosted on an external site, just in case someone removes it or cancels their YouTube account, or something. That way this post can carry on from year to year.
Of course, nothing stopping people from adding cool links and videos in the comments! It's just the first post that would really need to carry over. Smile


I have created a personal YouTube channel with private uploads for family ... it seems to be forever ...




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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote plkphoto Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 Jul 2016 at 2:06am
Originally posted by Scarlet Screenwriter Scarlet Screenwriter wrote:

Originally posted by plkphoto plkphoto wrote:

I think that she's trying to write a post where nothing is hosted on an external site, just in case someone removes it or cancels their YouTube account, or something. That way this post can carry on from year to year.
Of course, nothing stopping people from adding cool links and videos in the comments! It's just the first post that would really need to carry over. Smile


I have created a personal YouTube channel with private uploads for family ... it seems to be forever ...



I like the how to videos - so it's great that you can do that. Smile

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Kmax Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 Jul 2016 at 2:47am
This is great thank you for doing this. I feel like I have followed the directions but i still cant create a link.
I got as far as shortening the Google Drive Link and that Bit.ly version opened fine in Facebook.
Im on a Mac and tried both Firefox and Safari and now I'm losing my mind.
This is as far as I can get. Looks right but doesn't come up in preview and on my other posts it doesn't work. Im guessing it wont here either. And yes-A video or screen shots would be super helpful for us newbies.

Dont Drink the Kool-Aid

http://bit.ly/2a4SYUh  
http://bit.ly/2a4SYUh
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