ANNOUNCEMENT - Tiered Memberships (April Fools Day Prank)

Birol

Around and About
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 11, 2005
Messages
14,759
Reaction score
2,998
Location
That's a good question right now.
After listening to the requests of Absolute Write members, and after much consideration, it has been decided to divide AW into tiers. Based upon each person's knowledge of craft, knowledge of the business of writing, and professional achievement and skill, they will be allowed to more advanced areas of Absolute Write. Members registered before January 1, 2010 will be temporarily grandfathered in, but all members who joined on or after January 1st will be required to take a test to evaluate whether they are a Beginner Writer, Developing Writer, or Established Writer.

With each level, access to different parts of Absolute Write will be granted. We hope this will allow the more advanced writers the opportunities to have more in depth conversations and avoid the weariness that comes from answering the same questions repeatedly.

At this time, the techies are in the process of completing the tiered version of AW, but it has been decided to present the test for those of you who will need to take it. It is presented in three distinct parts. Answers can be e-mailed to Birol at lori(at)royell(dot)org. Should you have any questions, they can also be directed to Birol through e-mail.

Just one further note, I know many of you will think this is part of AW's annual April 1st prank. It is not. The date of the roll out is a coincidence. It was decided we could not wait any longer to make this change and would begin to do so on the first of the month, regardless of what connotations that date may otherwise hold.

We are certain there will be some initial concerns as well as some technical difficulties as we unroll this next stage of AW's development. We appreciate your cooperation during this period of transition.


PART I - This portion of the test evaluates your knowledge of craft, as defined by the mechanical aspects of language (grammar, punctuation, etc.) and knowledge of literature and literary history.

  1. Define the following parts of speech: noun, verb, adjective, adverb, conjuction, preposition, article, pronoun, subject, object, infinitive phrase.
  2. Diagram the following sentences: A) The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. B) We laymen have always been intensely curious to know -- like the cardinal who put a similar question to Ariosto -- from what sources that strange being, the creative writer, draws his material, and how he manages to make such an impression on us with it and to arouse in us emotions of which, perhaps, we had not even thought ourselves capable.
  3. Serial comma: What is it? Do you use it or not? Why?
  4. What is an independent clause? What is a dependent clause?
  5. How many ways can you punctuate the following sentence (show your work): Woman without her man is nothing
  6. According to Aristotle, what was the poet's role in society?
  7. What is the difference between Bildungsroman and Kunstlerroman?
  8. What earlier work did Virgil use as the thematic and structural basis for his Aeneid?
  9. What Roman poet and author was banished by the Emperor Augustus for immorality because of his work Ars Amatoria?
  10. Cinderella is considered the most wide-spread fairy tales and has served as a basis for many stories and movies. What element of the classic western Cinderella fairy tale leads scholars to believe it might have its origins in Asia? Why?
  11. What historical event of 1825 inspired Tolstoy to write War And Peace?
  12. Compare and contrast the works of William Shakespeare, Charles Dickens, and Mark Twain.
  13. Explain the difference between a haiku and a limerick.
  14. What's the definition of a sonnet? Name all the sonnet types. What differentiates the sonnet types from each other? Be specific.
  15. If you were to adapt a novel into a screenplay, what types of changes might you have to make?
  16. Translate the following passage into modern English:
    ond þa gyddode guþe gefysed;
    Beowulf maþelode, bearn Ecgþeowes:
    "Ic þæt hogode, þa ic on holm gestah,
    sæbat gesæt mid minra secga gedriht,
    þæt ic anunga eowra leoda
    635
    willan geworhte oþðe on wæl crunge,
    feondgrapum fæst. Ic gefremman sceal
    eorlic ellen, oþðe endedæg
    on þisse meoduhealle minne gebidan."
    ðam wife þa word wel licodon,
    640
    gilpcwide Geates; eode goldhroden
    freolicu folccwen to hire frean sittan.

PART II - This part of the test evaluates your knowledge of the business of publishing.

  1. In the US, do you have to register your work before it is copyrighted? What benefits are gained by registering a copyright? Do you need to copyright your work before submitting it? Why or why not?
  2. What is the Poor Man's Copyright? Is it legally valid?
  3. What is the difference between a query letter, a synopsis, and a proposal? Under what circumstances would you use each?
  4. How does a query letter for article-length non-fiction differ from a query letter for a novel? How are they the same?
  5. Define writing on spec(ulation) and work-for-hire.
  6. What are the differences between a short story, a novella, and a novel? How are they the same?
  7. What does it mean for a script to be optioned?
  8. What is the difference between a content editor, acquisitions editor, copy editor, and editor-in-chief?
  9. Is it necessary to have your manuscript professionally edited before submitting it?
  10. What is a SASE? When do you use one?
  11. Define semi-pro and pro market. What determines which is which? Provide an example of each.
  12. Your best friend has just been accepted by Publish America. What do you tell them?
  13. What is the Author's Big Mistake? What is the best way to avoid it?
  14. If an author outlines their work, is it necessary to use Roman numerals?
  15. What are writer's guidelines? How do you locate them?
  16. Name three ways to research potential markets for your preferred type of writing.
  17. How many minutes of screen time are represented by each page of a script?
  18. If an editor or agent requests three chapters from your manuscript, which three do you send? The first three, the last three, a chapter from the beginning, middle, and end, or the three best chapters?
  19. In the agent-author relationship, who is the boss?
  20. In the US, where can an author get medical insurance?

PART III

  1. Submit either a resume of your published writing credits OR a 15-20 page writing sample. (Poets and songwriters may submit 5-10 poems/lyrics.)
  2. Sumbit a plan of your career goals and objectives and a detailed outline of how you intend to achieve them.

All documents should be submitted as either .rtf or .doc files e-mailed to lori(at)royell(dot)org. (A special e-mail address will be created later.) Writing samples should be double-spaced, TNR 12, with one-inch margins. Poems and lyrics can be formatted as the writer sees fit.
__________________
 

Birol

Around and About
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 11, 2005
Messages
14,759
Reaction score
2,998
Location
That's a good question right now.
ANNOUNCEMENT - Tiered Memberships

After listening to the requests of Absolute Write members, and after much consideration, it has been decided to divide AW into tiers. Based upon each person's knowledge of craft, knowledge of the business of writing, and professional achievement and skill, they will be allowed to more advanced areas of Absolute Write. Members registered before January 1, 2010 will be temporarily grandfathered in, but all members who joined on or after January 1st will be required to take a test to evaluate whether they are a Beginner Writer, Developing Writer, or Established Writer.

With each level, access to different parts of Absolute Write will be granted. We hope this will allow the more advanced writers the opportunities to have more in depth conversations and avoid the weariness that comes from answering the same questions repeatedly.

At this time, the techies are in the process of completing the tiered version of AW, but it has been decided to present the test for those of you who will need to take it. It is presented in three distinct parts. Answers can be e-mailed to Birol at lori(at)royell(dot)org. Should you have any questions, they can also be directed to Birol through e-mail.

Just one further note, I know many of you will think this is part of AW's annual April 1st prank. It is not. The date of the roll out is a coincidence. It was decided we could not wait any longer to make this change and would begin to do so on the first of the month, regardless of what connotations that date may otherwise hold.

We are certain there will be some initial concerns as well as some technical difficulties as we unroll this next stage of AW's development. We appreciate your cooperation during this period of transition.


PART I - This portion of the test evaluates your knowledge of craft, as defined by the mechanical aspects of language (grammar, punctuation, etc.) and knowledge of literature and literary history.

  1. Define the following parts of speech: noun, verb, adjective, adverb, conjuction, preposition, article, pronoun, subject, object, infinitive phrase.
  2. Diagram the following sentences: A) The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. B) We laymen have always been intensely curious to know -- like the cardinal who put a similar question to Ariosto -- from what sources that strange being, the creative writer, draws his material, and how he manages to make such an impression on us with it and to arouse in us emotions of which, perhaps, we had not even thought ourselves capable.
  3. Serial comma: What is it? Do you use it or not? Why?
  4. What is an independent clause? What is a dependent clause?
  5. How many ways can you punctuate the following sentence (show your work): Woman without her man is nothing
  6. According to Aristotle, what was the poet's role in society?
  7. What is the difference between Bildungsroman and Kunstlerroman?
  8. What earlier work did Virgil use as the thematic and structural basis for his Aeneid?
  9. What Roman poet and author was banished by the Emperor Augustus for immorality because of his work Ars Amatoria?
  10. Cinderella is considered the most wide-spread fairy tales and has served as a basis for many stories and movies. What element of the classic western Cinderella fairy tale leads scholars to believe it might have its origins in Asia? Why?
  11. What historical event of 1825 inspired Tolstoy to write War And Peace?
  12. Compare and contrast the works of William Shakespeare, Charles Dickens, and Mark Twain.
  13. Explain the difference between a haiku and a limerick.
  14. What's the definition of a sonnet? Name all the sonnet types. What differentiates the sonnet types from each other? Be specific.
  15. If you were to adapt a novel into a screenplay, what types of changes might you have to make?
  16. Translate the following passage into modern English:
    ond þa gyddode guþe gefysed;
    Beowulf maþelode, bearn Ecgþeowes:
    "Ic þæt hogode, þa ic on holm gestah,
    sæbat gesæt mid minra secga gedriht,
    þæt ic anunga eowra leoda
    635
    willan geworhte oþðe on wæl crunge,
    feondgrapum fæst. Ic gefremman sceal
    eorlic ellen, oþðe endedæg
    on þisse meoduhealle minne gebidan."
    ðam wife þa word wel licodon,
    640
    gilpcwide Geates; eode goldhroden
    freolicu folccwen to hire frean sittan.

PART II - This part of the test evaluates your knowledge of the business of publishing.

  1. In the US, do you have to register your work before it is copyrighted? What benefits are gained by registering a copyright? Do you need to copyright your work before submitting it? Why or why not?
  2. What is the Poor Man's Copyright? Is it legally valid?
  3. What is the difference between a query letter, a synopsis, and a proposal? Under what circumstances would you use each?
  4. How does a query letter for article-length non-fiction differ from a query letter for a novel? How are they the same?
  5. Define writing on spec(ulation) and work-for-hire.
  6. What are the differences between a short story, a novella, and a novel? How are they the same?
  7. What does it mean for a script to be optioned?
  8. What is the difference between a content editor, acquisitions editor, copy editor, and editor-in-chief?
  9. Is it necessary to have your manuscript professionally edited before submitting it?
  10. What is a SASE? When do you use one?
  11. Define semi-pro and pro market. What determines which is which? Provide an example of each.
  12. Your best friend has just been accepted by Publish America. What do you tell them?
  13. What is the Author's Big Mistake? What is the best way to avoid it?
  14. If an author outlines their work, is it necessary to use Roman numerals?
  15. What are writer's guidelines? How do you locate them?
  16. Name three ways to research potential markets for your preferred type of writing.
  17. How many minutes of screen time are represented by each page of a script?
  18. If an editor or agent requests three chapters from your manuscript, which three do you send? The first three, the last three, a chapter from the beginning, middle, and end, or the three best chapters?
  19. In the agent-author relationship, who is the boss?
  20. In the US, where can an author get medical insurance?

PART III

  1. Submit either a resume of your published writing credits OR a 15-20 page writing sample. (Poets and songwriters may submit 5-10 poems/lyrics.)
  2. Sumbit a plan of your career goals and objectives and a detailed outline of how you intend to achieve them.

All documents should be submitted as either .rtf or .doc files e-mailed to lori(at)royell(dot)org. (A special e-mail address will be created later.) Writing samples should be double-spaced, TNR 12, with one-inch margins. Poems and lyrics can be formatted as the writer sees fit.
__________________
 

Kateness

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jan 12, 2010
Messages
2,716
Reaction score
884
Location
Wilmington, DE
Website
kateness.wordpress.com
Well, I know that I shall get on this immediately! I don't want to be denied certain privileges of this board.

And I'm so sure that I'm the super-best-undiscovered-Stephen-King-writer-ever that I shan't have the slightest degree of difficulty in passing your exam!
 

brokenfingers

Walkin' That Road
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Mar 17, 2005
Messages
6,072
Reaction score
4,324
I'm all for it.

Can we have a hazing too?
 

aadams73

A Work in Progress
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 12, 2005
Messages
9,901
Reaction score
6,428
Location
Oregon
  1. ond þa gyddode guþe gefysed;
    Beowulf maþelode, bearn Ecgþeowes:
    "Ic þæt hogode, þa ic on holm gestah,
    sæbat gesæt mid minra secga gedriht,
    þæt ic anunga eowra leoda
    635
    willan geworhte oþðe on wæl crunge,
    feondgrapum fæst. Ic gefremman sceal
    eorlic ellen, oþðe endedæg
    on þisse meoduhealle minne gebidan."
    ðam wife þa word wel licodon,
    640
    gilpcwide Geates; eode goldhroden
    freolicu folccwen to hire frean sittan.

I know this one!

"There once was a man from Nantucket..."
 

Silent Rob

Riff-Raff
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jul 8, 2009
Messages
48,116
Reaction score
12,938
I uploaded my answers telepathically, please check your brain.

It may well be that I've already failed, because I seem to spend an inordinate amount of time in office party.
 

Bufty

Where have the last ten years gone?
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
May 9, 2005
Messages
16,768
Reaction score
4,663
Location
Scotland
Change is all well and good, but -and it's a huge butt (maybe like Scarlet P's but don't tell her I said that, for God's sake).

I am a genuine grandfather and I strongly object to those who are not grandfathers being granted that status and grandfathered in to the illustrious upper tier here simply because they registered prior to January 1st 2010. They could be idiots - or folk from outer space like Silent Rob.

I had to work hard for my status - is there nothing sacred here?

I'm off and won't be back.......... at least untill tomorrow.

(Raises two fingers and slams door on way out - wait, what the... who the hell put this revolving door in?)
 

aadams73

A Work in Progress
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 12, 2005
Messages
9,901
Reaction score
6,428
Location
Oregon
I keep reading this thread title as Tired Memberships. Then I yawn.
 

Ivan_B

of Rassilon
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 7, 2010
Messages
176
Reaction score
39
Location
London
For a moment there, just for a moment...
 

Old Hack

Such a nasty woman
Super Moderator
Absolute Sage
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jun 12, 2005
Messages
22,454
Reaction score
4,956
Location
In chaos
Are we also going ahead with the Executive Membership for people who pay the fees? I know it was agreed to in the mod room, but I can't find the announcement about it anywhere.
 

Sai

Book lover/Spy
Super Member
Registered
Joined
May 11, 2007
Messages
2,392
Reaction score
394
Location
Back home
Website
www.kuri-ousity.com
I have e-mailed in my answers, but just to be sure, is there a physical address I can send a copy to? I will be sure to include a SASE to ensure a quick reply.
 

Birol

Around and About
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 11, 2005
Messages
14,759
Reaction score
2,998
Location
That's a good question right now.
Are we also going ahead with the Executive Membership for people who pay the fees? I know it was agreed to in the mod room, but I can't find the announcement about it anywhere.

Mac and Medievalist are looking into any possible legal consequences of that before moving forward. I know the techies are stressed enough building the tiered system. Mac would rather not throw anything else onto their plates until they finish the first roll-out. Actually, I think Scott made her promise not to give them any more tasks until after the initial roll-out and shakedown....
 

Birol

Around and About
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 11, 2005
Messages
14,759
Reaction score
2,998
Location
That's a good question right now.
I have e-mailed in my answers, but just to be sure, is there a physical address I can send a copy to? I will be sure to include a SASE to ensure a quick reply.

There's no need for a physical copy. Just send the e-mail and include a read receipt. E-mail copies are easier to forward to the judging panel.
 

Cyia

Rewriting My Destiny
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Nov 15, 2008
Messages
18,615
Reaction score
4,029
Location
Brillig in the slithy toves...
Teacher! Someone stole my homework and then they fed it to my dog! I have fed him copious amounts of ex-lax, so I should have it back by the end of the day.
 

Birol

Around and About
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 11, 2005
Messages
14,759
Reaction score
2,998
Location
That's a good question right now.
I uploaded my answers telepathically, please check your brain.

Don't be a smartass. Working on these changes -- which are what the membership has been telling us they want -- is taking enough effort behind-the-scenes without having to deal with the 'tudes.

Change is all well and good, but -and it's a huge butt (maybe like Scarlet P's but don't tell her I said that, for God's sake).

I am a genuine grandfather and I strongly object to those who are not grandfathers being granted that status and grandfathered in to the illustrious upper tier here simply because they registered prior to January 1st 2010. They could be idiots - or folk from outer space like Silent Rob.

I had to work hard for my status - is there nothing sacred here?

I'm off and won't be back.......... at least untill tomorrow.

(Raises two fingers and slams door on way out - wait, what the... who the hell put this revolving door in?)

Honestly, what's probably going to happen is, everyone who was registered prior to January 1, 2010, will be grandfathered into the 'Developing' Tier, with notable exceptions like Uncle Jim, of course. As things smooth out and it becomes obvious where people truly belong, they will be moved into the appropriate tier so as not to slow discussions down or feel slowed down by them.
 

Birol

Around and About
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 11, 2005
Messages
14,759
Reaction score
2,998
Location
That's a good question right now.
Guys, I know you think this is part of the annual April Fools' Day prank, but take a look around. Room names have been changed, etc. THAT is the AFD prank.This... we're dead serious about this.
 

Birol

Around and About
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 11, 2005
Messages
14,759
Reaction score
2,998
Location
That's a good question right now.
I didn't delete your posts. You do know this was announced in both Newbies and AW Changes and Announcements, right? (At least I think those are the two forums it was announced in. Hard to tell today.)
 
Joined
Aug 7, 2005
Messages
47,985
Reaction score
13,245
Change is all well and good, but -and it's a huge butt (maybe like Scarlet P's but don't tell her I said that, for God's sake).

I am a genuine grandfather and I strongly object to those who are not grandfathers being granted that status and grandfathered in to the illustrious upper tier here simply because they registered prior to January 1st 2010. They could be idiots - or folk from outer space like Silent Rob.

I had to work hard for my status - is there nothing sacred here?

I'm off and won't be back.......... at least untill tomorrow.

(Raises two fingers and slams door on way out - wait, what the... who the hell put this revolving door in?)
I hate you.