#writing forums

I'd like to invite you to Ilvermorny, which is a new forum for Harry Potter where members of each house (Horned Serpent, Thunderbird, Pukwudgie, and Wampus) compete against one another for the House Cup. Here you'll find writing prompts incorporated into class assignments, events, extracurriculars, and during summer break (mid-June to the end of August), summer assignments which will earn students House points. The forum is reconstructed from a now inactive forum of the same name; we'd love to have you in this new remake!

The only mandatory assignments for members are class assignments, which are monthly threads posted at 12:00 AM UTC on the first of each month. Each thread will contain various assignments for seven different classes; each member is expected to submit at least one fic per thread (so once per month), though you are welcome to submit as many as you'd like to gain extra points for your house!

If you would like to participate as a student, please sign up in the Gordian Knot Thread! Monthly assignments will open in September; until the end of August we will have optional fortnightly Summer Assignments open to earn additional points for your house. Head Student and Prefect positions are also available right now, so if you're interested in those, a form will be available soon!

If you aren't interested in writing for the forum and participating as a student, we also have several Examiner (Judges) positions ready to be filled. Simply fill out the Examiners' application posted in the Notice Board thread and you're good to go.

We'd love to have you at Ilvermorny :)

Sincerely,

My poem Mr Alphabet’s pets won an a monthly challenge on writing forums and is featured on their Flashes of Brilliance website.

Got another story published on 101words called Clara’s Llama.

Got a 300 word story that’s been accepted into Zeroflash’s first anthology.

Have three poems up on Spillwords: 25 Years, Mountains & Gems and I Want.

Read out Reflections,crossover fanfic between The Cat Lady…

4 Things Not To Do On The NaNoWriMo Reference Desk

I’ll get back to critique groups, but the NaNoWriMo site has rebooted and of course that means there’s a slough of new posts on the reference desk forum. Which also means, all those annoying people who post annoying things are back. So, here’s a few of the things that drive your fellow knowledgeable writers nuts: Vague Post Titles: So you go to post a question and it won’t let you hit post…

1. Does anyone know any good writing forums?

2. Has anyone read any books that use potions extensively?  The only one I can think of is Poison by Bridget Zinn, and I’m curious if there’s more

Specifically if you’ve had experience with the forum--I can google it and find plenty, but I joined one and don’t think I like the community much. The rules seem good but after seeing a thread where people got exasperated with someone asking what really wasn’t that unreasonable of a question because apparently everyone had been telling them to scrap that story for awhile and they were annoyed the person wasn’t taking their advice. And then despite the rules saying specifically not to do this, people seemed to take offense to someone deciding not to use their critique, even if they were gracious and didn’t argue, just decided not to take it into account when re drafting.

 Like it’s annoying and it’s hard to get much out of that, its more discouraging, but I want to try being in some kind of community thing for motivations sake? So that I can stay excited about my story and actually write it?

TL;DR, what’s a writing forum that you’ve participated in and can vouch for

BTW, this is mostly a fed up version, rather than when it’s helpful. And also what mods should NOT allow to happen. This is more under dialogue. You have NO idea how many times I’ve had to put up with this. Oh some of the lines you can rinse and repeat--imagine pages of this offensive material.

OP: I want to write diversity. Any other people out there?

User not from diversity: I mean I don’t know about this diversity thing. Why are you imposing on ME and making me write diversity.

OP: Can we focus on the topic of people who want to write diversity?

User not from Diversity: This is my opinion this diversity I don’t belong to and I’m going to correct people from that diversity and preach to other people who are looking for help on that diversity, even though I don’t belong and should shut up.

OP: I’m royally upset. You just said you’re not from diversity. Do you realize how frustrating this is?

User not from diversity 2: Woah, woah, watch your tone. You are sounding angry there.

OP: But there are so few people I get to connect with to talk about and write diversity. Why are you tone policing me?

User not from diversity: This is a free country and I can say what I want. Look, I can say, *prejudiced slur*.

User not from diversity 2: Yep, *prejudiced slur* is allowed because this is a free country.

*OP goes to mod and complains*

User not from diversity: You sure are touchy and emotional, acting like a girl, which is not anti-feminist of me to say.

OP: I just want to talk with writers who are actually writing diversity. Why are you taking exception to that and derailing the topic?

User not from diversity: But topics evolve. And clearly this one has, OP. And anyway, aren’t you talking censorship when you are talking my right away to say *prejudiced slur*.

*mod comes back to OP and tells OP, no it’s not against the rules when the person is delighting in the fact they are being total Assholes because “it’s not directed at anyone.” and said it’s not a derail either.*