Forum:Newsletter- May 2010

TDA4 Coverage
Interviews by Tyedye and GM

Kenzen's interview (by Tyedye):

Question 1: Why did you quit?

If you didn't know, I quit Due to School+Fanfic+LIFE=Not enough time XD. I just thought i should give others s chance.

Question 2: Do you think quitting was a good choice for you?

Yes, nuff, said.

Question 3: If you didn't quit, how far do you think you would have gotten?

Final 6 or 5.

Question 4: Do you plan on being in Total Drama Author 5?

Doubted its 10% maybe and 90% NO.

Question 5: Who do you want to win?

Spenny, Hand down.

NIzzy's interview (by Tyedye):

Question 1: Why do you think you were eliminated?

“Although Nizzy had a story up, I feel as if Jason has done more or something, as Jason had a better review...” – Shane (Not much of an answer but oh well ^^)

Question 2: Are you happy with how you placed, or do you think you could have done better?

I think I could’ve done better, I didn’t have much time on my hands so I couldn’t finish a lot of my stories or write them to my best ability.

Question 3: What was your favorite challenge?

Challenge Three.

Question 4: Do you plan on being in Total Drama Author 5?

No, like I said before I have hardly enough time to do this. :(

Question 5: Who do you want to win?

Turnertang.

GM's interview (by Tyedye):

Question 1: Why do you think, even after CK didn't nominate you, you were eliminated?

I think it was because I didn't get much stories up.

Question 2: If you could have done something differently with the way you wrote, what would it be and why?

This one I need to think about...

'''Question 3: You said multiple times before your elimination that your computer was having memory problems. Have you gotten this fixed?'''

Yes, there were fixed that Sunday and now I'm ready for next season.

Question 4: Do you plan on being in Total Drama Author 5?

As of above, I'm thinking about competing next season.

Question 5: Who do you want to win?

I think Turnertang should win.

Tyedye's interview (By GM):

Question 1: Why do you think you were eliminated?

I had already missed 2 stories, and then I didn't complete a limerick, which was, in my opinion, pretty sad.

Question 2: If someone was to return again, who would you want to return besides yourself?

I don't think anyone should return, because everyone was eliminated with some pretty good evidence for it, and plus, then I wouldn't be in the top 10. =P

Question 3: Who do you want to win?

I'm rooting for both Shane and Spenny. Shane because he's a great author and my friend, and Spenny because he practically replaced me. And he's a great author.

Question 4: Would you like to return next season and why?

I would definitley like to return to TDAuthor 5.

Question 5: If you weren't eliminated and won, give me one challenge you would do next season?

I would probably have another challenge where the people in TDI were first graders. I liked that one.

Comics




Advice Column
Advice Column by Sunshineandravioli

''Hello again, people of the wiki! This month I bring you seven letters from users like you and my responses to their questions. First a question from "One of the Famous Users on the Wiki"...''

Dear Sunshine,

I have a problem. I'm worried about one of my friends on the wiki. They're doing what you did by making a whole bunch stories hardly updating them. I don't want him to get Sunshine Fever '09. (is it mean by calling it that)

Long story short, what should I do?

Signed,

One of the famous users on the wiki (not quite famous as you but i have many friends xDDD)


 * Dear One of the Famous Users on the Wiki,


 * First of all… I’m famous? O_O


 * But, let’s get to your question. First of all, you’ve already done something very important: you’ve explained that you’re worried for your friend. What you should do from there is direct him to some tips on solving this problem. Suggest that he make a schedule for himself, help him come up with some ideas, perhaps sit down with him and help him to figure out which stories he’d like to focus on and which ones he’d like to put on the backburner (for example, I decided to temporarily cancel TDF and TDC so I could focus on my other fanfictions and rework those two). Your friend is incredibly lucky to have your concern, as I know having encouragement and help from others is incredibly helpful in overcoming Sunshine Fever ’09. (And no, it’s absolutely not mean to call it that. I find it really amusing, actually. XD) I hope this advice helps both of you in the future!


 * -Sunshine

And now a question from "A Fellow Member of the Wiki"...

Dear Sunshine,

One of my friends on the wiki is trying to help me with an issue I have. I greatly appreciate it, but, what should I do to promise to him that I will be all right?

signed,

A fellow member of the wiki


 * Dear A Fellow Member of the Wiki,


 * * glances at previous letter* Something tells me that you two know each other… XD Anyways, your friend is only worried about you and wants to help you with your issue. What you should probably do is take some of his advice and thank him for his help, then use some of this advice. Who knows, it might end up really helping you! By trying out a little of his advice and showing him how much you appreciate his concern, this will most likely end up with a win-win on both of your sides: you will have overcome your issue, and your friend will no longer be worried about you. I hope this advice helps both of you out!


 * -Sunshine

Next comes a letter from "Some Duncan Fan"...

Dear Sunshine,

I LOVE writing fics with original characters, I've finished 2 competition fics by the time this letter gets responded to on the next newsletter. However, What I HATE is the chore of having to update my character pages with summaries of what they did on my fic and stuff like that. Is there a way I can get around this? I love writing here, but there's no fun in updating the character pages.

Your friend,

Some Duncan fan.


 * Dear Some Duncan Fan,


 * Oh, yes, the evil that is character pages. Trust me, there’s no one who really enjoys writing those things. But, they have to be done! What is there to do?


 * What I would suggest is facing this dilemma much like a person who has trouble updating regularly *pauses to glance at her own reflection* would face their new chapters. Set aside a time where you get this chore done, and reward yourself once you do so. Perhaps split up the updating of bios to make it less difficult- for example, update the chapter on Monday, update the first few bios on Tuesday, a few more on Wednesday, and so on. Even better, if you have the details of your fanfiction planned out before you start writing, you can write up full character bios in advance, save them on your computer, and then just copy and paste the parts you need after the release of each chapter! Maybe to reward yourself for getting your bios done, you can give yourself five minutes on the IRC chat or ten minutes on the camps wiki each time you finish updating a certain amount of bios. All of these things should be able to help you get yourself organized and get those bios updated without a lot of stress or unhappiness. I hope I was able to help you out!


 * -Sunshine

And now "Hurt and Frustrated" has an issue that needs solving...

Dear Sunshine,

A while back, I had an arch-enemy on the wiki who I just wanted to be friends with. He would always look for fights with me, and he and my friend would tease me. When I complained, they'd say they were only joking, which was dumb, because the stuff they said hurt. Now, the user is gone, but I keep remembering him. How could I forget about him?

-Hurt and Frustrated


 * Dear Hurt and Frustrated,


 * It’s hard to forget something like that, especially when your friend was joining in the “fun” as well. What’s more, you can’t patch things up with the main instigator either, since he has left the site. What I would suggest is mentioning this to your friend who also teased you; perhaps the two of you can patch things up and you’ll feel better. I’m sure if you explain to your friend how much those “jokes” hurt you, he’ll understand and apologize. You also should try to remind yourself that all of this is in the past now, and that things are better now. Perhaps do something that cheers you up to get the past off your mind. Good luck, I hope you feel better soon!


 * -Sunshine

Next there's a letter from none other than Reddude...

Dear Sunshine,

I am really racked up in fanfics right now. I have Total Drama Eights, Red Talk, Total Wikia Comic, Total Drama Everything, Total Drama Party, and Total Drama red to write. I’m basically stuck in the same situation you were. I just want to know how you do it now. i know the schedule, and have tried that, but, i just cant seem to stick to it. Please help.

Your friendly Wiki hood Red guy,

Reddude


 * Dear Reddude,


 * While an update schedule is an immense help, as you pointed out, it only works of you’re able to stick to it. I’ll admit that the first few weeks I used my update schedule, I was immensely overwhelmed by how much I had to write and got a little stressed out. Then, when I ended up with writer’s block on a chapter, I panicked and got even more stressed out, and ultimately haven’t updated in approximately *checks* …forever. So, I ended up taking a rather simple solution that I can suggest for your situation as well: don’t write everything at once.


 * See, one of the key reasons Nalyd and Sprinklemist and so forth are able to pump out great chapters almost weekly is because they generally focus on one fanfic at a time, with only an occasional second side-story (ie. TWE for Nalyd and Total Drama Time Travel for Sprink). I found things became a little easier once I’d reduced my updates to just TSI, Ex, and Couples (and even easier once I put aside Couples), and by putting their update dates on opposite ends of the week, I gave myself plenty of time to work on both. Heck, if it wasn’t for my combination of writers block and sudden new source of inspiration, coupled with me being busy off-wiki and just plain lazy, I probably would have completed both by now! XD So, my advice to you is to simply pick a few stories you’re really liking and want to write and make those your current focus, while putting the rest on the backburner to get to later, once you’ve completed a few of the others. You could also pick one or two to make “side stories” that you only update every once in a while as needed (ie. Summer for me, as I only have to write when it’s not a chapter by Spenny or Codaa), or perhaps make one of your fics a collaboration, like what TDIRM did with Fake Souls (FYI, I think Total Wikia Comic would make an interesting collab). I hope this advice helps you out!


 * -Sunshine

After this is a question from "The Guy Who Wants This to Stop"...

Dear Sunshine,

I have this problem with one of my friend in the real world...not computer. He very much hates me and once said "Lets blame it on [insert my name here], because everybody hates him." I got so sad that I went into tears. He slaps me, once threw an orange at my stomach. I would really like to work it out with him and become friends. Please reply.

Sincerely, the guy who wants this to stop.


 * Dear The Guy Who Wants This to Stop,


 * This is really a difficult situation. I’m not sure how qualified I am to give you advice for a real-life conflict, but I’ll do my best.


 * First of all, you might want to try just going the direct route and asking him why he bullies you like this. It could be that he’s trying to be funny in his own way and doesn’t realize you took the comments to heart, or maybe you unwittingly did something to upset him and he’s taking his “revenge” in a way, or perhaps someone else upset him and he just decided to take it out on you. By figuring out why he’s treating you like that, you can perhaps start to patch things up.


 * If this doesn’t work, you might just want to start ignoring and avoiding him. From what you’re saying about him, it doesn’t seem like he’d be a very good friend anyways, so you might want to take this as a hint to start gravitating away and find a better, less hurtful group to hang out with. If he continues insulting you, try not to react, as sometimes getting a rise out of you just satisfies a bully more. By finding some better friends, you might even get yourself a whole group that will be willing to defend you against his hurtful actions. If you try all this and he’s still treating you like this, however, you may want to get some further help. Good luck, and I hope everything works out for you.


 * -Sunshine

'And, finally, a letter from "The Guy Who Asked You for Advice"...

Dear Sunshine,

I feel like I'm unnoticed on this wiki most of the time. Can you give me tips on how to be a recognizable user/author?

From,

The Guy That Asked You For Advice


 * Dear The Guy That Asked Me For Advice,


 * Early on when you first join the wiki, you have to be prepared to be an unknown. Heck, the only reason why I’m so well-known is because I joined very early on in the wiki’s life, back when there were maybe twenty users at best. But there’s a lot of things you can do to become more well-known on the wiki.


 * First of all, you should join in discussions on blogs and talk pages, and talk to other users. This gets you more well-known in many areas and gives you a chance to be remembered for an aspect of your personality or something you said in discussion. Once a little time has passed and you’ve made some friends, perhaps nominate yourself for Featured User; the publicity can be good even if you don’t win. Other than that, just do what the wiki is there for and write! If you’re a good author and get some people to read your story, your writing skill will get you remembered and make you more popular! I hope this advice helps, and I look forward to figuring out who you are when you become some incredibly well-known bigshot on the wiki! XD


 * -Sunshine

''I hope my advice has been a help to all of you! Remember, if you ever need advice, you can leave a message anonymously here! See you next newsletter!''

Admin News
Admin News by Sprinklemist

What has been going on with the admins as of late? Have they been doing anything? Yes! Or at least I think so...

Something new(ish) is the wiki logo. Thanks to everyone who submitted an entry. TDIFan13 submitted the winning design. It had the majority of votes in voting, and I think it looks quite nice. Congratulations, TDIFan13!

After a changed in Featured Author voting, several users felt that their voices on it wasn't heard. I apologize for this, and I take responsibility, as it was my idea. To help users feel that their voice is heard, any user can comment in admin posts now, as long as they stay on topic.

As for a recent decision, most users agree that they would like Featured Image to be decided by voting. Starting this month, the voting and current choices of images will be cleared at the beginning of the month. We'll see if this encourages more people to post a picture, or at least a new one. This is a test to see if it works to clear the older images each month. The admins appreciate your voting and support of this feature.

May Interviews
Interviews by Kenzen11

TDIWriter's Interview
1.Ready for the interview?

2.What's your best story, in your opinion?
 * Do I have a choice?

3.What was your first thought when you became a featured author?
 * My best story? Well, even though it only has three chapters, (as of the time of this interview), I feel Return to Total Drama Action is my best, as it has a deeper story behind it. Also, my writing has improved by now, so in theory, my newer story would be better. Return to Total Drama Island is definately my pride an joy, as it was the first story I finished on the wiki, but going back and re-reading it, I see a lot of problems. So, in summation, RTDA is my favorite.

4.What's you favorite story/series to read?
 * Haha. My first thought was, "Yeah, I knew I'd win!". Just kidding, my first though was that I felt honored to have won, and I was very grateful to those who supported me. When I first began writing in June of '09, I never thought I'd make much of an impact, so it was pretty exciting for me to have won.

5.Purple?
 * I really like a couple of stories, such as Total Drama Craziness (Go Zev!..Er...), Total Drama Insanity (Tyler FTW), Sprinklemist's stories, and the since deceased Total Drama Beach. If I had to pick a favorite, it would have to be Total Drama Reality. I feel that Total Drama Reality covers a lot of important real world issues, while still maintaining the Total Drama feel that the actual show had. Also, it spawned my favorite character on the wiki, Micky D. Total Drama Craziness is a close second, (though, I'm sorry I don't comment on that as often on that).

6.If you could go back and change something about one of your stories, would you?
 * Cerulean.

7.What is your biggest goal here?
 * Hmm. I think the answer to that question is, "yes". I would really like to go back, and improve the early chapters of RTDI so that it they're up to my current writing standards. Also, I'd like to add onto a few chapters, and explore some minor character's personalities more. The biggest change I would like to make is having a different character in the merge.

8.Do you have any advice for newer authors?
 * My biggest goal would be to have a story that is universally enjoyed, by both authors on the wiki, and readers.

9.If you could go back in time and change something you have done on Wikia, what would it be?
 * Advice...I think the advice I'd like to give newer authors, (and so not-so-newer ones), is, don't stress out over your stories. These are suppose to be for fun, right? So if you stress yourself, the fun leaves, pretty quickly. Just take it easy, and if you're feeling stressed, take a break. And if you need help, don't be afraid to ask for it, a lot of the admins and regular users on this site are friendly, and would be glad to help, I think (Though, don't pester them. And be polite). And if a lot of people don't comment on your story, that doesn't mean nobody reads it. Just be patient, and people will comment.

10.Where's Waldo?
 * I think I would change the date I started writing. I joined the wiki in February '09, but I was strictly a reader until June '09. I think if I had started earlier, I could have accomplished more in the nearly fourteen months since then.

11.What are your plans for the Close and Far Future?
 * Waldo's a free spirit, and cannot be tied down to one location. He's a drifter, so he could be anywhere. If I had to guess, he's probably in Detroit right now.

12.Which of your characters has been your favorite to write for?
 * My short-term plans are to finish writing RTDA, and hopefully contribute more to Total Fanfiction Crossover. I had an All-Star story planned, but in light of some recent events, I think I may cancel that. If I decide to cancel my All-Star story, short-term plans include modifying the ending to Total Drama: Second Chance. I don't have very many long term plans, as of right now. If the All-Star story is cancelled, I'll semi-retire when I finish RTDA, and my writing contributions will be limited to Total Fanfiction Crossover, until inspiration for a new story arises.

13.Now What?
 * Steven, no doubt. Though, he wasn't always. Steven was an unpopular character, and one of my least favorite to write for, before my story reached the merge. However, once the merge was reached, the focus of the story changed from team to individual focus, (um, duh?), and I decided to slightly alter Steven's personality, from an average Joe, to an unlucky, goofy, and quirky character. His real name, Yancy, was chosen to signify the change in his character, as Steven is an average, fairly common name, while Yancy is an uncommon, silly sounding name. Um, anyway, after the merge, Steven rocketed to the top of my list of favorite characters in the story.


 * I'm going to click 'Save page', and try to write a new chapter.

Bocaj's Interview
Bocaj:Yes! My first interview. *Puts on interview cloths* Okay, so...

1.Ready for the interview?


 * Yes, I am very ready for the interview. Can't you see I have my interview cloths on? You can't? Why in the world can't you?

2.What's your best story, in your opinion?


 * My best story... Hmm... Well Total Drama Survivor is well known for it's comedy, and the fact that it used to be in script form, but it doesn't have much character development. Total Drama Smash Brothers is good so far, but it's just too early for me to like it. Total Drama Everything is deleted, as you can see that the letters are in red. Total Drama Island (BocaJ910's way) is definably my best story so far. It has development, and comedy, and user references, which doesn't really matter.

3.What was your first thought when you became a featured author?


 * My first thought when I became Featured Author, which is now Featured User, FU for short was... Well, it was surely different then a lot of others. I felt like I cheated. I felt like I lied. I felt like Sunny deserved to win other then me, but when I was given Sunny's forgiveness, I felt a lot better, after the sad phase. XD, my emotions are really weird. If you don't know what I was talking about, look here.

4.What's you favorite story/series to read?


 * Well, I like a lot of stories. My favorite authors are definably Sprinklemist, Shane, Author999, Reddy, Fanny, Sunny, and a lot of others. Many stories such as Life After Lies by Gigi are well known for that dark, mysterious theme, and stories such as Total Drama Eights by Reddy are well known for their happy, comedic themes. I'm a fan of all kinds of stories, and I would say that they're all my favorites, but honestly, Sprinklemist's stories are my favorites, as he keeps comedy and thematic scenes evenly spread.

'''5.Is the following statement true, "Who cares about the question, Chocolate is the answer." ?'''


 * True, I love chocolate.

6.If you could go back and change something about one of your stories, would you?


 * No, I definably would not. It shows how much I have advanced as a writer, so I like to keep it as is.

7.What is your biggest goal here?


 * My biggest goal would definably be to be helpful, be respectful and honest, and to have people enjoy reading my stories. I would also say that one of my biggest goals is to become and admin, but like Sprink said, "What happens, happens," or something like that. It was on chatango, I forgot.

8.Do you have any advice for newer authors?


 * My advice for new authors is to be creative and spontaneous with your writing, and don't let any doubts get ahead of you. When I first started on here, I thought only had one reader, who would be the ever so kind Sprinklemist, but as it turns out, I got more fans as I progressed, and now I'm one of the most famous authors on this sight. Don't ever give up, just keep forward. Ha, I just made a 'Meet the Robingsons' reference.

9.If you could go back in time and change something you have done on Wikia, what would it be?


 * If I could go back in time, hmm. I would definably undo the whole The Drama/Me situation, but what's done is done, and it can't be fixed. But it's all in the past now, so who cares.

10.Where's Waldo?


 * He's in my mind, laughing at all the different things he's finding. My mind is so, well, different then the average kid's.

11.What are your plans for the Close and Far Future?


 * Well, I have many good plans. I hope to be here for the years to come, along with everyone else. I plan on finishing TDS and TDSB some time soon, and as unbelievable as it is, I plan on writing twenty BocaJ910's way stories, but that might or might not happen. Just depends.

12.Which of your characters has been your favorite to write for?


 * Of mine, I'd say Misty, Nebula, and Kris, but of TDI characters, I'd say Heather, Lindsay, and Eva.

13.Now What?


 * Now I'm going to change out of my interview cloths. They're kind of unconfortable

Sunshine's Interview
Sunshine: Here goes nothin'. XD

1. Ready for the interview?


 * Interview? Interviews mean questions! I DIDN'T STUDY THE ANSWERS! *screams*

2. What's your best story, in your opinion?


 * Ooh, that's a tough one. It depends on how one defines "best". Total Sonic Island is my latest story and thus, the best in that my writing style and such are the most advanced of any of my stories. However, I feel Summer has the best and most dramatic, unique, unpredictable plotline, and I really like it for that. Total Wikia Elementary has also been the most successful of any of the stories I've written, and the first of its kind, which is quite notable. Overall, I really like all of my stories in their own ways, though I do feel some are better than others (and some are certainly more fun to write for than others; I much prefered writing TSI and Ex to TDF and TDC).

3. What was your first thought when you became a featured author?


 * I guess my first thought was, "Yes!!!" I mean, it is FA; I was extremely happy and proud to have been bestowed with such an honor. However, right afterwards I felt extremely guilty, since I've kinda fallen off the wagon with my updating... since I took a break for a while, I've gotten out of the rhythm of writing and updating, which has been even further hampered by my recently tapping into a huge creative flow with a new fanfic (which all of y'all may or may not have heard about by now). I hope to try to live up to my title by really working on updating again. :)

4. What's you favorite story/series to read?


 * I like a lot of stories here. Obviously, I love Total Drama Tropics, Total Drama All-Stars, Life After Lies, and other people's contributions to TWE. There's also a lot of other stories and oneshots that I really like, such as Legacy, Violet Hill, The Penthouse, Total Wikia Comic, and many, many others. There's also series that I plan to read but haven't yet (*presents shameless apologies to Nonny and Spenny*) but I know I'll enjoy thanks to my love of previous works by the authors. Overall, I read and enjoy a lot of fics, and I do my best to look at everyone's work (though of course, that's a big job for one little pixie, and I can't read everything).

5. Ravioli?


 * I'm a big fan of all pastas. Well, all pastas that don't contain meat. XD If you're talking about the character, she was just designed to be the opposite of Sunshine. I first invisioned her as just being an image of Sunshine with the colors inverted, but obviously, she developed to become something far more than that.

6. If you could go back and change something about one of your stories, would you?


 * Oh, I'd change many things about many stories. XD Given the chance, I would completely rewrite what currently exists of TDF, make Ex a little less cliche, I would correct all the many grammar mistakes I made in my stories, etc. Basically, I'd love to take the skill and knowledge I have now and apply it to stuff I did then. Amazing how much difference a year makes, eh? XD

7. What is your biggest goal here?


 * I want to improve, mostly, and share both my art and my writing with people. So, technically, I achieved my goal a long time ago, but thankfully mine is one that I can continue to shoot for no matter how much time passes. I also really want to actually complete one of my fanfics at some point. XD

8. Do you have any advice for newer authors?


 * Never give up, I guess. No matter how bad you think your writing is, no matter how few people comment on your stories, just have fun and take the advice people give you, as its sure to help you improve. Never take any comment for granted; much of my improvement has come just from looking at some comments people made on my work and following the advice. Also, don't be afraid to look at other people's work and use that to improve your own. I know for a fact it can help, as my art style is pretty much a massive combination of dozens upon dozens of other art styles I've observed and liked over the years.

9. If you could go back in time and change something you have done on Wikia, what would it be?


 * ...um... I guess I'd capatalize the "r" in "Sunshineandravioli". XD Other than that, I can't really think of anything.

10. Where's Waldo?


 * I dunno, but I totally didn't kidnap him. *shifty eyes*

11. What are your plans for the Close and Far Future?


 * For the close future, I plan to continue to write and update my fanfics, as well as participate in camps on the camps wiki. I'm also working on a Jak and Daxter fanfic at the moment, which I'm really enjoying and feel is unlike anything I've ever written before, and I'm putting serious consideration into posting it, and someday might move futher into other fanfiction subjects. As for the far future, I hope to become published one day, whether as a writer or an artist. Will I succeed? Who knows? But I'm sure gonna try. :)

12. Which of your characters has been your favorite to write for?


 * Ooh, another toughie. Well, a lot of the TSI characters have been absolute joys to write for (I particularly love Shadow, Amy, Silver, Rouge, etc.), and I get a lot of emotion and humor out of them. Writing for Sunshine, Nalyd, and Owe for TWE has always been a lot of fun, too. I also really liked writing for Noah in chapter four of Ex, and I remember from my TDAuthor days that writing for Justin was also enjoyable.

13. Duncan?


 * DUNCAN??? WHERE??? *runs off in search of him*

14. Now What?


 * *does not answer, since she's gone off in search of Duncan*