Forum:Newsletter- July 2010

Featured User Interviews
Featured User Interviews by The Anonymous User

Shane's Interview
1. What do you think is the best aspect of your finished story, Total Drama Craziness?

Um...IDK really. People have said that it's a really good story. If I have to say that anything about it is my best aspect, I would guess that it would have to be the fact that I combine strategy, with developing. That type of mix doesn't seen to be used very often around here, though, even if I'm not good at developing yet, I'm proud to be writing like I do.

2. What was your first reaction to being named Featured User?

Why I screamed for joy and did handstands and cartwheels.

3. Which user/s do you find the most inspirational to you and why?

Oh man...this will take a while. Grab your sleeping bags and popcorn stuff peeps. Anyway, I think the most inspirational is most likely Sprinklemist. He really inspired me to write, and look at where I am today!

BocaJ is another person who has inspired me. He really showed me that just because you're down, doesn't mean you're out. That really helps in life, that philosophy.

Also my loyal readers and stuff. THANKS GUYS (and possibly girls) WHO HELPED MAKE THIS POSSIBLE!

4. Which characters have been your favorite to write for?

Oh man...*thinks* Well, I did like to write for Nico and Liz's relationship, and I loved writing for Rosa. Another character that was fun was surprisingly Leanna. IDK why, I just did.

5. What have been your favorite stories to read, both competition and noncompetition?

SPRINK STORIES FTW!

6. What do you think was the biggest impact you left on the wiki, writing-wise or not?

I made an impact?

'''7. In what aspects of wiki life do you think you are the most known for? Your writing, your art, your comments?'''

I guess for being nice to people? But, remember this, kiddies. If you use a sockpuppet account, or if you spam, Mr. Shane won't be so nice to ya. Trust me. Anyway, onto the good things. I guess for being a nice guy to people and trying to be encouraging to other users. Although in some cases I haven't been, I'm only human, I have opinions.

Also, probably winning Total Drama Author 4. XD

But in terms of the three options you gave me...I guess drawing? Even though I'm not the best at it...people seem to like it.

8. What do you plan to do with your stories in the near future?

Oh, I have tons planned. Season Three (Total Drama Fiji, hopefully that name won't be taken, I want that name! XD) will be different for sure. Not just for me, but for most of the other stories here. There are only two stories like the one I have planned currently. But even then, those two aren't the same. Once you all know the full concept, you'll see how it's different. I told the idea to BocaJ, and he said it was unique. So I won't be copying or anything.

9. Where's Waldo?

He's in Candy Mountain putting a banana in his ear

10. What do you think of your new adminship?

Oh man, it feels great! I get to stop vandals! Thanks again Sprink!

Advice Column
Advice Column by Sunshineandravioli

''Hello again, faithful newsletter readers! It's Sunshine here, ready to answer your inquiries and solve your problems yet again! First of all we have a letter from someone who wrote in previously...''

Dear Sunshine,

I write quite a bit, and I have a decent amount of friends, but I don't feel as if I've ever really noticed. For someone who has had their writing called excellent by someone who is not related to them by blood, I get very little commentary, on my stories or my blog posts. All I want is for people to say what they think of my stories, and learn ways to improve my writing. How exactly do I do this, on here or anywhere else?

Also, it seems like I'm rather distant from the wiki from most of the action. I just never seem to be around for anything, or I'm one of the last people to join in, yet I spend plenty of time around here. What do I do to be on top of things on the site?

Return of Lazy Muse.

Dear Return of Lazy Muse,

Hey… I remember you! XD But, getting to your question, I can assure you that you’re not alone in feeling unnoticed. Because of the massive amount of users and stories on the site, a lot of writers feel their efforts go ignored. In fact, most of the well-known users, you’ll notice, are wikia veterans- they’ve been there since the time there were almost no stories to read and thus have had their stuff read since the start. But there is still hope for you to become just as well-known, if not more so!

First of all, just keep writing! If you don’t write, obviously no one’s going to read your stories! Commentary will arrive eventually, so long as you keep giving people things to comment on. Also, make sure to remind yourself that a lack of comments doesn’t necessarily mean no one’s reading. It’s not uncommon for people to read but forget to comment, or for people to miss a few updates and comment later when they catch up. In order to get some feedback and learn ways to improve, I’d suggest asking people for such! Ask your friends in real-life or on the wiki to look at a chapter and give you some feedback, or perhaps put your story on the review list so a full review can eventually be made of it! Overall, just be patient and keep doing your best and pushing yourself to improve, and eventually it will pay off!

As for your second inquiry, I feel your pain. It’s no secret I often show up a little late to the party, so to speak. But you can actually use this to your advantage! Look through everyone else’s comments on a situation and respond to them thoughtfully, agreeing or disagreeing with ideas and explaining why you do so. By providing thoughtful and intelligent responses to wiki-situations, you’ll be noticed by users who may go to you with problems or by admins who will consider you for opinions and maybe even adminship! Other than that, make sure to check admin blog posts right away and respond when inquiries are made for wiki improvement ideas. I’m sure if you try this, you’ll find yourself more on top of things!

I hope all this helped you out!

-Sunshine

''Thanks for writing in again, Lazy Muse! Next up, there's a letter from someone having issues with a real-life "friend"...''

Dear Sunshine,

I have a friend, and she pretends to be nice, even after I knew she was mean. One day, I wasn't at school, so I called her and asked her what happened. She told me a guy she liked didn't like her. Then after a minute of silence, she said that the guy I liked said that I was stupid and would never go out with me. I asked him if he said that, and he said no. She lied to everyone about me calling my friends bad names, and that I was this repulsive girl. How do I deal with her?

-Friend thats not so friendly

Dear Friend that’s Not So Friendly,

Having a blatant enemy is bad, but as you obviously know, having an enemy disguised as a friend is even worse. Personally, I think you should confront her and ask why she’d say such things about you. Maybe by knowing her motivations you can patch things up, and you can stop her from spreading these lies about you. If it doesn’t work or you don’t want to risk confronting her directly, you should just stop hanging out with her and ignore her for a while; from your description of her, it doesn’t seem like she’s all that good a friend anyways. As for dispelling the rumors, I would suggest just trying to ignore them and proving through your actions that they’re false. For example, be kind and honest to your friends to prove to them you wouldn’t actually say anything bad about them. And, above all, take everything this girl says with a grain of salt, as it seems you have reason not to believe the things she tells you.

I hope this advice helps you out! Good luck!

-Sunshine

''I truly hope things get better for you, Friend that's Not So Friendly! Now for our final letter of this month's newsletter...''

Dear Sunshine,

I'm thinking about temporarily canceling one of my fanfics so I can start others. Should I do this?

-A girly girl

Dear A Girly Girl,

If you feel that temporarily canceling that fanfic is the right way to go, then by all means do it. Make sure you put it under consideration beforehand, though- are you having trouble coming up with ideas and not enjoying the writing process? Do you have no idea what’s going to happen in the fic and really just want it to go away so you can move on to bigger and better things? If so, I would suggest canceling it temporarily in order to work on other fanfic concepts. However, I’d recommend going back to the fic every once and a while to read through old chapters, think of ways to improve it, and possibly plan out some ideas for writing once you ultimately return to it. If you find taking that break from it isn’t improving anything and that you truly dislike the story, however, you may want to consider canceling it for good. I doubt it will come to this, though, and that taking a break to work on something new will be all you need!

Good luck!

-Sunshine

''Here's hoping all works out with your fanfics, Girly Girl! That's all for this month, loyal readers! Remember, if you're having an issue and looking for some advice, you're more than welcome to leave an anonymous letter here! It might end up getting answered in the next newsletter! But until then... love and ravioli, Sunshine! ♥''