Writer’s Forum Proposal
So. I’ve been thinking about this for a while now and I finally decided to go ahead and post it here rather than suggesting it directly to [name_f]Pam[/name_f] and [name_f]Linda[/name_f].
Honestly? I’ve long thought that the Writer’s Forum is a bit of a shambles. [name_m]Don[/name_m]’t get me wrong, it’s a great idea but it could be so much better. Here’s why:
Problem [name_f]One[/name_f]: There is no system to ensure that users get the feedback/help they want. Users are frequently posting threads in which others first have to clarify a point with the OP/ask for more information before the point of the thread can actually be ascertained and help can be offered.
Problem Two: People are posting Writer’s Forum questions in the wilds of the rest of the boards because they don’t believe their request will get any replies.
Problem Three: Often a user will post a thread, other users will reply and then the OP will never return to the thread to reveal an outcome. I don’t know about anyone else, but this puts me off posting to start with.
Proposed Solutions
1. Mods – Probably not going to be a popular choice but… we need board moderators, at least two. These mods should be able to move threads that don’t belong in their forum out of it, move threads that do belong in their forum into it, lock unused threads older than a month or completed threads and – most importantly – be able to sticky an important thread of rules to the top of the board.
2. Rules – Again, not going to be a popular choice but having a system that everyone understands and follows really works. I’ve run a forum for eleven years and without rules we wouldn’t have lasted as long as we have. For example, I propose one of the rules to be that every thread posted on the Writer’s Forum must use a form like the following (currently just the categories list and an example so you understand my meaning, the form would differ for every category):
Choose a category and then fill out the appropriate form before posting a thread on the Writer’s Forum.
1. NAMING X: Choose this category if you need help deciding on a name for one character by themselves.
2. NAMING X,Y,Z: Choose this category if you need help deciding on names for more than one character.
3. A,B,C. NAMING X: Choose this category if you already have characters A,B and C but need help with naming one or more other characters to fit the set.
4. NAME CHECK: Choose this category if you have a set of names and you’d like users to assess whether they work as a group/part of a world/part of a country etc.
5. REPLACING X: Choose this category if you already have names for some/all of your characters but you’d like to change one or more of them.
6. NAMING OPINIONS: Choose this category if you have a name and just want to know if people have any preconceptions towards it.
7. THING NAME: Choose this category if you need a name/s for something that isn’t a person.
‘NAMING X’ Form
Genre of [name_u]Story[/name_u]: (Romance, Sci-Fi, Historical, [name_f]Fantasy[/name_f] etc)
Time Period/Location: (e.g 1912, Djibouti)
Character Description: (Personality, a brief history and looks – but only if they’re important, for example: a character has striking blue eyes so her parents named her something to do with the colour blue)
Brief Plot: (You don’t have to give everything away but any important facts should be included here, for example: the new [name_m]King[/name_m] banned any names beginning with the letter A)
Immediate Family (if relevant): (If known/relevant to the story, post the names of their immediate family)
Already Considered (if relevant): (A list of names you’ve already considered for the character)
[name_m]Don[/name_m]’t Suggest These Names: (Any names you don’t want us to suggest?)
Anything else?: (Any other relevant information)
((NB: Forms like the one above can be ‘embedded’ using HTML tags so that all the user needs to do is copy and paste it. They won’t need to copy the form out by hand each time.))
3. Sub-Forums – Some of the questions we get on the Writer’s Forum are about the craft of writing itself and not specifically names. I think it would be a good idea to have a sub-forum where questions about writing in general and plotting can be talked about without anyone feeling like they’re clogging up the names section. Perhaps a writing games section too?
If you guys agree, disagree or think I’ve missed something, please post below 
We have that function on my boards anyway.