Hey, I finally got space for the backroom and I'd like to know: A) What type of information would you like to see posted there? (So far, I have book recommendations, web resources, and writing terms to post.) B) Would anyone be interested in contributing to it? C) Would there be interest in posting a winning story/poem of the month in the backroom. (Someone suggested calling it the Victory Corner.) If anyone is good at designing pretty, but simple, web pages, please let me know. I can code, but I'm not a design pro. (I want to keep it simple so it loads quickly.) And if there's some interest, we could do a design contest for the Forum banner as well! I'll get stuff started tomorrow. Tonight is Buffy night! :-)

Cres...so you are a buffy fan....LOL (well, not actually laughing since I watch it) Well, my wife is the epitimy (sp?) of Buffy fan. When we went to Dragon*Con, we went to the Buffy segments. I bought her season 1 and 2. Besides lusting after Sarah, it's sometimes a tender story line. I feel for Spike...sigh. But back to point. Just because people are writers doesn't mean they aren't artistic. In this location, doubly true. I would say a design contest is in order. With parameters...size and such. Since I tinker in Flash, would it play there? But, I have been to your website and you are no slug at design. As to contributing, I'm afraid I'm no writer. There are lots of others regulars here who would do much better. dialyn for example. (uh-oh) Ending with a...

I'd prefer to not have Flash. It makes for larger web pages, requires the Flash download, etc. (Yes, I know 90%+ has the plug-in, but in the battle between "Wow" and functional, we need to lean towards functional. And with all the problems with slow loading pages at Rendie, the last thing I need is for everyone to point fingers at me.) ;-) For specs, the page ought to be viewable at 800 x 600 (yes, a lot of us use higher res than that, but some people here do have small monitors or poor eyesight.) Nothing really complicated for coding - no animated javascript banners that implore you to punch the monkey. (And don't even ask about spanking!) I can't think of any other requirements. If someone has a design idea but doesn't know html, just send me the design as a .jpg and I can code it. Since Chuck insists, I will admit that I'm no slug at design. I've gotten all the way up to snail - but I'm nowhere near escargot! And Spike rules!!!

Would for sure be interested in design for banner and who doesnt like a friendly competition. I as well do a little bit of web design so will think over the page and for sure let you know if I come up with anything worthy of mentioning.

Put Spike in the backroom, and I'll visit him there any time! (How do you like the new look to his hair?) Yes, another Buffy fan here. I think Chuck's idea about a contest for the banner is a good one....is there anything stopping you from having rotating banners (monthly?) if you get more than one design that you like? Since a lot of us are here because we were attracted to the graphic content, I imagine there are some artists as well as writers on the board. Simple is usally better and more elegant than too much "stuff" without much content. Easier on the bandwith too. :) Looking forward to peeking through the door into the backroom. And I was just kidding about Spike. Sort of.

I can design simple web pages (my goodness! I am actually volunteering for this?! lol) and if I write or find anything, I can certainly contribute them :). Banner Design Comp is good as well. Whether I get to design the simple web pages or not, What does everyone want in the way of colours and layout?

Great news about the back room :) The Photoshop forum here has been having a new banner design contest every six months, so that's a possibility. I'm also happy to design/make pages; it's something I do a lot of :) WRT Crescent's questions in the first post, I'd be happy to contribute to the back room (not sure what just yet but it's an open offer). I'd say yes to an archive of winning entries. For content, articles on writing (style, plotting, genres, grammar, translation, poetry vs prose, referencing systems for formal writing, etc) seem like they would be useful. A growing archive of articles could be a great resource. Maybe also an area for people to offer/advertise for collaboration on projects?

Just thought of some more stuff that might be useful in the back room. I'd welcome a section on publishing - lists of publishers and what (and how) they accept, articles about strategies on how to get published, tips on getting work into print. Also, one thing that I've always found inspirational is reading about how other writers approach the business of writing - how they make time, what started them off, how they coped with the difficulties, what gives them confidence, who influenced them and why. Somehow, those personal experiences have always encouraged me more than the straightforward 'how to' articles. If I feel blocked, I know that reading something like that will help me through it better than any number of pieces entitled 'How to get through your block'.

This sounds exciting. Maybe some links would be good to have in the back room...like to dictionaries, etc. I like the banner competition idea as well.

I'm cobbling the first few pages together for the back room. It's just text right now (and only semi-coherent at that.) I'll try to put an "official" banner contest together on Friday along with an "official" backroom design contest. I figure a bit of content might help people create a design for the backroom. Keep the ideas coming! :-)

Good point tresamie. I have links to online dictionary, thesaurus and rhyming (sp) words :) http://www.dictionary.com/ http://www.thesaurus.com/ http://rhyme.lycos.com/

I like the idea of a forms contest every now and then. For those poets who aren't aquainted with some of the forms poetry takes there would be some learning and for those of us who spin words there would be a challenge.

Poetry "spin"? I can't begin! See my grin?

LOL Funny Chuck and Knot

Chuck you win

Since I'm a poetry newbie (at best), I'd like to thank tjames for volunteering to write up some rules and explanations so we can have a forms contest! If I hadn't warned anyone before, giving me ideas can be dangerous .... ;-)

Well here is an idea for you: Why don't we list what genres we all write and then you, Crescent, set each of us a task to write something outside of our genres. You set the subject and guidelines :). One of the guidelines being: There must not be any part of our preferred genre/s in the story. Bella now leaves her computer to avoid all the tomatoes that will be thrown at her for daring to suggest such a thing

I got the first few, plain, ugly pages up. I'll try to get all the contest information for the back room design and for the forum banner up tomorrow. I tried to spell check the web pages, but I wouldn't be surprised if one or two slipped in. I've proven the need for an editor in the past. ;-) Anyone up for web page assignments? (And you thought your days of doing homework was over!) Blame BelleMorte for this idea! ;-) Time to stock up on rotten fruit. Looks like a great marketing opportunity.

Web part assignments??? My idea???? ROFL Was not!!! ROFLMAO-GFA

Crescent...what did you have in mind? Web page assignment wise?

I'm subtly begging for volunteers to put together articles about writing, from writing terms to writing tips, to editing and critiquing, to whatever is writing related. If you have ideas, post them. BTW - for anyone who's new, I use the word "writing" as a generic term for putting words to paper. Writing encompasses everything from poetry to fiction to non-fiction (including tech writing and journalism), and writing of any length.

Mildly suggest being subtle isn't the best way to get a response. Read that in a fortune cookie someplace. No ideas from this cookie anyway. It's late and I'm off to bed. Thank you for the clarification.

Would there be room for some writing exercises in the back room? I'm willing to put some together if you like (eek! a bona fide volunteer).

Last night scraping latex off the printing press; I tried to seek joy in work; And wish Cambert would find success; For being such a sport... internal and external pairs with consonnance...Oh what a tangled web.(bad press joke especially ofter I spent all night getting the gunk out.)

cambert - If you want to create some writing exercises - sold! tjames - you're one of the most knowledgeable here for poetry terms. Could we count on you to put some terms and definitions together? Who else wants to be immortalized in the Halls of the Back Room?

Its hard to do anything without your chatroom working...let's say we were working on consonant pairs and there was an open invitational a classic a poem about oranges. I made arrangements for the storage of oranges. some challenges invite an immediate response like this one, Plus I'm on of the few people I know who got fired for a job he volunteered for. I wrote a geneology column for a local newspaper for about four months, and as I was developing my reasons for maintaining a family history I had a reader call in and complain that I was writing fiction. I agreed that it was a scenario that was just a reason to keep records. The paper should have been pleased that anyone would call,seeing as it was of the local shopping news variety. Someone actually read their publication. But they dropped the column because the though the call was negative. If I get traffic flowing to this site. Don't shoot me for doing so. My veins are full of ink and I guarantee it will flow. The newspaper I wrote for is no longer published...Seemed there was nothing to read in it so their ad sales dropped to zip. The parent pulled the plug.

Remember "Jerry Mcguire"? The famous line, "You had me at 'Hello'"? Grin... You lost me at, "I made arrangements for the storage of oranges." But I'm kinda dumb sometimes...hehe. Anyway, I gather you don't want the carpet pulled again after volunteering.

As far as I know, the chat room works. I can't do chats myself because of my carpal tunnel, but everyone is welcomed to use it. If you guys test it out and can't get it to work, please let me know. I'll have one of the programmers look at it. As it is, I need to sign off soon because my carpal tunnel is starting to flare up. Storage of oranges, that's clever! Nothing rhymes with orange, but storage is pretty close. (If I'm way off-base, just nod politely, say, "Why yes, Crescent, thank you" and quietly snicker when my back is turned.) It reminds me of a book (by Piers Anthony, I think) where an oracle whose predictions always rhymed had a servant called Porange Chilver to make sure the didn't go mad by not having something to rhyme orange and silver with. Don't worry about being fired. The worst I can do is go, "This is great, but we need something a little more ___." I try to rein in my gung-ho, control freak nature around here. If you'd like to contribute to the Back Room, that would be great. You've shown a lot of talent and we'd love to have your help. Good night, y'all!