Wordsmith's Guild (Writing Organization)

by **Wandering Argonians** » Thu Mar 20, 2014 1:07 pm

A tag for a future application when I have access to a more capable word processing device than an iPad.

by **Delmonte** » Sun Mar 30, 2014 9:35 am

Good news, everyone! We have two new Role Plays up. Takhisis has finished the OP for an airship-based thread, "Carried on a Steel Wind" and I have finished the OP for a soiree where our party eventually stumbles upon ancient ruins with mysterious side effects. Both are available in the OP of the Wordsmith's Guild under "Role Plays". Participating in either of these will fulfill a Master's obligation of maintaining an active presence in a Wordsmith's Guild role play.

by **Wandering Argonians** » Thu Apr 03, 2014 10:32 am

What is your favorite book?:
I enjoy the 'Ciaphus Cain' series by Sandy Mitchell.

Why?:
Putting aside the setting, the books are well-written, the protagonist easy to identify with, and the overall tone of the novels never tends towards the overly-grim overtones common with books written in that 'universe'. There are also a few 'easter eggs' written in that I enjoy stumbling across.

Who is your favorite author?:
Dan Abnett writes several lines of books I have enjoyed reading.

Why?:
Each line of novels has its own tone and feel. The characters each have distinctly different personalities that color their individual narratives, and makes them enjoyable to read about.

Who is one prominent NSer you would like to be more like?:
I strive to be an individual in most cases, and do not enjoy attempting to compare myself to others I do not know on a personal basis. I also have no idea what constitutes a 'prominent' contributor to our vast community. A player may be prominent in his/her home region, in a particular genre of roleplay, in a sub-community, the list goes on. I guess I could say I strive to be 'prominent' in my own right, I just lack the correct medium or community in which to attempt to ascend.

How do you believe we should incorporate numbers, such as population and military specifications, into roleplaying?:
This has always been a touchy subject, as there is no correct answer in my opinion. My opinion being that one cannot quantify a freeform roleplay into numeric data without the story itself suffering somewhat. Military specifications are quite alright, so your opponent has additional information to incorporate into his own posts involving your forces; Numbers are a handy thing to have around so the two of you can compare notes, as it were, but should not be used as a basis for determining victory. Trying to 'win' defeats the purpose, at least to me. The story is the objective, not victory. The battles are pages on which to print tales of valor and emotion. It is impossible to convey such things through "X tanks attack Y tanks" and "My 10,000 troops storm your defensive lines and take 4,000 casualties".

I suppose such things have their place in a defined framework like "Dungeons and Dragons", but have little place in text-based roleplay as we partake in on Nationstates. I have seen such things devolve into pointless contests of numbers over strategy, and the story lost in the process. I also have no luck partaking in such roleplays, as I tend to get swamped by short posts.

What is your favorite kind of roleplay?:
My preferred roleplay settings are of the modern-tech and future-tech variety. In terms of actual content, I gravitate towards those involving intrigue, espionage, 'black' operations, that sort of thing. I can work with just about anything, however, so long as it is well-written and the story coherent. Character-driven roleplays are where I seem to do my best work, especially when I can employ characters I have developed over my NationStates career. They nearly write their own dialog at this point.

How would you describe your grammar, spelling, and other technical writing skills?:
I would rate my grammar as passable, and my technical writing skills at needing improvement as I have not done anything with NS for a lengthy period of time. Spelling is typically excellent, what with the assistance from Google Chrome in the spell-checking department.

What do you like most about NationStates' roleplaying community?:
I enjoy the variety of writing styles, characters, and settings such a large group offers.

[b]What annoys you the most about Nationstates' roleplaying community?:[/b]
The lack of original, or at least quality, content. I do not mind working with established franchises (Star Wars, Mass Effect, Call of Duty), but others can at least attempt to better integrate the franchise into their own national framework or at least invent original characters.

In your writing, how do you account for the fact that NationStates is unrealistically enormous with ambiguous geography?:
Typically, it is one of those things that is implied but not mentioned unless relevant, much like technology in most sci-fi films. It just is. The Argonian Intelligence Service recognizes only a fraction of the 'nations' as sovereign territories. The only time I will attempt to use landmarks or references to terrain other than generalized statements is when a map has already been posted and agreed on.

What makes someone a model citizen of our forums?:
The ability to string together sentences into some semblance of a paragraph should be expected, as should generally correct spelling and grammar usage. To be a 'model' citizen one should be able to contribute some sort of reasonable quality posts to whatever roleplay they are involved in.

You must submit at a minimum three sample posts to be considered. More would certainly be warranted. They ought to be your best writing. If you wish, you can ask for a Master to give you a prompt and one will be provided.

Samples:
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=256702

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=247226

viewtopic.php?f=4&t=189264

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=248870

These are primarily future-tech, as that is where my writing has strayed lately. There also seems to be a distinct lack of modern-tech roleplays that are worthwhile of late, which may explain my future-tech leanings. A good deal of personal content has been lost to the migration from Jolt, as my posting history goes back seven pages.

by **Delmonte** » Thu Apr 03, 2014 4:56 pm

I really, really like your writing style, Wandering Argonians. It would be disingenuous of me to say that I thought you deserved less than to be a Master. I feel like I can't, in good conscience, vote for you to be an Apprentice when there is obviously nothing that I could teach you about writing. In the interim of your application process, I invite you to participate in my Wordsmith's RP.

by **The Order of Takhisis** » Thu Apr 03, 2014 5:06 pm

I'm not really one for drawn out conclusions about people and their skills. In my humble opinion I give the Hell to the Yeah's vote on Wandering Argonians being apart of our awesomesauce Master's club.

by **The Batorys** » Thu Apr 03, 2014 9:11 pm

I've learned a thing or two from Wandering Argonians in my time on NS. I therefore vote he be accepted as a master RPer.

by **Renor Xukuth** » Sat Apr 05, 2014 9:23 am

While we've never met Wandering Argonians, we hold with the agreements that said player be included in the Master's.

by **Wandering Argonians** » Sun Apr 06, 2014 8:55 am

The lot of you are far too kind.

I will take a look at this 'Wordsmith' RP and see what it is about.

by **The greater Vakolicci Haven** » Mon Apr 21, 2014 12:19 am

What is your favorite book? Why? For the past 5 years of my (to this point, short) life, I have found the works of Terry Pratchet (particularly the discworld series) to be a solid read that delivers every time a new work is released. His developments of subjects into his fictional world that in real life would, although being interesting, be rather boring (such as the steam railway in his newest work 'Raising Steam), with a remarkably humorous tone, shows that this is an author who while he can make anything funny, he will not lose any of the intelectual stimulus that a well-written book should provide.
Who is your favorite author? Why? Again, this must go to Sir Terry Pratchet, for reasons listed above.
Who is one prominent NSer you would like to be more like? And, obviously, provide the obligatory explanation as to why. I have always wanted to be most like a person I know well both on and off NS, who around these parts goes by the name of 'The Greater Vakolicci Haven.' His generally high capacity for intelligent debate, rather good writing skills and free attitude to roleplay make him a pleasure to rp with. I have always found that 'The Greater Vakolicci Haven' tends to wish to better himself, and doesn't often look for someone to base his aspirations on.
How do you believe we should incorporate numbers, such as population and military specifications, into roleplaying? Basically, I think we should ask people what they want to do. However, a large (by ns terms) deployment, though it should be awesome to behold, should not detract from the skill of the authors. However, participants of a roleplay must agree on the rules of engagement before doing anything.
What is your favorite kind of roleplay? I have drifted more from military-based roleplays to character-based roleplays recently, and have even entered the dark and forbidding landscape of NS sport (which, although it defies any boundaries of sense, random number generators included, is entertaining.) Thus, as for my favorite type of roleplay, my answer is this: I have absolutely no idea. Bring on your thousands and I shall endeavour to find something I fancy. It honestly changes daily.
How would you describe your grammar, spelling, and other technical writing skills? Other people have done that job for me. My belief that paragraphs, at least on the internet, are the enemy has led me to adopt a rather odd writing style. This is due to the fact that long paragraphs tend to create a cenario in which my screen reader (I am totally blind) decides it can't read properly and gradually loses pitch.
What do you like most about NationStates' roleplaying community? The vibrancy of it, as well as the skill in many posters work.
What annoys you the most about Nationstates' roleplaying community? (This field is mandatory, Big Brother is watching) Horibly elitist as it sounds, I'm not really a fan of the myriad small rps that set up, have a general line content of 5 per post, and die because someone has gone inactive.
In your writing, how do you account for the fact that NationStates is unrealistically enormous with ambiguous geography? I draw a little mind map in my head (for a blind person, I have ridiculous attention to internal graphical detail), and I know where I believe nations are in relation to my various landmasses. Before launching into an rp, I'll atempt to find out where other people think they are in relation to me, and try and reach a happy compremise.
What makes someone a model citizen of our forums? In my experience, it is generally the ability to adapt to the writing styles and personalities of posters a person does not normally interact with, and to be able to take other opinions on board.

Unfortunately to all concerned, my screen reader doesn't read the address bar. Thus, I am unable to provide any examples of my work, either on ns or other forums.
If you wish, I could copy and paste a short story I have written as part of my application.

by **Great Empire of Gamilus** » Mon Apr 21, 2014 2:41 am

What is your favorite book? Why?
a book from my early childhood about a cat and a bird going to the city. it reminds me of my grandmother and my youth.
more recently, works by Clive Cussler, not sure why its something new I guess.

Who is your favorite author? Why?
at the moment Clive Cussler. before that was the guy who wrote Eragon (but that flopped after the second book) and the favourite before that was Emily Roda for the Deltora Quest series.

tho an all time favourite would be Tolkien for the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings. true masterpieces.

Who is one prominent NSer you would like to be more like? And, obviously, provide the obligatory explanation as to why.
I am not to sure, I have met so many people, some I hated many I loved and some I liked as much as my best friend.

How do you believe we should incorporate numbers, such as population and military specifications, into roleplaying?
population, I am not to sure but don't go stupid with the population density, with military numbers, be realistic no army would deploy six bagillion gazillion into a single battle. (from experience I can say I almost witnessed it)

What is your favorite kind of roleplay?
I am not to sure, most of the ones I have participated in were war ones, the only diplomatic role play I was in went stupid when a player RP'd a king from another kingdom demanded to know why my peoples skin was blue, god modded one of my aides shot his son for his country to declare war and left while leaving the princes body slumped on the table where my nations leader sat... still calmly finishing the glass of wine.

so overall I am not to sure but Diplomatic RP's have been a blast so far.

How would you describe your grammar, spelling, and other technical writing skills?
good overall and in some parts better than good, I lack in one area or two.

What do you like most about NationStates' roleplaying community?
the friendliness of most people...

What annoys you the most about Nationstates' roleplaying community? (This field is mandatory, Big Brother is watching)
hahaha, well what annoys me most is the ultra short replies with some people, a stupid scale of some wars, unrealistic numbers and instantaneous transportation of armies.

In your writing, how do you account for the fact that NationStates is unrealistically enormous with ambiguous geography?
thats a good question, and I honestly don't know how half the time since my nation is FT (tho I do have a PT/PMT tech nation I rarely use it)

What makes someone a model citizen of our forums?
politeness and willingness to learn and teach

You must submit at a minimum three sample posts to be considered. More would certainly be warranted. They ought to be your best writing. If you wish, you can ask for a Master to give you a prompt and one will be provided.

can I ask for one? if not want me to post some of the stuff I write like my fanfiction and/or parts of my novels?

by **Delmonte** » Mon Apr 21, 2014 2:21 pm

Great Empire of Gamilus wrote:What is your favorite book? Why?
a book from my early childhood about a cat and a bird going to the city. it reminds me of my grandmother and my youth.
more recently, works by Clive Cussler, not sure why its something new I guess.

Who is your favorite author? Why?
at the moment Clive Cussler. before that was the guy who wrote Eragon (but that flopped after the second book) and the favourite before that was Emily Roda for the Deltora Quest series.

tho an all time favourite would be Tolkien for the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings. true masterpieces.

Who is one prominent NSer you would like to be more like? And, obviously, provide the obligatory explanation as to why.
I am not to sure, I have met so many people, some I hated many I loved and some I liked as much as my best friend.

How do you believe we should incorporate numbers, such as population and military specifications, into roleplaying?
population, I am not to sure but don't go stupid with the population density, with military numbers, be realistic no army would deploy six bagillion gazillion into a single battle. (from experience I can say I almost witnessed it)

What is your favorite kind of roleplay?
I am not to sure, most of the ones I have participated in were war ones, the only diplomatic role play I was in went stupid when a player RP'd a king from another kingdom demanded to know why my peoples skin was blue, god modded one of my aides shot his son for his country to declare war and left while leaving the princes body slumped on the table where my nations leader sat... still calmly finishing the glass of wine.

so overall I am not to sure but Diplomatic RP's have been a blast so far.

How would you describe your grammar, spelling, and other technical writing skills?
good overall and in some parts better than good, I lack in one area or two.

What do you like most about NationStates' roleplaying community?
the friendliness of most people...

What annoys you the most about Nationstates' roleplaying community? (This field is mandatory, Big Brother is watching)
hahaha, well what annoys me most is the ultra short replies with some people, a stupid scale of some wars, unrealistic numbers and instantaneous transportation of armies.

In your writing, how do you account for the fact that NationStates is unrealistically enormous with ambiguous geography?
thats a good question, and I honestly don't know how half the time since my nation is FT (tho I do have a PT/PMT tech nation I rarely use it)

What makes someone a model citizen of our forums?
politeness and willingness to learn and teach

You must submit at a minimum three sample posts to be considered. More would certainly be warranted. They ought to be your best writing. If you wish, you can ask for a Master to give you a prompt and one will be provided.

can I ask for one? if not want me to post some of the stuff I write like my fanfiction and/or parts of my novels?

Uh... Sure. Write one piece that consists of an argument between your head of state and a legislator, or the nearest similar position. Write one piece from the perspective of a family in your nation going through an average day. And write one about whatever you want. It can even be non-NS related, but keep it within the boundaries of... sanity.

by **The greater Vakolicci Haven** » Tue Apr 22, 2014 12:39 am

Do you want me to do the same, since I can't provide a link?

by **The Order of Takhisis** » Wed Apr 23, 2014 5:37 am

Yes that would be helpful to us.

by **Valica** » Mon Apr 28, 2014 12:13 pm

Posting so I will see this thread in my history.
I will put up an application later.

by **Finium** » Thu Mar 19, 2015 3:32 pm

What is your favorite book? Why?

I have always been very partial to Patrick Rothfuss's The Name of the Wind. It incorporates a number of interesting characters with a fresh perspective on the fantasy genre. It inspires me, as an excellent hero should, to seek out adventure and so on. While this is my favorite book, it is not the best book by any means. The finest piece of literature ever produced is the unimpeachable Jane Eyre, which combines social progressiveness with personal conservatism in a way that is both meaningful, alluring and well constructed into the narrative. I know you did not ask for the best book, but it had to be mentioned.

Who is your favorite author? Why?

My favorite author is the great William Shakespeare, who is indubitably the greatest literary genius ever produced. It is a cliched answer, but I still stand by him (or the Duke of Oxford if that's your fancy) and acknowledge from a reasonably objective and educated perspective the absoluteness of his dominance. Patrick Rothfuss and Charlotte Bronte are honorable mentions.

Who is one prominent NSer you would like to be more like? And, obviously, provide the obligatory explanation as to why.

I think that, if I must chose one, that New Edom has inspired me the most. It is a difficult thing to quantify, but I was constantly surprised by how much I enjoyed reading his work. Not only that, but when I compared New Edom's early posts to my own preliminary work, I was surprised yet again with the history of excellence. If I have any talent, it comes from exposure to people such as New Edom that have a gift for writing, if you don't believe me, just try and stomach my first RP (don't do that, I am actually trying to be accepted).

How do you believe we should incorporate numbers, such as population and military specifications, into roleplaying?

Numbers must be relative. I think that a nation should first describe itself within abstract terms (large/small, old/young, etc.) and then translate those variable terms into context within a given story line (larger/smaller, older/younger etc.) as each nation relates to the next. Then, finally, those concepts are relayed through the details provided by the writer in exact terms. Numbers/specs should always be supplied as they relate to another nation and should not be constructed in a vacuum. I am not demanding that everyone remove their military factbooks of course, merely observing that better stories account for relativity.

What is your favorite kind of roleplay?

I enjoy diplomatic affairs most all. I find that people are more tactful and subtle, or at least, more likely to engage in pride-based shenanigans. Of course, I have never actually fought a complete war, it always ends up being obvious that one side or another has superiority of arms and then the story devolves into stupidly desperate grabs at power, finally collapsing into a tantrum. I have found that there is little honor/humility/community/everything-nice in combat, I assume that these are defects in the players I engaged with, not the actual system of war itself, but nonetheless, I prefer diplomacy due to the abhorrent vices of war stories.

How would you describe your grammar, spelling, and other technical writing skills?

I try to be exact. Obviously make my fair share of errors, but I think I am polished enough to be called adequate. I can identify subjects, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, conjunctions (junction!), a variety of clauses and so on.

What do you like most about NationStates' roleplaying community?

I find it delightful that there are so many people that gather together for the writing of stories, or mindless chatter depending on where you go. I find the diversity exhilarating, I have never seen an RP with only one style or tone in it, and I think that this is of inherent value.

What annoys you the most about Nationstates' roleplaying community? (This field is mandatory, Big Brother is watching)

You may recall my rant on the petty wars that are so often fought and/or not actually fought and just bickered about. That is undoubtedly the greatest flaw is the general aura of pride that surrounds many nations. Precious few people are willing to risk their egos in the name of a story line. I was once going to fight in a war and, knowing that my opponents were not the types to admit defeat at any point, I declared beforehand that I would ultimately lose the war. Even that was not enough, my opponents continued to harangue me about their superiority and why they must win, even after I had acquiesced. That demonstrates the fundamental flaw of people that are too invested in the superiority of their nations and not invested in the stories that they are trying to tell.

In your writing, how do you account for the fact that NationStates is unrealistically enormous with ambiguous geography?

I find that most details are relative to the story. Everything from the size of the galaxy to the speed of a motorcar are variable depending on how they contribute to the plot. In the end, the best stories demonstrate consistency rather than accuracy. So, within the bounds of a given story, I attempt to maintain the mutual expectations of the other players. Also, the bigger, the funner, so I'm all for ridiculous largenesses.

What makes someone a model citizen of our forums?

A model citizen in one that is more interested in story than in pride. Given, of course, that he/she is possessed of the appropriate technical skills.

You must submit at a minimum three sample posts to be considered. More would certainly be warranted. They ought to be your best writing. If you wish, you can ask for a Master to give you a prompt and one will be provided.

Traveling To and Fro
Inferno
Unification Before All
I wouldn't mind being prompted too, if anyone has a spare prompt lying about.

by **The Order of Takhisis** » Fri Mar 20, 2015 8:29 am

Entry into the organization for the nation of Finium, is wholeheartedly supported by myself. As previous experience with said nation and player has been good and would make an excellent addition to the Master's.

by **Lynion** » Fri Mar 20, 2015 9:09 am

What is your favorite book? Why?

The Advocate by Randy Singer. I thoroughly enjoy characters defining authorities in the face when it’s unpopular to do so. The inspiration that he draws from his faith in Christ inspired the Faith in Christ (Early Days Christians) to not only stay strong in their faith but also to explore defining a mad emperor (Nero).

Who is your favorite author? Why?

John Marsden. Growing up, I read his series, Tomorrow When the War began. In short, the series is about before, during and after an invasion of Australia. Unlike other books and movies that tend to lean towards Rambo style, John Marsden explores what it would be like to be a guerrilla fighting against a superior military force while tending to the everyday issues of teenagers. This is written from a females point of view and one part I do enjoy, is when the main character Ellie compares before and during the war.

Who is one prominent NSer you would like to be more like? And, obviously, provide the obligatory explanation as to why.

Tough since I’m in a region where role-plays are the first interest. Lyras is the one that stands out the most. He has the attention to great detail of character, deployment and using military forces and Lyras is quite the inspiring player when you’re trying to grow in your own writing style and development. I like to think he influence my writing style since I first joined back in 2008.

How do you believe we should incorporate numbers, such as population and military specifications, into roleplaying?

This can be difficult as everyone has a different view. I can manage with my current numbers because our region is a fantasy size. With military specifications, I do tend to follow a realistic approach of only 1% of my population being in the military during peace time and up to 5% during total war. ORBAT’s tend to be rather realistic. This is because I have to consider the resources from getting to A to B. You can’t teleport but you can be realistic about the time frame from deployment to war zone. The highest I’ve deployed is 300,000 into a total war zone but it was difficult to keep up with deployments. At this point, I have a cap of 100,000 but I haven’t gone over 75,000 for some time.

When waging war, you need to consider the resources to get there, the resources to wage war, the ability to wage war and the ability to keep it going. I did do a sample about military development which I can provide.

This is was written a few years ago but it is a sample of what I advised about it.

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=307211&p=21208409&hilit=lynion#p21208409

What is your favorite kind of roleplay?

Espionage, mystery and character. I do enjoy a rather good character Role-Play but I don’t mind doing a campaign style role-play.

How would you describe your grammar, spelling, and other technical writing skills?

Average and improving. I still go over my work and use another spell checker to double check rather than use myself and Microsoft Word.

What do you like most about NationStates' roleplaying community?

The community of role-players and able to learn from others.

What annoys you the most about Nationstates' roleplaying community? (This field is mandatory, Big Brother is watching)

Number spamming, not accepting defeat and try to turn it around, unrealistic approach, lack of details and RPer’s using pictures instead of words.

In your writing, how do you account for the fact that NationStates is unrealistically enormous with ambiguous geography?

I class NationStates as a fantasy world that tends to be growing every day with new nations forming and its ability to keep the current population stable.

What makes someone a model citizen of our forums?

Someone who can take a defeat, able to learn from their mistakes, can create decent characters, provide decent details and you can have a conversation with them without turning into a flame war.

Three RP samples:

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=299622
viewtopic.php?f=5&t=297358
viewtopic.php?f=5&t=294143

by **Renor Xukuth** » Fri Mar 27, 2015 7:16 pm

We support the entry of Lynion into the Apprenticeship program, with the realization that he will probably not be in there for very long. With an inspiration that is commendable to your writing style, and the samples provided, we look forward to your eventual placement in the Masters.

In regards to Finium, we also support entry into the Masters for much the same reasons as Takhisis. Writing style, in-depth exploration of the nation that is, was, and it's culture has provided a fascinating insight.

by **The High Lords** » Wed May 27, 2015 2:15 pm

by **The High Lords** » Wed Jun 17, 2015 1:16 pm

Bump...

Wordsmith's Guild (Writing Organization)

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