ಎ WELCOME

[samurai blues]

PAGS IS FINALLY READY TO GET ITS FEET OFF THE GROUND.
Yes, Caleb is finally getting off his ass (notice how most announcements begin with this?) and starting to work on PAGS and the character boot camp. I love how "PAGS" is almost like "fags," don't you?

However, before we can start, I need some people to help out.

I need someone who can help teach:
CHARACTERS
Topics include:
General Development
Dialogue and inner monologues, "The Difference Between A Good Inner Debate And A Stupid Inner Monologue"
Character Interaction
Gender differences: Writing A Man -- Like A Woman, Except With Junk
**NOT ALL GAY MEN DESERVE TO ACT LIKE THEY HAVE A VAGINA**
Stereotypes and Archetypes

WRITING
Topics include:
Grammar 101
Comma vs. Semicolon vs. Colon
Homonyms
What is annoying filler and when cutting length is your best option (AKA quality vs. quantity)
Just Because You Can Use a Thesaurus Doesn't Mean Your Writing Is Good
The Exposition: Dealing with Speculative Fiction
Sights, Sounds and Smells
Tenses: Choosing Which Tense Is Right For You And Staying In It
First Person Is Not The Devil
God-Moding: When It Is All Right, When It Isn't

* THIS ISN'T COMPLETE.
IF YOU FEEL SOMETHING ELSE SHOULD BE ADDED, PLEASE LET ME KNOW, BECAUSE MY BRAIN IS DEAD.

OTHER
Topics include:
Plots: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly
Just Because You Can Write Doesn't Mean Your Role-play Will Work
Mood, Tone and Setting

*ALSO NOT COMPLETE.

Basically I need someone who will help write out the basics for all of these classes -- basically an overview of what the class will be about. I'll need more than one teacher for each. Three tops. If you would like to teach multiple classes, go ahead, but make sure you can handle the responsibility.

Currently I need three teachers for each class.
Just post here if you're interested. Make sure to tell me why you want to teach the class, how you will teach the class and why you should teach the class. Just to make it look professional and to weed out the power-hungry.

[trepidation]

hey dar, caleb-luvie.
<3

right.

CHARACTERS
i would love to help develop characters, i don' mind teaching Gen Dev.

Gen Dev:
WHY?: I love helping people, and General Development and like the BASE of all roleplaying. It is the perfect thing for me, i can help people right from the start. That's the reason.
HOW?: I would most likely explain, using examples of my (and others if i get their permission) own style, and then take those writings and take them apart, labeling how each part helps in developing a character. And then maybe write some 'bad' pieces, and have the person fix them, you know. and also have them write their own pieces, and then look them over, and show how things could be improved. Things like that.
SHOULD?: I am really friendly, and very patient, and i can be lax, but not to lax. I donno, just feel that this would be the most delicious spot for me to work, really. IT is a place for beginnings, and i like helping people 'start off'.




writing
Sight, Sounds and Smells (SSS):
WHY?: Again, this the 'basics'. And well, i love describing smell, sight, and sounds. those three things are THE BASE of roleplaying. really. if you write all about your character, but leave out what they SEE, and HEAR, and SMELL. you are leaving out so MUCH! i love seeing pieces where i can envision the world around a persons character, smell what they smell, see what they see, hear what they HEAR. it makes everything so much better.

HOW?: I would use examples, because they really help, and again, take each apart, labeling and showing how a reply with the three S's seems so much more vivid then one without. and then give them a piece to 'vivify' themselves, and also have them write their own pieces. and of course, i would start out with a simple explanation of how to go about using the three SSS's correctly. and not abusing them, or ramble.

SHOULD?: Again. I work well with beginners, and the basics, it makes me feel like i am making a difference, and well. SSS would be so easy for me, isn't that what makes us epsilons? our writing being connected with the world around our characters? or something along those lines. what ever it is, i really feel this is one of my strong suites. <3 yes yes.



other

Plots:
WHY?:
Plots are my life, really, they breed in my brain like rabbits. you have seen that. and i try to make them as original as possible. yes, so i would love to teach people how to make plots, how to figure which plot seems to 'controlling' or to 'boring'. i want to show them how to make EXCITING ENTICING plots! ones that make people go 'ME! PICK ME TO DO THIS ONE!'

HOW?: this is really, as i see it, a loose based 'class' i would, perhaps, give them a genre and some ideas to toss around, and then allow them to build their own plot, then show me. i can then dissect it and tell them what makes it a good plot, an amazing one, or something they need to work on. i will show them what makes it so great or horrible, and then give them a new genre to work on, until i see that they are progressing. and also, explain explain explain to them what makes a plot wonderful. show them some examples, and let them ask questions. of course!

SHOULD?: i donno, i mean, i really feel this is a spot where i would fit in. plots are so exciting, and i never seem to make 'boring' ones. right? i donno, it just feels like i would be useful here. hope that doesn't sound egotistical. D:


i don' expect all these classes, or even two, but if you do offer for me to do all three, i am sure i could handle it. hopefully. :'D i am on all the time.

[Haunt]

I really want to teach Stereotypes and Archetypes.

Why? Well, most of all I'd love to teach about stereotypes and archetypes. Many new authors/role players don't understand the difference between archetypes and stereotypes, and that's merely the root of the problem. I feel that if I teach the class I can not only develop the line of distinction more, but also teach people that just because your character can be 'categorized' doesn't mean that they are 'weak' or 'ill developed.' In addition, I'd like to think that by building on archetypes I can also touch on almost every Character sub-topic. Plus, by teaching the class I'm also learning. I'll be doing research, because I don't know everything, and there is nothing wrong with expanding your own knowledge base.

How? Well, as corny as this sounds I've taught classes on Greatest Journal before. (Though, they were Harry Potter related. I'm a nerd, back off.) My favorite class to teach was transfiguration. I'd have a class on the history, for example, and I'd do some research and write a 'lesson.' This 'lesson' would have a reading (fairly short, of course) and a few follow up questions. An easy thing to do for teaching character would be give a short description of a concept, and then have the 'student' write a brief story/character that fits that concept. I could also teach by asking 'students' to use examples from literature they're familiar with. I hope I'm making some sense. XD Sorry, if I'm not.

Why should I teach this class? I'm a people person? ^^ Well, as mentioned above I have taught other online 'classes.' So, I have experience with online, recreational, teaching and grading. I'm also online, a lot. I could be active and update as often as asked of me. It's not a bad thing that I like having a challenge on my plate, and have access to some great English teachers, either.

[dystopia]

I have actually taken a class called something like “The Exposition: Dealing with Speculative Fiction”. That is somewhat creepy, and yet also pretty rad.

I actually have a class to propose: Red Flag Words and Word Choice. I thought it might be like the “Just Because You Can Use a Thesaurus Doesn't Mean Your Writing Is Good” class, but then as I thought it out more, it’s sort of the polar opposite.

The basis would be to keep those who participated in the class from abusing words like “angst, darkness, randomly, adverbs in general, twilight, sapphire eyes, crimson, wolfspeak, etc.”. It would also address whether or not a certain word/ phrase really fits the tone of a specific piece and if that word had already been used a little too much (basically, avoiding excessive repetition). There will also probably be some bit of warning there about starting sentences with “the”, “she”, and “he” all the time.

I will expand on this later depending on whether or not you think it would work well. Moving on…

How?

I would give examples, good and bad. I’d point out what was wrong with the bad examples and why I used the good examples. I plan on varying the lengths of the examples to give short little paragraph samples and then one or two sturdy, full introductions to see the technique “in action”.

With the bigger introductions that were bad examples, I might have participants PM me revised versions of the work and then list a few points as to what was changed and why.

Then to pass the class, they might have to do something such as create a new introduction that focuses on word choice. If it is decent, then they can move on. “Decent”, however, is a bit more difficult to achieve… you can see how often I end up rejecting auditions.

Why?

I know I used to have a lot of problems picking out the right words. I would compare all my character’s features to beech trees and whatever gem I could google. Every other word was something about the horrible abyss and darkness of the deep, forest green forest.

So, I want to help other people avoid making those same mistakes. It’s a bit selfish, but another reason is because I hope that if people takes these classes, they will improve enough so that there will be even more good writers to roleplay with on this site. Yes, yes, I already said it was selfish.

I have been very excited about this whole school idea for a while now. So, evidently, I would love to teach, even if it is not this class in particular.

Why should I?

I think I have probably bashed this into your poor head by now, but I attend an arts school where I major in the Creative Writing Department. I am now applying for jobs at literary magazines to edit submissions and have a decent amount of experience in that sort of field. Of all the various classes you have listed, I think that this subject in particular is something that I really pay conscious attention to when I am writing.

[ravey can eat ghosts]

I'd like to teach "Tenses: Choosing Which Tense Is Right For You And Staying In It." ...But I think I'd like to rename it if you choose me and I can think of something. XD Even the acronym is long!

Why?: Like you know ... or if you haven't noticed, you SHOULD know ... I write in present tense. Because I write in present tense, my role play partners tend to start writing in present tense, too. Often, they switch tenses by accident, and it's quite annoying. A lot of people do it even if they haven't been role playing with a present-tenser and the object of the class would be to get them writing in whatever tense/person they feel comfortable with.

How?: Examples! Lots of examples. Not really GOOD/BAD examples (although there would probably be some of those, involving tense-switching and person-switching) but examples of the same sentence or passage in different tenses/persons. An example for third-person present, then the same sentence for third-person past; another example for first-person present and past. Students could choose which they like better or whatever seems most comfortable for them to be writing in.

Assignments would probably be something along the lines of "Write a three-paragraph response to this post in [form]." They'd be graded on how often they switched tenses, how often they switched persons, and whether the writing sounded...forced, for lack of a better word. Uncomfortable, I guess?

Why Rave?: she loves her some gaylib Lulz. I guess because I had a pretty hard time deciding whether I wanted to stick with present tense or go to past tense; I know how it feels to be... kind of discriminated against, sort of, because of my writing style; on more than one forum I've been rejected for writing in third-person present. I've also written quite a bit in first-person present, first-person past, and second-person present, just not in role play. (:

[Doridachi]

Mmm. My inactive-ness has bothered me. About time I did something, no?

Characters:

General Development

Why?
Character designs pop out of my head every day of the week. I would like to help people get through the hard or otherwise confusing parts of character development. Whether it be through appearance or background, I specialize in making a character have a unique and otherwise interesting point of view.
Theres also the fact that I myself am sometimes seen doing weird, out-of-character things. I would like to help people avoid the mistakes that people such as myself am making.

How?
Examples, examples, EXAMPLES! I am the cutting board by which great meals are prepared. And, if for some reason that does not work, there are always detailed (but not boring) explinations and hands-on experience. I like to believe that working with your hands is the best way to learn. That way, you have experience.
That being said, every once in a while I would probably give an... assignment. For example, I could say, "If you were to write an essay on your character, what would the thesis statement be?" I know that may seem simple, but you would also disect it. It's important to know those sorts of things, in my opinion.

Why choose me?
I love talking! (er... typing!) I like to think of myself as a people person. I also understand that certain things are confusing and make no sense, so I would always try to do my best to make sure everyone understands on equal terms. After all, what's the use of teaching a class if no one can understand what your teaching?

Character Interaction

Why?
It really bursts my bubble when a character will warp through two different personalities when interacting with others. (Unless their bipolar or something...) Each character should have a certain personality, and therefore a way of interacting with other people due to it. There are also matters about speaking mannerisms and even posture that can seem out of place to me. No one will know much about your character unless their interacting with something, and so it is, in my opinion, something very important to focus on.

How?
Again, ALOT of exapmles. Is there much to say here? After an explination or two, give an example, then let the tykes follow in my footsteps... well, of course, not being exactly like me and stuff. It's important to make a character that is easy to understand. Like, if I had this persons background, how would I act?
My homework would generally involve around certain things. For exapmle, an assignment where they work only on speech, or only on posture. I would give them a situation and see how they get a character to react to it.

Why choose me?
Personal experience? I mean, I've often had trouble making certain characters keep their personality in check. Just like for Character Development, I want others to avoid the mistakes that I've made in the past. Also... when you're really good at something, you've got to spread the magic, right? Joking, but still. I'd like to help those who have trouble in things I know I can help them with.

[LoveMeTommorrow]

I would like to teach "Just Because You Can Use a Thesaurus Doesn't Mean Your Writing Is Good" and "First Person Is Not The Devil".

Why? First of all, I am the expert at the whole thesaurus thing. I will be reading someone's introduction, and then all the sudden, there's this word. Most of the time it's a big word that's not even used right. However, it's there, because they thought it would make their writing better. When simply variety in simple words would be much better. I actually used to do this, so I understand why people do this, and I also know how to change this without drastically changing any basic writing style.

Secondly, I love using first person. Most people stick to their comfort zones, so I don't push first person on them...But I am in love with it. I would like to show how first person can actually be better than third person or omniscient view.

How? I would give examples of particular types of writing with big words in them. Then change it a little with different adjectives and smaller words make more sense, and help the reader just keep going smoothly without going 'What the bleep does that mean?!?!' Not only this, but I can show how using only a few rich words can help as long as you don't overdo it.

As for first person, I would use examples of how the views of writing work. Give the advantages of first person, and the disadvantages. I would show how to start writing in first person, without out butchering it, and so on.

Why RJ? For one thing, I'm extremely organized. So I'd always keep my classes organized. I'm also very friendly, and I like to help people to learn new things, because I love learning myself. I understand why people think it's better to use thesaurus words, and I love to write in first person. I picked these two classes because they relate to me. I would love to teach them.

(: