Seeking Admin! [Resurrecting Scriven Inscribbler]

You heard right, we are currently looking for a new admin to run our Scriven Inscribbler! There have also been a few rule changes for this writing contest, which you can find further down for members eager to partake in it once again.

TO BE ELIGIBLE AS AN ADMIN:

Having a working knowledge of literature and story is very encouraged. We would like the entries to be judged fairly by someone who has some knowledge of story structure and grammar, and hopefully someone who enjoys writing as well.

Be an active member of DA. We need you to be on DA often enough to be able to run the contest and judge the entries. Be sure you have enough free time to run this contest! We understand real life sometimes gets in the way, but we are looking to keep this writing competition running smoothly and in a consistent, timely manner.

Know the rules of DA and the group.

Be a team player. As admins we collaborate with one another to come up with contests and problem solve to make the group an amazing place for everyone. We are open to anyone’s ideas on improving the group or activity suggestions. This is as much of a job as it is a fun and supportive experience.

YOUR DUTIES AS ADMIN:

Always be courteous and patient with members. This is a safe environment for members to have fun and improve as artists. We don’t tolerate bullying or rude behavior from members or admins.

Begin the contest every 3 to 4 weeks. We understand if you need a week to judge entries and announce the new winner, just be sure the SI is announced as consistently as possible.

Judge fairly! This is incredibly important. Judge entries to the best of your ability. Not everyone is a master of story, and this contest is mostly in the name of fun. How you judge entries is up to you. You can come up with your own judging system, but a few good questions to ask yourself during/after reading an entry are: Did the story make sense and have a beginning, middle, and end? Was the story enjoyable to read? Were characters consistent in their actions, thoughts, and choices? Did the author’s word choice and vocabulary add to the story as a whole, or were there some grammar and spelling errors that detracted from the overall experience of reading the story? Am I excited to learn more about this/these character(s) in the future? Was the theme/prompt worked into the story well?

You do NOT have to critique entries. Some of us are not comfortable critiquing others’ work for a variety of reasons. Some people enjoy and are good at providing critique. It is up to you if you wish to critique entries, but it is not mandatory. If you do choose to critique, we ask that you be as fair [but honest] as possible. Too harsh will be discouraging, too kind does not help them improve. Many effective critiquers rely on the sandwich method, in which you tell the author something positive about the work, something that could be improved upon, then another positive aspect. Repeat as necessary.

You can change the name of the Scriven Inscribbler! If you can think of a more Jak and Daxter related name, or a more appropriate name for this contest please run it by us! As long as the new name sounds a bit like a writing contest, we are pretty open to suggestions.

Report how many orbs were won and by whom in the Admin Area. This rule may make more sense once you have access to our back room, but we have a post in the admin area that keeps track of how many orbs each member has.

If you feel comfortable, you can perform other admin duties. This includes responding to members’ questions and comments, approving/declining submissions, helping judge bigger contests, etc. Once you get the swing of things and think you can help out more, we welcome you to do so.

SI RULE REVISIONS:

The rules of the  Scriven Inscribbler are pretty solid, but there are a few changes and a few clarifications to make. The new admin will also be able to add a few rules if they have good reason in the future.

What’s remaining the same: the contest is open for entries for three weeks before they are judged and a winner announced, each entry must be between 1,000 to 3,000 words [with a 100 word leeway on either end of the spectrum], the SI theme must be incorporated in your work, entries must be submitted to the Scriven Inscribbler folder before the deadline, the winner will choose the next theme and be featured in a journal in the group, and every once in a while there will be an elite round with a more difficult theme/prompt and therefore more orbs offered as a prize.

At least one Jak and Daxter OC must be incorporated in the story. It can be your OC, or you can use another member’s OC IF you have permission to use this character. The OC(s) does not need to be the star in the story, but they do need to play some kind of significant role in the plot.

There are more orbs offered for the writing contest. Since the competitors don’t win any artwork in the SI, they will receive 15 orbs per win.

Members can and are encouraged to critique entries to the SI, whether or not the member critiquing enters the contest themself. Keep in mind you must note the group with a link to your critique [we can’t reward you if we don’t know it exists]. As long as the critique does not seem mean spirited, anyone who critiques SI entries will receive 5 orbs per critique as thanks. Critique is important for improvement!

Every once in a while an Elite Round will occur, in which the prompt is more difficult than normal Scriven Inscribblers. This could be a more specific theme, or even a specific sentence or line of dialogue that needs to be somewhere in the SI entry. As a result, 20 orbs will be given to the winner of elite rounds.

Admins can enter the writing contest and even win. However, the SI admin can only win in situations where no other members participated. In such cases [and anytime no one enters], the SI admin will choose the next theme.

CONTEST REMINDER:

Create A Creature Month is still under way! Create a creature that could belong in the Jak and Daxter universe, or expand on an existing species, and submit for fun prizes! The prizes will be revealed on Monday!

Thanks for reading!