TBoT+-+Introductory+Questions+and+Answers

=Toolbox of Thought: Introductory Questions and Answers=

(Alternate Title: "//Questions I'm Pretending You Asked Me because I Want to Answer them//")

//I took a deep breath and bravely stood up.// //Nervously, I introduced myself, "Hello everybody, my name is Jonathan, and I'm a writer."// //"Hello Jonathan," came the friendly yet somewhat bored reply.//

Since I'm starting this column and have no experience when it comes to column writing (except for regularly reading a few), I thought I may as well do it in the time-honoured fashion of questions and answers. It's a little cliché, but I couldn't think of a better way to do it. Well, let's begin.


 * Who are you?**

Hm... That's a tough one. Most simply put: I am a Year Thirteen student with a passion for writing and a desire to help and inform others. Also, I am a nerd. A big one. I'm one of the two senior students helping out with the Junior Creative Writing Group (Yes, I will get around to my characterisation workshop eventually. Be patient.) and I also go to the Senior Creative Writing Group. In addition to that, I also go to English Scholarship meetings and am in charge of the C3 computer room on Monday lunchtimes. As you can see, I'm fairly busy, but I'm always happy to help those in need. If you want to talk to me you can usually find me at either Creative Writing meeting or in C3. Don't bother me at English Scholarship, please. I also proof-read. Is there anything else you might want to know?... Oh, yeah, I'm a writer. I write Science Fiction mostly, but also dabble in poetry. At the moment I am suffering from writer's block.


 * What is the point of this column?**

The point of this column is to give me something new to work on to keep my writing skills sharp and to give some actual content to the wiki.


 * What will the main topic of this column be?**

Most likely whatever I feel like rambling about at the time. I'll try to be at least somewhat educational, but there will be times when I just rant about my opinions on something without having any educational content. Expect a wide range of topics that will have me educating you about the history of a certain video game one week and ranting angrily about Twilight the next. Also, I may ask for topic ideas at some point, but don't count on me being able to write a column on every suggested topic. There will be limitations on how much time I have available; I may want to write about something else a lot more; or I may just not know enough about that particular subject.


 * How often will you update this?**

Toolbox of Thought will either update once a week or once a fortnight. It may change from time to time, because I may be too busy (Surprisingly enough, I do have a life) or out of ideas. For now, I'll aim to have an update for this column every week.


 * When will you update?**

Either every Monday or Thursday. I've yet to decide.


 * What can we expect in the next few weeks?**

I'm going to discuss writer's block, MST3K and maybe even touch on the pluses and minuses of TV Tropes. I have some stuff planned for later, but I don't want to spoil it.


 * Can you read my writing and tell me what you think?**

Certainly. Do be warned, however, that I can be rather blunt at times. If there are major problems with it I will point them out, so try not to take my constructive criticism as a personal attack. I'm just trying to help you improve your writing, so that there can be more good writers in the world. Bear in mind, I will try to refrain from actually saying that it's bad (at least not without suggesting ways to fix it) and under no circumstances do I want you to stop writing.


 * Couldn't you have chosen a better way to do this introduction than asking yourself these stupid questions?**

Probably, but I couldn't pass up the chance to be extremely meta and try a bit of self-depreciating humour. Also, I'm somewhat lazy and would have had trouble finding a way to fit all the unrelated things I wanted to say.


 * How long are you going to make these?**

Typically I'll aim for at least 1000 words, (so I've got about 250 to go before I can stop padding this out) but this is another one of those things that will vary depending on the circumstances. Some might be two-part.


 * Can I write a column as well?**

Certainly. It would be nice if you talked to Mr. Hanson or me about it first, but the wiki needs more content and we'd like to hear your opinions. In particular we could do with people who can do reviews or at least stick to one subject for more than two weeks in a row.


 * What if I don't want to keep a column up to date but still want to write this sort of thing?**

You can also write articles. We haven't got any specific systems in place for article submission, but once again it would be a good idea to talk to us about it. Don't forget that you can upload your stories and poetry here as well.


 * What if I want to discuss something you've been writing about?**

See that button in the upper-right corner of this page that looks like a speech bubble? Click it to access the discussion board for this page. I'll regularly check up on the discussions for each new update I make for at least a week after it goes up. Please don't bring discussion of my column to the main page, that's for general discussion about the wiki and anything else relevant.


 * You said you're a writer earlier. Can you please upload some of your writing?**

Maybe. Much of my writing is either incomplete or not good enough to upload. I may put up some old stuff, but don't count on it.


 * I want to ask you something that wasn't covered here. Where can I do that?**

Either in person or in the discussion section.


 * Is that all?**

Yep. I look forward to many interesting discussions and seeing the content you guys create. Until next time, fellow writers.