`thorns

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Complaint Challenge 2012

Ghost Story Contest! CAMPFIRE CHILLSEdit 6/9/12: Judging begins soon! We had a total of eight entries. Watch this space.
Edit 6/8/12: Deadline is midnight tonight, Eastern Standard Time, and I won't give any more extensions.
Edit 5/31/12:  DEADLINE EXTENSION.  You now have until June 8th.  Yes, I know I'm awesome.
Edit 5/26/12: Six days, three entries.  I will judge with this many, but I won't be happy about it.
Edit 5/21/12: I have one entry with ten days to go.  C'mon guys!
Edit 5/16/12: Today is the halfway point (okay, sort of today) and there are no entries.  C'mon, guys, 15 days until deadline!  I know a lot of people push until the deadline, but I'd like to see something!
Halloween is not the only time for scary.  We're heading into camping season (okay, some places are already there), and ghost stories are the norm.  Imagine being gathered around a campfire out in the middle of nowhere in the middGhost Story Contest! CAMPFIRE CHILLS by =Cassildra

dA Solutions Sanctuary 2012The Complaint Challenge - A Year Long Endeavor
People complain about a lot of things on deviantART. Some of those complaints are perfectly legitimate, some not so much. There are a lot of issues that can be solved with a simple search through dA's FAQ directory. Problems that can't be solved that way can be sent to the Help Desk.
But sometimes people complain about stuff that's not so simple. People complain that the quality of Daily Deviations is going downhill. They complain that Community Volunteers are impersonal or inaccessible. They complain that Critique doesn't happen often enough or that when it does, there's no quality to it. They complain about the fragmentation of _________ Community and how when they joined, things were so much better.
My submission to `thorns Complaint Challenge is godA Solutions Sanctuary 2012 by `Kneeling-Glory

The Village Bicycle Project
The Village Bicycle Project

Pet projects. Groups, prompts, contests, news serials. We all have them, whether it be one, or two, or ten if we've got a premium membership and a largesse of time. We start them for various reasons: to make a change for the better, to provide an opportunity that wasn't there before, or simply to make our mark on this wide and diverse community. Of course, it wasn't always like this. When I was first kicking around deviantART, News was still in beta (heck, beta-testing was still in beta) and Groups were nothing more than a glint in the ninja milkman's eye. What few projects there were were run out of the forums, individual journals or dedicated accounts, while the vast majority of contests came directly from the Gallery Directors. But now, thanks to these new features, anyone can be a community volunteer. You might not get the hat or the tacit permission to fling poop or rend innocents with your dinosaur teeth, but you are a community voluThe Village Bicycle Project by `zebrazebrazebra

Critique Challenge 1Update: as I have spent the last three days suffering from a severe bout of real-life-itis, the deadline is being extended to February 11th!
To celebrate the relaunch of #Critique-It we’re announcing our first member challenge.

`Kneeling-Glory’s dA Solutions Sanctuary , like #Expose-Lit, is a response to `thorns’ Complaint Challenge, and #Critique-It is part of `Kneeling-Glory’s Solutions Sanctuary. (Are you keeping up? That’s the credits paragraph, now let’s move on.)
Critique is something both of our groups want to see more of. Not only does it help writers improve their craft, but it’s a great way to get involved in the lit community.
:iconexpose-lit:

:iconcritique-it:

The Challenge

We want you to go out into dA literature anCritique Challenge 1 by `CrumpetsHarvey

Expose-Lit: The Launch!#Expose-Lit has a mission:
To show dA writers who go overlooked in the lit community how easy it is to get involved and get noticed.
We believe that dA lit is a brilliantly supportive, intelligent, and encouraging network for writers to develop in, whatever their level and wherever they’re heading. But it’s no fun if you feel excluded. At #Expose-Lit we just want to put up a few signposts saying "writers this way" and "for Critique take next left" and "Fame and glory over the hill; bring a picnic."
Why?
When `thorns set the challenge to tackle dA complaints head on, I was immediately stuck by an idea! ....and a feeling of dread because I knew my idea was far too big and I would never have the courage or time or support or any number of other excuses.
What was my beef?
As far as complaints were concerned, I had two, er, beefs:
a) there is aExpose-Lit: The Launch! by `CrumpetsHarvey

Announcing The First Lit-Visual Alliance CONTEST!Announcing the first contest for the
:iconlit-visual-alliance:
What is the Alliance, you ask?
The Alliance is a project group intended to encourage visual and literary artists to work together. I've felt for some time that the dA Literature Community can at times be somewhat insular - to its detriment. We in the Lit Community are also sometimes prone to griping about the lack of exposure our work receives when compared to that of visual artists.
So. In the spirit of `thorns brilliant Complaint Challenge I would try to do something about that. And so :iconlit-visual-alliance: was born.
As often as I hear literary artists complaining about lack of exposure, I hear visual artists complaining of a lack of inspiration and motivation to create art. And that, I must say, is simply nonsense. There is a massive amount of inspiration to be found on dA - and it's called thAnnouncing The First Lit-Visual Alliance CONTEST! by =LadyofGaerdon

Welcome! Please Read All About Us!We are the Lit-Visual Alliance! Here to promote networking and friendship between literary and visual artists. Interested? Read on:
Please check out our Submission Guidelines & Frequently Asked Questions.
This group is a direct result of `thorns' Complaint Challenge. I've had the idea for some time, but if it wasn't for her it would still be nothing more than an idea.
Writers, ever feel like literature just doesn't get the attention it should here, with so many more visual artists and appreciators? Ever feel tempted to be bitter toward those much more recognized visual artists? Don't hate them, work with them! Visual artists love it when people write poems or storieWelcome! Please Read All About Us! by =LadyofGaerdon

A Quick Guide Index: Writing TutorialsResult of: Complaint Challenge and Complaint Overkill
I've found that there are a lot of people who want to write, but aren't confident about the process yet. So I give you the "Quick Guide" series, a set of guides about how a story should work from the inside. I've included feedback portions, because if we're not sharing feedback, we aren't learning. And what else are we posting work on deviantART for, if not feedback?
I posted the first one in May 2011, and the response was absolutely amazing. I hope the rest are as well liked as the first one was.
Completed Guides:
Story Organizing
Upcoming Guides:
March: Inspiration; the Good, the Bad, and the Weird
April: Your Audience; Do's and Don'ts
April: Setting and Worldbuilding
May: Planning Your Plot
May: Characters
May: Narration and Point-of-View
Summer: ProofA Quick Guide Index: Writing Tutorials by =pisatielnitsa More Like This

English 101 Index: A Grammar SeriesResult of: Complaint Challenge and Complaint Overkill
My English 101 series is for basic things in the English language that any writer should know, regardless of their native language. (For those of you who don't know how university courses are numbered, 101 is often used to mark the basic course in any subject. These are the English basics.)
The current series is laid out below, and I will be sticking to it unless I find that one topic needs more than I can write in a single grammar guide. In that case, I may split it in two parts, or more. I hope that any deviations from this list will happen faster than my one-a-month schedule.
February: Sentences, part 1: Basics
March: Sentences, part 2: Clauses
April: Sentences, part 3: Conditionals
May: Punctuation
June: Verbs, part 1: Conjugation
July: Verbs, part 2: Active and Passive
August: Prepositions
September: Pronouns and PEnglish 101 Index: A Grammar Series by =pisatielnitsa More Like This

Spotlight on Lit, vol 1.1

Spotlight: DD's
This issue's spotlight is on Daily Deviations; how to suggest them, how to receive them, and generally how to make the system work for you. This applies not only to the literature community, but to the entire site.
Most deviants receive a DD and add some sort of shocked response in their deviation's comment area. Why is this? When you consider the purpose of the DD system, why is it so surprising to receive one? Anyone who takes a glance at your work and likes it can submit it to one of the gallery moderators. Yes. Anyone.
If you take a look at the Community Relations group, there is a list of every volunteer who helps us out. All you have to do is find the gallery's volunteer(s) and send them a note. It really is that easy. Keep in mind there are guidelines to send in DD sugestions, generally posted on the volunteer's front page. But they're easy to follow like only sending the suggestion to one volunteeSpotlight on Lit, vol 1.1 by =pisatielnitsa

Complaint OverkillThis is my entry for the Complaint Challenge, courtesy of `thorns, who first wanted us to complain about deviantART then turned around and said, "Okay, so what're you going to do about it?"
So anyway, the Complaint Challenge brought out a lot of issues, my biggest one being people who would complain that they didn't get enough exposure (or that other people always got the spotlight) yet they'd do nothing about it. Well, since #Expose-Lit is now in existence, that issue has been taken care of (and better than I would've done, too. Everyone who hasn't already done so should go join them.)
So what else bugs me? The biggest issue I come across on dA (besides the size of my inbox and what kick-started that awesome group) is writers who can't write. I'm not talking about those more amateur writers who post their writing. For most of them, they're working on their skills, and that earns them major kudos from me. I take issue with Native English speComplaint Overkill by =pisatielnitsa

complains contestcomplains contest
by *marob0501

I have no complains.I have only a building up improvement. I would like it to be possible if you want a membership from the donationpool that the points will taken visually out of that donationpool, so that the members who have donate it is used therefore !!!

I hope this is an issue for the competitioncomplains contest by *marob0501

Beginners Guide to Starting GroupsI often see groups fail before they have a chance to get seen, even if that group had a good idea. This is frequently because the founder (and possibly other admin) doesn’t know how to set up a group and get it noticed. I've put together this guide to help admins with this task. It may seem difficult, but from my own experience I found that this is one of the best parts of being an admin. There's always something to do and it can keep you entertained. Please note that this guide is subject to change if suggestions are made or DeviantART comes out with a new feature.
First off, if you want your group to get noticed you have to put some time and effort into it, especially in the beginning. If you only feel like spending ten minutes a day on doing things for your group, then it's best
not to start one at all. Whenever I start a group, I try to put in at least two hours a day. This may seem excessive, but like I said, there's always something to do.
<strong>Beginners Guide to Starting Groups by =Evlydia

The Legality of Fan Art and US Law- Booklet by ~Tylon

How to Criticize An Artwork Nicely Part 1I am assuming that when you open up this file, you genuinely want to help that soul who just asked for a critique. For if you critique because you think that person will pay attention to you, it can show through.

A critique is an analysis of a piece as well as constructive criticism to improve it. On dA, critiques are only available to Premium Members However, you can also critique in a comment space. There's a critique generator for non premiums; just search it up.

The main purpose of this guide is not to help you critique in general; there's a lot of people whHow to Criticize An Artwork Nicely Part 1 by ~cembree

Complaints Contest by ~AzeeraTheNinja

New Username Suggestion by *RTNightmare

Love Thy Enemy : IntroFor quite some time now, I have been haunted by a mob of miscreant females
here on dA. They've harassed, embarrassed, and tried to get me to wear
women's clothing (i.e. Cheerleader Outfits). I've put up with this
horrid behavior long enough.
When I first complained about the Squashies in `thorns' Complaint
Challenge, I had no idea what the repercussions would be. In other
words, I didn't know I'd have to actually do something about them and
their evil ways! But, as many of you know, `thorns tricked us all
into complaining and then made us act on those complaints.
Which, by the way, was a totally awesome idea to make dA better, but don't tell her I said that.
With the end of January as a deadline, I knew I needed to get my plan
into action immediately. So, while I was supposed to be working, I jotted
down a list of the Squashies that were the most damnably corrupt and
another list of the most auspicious deviants I knew that would assisLove Thy Enemy : Intro by `GrimFace242

Love Thy Enemy : Revenge Is Sweet!As you've all noticed, over the last week, I've brought to light the wickedness that is the Squashies. I've exposed their nefarious plans for world domination and uncovered their secret disguises so everyone will recognize them.
If I haven't achieve this, please note me so I can twist their ankles; then you will know them by their hobble.
In all seriousness, they are a wonderful bunch of ladies that I am thrilled to call my friends (even if they threaten my life on a regular basis

). If you haven't already, check out the individual journals (links above) and give a quick read through of their galleries (or just the featured deviation if you don't have time for full galleries).
Now, before I send you off on a mass reading excursion, I'd like to send out a quick thank you to ALL the awe-inspiring deviants that assisted me in my maniacal plans:
:icona-fiery-boom::iconhalatia::iconevil83angel::iconrose-vi-britannia::iconpyrokrymary:
:iconbeabae::iconkeybLove Thy Enemy : Revenge Is Sweet! by `GrimFace242

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