Archive:Monthly Write-a-Thon/May 7, 2008

What's a Write-a-Thon?

It's a bunch of people getting together on a wiki at a particular time to do a bunch of writing. It's like an online party! Heck no, it is an online party! It's also an excuse for infrequent wikiers to show up and party hardy; to exchange ideas with people we might not "meet" otherwise.

But hey, why not show up in between the write-ins, too!

When?

Write-a-Thons happen the first Wednesday of every month. The next Write-a-Thon is Wednesday, March 5th, 2008. Save The Date! Put it on your calendar! Set yourself a reminder!

Any new article you create, and any edit you make to somebody else's Write-a-Thon article during that time period will count, though to be a bona fide partier, you have to write your new articles when it's that day in your part of the world.

Our first Write-a-Thon took place Wednesday, August 1, 2007 and was considered a roaring good time--we had about 30 partiers creating something like 50 articles, and editing lots.

What are the rules?

Rules? This is a party! There are no rules!

Well, OK, maybe there are a couple rules:

• We'll have a Write-a-Thon the first Wednesday of every month.
• To participate, you only have to do two things: (1) start a new article (even just a stub will qualify, if not too short - and please remember to include the subpages template!), and (2) make a substantive edit (not just a copyedit) to somebody else's new article. Then you can list your name here as a partier. Until then, sign in as a porch-sitter, party-crasher, or total party poop.

New! This month's Party Theme

Something you absolutely love. Anything. Long as you love it. (Keep it clean, now, folks!)

(You can also be inspired by some of the theme suggestions, below. Like Derek, who's getting a five-point bonus for combining all the themes in one fell...something. Or add to the theme suggestions for a later Write-a-thon. Inspire someone else. Sky's the limit!)

Create an article, already!

Check it out: Start an article!

Now (this time anyway) easier than ever! Stubs are not only permitted they are encouraged!

The Partiers

• "Oh look, I'm first." said Derek Harkness while keeping to the trend of writing in the 3rd person during the party. He started by fulfilling all the theme requests in one article with the Imperial Palace, Beijing. That's his local tourist attraction and also related to the up and coming Olympics in Beijing.
• Aleta thought she was early, but Derek was already there. Gave him five points for being first in, and awarded an extra five for the stunning combination of themes in one article. Deducted two points because he didn't bring a bottle. Aleta Curry 14:44, 4 March 2008 (CST)
  • Hey, did you know bottles played a key role in the creation of the world? My college roommates and I reenacted it once: here. That's me who appears on the left once in a while. Use a fast internet connection and good speakers to get the full effect. :) -Joe Quick 15:45, 4 March 2008 (CST)

Y'know, you should not make fun of the handicapped! "Use a fast internet connection", indeed! Okay, if you leave that long enough for me to check it out at a library, or something....Acutally, I'm supposed to be testing out satellite internet sometime soon...so they tell me.... Aleta Curry 16:31, 4 March 2008 (CST)

• Louise waves to Derek and Aleta--good morning, partiers! (and thank you, Aleta!) She is starting off her contributions today by a short stub on her actual native language: Chavacano. More to come, especially after she asks her mum how to spell most of the vocabulary. (With an Australian upbringing and schooling, it has always been a spoken language for her) ;) Happy writing, all!Louise Valmoria 17:15, 4 March 2008 (CST) ... continuing on with a quick note on what was once a mysterious monument to her: the Metronome in Prague.

I thought Louise was saying that the Metronome was a mysterious monument to Louise! O-KAY, then! Aleta Curry 18:28, 4 March 2008 (CST)

Louise can learn a lot from Aleta's excellent writing skills ;) How about ... a monument that she had once found mysterious?Louise Valmoria 19:13, 4 March 2008 (CST)

That was generous--are you sure it isn't Aleta's altogether-too-fast first reading of things?? Aleta Curry 19:29, 4 March 2008 (CST)

• Todd was inspired by Aleta and started a stub on creole (food), which he loves a little bit more each time he has some. Hopefully, he will make it in the front door shortly.. and he has arrived at the palace.
• John was also surprised to see so many people showing up early... he got talking with Aleta over in the corner for creole (people), then picked up a manga. John Stephenson 21:14, 4 March 2008 (CST)
• Fortunately there isn't any alarm set to the user page - otherwise Aleta would have dragged Supten at 3 o'clock in the morning. Anyway, another six hours later he managed to scribble a few lines about his native tongue Bangla, by modifying from WP! Then he went to find out whether another write-a-thon article is as empty as the bottle and took a break. (Empty bottles are often broken and put to other use by stronger men!)

The total party poops

Go ahead, admit it!

Questions

• How many Citizens do you think it would take to change a lightbulb? Points for the most creative answer ... Louise Valmoria 17:55, 4 March 2008 (CST)
  • One to just go in there and replace the lightbulb, and another to constantly ask to be updated on the process of the lightbulb changing, request future notification should the lightbulb be changed (or need changing), and when it goes dark. --Robert W King 18:30, 4 March 2008 (CST)

Oh, Lordy! Let's see: one to notice that the lightbulb needed changing,

Ten to agree with him, ten to discuss the relative merits and disadvantages of lightbulb changing....

Two to ask if the lightbulb really wanted to be changed....

One to propose that a CZ:Proposal for lightbulb-changing be written.

Three to demonstrate why they themselves cannot be lightbulb-changing Proposers.

One to say "to hell with it" and actually *draft* the CZ:Proposal to Change a Lightbulb

Two to point out that the Lightbulb-changing proposal is driverless....

Two to ask if lightbulb changing actually requires a proposal, or could someone actually just change the lightbulb?

One to suggest that someone ask the Editor-in-Chief

Two to nominate a third person to be the Proposal Driver

One to explain in great detail that he does not care to be the driver, but will if no one else volunteers.

Five to debate the current Proposal to Change a Lightbulb.

One to propose an alternate proposal.

One to suggest that the new Lightbulb Changing Proposal be merged with the old Proposal to Change a Lightbulb.

Five to state loudly that they would prefer to just sit in the dark....

One twelve-year old to actually go ahead and change the lightbulb.

Aleta Curry 18:44, 4 March 2008 (CST)

This just made my day, lol. --Todd Coles 21:00, 4 March 2008 (CST)

Haha! Is it too early in the Write-a-thon day to declare this one the winner yet? Louise Valmoria 21:12, 4 March 2008 (CST)

If we were to put music to this write-a-thon, what would be your music of choice? Are we discoing writers here, classical, or living it up to rock and roll? Louise Valmoria 21:12, 4 March 2008 (CST)

Previous shindigs

• February 6, 2008
• January 9,2008
• December 5, 2007
• November 7, 2007
• October 3, 2007
• September 5, 2007
• August 1, 2007

Official libations

• Inaugural - beer!
• September - champagne
• October - we were refurbishing the bar and only had coffee!
• November - made up for last month with more vodka than was good for us and plenty of rum.
• December - eggnog and wine
• January - Whisky and the Cocktail of the Month, a pharisee
• February - schnapps and the Cocktail of the Month, the caipirinha (considered the national drink of Brazil)

Write-a-Thon Theme Suggestions

Go ahead and propose one!

- Local tourist attractions

This would be a way to promote local attractions and let us learn a little more about the places where fellow CZ authors live. We could slant it toward the little-known attractions over Disneyland for example. David E. Volk 08:39, 3 March 2008 (CST)

Olympics!

Robert King reminds us: "Can we please have an Olympics theme for this write-a-thon? They are becoming more and more important as we get closer to the Olympics in China."

What's your native tongue?

In light of the CZ International discussions, how about checking to make sure that there's at least a stub on your native language? And what about the country of your birth or the place you now live? Aw, come on--five sentences will do.... Aleta Curry 22:33, 3 March 2008 (CST)

See also

• Larry Sanger, Why the Write-a-Thon worked, Citizendium Blog, August 9, 2007
• Weekly Wiki
• Article of the Week
• New Article of the Week

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