This is the Help and FAQ book. Besides links to pages for specific topics, we have Frequently Asked Questions listed in order to help you use the site. Please also take a moment to read the Terms and Conditions for the site, if you have any questions about the rules we asked you to agree to when registering. If there are any changes to those rules, an update will be automatically shown to you the next time you log in.
Here’s the answer, available from the menu under "posting tips".
Try changing your theme in your account preferences. Some themes require a higher desktop resolution in Windows. Check what your resolution is set to. Perhaps the text size in your browser is set too high. If nothing seems to help, contact an administrator for help, using the contact form in the menu.
Flat forums show the posts in the topic strictly in time order, while threaded forums group replies under the particular post they replied to. The viewing preferences don’t change the actual post, but you can change the way you view the forums in the controls above the replies to each topic.
If you want to reply to the main topic, click the "add new comment" link on the topic post. If you want to reply to a particular post, click "reply" on that post. The "quote" button gives you a reply to the particular post with a quoted section of that post to edit, but remember that you must manually fill in the post title, since [quote] tags don’t look very nice in titles.
There is an option under publishing options for certain types of content to allow an independent third-party site to verify that a particular submission was made at a certain time. We’re not sure of the legal benefit of this, but the feature was installed as a possible way for authors to defend their copyright in case of net plagiarism. The default setting for the feature is "on", but you may switch it off when posting if you wish.
The list is made simply by checking the last time you had a session open with the site. This can be invalidated by certain things happening with the connection or your browser. Nothing’s foolproof.
Yes, yes and yes. You can change or delete any of your work that isn’t published in an e-zine or other publication at the time. Things that are already published in e-zines and other works will be locked. To edit or delete your work, click on the edit tab on that piece.
There’s no easy way to change nodes, but copying all the contents of one into another node using a separate window shouldn’t be too hard. Then once you’re sure it’s all copied correctly, just delete the old node. This would work for any node, except weblinks, quotes and perhaps events. (A node is any kind of major content, from stories to notes, except comments. Blog entries and works, for example, are virtually identical in structure.)
For security reasons, only files with the following extensions are allowed as uploaded attachments: jpg jpeg gif png txt pdf. These are common image types, text and Acrobat Reader files. No HTML, PHP or active scripts are allowed.
The maximum size for an uploaded attachment is 1Mb. The total sum of all uploaded attachments is 5Mb. This means that if you run out of space, you will have to delete old attachments before uploading anything else, so choose wisely. Members with the designated role of artists have a larger upload allowance, since they must upload any image submissions.
The maximum display size of an image inside a node is 640x480. This means that however large the image actually is, it will be resized to 640x480 pixels to be shown on the site. The original size image will be stored, so take this into account when planning how to use your available quota.
You can attach images to many different kinds of nodes, including forum posts (not comments, however). When editing the node, look for the "File attachments" section. You can then choose the file to upload from your computer. This should be original work, as the same rules about copyrighted content that apply to text also apply to images. If you are blogging concerning outside content under fair use and giving proper credit, then linking to any necessary images or attachments is probably preferable.
Image links can be created in any content, including comments, by using the [img][/img] tags as shown in the posting tips page available from the main menu.
Nodes can be inserted into other nodes similarly by using the [:node] code which requires the node number (which can be seen in the URL address when editing the node or commenting or replying to it).
Creating an image node is just as easy as uploading an attachment, but nodes created in this way should be linked to an existing image gallery for which they are appropriate.
If you have difficulty with attachments, please feel free to ask a staff member for help. The most common problem is called a "timeout" where an image is just too big to upload for your internet connection. If this occurs, make sure your image is within the size limits and try optimising it or resizing it for the web.
In any human interaction involving numbers, some ground rules are required. Since this writer’s circle is online, it is especially important that the guidelines be prominently posted and that they are read to maintain a positive experience for all.
Rules for Critiquing
1) The work is not the author. Critiquing is an examination of the work at hand, and should be directed at that. Refer to the writing (“The writing is…”), never the author.
2) Find the positive and the negative. Don’t hesitate to mention what was wrong in the work, but don’t fail to mention what was right as well.
3) No armchair quarterbacking. If you’re doing a critique, we don’t care how you would have written it, that’s not the point of the critique.
4) Taste is subjective. You can still give a piece a fair critique, even if you personally don’t like the subject or theme. Personal preference can be worked around, if you know your biases and remember them.
5) A writer is an artist, but foremost a human being. Not only do they put part of themselves into the work, they have a soul and feelings. Be honest, but be sensitive.
6) Word choice. Words like “idiot”, “worthless”, “awful”, “crap”, “horrible”, “lame” and “stupid” are not to be used in a critique unless they are the names of seven dwarves with low self-esteem who are characters in the work.
Rules for Being Critiqued
1) Listen. This is your feedback to help you. If you want to ignore it, that’s fine, it might help someone else in the group, but it was intended to help you.
2) No rebuttal. This isn’t a debate. If it’s necessary, explain something, but arguing doesn’t help anyone. Feedback is offered in a helpful spirit for what it’s worth. If feedback raises an issue for discussion, discuss the issue, not the feedback.
3) Think about it. Everything can be improved, nothing is perfect. If someone picked up on something you didn’t intend, then perhaps there’s a better way of expressing what you did intend.
4) Be willing to make changes. Also be willing to stick to your guns if you feel something is really necessary to the piece.
5) Word choice again. Do not say, “You’re wrong.” Do not malign the parentage of your critic. Your critic has just given you their honest feedback. It’s not wrong, it’s just a different perspective. If you feel like making a kneejerk response, give yourself time to cool down first.
Private Messages
If you would like to contact another Litminder outside of the public forum, the site has a private messaging system available. You can also contact other members by email.
In the top left menu, there is a "Private messages" block that contains a link to your inbox, as well as a link to a blank message form, where you can compose a private message to another user.
You can also send a private message by clicking on a user’s name (found in the user list, your buddylist, or attached to a member’s post), which will open their profile page, where you can scroll down to "Private Messages", and click "send a private message."
Alternately, you can go to "my inbox" (in the lefthand menu), and choose "Write a new message". Either of these routes will take you to the screen to compose a message.
- When someone has sent you a private message, a notice will appear after you log in, and may continue to appear on every page, according to your account settings. To change these settings, click on "my account" in the left menu, click the edit tab, and look under "private message settings". Here you will find options to allow aggressive notification of private messages, as well as the option to block PMs completely. -
Managing Your Inbox
Once in your inbox or composing a message, and by following the menu tabs, you can "mark as read" or delete messages from your list, use your contact list to send a message to multiple users, or manage your folders.
In order to contact a member by email, they must have set their contact settings to allow emails. You can contact them by clicking on their username, which will take you their profile page, then selecting the "contact" tab. If they are accepting emails, there will be a email form on that page.
To change your own contact settings, click on "my account" in the left menu, choose the "edit" tab, then scroll down to "Contact settings". Here you will find the option to allow other users to send you an email, via "your contact page", as well as a link to that page.
If you need to contact a specific staff member, the above methods will work.
For general questions or comments, you can reach the administration team by using the "contact" link in the left menu. You can also submit questions for Author Q&A sessions through the contact form, by changing the category from "General Enquiry" to "Interview Questions."
There are three principal ways of posting your work on this site: works, works in progress, and notes. Depending on how satisfied you are with its current edit, you will want your work to be maximally visible, partially visible, or inaccessible to anyone but you. The modules work, work in progress and notes correspond to these levels of visibility, so be careful which module you post in. No-one might see your latest finished text, or everyone will be able to see that first draft you weren’t quite ready to share yet.
Under the “Create content” menu, you will be offered the option of posting texts as a “Work”; this will allow you to post stories, chapters, sections or poems that are quite finished. Unfinished sections (stories, chapters etc.) or even a single scene or a starting or ending paragraph that turned out so well also go here — you’ll always have the option of editing the text in question.
The texts you’ve posted as works will show up in your personal portfolio (showcase): you include those texts that you think showcase your abilities. It is this portfolio that people will base their opinion about your writing on. That means that they will be readily visible to anyone visiting this site. Works are not limited to texts in their definitive form: they are what you select as illustrations of what you can do.
Once we start publishing Ezines with collections of texts posted here, their content will be selected from the works.
The Create content menu will allow you to post texts as wips. Wips are those texts you want to post, but are not completely happy with. Loose scenes, brief situation sketches, a description of your protagonists, stretches of dialogues, beginnings, endings, … Just anything that has an unfinished quality to it goes here.
Posting a text as a wip means that you do not want it to show up in your portfolio, because it does not show you at your best. Members and visitors to the site will still be able to read it, but they’ll have to look for it in the list with all of your texts, or using the view wips option in the menu. The reason that even unfinished texts are visible to others is that discussing the texts in the community is one of the central notions behind literalminded.com.
If you’re particularly proud of one particular dialogue, or if you know you’re not going to elaborate that scene into a fully-fledged novel, you might want to decide to move it to your portfolio by posting it as a work. Even unfinished fragments of texts tell something about you or your qualities as a writer.
On your personal workspace (which lists your works, wips, blog entries, news stories and links you added) you’ll find a tab “Notepad”. Note that you have to be logged in to be able to view your workspace: this is what makes sure only you have access to it. A notepad will hold text for you and only you until you decide to use it or move it elsewhere.
If you are one of those who write directly at the computer, a notepad tied to the writing site might come in useful. You can use it to type out full draft versions, or for a few great lines from the dialogue you’re working on, a start to that tricky section, a note to self, or just some ideas tat strike you while you’re on the board without a pen in sight. Because it will typically be used for shortish texts or a small-scale development of your ideas, you can only create 10 pages of notes. The rationale behind it is that if you’re seriously working on something, you will use more advanced equipment.
This guide is currently being written by our administration team.
When you click on the Forum button, you will be brought to the section where you have the opportunity to discuss and comment on works with other literealminded members.
If you click on My Discussions you will be shown a list of your published posts, including works and comments, in chronological order from the most recent to the last. This feature is most useful if you would like to see if anyone has replied to or commented on any of your posts.
If you click on Active Discussions you will be shown a list of the most recent published posts, who authored it, and who and what time any replies or comments were made. This feature is most useful if you are looking to see what is new to the site.
If you click on Post New Forum Topic, you will be taken to a new page where you may enter in a subject for discussion. This feature is most useful for starting new topics of conversation with other literalminded members.
Below these options on the Forums page, you will find four Forums.
The first is the Staff forum, which is accessable to only literalminded staff members.
The second forum is Feedback. This is the forum for posting comments on works by literalminded authors. Please read Feedback Guidelines before posting.
The third forum is General Discussion. This is the forum for posting any off-topic thoughts, ideas, works or comments you have.
The fourth forum is On Writing. This is the forum to discuss with other authors issues specific to the writing process.
This guide is currently being written by our administration team.
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This guide is currently being written by our administration team.
Your Account Settings and Profile You can get to your user profile by clicking on "my account" in the left hand menu. Here, under the view tab, is where you will find a general overview of your account, with quick links to your recent blog entries and quotes, members on your buddy list, and recent content you have submitted, as well as any points, badges and medals you have earned. This is also the profile page that is visible to other members of the site when they click on your user name.
edit - Using this tab’s submenu, you can edit your:
Account settings - change your password, email address, avatar (under Picture), or signature (under comment settings), set your local time zone, add or change your blog title or information, select your private message, email and contact settings, choose your text editor settings, and adjust the way the site appears to you by changing the block configuration. You’ll also find the site terms and conditions of use here, as well as the ability to autosubscribe to any thread you are active in.
History - You can add a biography here, to share what you would like others to know about yourself. It becomes part of your portfolio.
Personal Information - Currently, this includes an age-validation form, for filling in date of birth.
License - Here, you can choose a default license.
my newsletters - Manage newletter subscriptions here.
subscriptions - This is where you can manage your subscriptions to threads, blogs, categories, content types, and rss feeds, by clicking on the appropriate link in the submenu.
You can subscribe (or remove a subscription) to an item or category on the list, by checking or unchecking the box next to it and then clicking the save button at the bottom.
track - A convenient way to see your most recent posts.
contact - This is where other members can reach you by email.