So, you’d like to help the Forums, huh? Well, thank you so much for your dedication! Running the Forums and the website takes time, effort and money. So, we could use all the help we can get!
There are many ways that you can help us. Some of them involve donating or paying for things, like merch or Shani’s Tutoring. However, the vast majority of the options are completely free for you and just take your time and care!
The Forum Staff appreciates all of the help that we get from our users. If you would like to be part of this journey, we thank you so much! However, none of this is mandatory. We do not expect our users to give money or spend their time helping us. What you choose to give is completely up to you! So, please never feel pressured to give more than you can.
If you do even one of these things, you are a huge help! You don’t have to do all of them, or even half. Pick and choose what suits you!
With that in mind, there are many ways that you can help. We hope that there is something here that will play to your strengths!
Donating #
Of course, donating is one of the easiest ways that you can help us. It helps us to keep the Forums going and pay for all of the things we need to make sure that your experience with us is a good one.
There are many ways that you can help us by donating! So, if you have a little bit of spare change and you want to aid us in our journey, who not consider donating through one of the methods below?
If you would like to know where the money goes, I have included that information on the website’s donation page. Please feel free to go through it and ask any questions you may have on the Forums!
Becoming a Patron #
Becoming a Patron is a great way to help the Forums! As well as donating to us, you will also receive benefits on the ShanniiWrites Forums! You can get unlimited title changes, access to the Patrons’ Lounge and, if you’re over 18, access to the Restricted Section!
As Patreon is for monthly donations, it is a great way to help me get the stability I need to ensure that the Forums can always keep up and running. So, feel free to help if you can! I would appreciate it a lot!
If you’re a staff member, you will get Patreon benefits (apart from no ads) for free. After all, your work with us is helping the Forums, too! So, we are happy to transfer your benefits over to someone else, if you let us know.
Donating to the Forums Ko-Fi #
Another great option for donations is Ko-Fi. There, you have a little more freedom regarding how much you choose to donate and how often. You can choose to give us a one-off sum, or go for a monthly amount!
On my side of things, Ko-Fi is awesome because it doesn’t take a fee from me. Unlike Patreon, you can be sure that every penny you donate will go straight to ShanniiWrites! So, if you would like your donation to have the most value, I suggest using Ko-Fi.
If you have decided to donate through Ko-Fi, you don’t have to miss out on the Patreon benefits. Just go over to the Commissions tab and choose what you would like to purchase! Then, send Eleanor a DM on the Forums with a screenshot proving that you have made the donation. She will sort the rest out for you!
This means that you can also buy the benefits for someone else! Just make sure that the person you want to give them to knows your plans. Then, send Eleanor the proof she needs, along with the name of the person who you’d like to give your benefits to.
If you would like to give us a recurring donation through Ko-Fi and gain the Patreon benefits, send Eleanor a message first! See if you can arrange something together.
Donating Through PayPal #
Paypal is another cool way to help us out. You can send us a donation amount of your choice whenever you like. All PayPal donations are one-off, so you don’t have to worry about recurring fees when you can’t afford them.
Just like with Ko-Fi, we are happy to sort out the Patreon benefits for you. We will match your rewards to the corresponding tier price on Patreon! You just need to send us a screenshot of the “thank you” note and send that to Eleanor! She’ll help you with that!
Just like with Ko-Fi, you can give someone else your PayPal benefits. This makes it a great option if you want to help the Forums and your friends. Just make sure that they know what you’re doing! Then, let El know who you’d like to give your benefits to.
Donating Through the Website #
This very website also has ways that you can donate to help the Forums! In fact, I have a whole page dedicated to it. So, if you would like to help us out, please feel free to give us a little bit of spare change over here!
You can choose the amount you would like to give. Plus, you also get the choice of whether you would like it to be a one-off payment or a recurring thing.
Please bear in mind, though, that you will not get Patreon benefits by donating on the website. This is purely a donation to help us keep both the Forums and the website going. So, if you would like to get an ad-free experience or access to specific gated parts of the Forums, please consider another way.
However, if you are interested in my blog posts and you would just like to support those, this is a great way to do it! Thank you so much!
Purchasing Benefits on the Forums #
You can also purchase benefits directly from the Forums to help us out. As of December 2020, I have included a subscriptions plugin that will help us to collect funds directly from the community!
The first subscription that we have rolled out is a fairly cheap one, at £1 per month. The point is to get the people who would love to help the Forums if they could, but don’t have lots of money to spare.
You can also buy House Ads to promote your work. If you have a blog, story, YouTube Channel or any other content of your own, or you would like to advertise your commissions on the Forums, you can do so through the Forums purchases. You can buy more than one ad a month, or change your ad each month! These ads will show up on threads and PMs for any user who does not have Patreon perks.
So, if you would like to get unlimited title changes or a House Ad of your own, consider dropping us a donation on the Forums! It would help a lot!
Purchasing Extra Content #
I am in the process of putting up extra content on the Website and the Ko-Fi. So, if you are someone who is writing a story and wants some advice, tips and guidance, watch out for that! I will be producing PDF worksheets on the Ko-Fi and giving out premium tips here on the website to help you.
Watch out for these! They are designed to make you a better writer and are definitely worth it! I am putting a lot of research into creating them: reading books and blog posts. So, I compile all of that information for you with my own thoughts, ideas and experience! And all for a fraction of the price that it would cost to buy all of those books.
Of course, it would never be the same as reading the book yourself. After all, I’m going to have my own take and input. I’m going to prioritise different things. That may not work as well for you as it does for me. However, I will also be reviewing books for you. So, you’ll know which ones are the most helpful and which ones you can skip out on.
Watch out for that content! It will be with you very soon!
Getting ShanniiWrites Merch #
We have lots of merch on the ShanniiWrites Redbubble account. This includes stickers, pillows, phone cases and much, much more! So, if you’re interested in supporting us and showing off your Author love while you do it, Redbubble is the place for you!
We started merch on Redbubble because it’s quick and easy. Many of our artists on the Forums have contributed designs that we are very happy to showcase! They are super talented and they deserve recognition for all of their hard work. That is why I am currently working on a directory to list all of our talented and trusted community artists! I will make sure that they can list their commission prices, give examples of their work and link to their social media.
If you are interested in helping us and want to do it in style, Redbubble is a great option for you! You get to sport our awesome Author designs, and we get a little bit of advertisement from it when you do!
Joining Shani’s Tutoring #
In addition to my creative writing advice here on ShanniiWrites, I also run a tutoring website for English Language and Literature, as well as English as a Foreign/Second Language. This is where I post all of my advice for people who are studying English at school, university or personal reasons.
The site looks a lot like the ShanniiWrites website! You can sign up for weekly worksheets, tips and tricks to help you through your studies. As well as that, there are loads of membership levels that build on one another! You can get weekly podcasts, group sessions and even monthly essay feedback! It’s up to you!
If you would like to help to fund the Forums and you need help with English, Shani’s Tutoring is the place for you. I designed the worksheets to be fun while also teaching you all of the things you need to know for your exams. Plus, I’ve thrown in lots of extra content so that you can wow people! Including examiners!
Why not join in on Shani’s Tutoring? It helps to fund the Forums, pay for my food and rent and give me the freedom to create many, many more blog posts!
Donating a Book for the Blog #
I spend a whole lot of my time reading blogs, books, journals, newspapers and all sorts for the blog. This is so that I can understand writing better and give you the best info I can! Before I write a blog post, I make sure to so a lot of research so that I don’t make too many mistakes. Plus, it means that I can point you in the right direction if you want to read up more on the topic, too!
A lot of this info can be found for free online. When that’s the case, it’s great! I can read it straight from the site, or download it and print it out to write all over! You should see my notes. They’re full of highlights and post-it notes and pen everywhere! I have folder after folder dedicated to my quest to become a better writer. After all, I have no business giving you advice if I don’t know what to talk about myself!
But from time to time, I need to buy a book or two. My Kindle is full of books on writing and characterisation and plot. When I’m lucky, those books will be free on Kindle Unlimited. I’m not a very lucky person, though. So, I often need to buy them. All of those books take a toll on my pocket!
So, I started a wish list full of books that I’d like to read for my blog posts. If you are a fan of the blog and you would like to help out the Forums, you can always buy me one of those! I promise that it will go to good use! And thank you if you do!
Engaging #
Donating money or buying products and services aren’t the only ways you can help the Forums. There are plenty of ways that you can keep us going without a single penny leaving your hands. In fact, there are way more ways to help us for free!
Engaging with ShanniiWrites is the most essential way to keep us going. After all, if people aren’t spending time with us, there’s no point in keeping the Forums open! If you want to help us to attract new people without spending money on advertisements, engagement is the way to go. It shows potential new users that we’re an active and fun community. It makes us rank higher on Google and other search engines. That makes it easy for people to find us! Plus, engaging with threads and blog posts shows support to me and all of the other users who spend their time creating great content for us all!
If you would like to help out the Forums for free, this is the best way to do it. Every comment on a blog post makes me want to write another one. Every read is a chance for more money from ads. Each and every view we get counts. So, why not be part of this journey?
Here are some of the ways you can engage that will help us loads. Just like before, you don’t need to do all of them to be helpful! Pick and choose the ones that are the most doable for you! Don’t stress too much!
Being Active Members of the Community #
We love our community so much. It’s a great place to chat, make friends and get advice. When our users have fun, we flourish! So, the best way to help the Forums is to be a part of the community! We need you! The ShanniiWrites Forums are nothing without its users!
Here are some of the great ways that you can help us. Hopefully, they’re fun for you! After all, the Forums are supposed to give you help, a community and happiness.
Creating Useful Threads #
The Forums are full of awesome people with their own individual ideas. All of you have something to give to the world! You’re all great at your own things, and have your own passions and interests. So, why not share those with the rest of the Forums to help us?
Lately, we’ve had lots of people joining the Forums after searching things on a search engine like Google. They’re looking for answers to their questions! Or, they’re looking for somewhere to share their own thoughts and ideas. So, if you have a thought for a thread that you think people might like and you have the knowledge to back it up, why not help the Forums and those people who might be looking for the info you have in your brain? Take the time to write down your thoughts and facts! Back it up! Show people that you know your stuff.
Or, don’t be afraid to ask questions! So many of us go to Google to answer the questions that we think are “dumb”. But if everyone is looking on Google and no one is actually answering them, there will never be help out there! If you feel silly asking your questions, that’s what the Anonymous Questions thread is for!
Here are a few tips to make sure your thread is awesome and helpful:
- Make sure that the thread title matches the content, so people know what it is about before reading.
- Link other threads wherever they’re relevant.
- Link other websites that give extra context or information, or back up your point.
- Make sure that your posts are easy to read!
- Make sure that the content is all yours. If you want to quote from somewhere, use quotation marks and give credit!
Engaging with Other People’s Threads #
Awesome threads would be nothing without awesome replies. Unlike blog posts, the threads on the Forums are designed to allow comments and conversation! That’s the point! So, when you comment on other people’s threads, you’re helping the Forums so much.
Why is this? Well, imagine you’re someone visiting the Forums for the first time. You have a look through a thread or two, and you notice that most of them have very few comments. What would you think? I know what I’d think! That the people on the Forums aren’t very active. That the users don’t really support each other’s thoughts and ideas. Possibly even that it’s not a very nice place to be.
So, would you want to join a place that gave you those vibes? I know I wouldn’t! In fact, I’d avoid it like the plague! Instead, you might turn to a site where people chat with each other all of the time. That’s where you’re going to find the best community, right?
On top of that, the best ideas come from collaboration, in my opinion. One user might have a great idea that they want to share with others. So, they make a thread! Awesome! That’s a great accomplishment for them! However, other users asking them questions, putting what they said in their own words and suggesting ideas can help to improve the initial thread!
Also, we can’t deny how nice it is to know that people are interested in what you have to say. A nice reply on your thread could encourage you to write another one! The more the merrier! In fact, it might even give new users the courage to share their own ideas, seeing how awesome and supportive we are. That helps the Forums a whole lot!
Joining in With Forum Games and RPs/SGs #
We love our RP and Forum Games sections so much. They are part of what makes the Forums so great! They give our users the chance to make friends, interact and have fun. Also, they’re the most active sections of the Forums.
However, that doesn’t just happen by accident. Our users and Forums Staff have spent so much time making these sections what they are! They really wouldn’t be as great without you!
As I said before, an active community is very appealing to people outside of the Forums. It shows them that they can find friends and people to talk to if they join us. Plus, it also gives them the assurance that they won’t get bored during their time on the Forums. Since Forum Games and RPs are fun and social, they add to this vibe!
So, if you want to help the Forums, contributing to these sections is a great way to start. It’s fun for you (I hope), which really shows to the people who aren’t sure if they should spend time with us or not.
Forum Games are easy to get into and a great ice-breaker! You can tag a new user in (if they want) and make them feel welcome from the very start of their time with us! Then, they could turn into one more active user who wants to see the Forums do well.
RPs and SGs are a huge part of what makes us who we are. First and foremost, ShanniiWrites is a place for people to get writing advice and share their stories! RPs and SGs are stories in their own right and can also help you to improve your own personal creative writing. We need them!
Sending the Forums Feedback #
We grow and improve the Forums based on what our users want. If we get a sudden influx of gamers, we will make sure that the Forums have a full gaming category for them. If our users get a sudden urge for arts and crafts, then we will make sure you have somewhere to chat and share tips!
Since the Forums are shaped by what you want them to be, we need your help! After all, we can’t try our best to adapt the Forums to you if we don’t know what you want. So, it is important that you speak up! We have a Site Feedback category for a reason!
We want to know how we can make your time with us better. If you have a suggestion, let us know! I will try my best to put it in place, as long as it’s reasonable and achievable. Some people have great ideas, but their suggestions are simply out of my abilities at the moment! Still, though, I want to hear what you have to say. We never know what the future may bring!
If you think there’s something that would make your time on the Forums more enjoyable, you’re probably not alone. It’s likely that there are other people who feel the same way as you! So, having the courage to speak up can help more than just you. It could help other users, and even attract new people to come!
The same is true for blog posts. The whole point of ShanniiWrites is to help you! So, we have a sub-category where you can request new blog posts. If I feel like I can do them, I would be happy to help you out! It just might take a while!
Reading Blog Posts #
Blog posts are the heart of ShanniiWrites. Without them, we would not have the Forums. After all, I created ShanniiWrites in 2018 as a place to give people advice in the form of blog posts! The Forums only really sprung up a year later as a way to chat about those posts! So, if you help the blog, you also help the Forums.
We lost Google AdSense back in late 2019. Since then, the blog has been our only source of ad revenue. So, helping the blog to succeed is a great way to help us to pay for the Forums.
I rely on you to help me. You know what you’d like to see in a blog post. You know what you need more help on when you’re writing your story. So, if you read, comment and ask questions, I can take your feedback and use it to make the blog better!
As with the site feedback, you might not be the only one who wants me to write that blog post. So, if you take the time to let me know what you like, what you want and how I can improve, you’re helping me to know what other people might like, too. Leave a comment! Talk about the post on the Forums thread about it! Give me suggestions and ideas. I appreciate it so much! If we can find ways to appeal to more people and grow our reader base, I have the chance to use the blog to support the Forums.
If you have the time, take a moment to read a blog post. Tell me how my blog helped you with your own writing. Give me the motivation to keep going and make better stuff!
Sharing Your Writing Achievements on the Website #
If you’re a writer, I want to hear about it! After all, this wouldn’t exactly be a very good writing help website if I didn’t care about your achievements. When you post a new chapter or plan a new story, I’d love to know! I’d love for you to tell me so that I can share in your accomplishments!
The good thing about the ShanniiWrites website is that it has a social element. You all have your own sections where you can post updates, blog posts and much, much more. Why not use that to your advantage? You can have one more place promoting your work!
This helps the Forums because it shows people that we are a community that cares about what they have going on in their lives. If new users know that they will be able to promote their work on website as well as the Forums, they’re more likely to spend their time with us! We get to see what you’re up to and how ShanniiWrites has helped you to get where you are. Plus, you are helping us to boost our website SEO!
What do I mean by that? Well, SEO means Search Engine Optimisation. I will be writing a whole blog post on that very soon! However, in short, it’s all about finding ways to make sure that your website does what Google and other search engines like. One thing that Google doesn’t like is pages without much going on. If the word count is low on a page, it’s a real no-no! Google won’t rank us so high, because it doesn’t consider our website to be very good in quality.
So, by filling out your profile with content, you’re helping to improve our SEO, one page at a time.
Joining in With the Streams and Meetings #
We try out best to be one big happy family. We have a Discord server and try our best to hold meetings, streams and voice calls as often as possible. In fact, I have started a weekly Zoom meeting for up to 100 people in which we discuss all kinds of things! From racism to writing; from DnD to dancing.
It would help the Forums a great deal if you were to join in on one or two of these events if you get the time! We would love to get your thoughts and feelings on the topic! It’s always good to get more than one perspective. You don’t have to turn on your mic or your cam. Most of these events have a chat for you to type into. So, you can make sure that you are only doing as much as you feel comfortable with.
However, it would be great to have you! It’s nice to build up that sense of community and camaraderie. I want to make sure that you all feel as though you have a space to chat, learn and teach.
These events are also a great way to make new friends and find people with interests similar to your own. That will help us on the Forums, because you can carry on the discussion from the event into a thread! These events will, hopefully, give you the fuel you need to have deep and engaging conversations elsewhere on the ShanniiWrites Forums.
As well as that, we also make sure to have our staff meetings in a public way. So, anyone is free to join in with us if they wish! You can have a listen to what we talk about to our staff. You can suggest things and have fun with the staff.
Asking Questions for Future Content #
Sometimes, I run out of steam when it comes to ideas for my future blog posts. This is true for both ShanniiWrites and Shani’s Tutoring! While I can be full of ideas, it is hard to know which one to go with first! And we all have days where we just don’t feel very inspired.
So, it would help a great deal if you could pop onto the Forums and ask me questions! Ask about stories. Ask those burning questions that you have from your English classes at school. Don’t be afraid to ask, ask, ask! If you have a question, the odds are that there are other people out there who have the same question as you! So, you’re doing them a favour, too, if you pluck up the courage to ask me.
Both of my websites are designed to help people. I make blog posts on ShanniiWrites packed with information that I hope will improve your writing. For Shani’s Tutoring, I make all sorts of content that is supposed to give you that extra boost of information and help that you don’t get from school. Worksheets. Podcasts. Streams. All sorts! When you ask a question, it will very likely get me thinking about how I can find a good way to explain this to others! That’s what keeps my sites alive.
So ask those questions! Set up threads where people can ask me about how to build characters or how grammar works in English. If I can’t answer it, I’m sure someone else will have the knowledge that you need!
Joining the Forum Staff Team #
The Forum Staff Team are essential for us. They help us to run the Forums efficiently! So, if you’re keen to help out, joining on the next application is a great way to do that.
Each Sunday, we put out a task spreadsheet for our staff members. In that task sheet, all of our staff members get to choose tasks that sound fun to them. We pick these based on what we need help with the most on the Forums. As a staff member, it would be your job to carry out a minimum number of these tasks every week. So, if you would like to help us on a more regular basis, becoming a staff member is a great way to do it. And you get instructions on how to do it best!
If you are keen to join, it’s great to prepare as early as you can! We have staff applications a few times a year, and we always ask you questions about the rules. So, Cali has put together some quizzes to help you to brush up on the rules. Try these out to get ready!
The staff role is a voluntary one that does require quite a bit of time from you throughout the week. So, please only apply if you think you have the time and you are dedicated about helping the Forums on a regular basis. We need responsible, friendly and passionate users to be part of our staff team. If that’s you. I hope you will apply soon!
If you are waiting to apply, though, why not brush up on the rules anyway? Reading the info docs we make on the website helps us loads, too!
Turning Off Your Forums Emails #
Each month, I pay per email that is sent out on the Forums. So, if you want to help me to keep costs low, please turn off your Forum emails! It is a free way to help out and you can do it in a few seconds.
Of course, only do this if you don’t need them. If you find yourself ignoring the emails when they come, you don’t need them! If you use them to reply to RPs while you’re not on the site, don’t feel pressured to turn them off! This is only a good option if it’s not going to impact your experience on the Forums.
Or, if you still want some mail here and there, why not turn your settings to “only when away”? That way, you don’t get clutter in your inbox when you’re on the Forums to see the post. Plus, I save money!
This is a huge help! More than you could imagine! If we all do this, we can save a lot in the long run!
Sending in Typo Corrections #
Let’s face it: it’s hard to proofread your own writing. After all, I’m only human. Typos here and there are natural! Plus, I’m using quite an old Mac and I often get a bit of lag that messes with my spacing and full stops. Not great when you type fast! Maybe I’ll get a new one if and when the Forums pay the bills.
I try my best to correct my posts, but I tend to read what I meant to say instead of what I actually said. If I were to do it properly, I’d need to let a blog post sit for days so that I can read it fresh. But that would mean I’d get fewer blog posts out!
So, I read each post twice over before I press “Publish”, but I do also rely on you all to help me find the typos! That’s why we have a thread where you can point out my silly mistakes so that I can change them. We even have a badge that you can win if you find 10 typos in a month!
Why does this help so much? Well, it’s all about trust! The ShanniiWrites website is about, well writing. So, if someone comes to me and my posts are riddled with typos, they’re not going to trust me when I give them advice on how to write well! That means that they are more likely to click straight off the page again. Not so good for the SEO!
On the other hand, a well-written blog post could keep people reading. They might click on another post. Then another! We’ve already had a few people join us after reading the blog! So, please help the Forums by pointing out my typos when you find them!
Creating #
ShanniiWrites isn’t just about me and what I write. You can join in and make content, too! In fact, I’d appreciate it so, so much! You have no idea!
I would love it if ShanniiWrites could become a collaborative project. I don’t know everything, after all! In fact, I know very little and spend a lot of my time reading up on writing so that I can help you all. But I do want to give people tips, help and advice on all things to do with writing. If you know a thing or two and you can write well, why not help us? It would be a great help to the Forums, too, as it would show people that we have the advice they need, plus give us that little extra ad revenue.
We need art, too! We love our artists! Whether it’s for merch, emojis, blog posts or any of our other awesome projects, art helps us a great deal. So, if you’re more of an artist than a writer, you’re just as helpful!
Here are some of the ways that you can create posts, art and much more to help us on our mission to improve and fund the Forums.
Writing Blog Posts #
The ShanniiWrites Forums rely on my blog posts. I write a whole lot of them, and they get traffic all year round! This is the main way that we get a penny or two to help fund the Forums. The blog is focussed on writing, reading, diversity, creativity, reviews and just how to think more critically. Basically, anything that makes you a better writer in the long run!
But just because most of the blog posts were written by me, it doesn’t mean I’m the only one who can write! In fact, I have a plugin here that allows you to write your own blog posts right from the front end of the site! Why not make the most of it?
If you have an idea for a blog post of your own, I would love to see it! It would help the Forums a great deal, as it would add to the log of great posts that people can access and read. That would help us with ad revenue! Just make sure that you know your stuff, do your research and write well. Then, submit for review and I will see if I can feature it or if it will just go on your personal profile. Either way, it helps!
I’m going to be writing a blog post on how to write a good blog post very soon, so keep your eyes out for that.
Making Quizzes #
One of the most popular pages on the website is the Mary-Sue Quiz. I made it with the Interact Quiz Builder and then embedded it here on a site page! It gets loads of traffic and clicks on Google. Plus, it links to blog posts where people can find more help based on their quiz results!
You can do that, too. In fact, I would appreciate it! Just like with a blog post, if you know a lot about a subject, I would love to see your quiz-building skills! You can put together any kind of quiz you want. Well, as long as it relates to the blog in some way! Plus, I’d appreciate it if your results have links to the blog in them, so people are encouraged to read our blog posts.
You can even do both! Why not write some blog posts and then create a quiz that ties it all together? That will increase the traffic to the blog and help us to raise more money for the Forums!
If you want to make a quiz, please use the Interact Quiz Builder! That way, we can embed them on the site better. Then, just send your quiz over to @CrazyCaliope on the Forums and she’ll have a read through it. If it’s good and it fits the stuff we try to do on the site, she’ll make a page and post it there! That would help us a lot!
Just make sure that you make a profile here on the site first, though. That way, we can give you the credit that you deserve.
Writing Reviews #
Of course, the ShanniiWrites Forums were created, first and foremost, to be a place for readers and writers; artists and art enthusiasts. So, we want to reflect that in our work. It is important to me that we make sure to support the artistic endeavours of our fellow creators here on ShanniiWrites. I love seeing reviews of people’s work! Whether it’s books, blog posts or art!
So, if you’re more of a critic than an artist, why not try your hand at some reviews on the ShanniiWrites site? I used to do a few of my own! If you scroll down on the blog, you’ll see the old Spotlight Sunday posts! That was where I reviewed Episode stories by underrated creators. Since I was banned, though, I have been unable to keep up with it. You’re welcome to continue that tradition, if you like!
Or, why not review some Wattpad stories? Maybe your favourite artists? Support the small creators out there! That’s part of our mission! If you want to go for the more popular films, TV shows, books or other big and well-known creations, you are welcome to! Just make sure that you link it back to good writing and story-telling.
While you can write them on the Forums, too, I would appreciate the help the most here on the site in the form of a blog post. That way, we can increase the number of posts out there!
If you’re looking for a review, we have a section on the Forums for that. I’m sure we can find someone willing to help you out!
Making Art for Merch #
As I said before, one of the ways we help the Forums is by our merch on Redbubble. We rely on our awesome Forums artists to help us with this! We love any art made with the Forums in mind. In particular, we love anything that includes our Forums mascot, The Author! Just get in contact with @ChaoticDeluge on the Forums for more info on her and how to draw her so that we can recognise her.
All art goes through Deluge. He then looks through it and decides if it can be put up on the merch store or not! So, if you have any ideas for great merch designs, we’d love to hear all about them.
We just ask that the work is all your own. That means we can’t accept using another creator’s line art! That is against copyright, which could put us in a lot of trouble. So, please don’t trace anyone else’s work. We need to make sure that you own all the rights to the work you make, so that you can give us the rights that we need.
If we have any reason to suspect that your art might be traced, copied or otherwise infringes on someone else’s copyright, we will get in contact with the Forums Copyright Team. They’ll scour the internet to find out – and they’re very good at their job, so they will find out! There’s no point in trying to fool us.
But if you would like to show off your own awesome art, we’d love to see it! Just see the Merch Art thread on the Forums for all of the details.
Making Art for the Blog Posts #
Just like with the merch art, we need art for the blog posts!
I tend to put together a quick blog pic from Canva Pro when I can. I use the stock images and elements on there to make my pics! But none of them are really related to ShanniiWrites! And since they’re just stock images, it can be hard to find one that gets the right message across. I just do my best!
If you look through the blog and see any of the stock art, you’re welcome to make your own art to replace it! I’d love to see what you can do with the Author, and I love seeing her on the blog! There are some older posts that have the original concepts for the Author. Have a look at my posts on Writer’s Block, Chekhov’s Gun and Death of the Author for examples!
Just make sure the art is all yours. That means no tracing or copying. It’s the same as the merch art! You need to own all of the rights to the art to be able to give us permission to use it! And I’m sure you want to show off your own work, not someone else’s!
Fun Art Projects #
We have lots of other fun art things in the works. For example, we’re still looking into creating art for each category to give the Forums a little more individuality. While that contest had its problems, we are still trying to find ways to promote our users’ art through the Forums and the website. We’ve got a directory in the works where we will list and promote our most trusted artists!
Plus, there are often art contests on the Forums made by the staff and other users alike. It’s a great help to us if you join them on the Forums as they come up! It shows that we’ve made a fun place to be where people can show off their talents and get the recognition that they deserve. If you don’t want to join in on them, why not support your favourite artists on the Forums with ideas? Or help me by coming up with some of your own ideas for the merch? We have a thread for it on the Forums!
On top of that, our lovely leader @Duckling also helps us by making some Author emojis. I’m sure she wouldn’t mind if you joined in and made some of your own! They can go on the Forums and on the Discord server alike!
There are loads of fun things for our awesome artists to do. If art is your thing, or you like to appreciate it, we’d love for you to get involved! Come up with new ideas for us to help our artists! Make the Forums fun with us!
Promoting #
The Forums are nothing without traffic. If no one is using them, there’s no point in us keeping them around! So, if you would like to help the Forums, a great way to do it is to take part in our efforts to grow the community.
There are plenty of ways that this can be done and it has loads of parts to it! Most importantly, we need to find ways to stay relevant and make sure that the people with us right now want to stay. Then, when we have done what we need to do to make our current community members happy, we can branch out and try to bring new people in.
Of course, this is an ongoing process. We can’t ever forget about out lovely current members! And it’s always a good idea to keep on growing!
Here are some of the great ways to help the Forums to thrive. If you want to help us to grow, have a read of them!
Keeping the Community Together #
We rely on regular activity to help keep the Forums going. This means that we try our best to make sure that people’s loyalties aren’t split! If we can provide what they look for in other forums and writing communities, we will try our best to do that!
Why does this matter? Well, the more forums there are out there for the same purpose, the more competition we have. Lots of forums mean that the users are split into lots of little groups. So, there will be fewer chats. Fewer friendships. Plus, fewer RPs and the threads we have will have fewer replies. That’s no fun for anyone!
We already have to compete with the Episode Forums and the Wacky Writers Forums to keep our activity high. We would really appreciate it if they were the only two that we had to watch out for.
So, that is why we have a rule against advertising competing communities on the Forums. It splits our users up. Then we have lots of little communities with next to nothing going on in them! Not a good look!
If you want to help the Forums, please help us to keep the activity up and on the Forums. Don’t advertise other forums that might take activity away from us. We can’t stop you from making them, but you’re just going to hurt us all. Please let as many people as you can about the Forums. If you need something to make your time with us more fun, talk to one of the Heads! I’m sure we can help you. If not, we will try to give you the next best thing.
Join us! The Forums are just as much yours as they are ours. So, if you want to make an active community, take charge!
Sharing Blog Posts #
It’s great when I get support for my blog posts. It helps with ad revenue and motivates me to keep making more and more content for you all. I love to write blog posts, but I do need the push from time to time! Every time you help me to find a new person to read the blog post, you are helping to get me a little more ad revenue. That money from those ads goes straight to the Forums to help me keep them open!
As well as that, though, there’s the way it helps with the SEO! You see, one of the ways to boost your rank in search engines like Google is to get links to your site from lots of credible, trustworthy websites. The theory is simple: if a site that loads of people trust has enough faith in you to recommend that their users go to read a page or post, then that’s a stamp of approval, as far as Google is concerned! So, each share on a new site helps us a whole lot.
Please don’t spam other sites with links to the Forums, though. That’s not going to work! It’s about people linking to posts when they’re relevant to the conversation. That will encourage people to click more than just saying “please check this place out”. Plus, our SEO score relies on keywords.
So, when we’re relevant to the discussion, why not link us? As long as you don’t break any rules!
Recommending the Forums to Your Friends #
I love to see new people on the Forums. What’s awesome is when I see that they know people already! It’s so great! And for so many different reasons! It means that they won’t feel awkward or out of place. They’ll always have someone to ask questions to who can guide them while they’re learning the ropes. Plus, it means that you’re talking about the Forums! That’s an awesome feeling!
Friends groups on the Forums are great. They bring life to threads – whether they meet here on ShanniiWrites or they meet somewhere else and then spend time together with us. They keep things active and often bring awesome new dynamics, inside jokes and general banter. On our side of things, we love that we can give you a place to meet, reunite with and have fun with your friends. That’s part of what this whole Forum thing is about!
Plus, if you’re a trusted member and you trust them to follow the rules and be awesome, why shouldn’t we?
So, why not bring your friends to the Forums? It will help us to grow, have fun and keep up the activity!
Promoting Shani’s Tutoring #
As well as ShanniiWrites, I also run Shani’s Tutoring. It’s my way to pay for rent, bills, food and the Forums! After all, lots of people need help with their school work, and lots of people are willing to pay a little for it. I aim to make English help affordable to as many people as possible. Extra help should never be extortionate!
It’s much easier for me to pay for both my lifestyle and the Forums with a tutoring website than a writing website. Plus, with my worksheets, group classes, podcasts and everything else, I offer some new and unique stuff on the site. If you want to help the Forums to stay up, helping me to plug that site is a great way to do it.
Just like with the Forums, it’s as simple as a plug on social media. Or, leaving me five stars on the Facebook page. Or both. Plus, if you need help with school work, please think of me first! I will try my best to help you for a low price. I could use the help, as the site is very new at the moment. There aren’t any members on there at the moment, but I hope I can change that in the new year!
So, if you’re passionate about helping the Forums and you think that I’m a good teacher, please spread the message. You can get lots of help from me from as low as £5 a month for the worksheets.
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