This page is being built as the questions are asked, and I think to (or someone reminds me to) post them up here. As a result, if you have a question about the NoteBored, feel free to e-mail me your question or simply post it on the forum. As the questions are raised and answered, I will post them here and make them public.

Many of these questions will be answered by our administrators, moderators and core members who are quicker to post with a reply. When this happens, I will credit them and make their answer a clickable link so that you may follow any further discussion on the topic.

Can you help me with my technical questions?
Clicking the link above will take you to the standard FAQ's page by the creators of the program we use. If this page does not help you, please send me an e-mail and I will be glad to assist you.

What are the guidelines for critiques on the NoteBored?
It's fun to flash at Notebored, but part of the writing process involves learning to critique. Whether it's your own story or someone else's, the process of critiquing is a necessary part of writing well. To be good at it, all you have do is read a story and then tell what you liked or disliked. It's that simple. Your opinion is important here, and critiquing is nothing more complex than writing it down.

In order to keep peace amongst us, there are some easy rules we ask you to follow:

1. If you've submitted, please critique. If you haven't submitted and still want to critique, please feel free to do so.

2. Find which group your story is in and then read the directions for which group you should critique. That information is usually posted under "Board Announcements," but don't be afraid to ask if you can't find it.

3. Be honest, but polite. Remember it is not uncommon for people (especially new writers) to be sensitive and take comments about their work personally. Even if you absolutely hated the story, there is no reason to be rude. Also remember that these forums are open to all members and what you say can be seen by all.

4. The critique is about the story, not the author. Try to restrict your comments to the story only, (even if you think you know who the Author is). Something as simple as using the word 'you' as in "you can do better than this," can feel like a personal attack to a new writer, so please be cautious.

5. Don't simply 'ditto' everyone else. This is about what you thought and felt, and not necessarily what the others thought and felt. Your explanation is appreciated and might be the one the writer really connects with and understands.

6. If you read another's critique and find that it really irritates you, please PM the person that made the critique. Do not crit another person's critique in the posting forum. Arguing back and forth about a critique being too harsh does nothing to help the writer and distracts everyone else from the task of posting crits.

7. If the story is in a genre you aren't familiar with, please say so and then do your best. Sometimes being totally new to a genre will bring a new view point that may really help the writer.

8. If there is something in the story you don't understand, don't be afraid to ask a question in your critique. Questions are sometimes the most helpful since they point out problems the writer might otherwise have missed.

9. Try to point out both strengths and weaknesses. It's just as important to know what you liked as what you didn't. If you loved the story and could find nothing wrong with it, mention the line or part or image that you most liked. It might save that favorite line from cutting when the writer edits.

10. No matter how bad you think a story is, please don't re-write it to show the author the error of their ways. A critique should contain what you thought about the story and not how you would have written it. We consider it rude to re-write an entire story or even a long block of it.

11. This is the most important rule. Remember this one even if you forget all the rest.

Giving a good critique all boils down to this: When writing your critique, if you totally lose interest, point out where. If something makes you go 'huh?' or 'wow!' or 'who cares?' then please say so and point out those parts. Tell us anything you thought, wondered or felt about the story, and do it all politely. If you can do that, you can give a good critique. It's that simple. ~Goatboy