Postgraduate Quiz Architect Symposium

Answer: Why did I choose to ask this particular question?

By writing a FunTrivia quiz, you are distilling a topic down to a limited number - usually ten - questions. As a good author, you usually have a reason for including each of them over the many other options: they are the most interesting aspects of the topic at hand. By reminding yourself of why you chose the question in the first place, you also remind yourself of why you considered it worthy of inclusion and thus focus your thought process on what made this particular question an interesting one. Take it from there - and if that's not enough, maybe think of similar, related questions you did not ask: their content will likely be a very good fit for your info paragraph.

The full EDQ #1, "Interesting Information", written by LadyCaitriona, can be found at http://www.funtrivia.com/bb.cfm?action=details&qnid=27781&boardid=2222222

Answer: The quiz title search

With over 100,000 quizzes on the site, it's pretty likely that, at some point, someone has already written a quiz about a topic related to the one you want to address. Use that to your advantage: Do a few quiz searches for terms you might use if you were looking for your own work in progress without knowing its actual title. You'll probably find something and, by doing so, you'll see where similar quizzes have been placed. Chances are that yours belongs there as well! As an added benefit, you'll also be able to play the quizzes most closely related to yours and ascertain you don't accidentally repeat a question already asked multiple times.

The full EDQ #2, "Categorization", written by looney_tunes, can be found at http://www.funtrivia.com/bb.cfm?action=details&qnid=27807&boardid=2222222&start=0

Answer: Close your original sources before writing any text

The most common reason for accidental plagiarism is writing your question or information while keeping your information source in view. Even if you try to vary style and wording, it is extremely easy to get inadvertently caught in the pattern the original author has used and thus produce a close variation of the original text.

The recommended procedure is to read up, take some cursory notes (keywords and data, not full sentences) if necessary and then close your originals. Then only refer to your memory and notes while writing your own text. If, for example, you need to research a memorable baseball play to get all the details right, you might just write down the game date, score, strike/ball count, names and roles of players involved and the result. Then describe the play in your own words. (As an added precaution, you can re-check your work against the original both for facts and accidental similarity during your final proofreading pass - just resist the temptation to do it while your quiz is still unfinished.)

The full EDQ #3, "Plagiarism", written by LeoDaVinci, can be found at www.funtrivia.com/bb.cfm?action=details&qnid=27838&boardid=2222222

Answer: You have written detailed interesting information

While there are many reasons outside your control that editing your quiz might take a longer time than others in the same category - it may for example be in the area of expertise of an editor who is on vacation or its categorization might identify a possible improvement in the category tree with all the needed work - there are some things you can do to keep things moving quickly:

- Maintain a reputation as a good author whose quizzes are quick to edit. If an editor has only a few minutes, chances are they will work a quiz they believe they can get ready quickly instead of doing partial work on a more complex edit. If that quiz happens to be yours, congratulations!
- If you had some difficulties in the past, pay particular attention to these issues and demonstrate that you've improved on that particular field and you'll find your reputation rising quickly. Some of our best authors had a shaky start as well!
- Always check that your quiz has actually been submitted. Sometimes an author thinks a quiz is in the queue (and taking very long) when it's actually still in draft status. In the "Me" dropdown on the homepage, you can find the "My Quizzes: Edit" item. Use that and ensure that the quiz entry in the table shows a blue "Submitted" instead of the red "Offline".
- Making any changes to your quiz while it's in the queue will set a new submission timestamp. So if you wait for four days and then make a change, you'll be back to zero. So avoid doing this unless you have to fix a major problem.
- Sending unnecessary notes to editors not only delays your own quiz but those of others as well - reading and answering those notes takes up time that could be used to edit quizzes. Along these lines, please do not let a discussion about a requested change escalate into a long exchange. Make your point once and the editor will consider it before giving a final ruling. Being argumentative won't help. It will rather ensure you build a reputation of being an author whose quizzes take more time and effort to edit (and you don't want that, do you?).

The full EDQ #4, "The Queue & the Editing Process", written by agony, can be found at http://www.funtrivia.com/bb.cfm?action=details&qnid=27853&boardid=2222222&start=0

Answer: Substantiate your position with a relevant source

Most correction notes are easy to deal with - you may have made a clear error, some information may have become dated, or the note is not suggesting a correction at all. In the more difficult case there is a factual disagreement and you believe you are right, please send a reply and mark "not an error" and make your case, citing a reliable source to support your stance in both messages.

Pulling a quiz offline is a last resort - it will put the quiz into the queue as if it were a first-time submission when you release it, possibly letting you wait for several days until it can be played again and if your quiz was new, you lose the valuable homepage spotlight time. Title and category changes automatically take your quiz offline - you may wish to not correct these yourself but provide the editor with the needed (clear and detailed) instructions.

Making a change to an online quiz without a correction note or after already marking a note as closed is forbidden! If you need a change made without a pending correction, send it to the editor who placed your quiz online, they'll put it in.

The full EDQ #5, "The Art of the Correction Note", written by WesleyCrusher, can be found at http://www.funtrivia.com/bb.cfm?action=details&qnid=27877&boardid=2222222

Answer: On the quiz template itself, to the right of the category tree

The vast number of subcategories on FunTrivia.com means that nobody can always have each and every guideline memorized, especially since the differing requirements of various categories mean that practices recommended for one subcategory might be discouraged or even disallowed in another. For this reason, the subcategory guidelines are displayed right on the template for easy reference. Make sure you give them a quick glance even if you have authored in the subcategory before - sometimes, the guidelines are updated to take into account recent improvements.

You should of course also familiarize yourself with the main category guidelines and quiz creation notes for each main category you wish to write in. They're more general and usually, once you've written a few quizzes in the category, they'll become second nature.

Depending on when you visit, you might find a "category guidelines" thread in the Author Lounge, but it won't be a collection of rules - it might be a reminder to more closely watch those guidelines or simply a discussion about them.

The full EDQ #6, "The Guidelines", written by eburge, can be found at http://www.funtrivia.com/bb.cfm?action=details&qnid=27895&boardid=2222222

Answer: Use an author challenge title in a category where it seems impossible to use

Making a quiz stand out from the crowd can best be achieved by adding a touch of the unusual, but doing so walks a fine line. First and foremost, your questions must be clear, coherent and well playable, even in a timed setting. It is all too easy to overdo the theming or creative presentation and wind up with a work of high literary value which, however, conceals the actual questions too well to be playable.

Presenting your questions as a mini-story can add a nice touch and a theme can do the same - you could even combine both by, for example, following the story of "Lord of the Rings" in a geography quiz about New Zealand, visiting the locations where the movies were made. If you do add a theme or story, make sure you don't accidentally stray from the category! In the example, the quiz must still be playable by someone who has never heard of the movies - every question needs to be fully solvable with knowledge only of New Zealand's geography.

Go for something new - but don't go crazy either!

The full EDQ #7, "Your Imprint", written by kyleisalive, can be found at http://www.funtrivia.com/bb.cfm?action=details&qnid=27911&boardid=2222222

Answer: Who was declared the winner at the conclusion of the 2000 Tour de France?

Traps exist in all four of these questions, but only the sports question avoids it:

- The Holy Trinity is not a concept universal to all Christian denominations. Even among those who embrace it, some use the term "Holy Ghost" and others use "Holy Spirit". To make the question unambiguous, you could for example change "Christian" to "Roman Catholic".
- The diabetes question also contains two traps: There are several diseases with diabetes in their name; the (by far) most common one should properly be called diabetes mellitus. Even this term, however, identifies two main types (and many subtypes) of disease with similar symptoms but vastly different causes. You would need to be specific: "What is the most common cause of Type I diabetes mellitus?"
- The "Rain Man" question is subjective on who of the two main protagonists would be considered the leading role (or whether the term can be applied in this case at all). You could fix this either by asking who played a specific character (Charlie or Raymond) or, if you prefer, you could ask who is the first billed actor in the official materials.
- The Tour de France question is the one worded correctly: It avoids the possible ambiguity caused by Lance Armstrong's retroactive 2012 doping disqualification by specifically asking who was declared the winner at the end of the tour.

Bottom line: When you write a question, always make sure you look at it from all possible angles and ensure you are as specific as you need to be!

The full EDQ #8, "Controversial Questions", written by CellarDoor, can be found at http://www.funtrivia.com/bb.cfm?action=details&qnid=27932&boardid=2222222

Answer: Celebrities and People

Brain Teasers and Humanities are the categories where regional spelling, grammar and style differences have the largest impact on answers, so be particularly wary to allow all variants (or specify which regional usage you are looking for). Geography and World are those most easily affected by duplication of terms. When you read "London" or "chancellor", you may have an immediate idea of what it means - but this idea will not be the same around the world! Finally, Hobbies and Sci/Tech are the categories most easily affected by differences in measuring units; Hobbies additionally (along with Literature, Music, Movies and Television) has to deal with many products being produced in internationally different editions.

People and Celebrities are the categories that least suffer from regional ambiguities - after all, each person can only be in one place at a time.

As a side note - it does not matter which regional variant of English you use when writing your quiz, but please be consistent in your own text and true to the original when quoting. Nothing stops you from writing a quiz about United States military decorations in British English - but it would still have to spell the Medal of Honor without the "u".

The full EDQ #9, "Regional Variation", written by looney_tunes, can be found at http://www.funtrivia.com/bb.cfm?action=details&qnid=27962&boardid=2222222

Answer: Create an easy and relatively general quiz

When you first venture outside your usual author hunting grounds, make things easy for yourself. You may be a highly experienced author, but in unfamiliar territory, you're still a beginner. Ensure you use precise and correct wordings (even if you have to write a plainer style than you normally do), write about or research a subject you understand and, unless you want to play many quizzes to gain an overview of the existing questions, avoid the most crowded subcategories.

You're often best served making your quiz easy and somewhat general in nature - write a quiz you would do well at yourself if you had to play it. Make sure you read and understand the category requirements, pick a subject that interests you and keep it simple to both write and read. Once you're more familiar with your newly conquered category, writing the same level of masterpiece you produce on your home turf will come naturally!

The full EDQ #10, "Outside Your Comfort Zone", written by guitargoddess, can be found at http://www.funtrivia.com/bb.cfm?action=details&qnid=28592&boardid=2222222