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Subject: EDQ #1: Interesting Information

Posted by: LadyCaitriona
Date: Mar 09 13

Sorry all! I guess I was supposed to post this yesterday and I didn't realize a date had been announced. Better late than never. :)

Welcome to the first installment of Editors Discussing Quizzes! For our first topic we've decided to delve into the art of crafting your interesting information sections. The goal of these blogs is not to discuss bare minimums and site rules at length--these are available elsewhere on the site--but as a venue for the editors to share the suggestions that we often give to individual authors when they encounter common stumbling blocks. We also invite authors to share their experiences in overcoming some of these obstacles and, of course, we would also welcome your questions and discussions about issues that you've encountered that perhaps we haven't touched upon.

My name is LadyC and I have been writing quizzes on FunTrivia since 2001 and editing almost as long (though with some long breaks when life got too busy for me to pull my weight). I've edited in General, TV, Literature, Movies, and Humanities and currently edit in the latter two categories. Editors from these and other categories will be posting their thoughts as well, because one of the things you'll notice is that there is no universally perfect way of writing an information section, and what works well in one category may not work well in another category, though there are some tips that can be applied more generally. Like:

Tip #1 - The points in your information section should be about things that you find interesting about your question's topic. If you don't think it's interesting, chances are players won't either. For some topics this is going to require an investment of your time to do some research, especially if you're working on a topic that is new to you.

For a long while now we've had Quiz Creation Guidelines in place that specify the minimum length for the information section, but authors often ask what is the ideal length for the information section? That's a tougher one, and a subjective topic on which members (players, authors and editors alike) all have their own opinions. This is going to vary somewhat between categories, but typically I have found that information sections between three (longer) and six (shorter) sentences are generally well-received: they are not so short that curious players feel that there could have been more information given, but not so long that the very size of the paragraph turns people off (on the Internet this is sometimes called "tl;dr" or "too long; didn't read"), so that's a good size to shoot for if you want to go beyond meeting only the minimum requirements. Does that mean that you can't write more than six sentences? Absolutely not! A longer paragraph that's well-written, informative, creative and entertaining will draw readers along, provided that the information is tied together meaningfully (as opposed to, say, six additional random facts thrown haphazardly into an awkwardly-worded paragraph). You might also wonder, will players rate my quiz more poorly if I write too much or too little? They might, as the quiz rating system is completely subjective for each player. Player A might rate your quiz as Excellent because your information sections were so informative, while Player B might rate the same quiz as Poor because your information sections were too long. As I mentioned before, three to six sentences is a good middle ground, but as an author you should write what makes you happy, especially if, like me, you are not overly concerned about how your quiz is rated.

As an editor who has worked in Movies, TV and Literature, I've often found it to be a good approach to picture your audience (the players) as people who have seen the film (etc.), but several years ago and have by now probably forgotten some of the finer plot points. Something that is obvious to you, as the quiz's author, may not necessarily be obvious to the players who take your quiz, and a little bit of background will help to put your question and information in context. Another good question to ask yourself is why? Why did I choose to ask this particular question? Chances are you have a great start to an information section if you explore what it is you liked, or that interested you, enough to include this question in your quiz. For these media categories, this may include a situation that helped further the plot, or actions that served particularly well to develop a character's personality.

For some topics it might be very difficult to find relevant information for each question in your quiz. While some categories might have more strict guidelines about this, in general you are free to give tangential information that is tied meaningfully to your question's topic. For example, one of my questions in a quiz mentioned an interaction the main character had with a fortune-teller, and in my info, after explaining the context of the question, I spoke a little bit about fortune-telling in general. Other times, when authors have found that there weren't many interesting things to say about each individual question, they have written what amounts to one long paragraph about the topic in general and then served it to the player in ten "bite-sized" pieces. If you can think of more quality information to give at a general level than addressing each question individually, then this might be a good route for you to consider for your quiz's info sections.

There is certainly a lot more that can be said about writing information sections, but I think this enough from me at this time. I'd like to open up the floor, so to speak, to my fellow editors to add their thoughts on the topic.

Happy quiz-writing!

55 replies. On page 3 of 3 pages. 1 2 3
shuehorn star


player avatar
I've just found these threads, and it is especially useful as quiz writing November comes up!! Thanks so much for the thoughtful and informative tips on writing II.

Reply #41. Nov 02 15, 11:08 AM
agony


player avatar
Just wanted to add something to this, as I've been seeing so much of something lately....

Try to stay away from vague meaningless statements in your info. "He starred in many Hollywood productions" "She has had many hit records" and so on.

With a very little more work, just seconds more, really, you can turn this into something better. "He starred in many Hollywood productions, such as "Famous Movie" for which he won a Best Actor Oscar." "She has had many hit records, such as "Big Hit Record" from 1993."

This is the kind of information that is on the first sentence of their Wikipedia or IMBD entry, so not a lot of deep heavy research is needed. Yet it adds so much to your players' enjoyment - "Oh, right, that guy!" they think, rather than just glossing over "many Hollywood productions".

If you bring something up in your info section, go the extra half step and tell us something specific about it. For most of our categories, you have a lot of choice about which facts you give in the info section, but once you've decided you are going to talk about a certain aspect of the issue, make sure you actually tell us something about it. If you bring up a Hollywood career, give the name of at least one movie.

Reply #42. Apr 12 16, 5:35 PM
Verne47 star


player avatar
Would it be too much to ask if I could get some tips for writing cryptogram quizzes here? I would do well with one or two tips. If it's impossible I understand. I just wondered.

Reply #43. Apr 14 16, 4:29 PM
pollucci19 star


player avatar
Agony, I don't disagree with you but it may not always be possible as "time" can play a factor in that. Recently I wrote a line in my interesting info that went "the role earned her the first of her four Primetime Emmy awards" and then I sat back and thought... what if she wins another one... I'll get a correction notice from a player. So I changed it to something a little vague. Had my actress passed on or retired it wouldn't have been an issue

Reply #44. Apr 14 16, 5:23 PM
agony


player avatar
In that case you say something like "Her first Primetime Emmy" . You're right that time dependency is a factor, though, and an important one.

My comment is not primarily directed at habituees of this board, as most of you are great at presenting a lot of factual info in a fun and interesting way. I often send new authors to read this thread, though, to give them some useful ideas about how to go about writing info, and many of them need this reminder.

Reply #45. Apr 14 16, 7:55 PM
agony


player avatar
I'm not sure what you mean by cryptogram quizzes, Verne.

Reply #46. Apr 14 16, 7:56 PM
Verne47 star


player avatar
Oh... There's a subcategory named Cryptograms under Brain Teasers.

Reply #47. Apr 18 16, 9:51 AM
Verne47 star


player avatar
It falls under Word Play.

Reply #48. Apr 18 16, 9:53 AM
spanishliz


player avatar
Verne, drop me a note with your specific questions about cryptograms and I should be able to answer them for you. If there's enough interest they could form the topic for a new one of these discussion threads.

Reply #49. Apr 18 16, 11:14 AM
Verne47 star


player avatar
Okay. Thanks spanishliz.

Reply #50. Apr 18 16, 7:52 PM
Serenesh


player avatar
Thanks editors, I have found this informative and helpful. I must admit that I have avoided brain teasers as it seemed so suitable difficult to get II. I understand that it is a good idea to explain how the answers are worked out, but I would be very glad to hear any further tips on this.

Reply #51. Aug 19 18, 6:04 PM
Serenesh


player avatar
Sorry folks I meant that it is difficult to find suitable II

Reply #52. Aug 19 18, 6:07 PM
spanishliz


player avatar
Beyond what I said earlier in this thread about Brain Teasers info sections, I would encourage authors to be a bit creative, especially for questions/answers that might be a bit bland by themselves. Use the answer word in a humorous sentence, or look at the etymology. If the answer is (for example) "lamb" you could refer to a nursery rhyme or a movie that has that word in the title. Have some fun with it.

Reply #53. Aug 19 18, 7:07 PM
Catreona star


player avatar
Agony, thanks for your comment Reply #42 above. I had in fact been about to skimp on detail for an info section in my current project. Your comment reminded me that's a dumb idea.

Reply #54. Jan 02 23, 3:44 PM
FatherSteve star


player avatar
This is an especially useful thread to resurrect.

Reply #55. Jan 03 23, 12:39 AM


55 replies. On page 3 of 3 pages. 1 2 3
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