The Quizbowl Resource Center

I've been talking with some people recently about an issue worth discussing. It seems like each year, there are individual people who are either interested in, or suitable for, writing some number of college questions for a set - but they don't get a chance to put their names out there before events have coalesced. This can happen either because they're not too well-connected with the schools deciding to write, because they don't start with a plan to write their own set, or for whatever other reason. This means people who might be able to fill out a subject well, such as science or music, or who might be willing to write 20 or 40 or 60 questions for a set, get locked out from existing projects or often end up asking to join after it's too late - and are then overlooked down the road.

I've started this thread so people can get their names out there if they're interested in writing and editing some questions for a set, but would much rather join an existing project than start their own.

Schools which would otherwise plan to write a set on their own can then take heed and make decisions with more complete information about who they might want to reach out to. This can help existing writing teams fill in blank spots or increase the size of their writing teams, and could even help secure mirror sites at the places where the extra individual(s) come from.

So go ahead and post if this applies to you.

I don't know if this is still the place to post stuff like this, but I see no point in making a new thread.

I would like to work on something this year, but I don't know yet how busy I will be come autumn, so I would like to work on something small so that I don't end up biting off more than I can chew. I am competent at History, Literature and Visual Arts.

Ideally, I'd like to edit something like 2/2 of a packet (half of history/lit or visual arts). If you are in need of a semi-experienced editor to work with, or simply to chip in some questions, please email me.

Thanks!

I'd also like to work on something this upcoming year, but like Jarret, I don't know how much free time I'll have come the fall. Ideally, something that I could take a small chunk of would be what I'd like. I can write history and literature, and I'd like to try my hand at writing some anthropology as well.

I'd like to work on something this summer. I can write history, lit, religion, myth, and some social science.

If anyone's planning another tournament for the fall, I volunteer my mediocre writing services.

I'm finishing up my work for CALI, so I'll have time to write for any event this fall. I'd be happy to write myth, philosophy, and some literature - this would be my first time writing officially at this level, but I do have some experience already.

I am a relatively new question writer, working high school and middle school questions. I've been working very hard on History Olympiad and have been getting good responses with my writing. I definitely want to be working on more sets, so please let me know if there is work I can do!
I am also somewhat qualified to write collegiately on philosophy, as well as many a trash question, and would love to help there as well.

After a few years, I guess it's worth asking if this thread served its intended purpose. I don't know of many people who have posted here and gone on to join up with writing projects.

What's more, it seems like there is a spot still open in the fall where a tournament could take place in early October of a difficulty between "Fall+" and "regular", inclusive. (Perhaps a "Regular-minus" or MUT-level tournament such as EFT, IFT, or MFT.) As of now, it doesn't look like any group of people has stepped up to write one. Is there demand right now for a tournament in the early fall, and if so, is there a group coalescing to produce it (such as the writers who have posted in this thread) or not? (I am not able to write it and wouldn't be eligible to play it, but I'm asking just out of curiosity if it helps nudge something along which otherwise wouldn't exist.)

tktennis wrote:I am a relatively new question writer, working high school and middle school questions. I've been working very hard on History Olympiad and have been getting good responses with my writing. I definitely want to be working on more sets, so please let me know if there is work I can do!
I am also somewhat qualified to write collegiately on philosophy, as well as many a trash question, and would love to help there as well.

Trent, this thread is about the writing of college sets; in general, players still in high school do not write for the college game unless they're exceptionally well-known and well-qualified (e.g.: have already played in college tournaments).

Writers who are seriously interested in working on a tournament this fall are encouraged to submit an application to join the ACF Fall editing team. Details here.

Matthew J wrote:After a few years, I guess it's worth asking if this thread served its intended purpose. I don't know of many people who have posted here and gone on to join up with writing projects.

What's more, it seems like there is a spot still open in the fall where a tournament could take place in early October of a difficulty between "Fall+" and "regular", inclusive. (Perhaps a "Regular-minus" or MUT-level tournament such as EFT, IFT, or MFT.) As of now, it doesn't look like any group of people has stepped up to write one. Is there demand right now for a tournament in the early fall, and if so, is there a group coalescing to produce it (such as the writers who have posted in this thread) or not? (I am not able to write it and wouldn't be eligible to play it, but I'm asking just out of curiosity if it helps nudge something along which otherwise wouldn't exist.)

I seem to remember the Michigan Fall set being fairly widely mirrored and getting good fields, so I would argue that there would be demand for something like this. If anyone is thinking about this: you should write it.

Matthew J wrote:

tktennis wrote:I am a relatively new question writer, working high school and middle school questions. I've been working very hard on History Olympiad and have been getting good responses with my writing. I definitely want to be working on more sets, so please let me know if there is work I can do!
I am also somewhat qualified to write collegiately on philosophy, as well as many a trash question, and would love to help there as well.

Trent, this thread is about the writing of college sets; in general, players still in high school do not write for the college game unless they're exceptionally well-known and well-qualified (e.g.: have already played in college tournaments).

Trent, I would highly recommend that you keep writing questions for NHBB and asking for feedback. Another tact that you could take is to submit questions to an experienced editor and ask them to critique the ever-living daylights out of them (or you could use the ACF feedback program-I have no idea if this is still ongoing, though).

Not to further de-rail this towards HS things (maybe its own thread?), but when NHBB 2015-16 gets rolling, we'll be instituting a "provisional writer" system in which novice writers get detailed feedback and instructions for practice on their first 20 or so questions, in a specifically organized timeframe (i.e. over several weeks, not just all at once with the lessons supposed to be learned in 10 minutes total). Full details, as with everything else, will be put together and announced in the weeks following IHO. Novice college writers are definitely encouraged to sign up with us, though we'll be writing towards the high school game, not the college game.

Hello, all. I've been talking to my team (8-ish people), and all of them have expressed a desire to write part of a tournament. Everyone has committed to writing 5 questions per week during the summer. Unfortunately, we have very little writing experience between us, and except for math and physics, none of us feel comfortable editing any categories.

If anyone's editing a tournament for next season and needs people to produce questions, shoot me an email at [email protected].