Raw Charge writing: remember to grab your towels at the pool when you come inside

by Cassie McClellan on Jun 7, 2011 2:00 PM EDT in The Site

Well, here we are. The offseason. Things have slowed down around here on Raw Charge - part of that's just because the Tampa Bay Lightning have stopped playing, but it's also a bit of a mental break as well. Playoffs went a lot longer than we were expecting, and we're all a little tired.

However, if you're not, then by all means share with the class. We're striving to make Raw Charge a Lightning community, and that means involvement from our readers. Not just comments - though, those have been great! - but also with pictures, stories, analysis, and links of your own. They don't have to be Lightning related, just about hockey.

A community also includes discussion. So if you have questions, or want our (or anyone else's) opinions on various topics, feel free to post that kind of stuff up as well. If you're interested in how-tos or some kind of a writing guide, we can put something together for you to reference. Just put something in the comments of this post if you're needing things like that.

Raw Charge is a year-round (ad)venture, but even we have problems putting stuff up all the time. And this is where you guys (and gals) can help us and yourselves out. If there's anything you feel that needs to be addressed, then post something up about it. Feedback is a wonderful thing, but so are your own contributions as well.

We're grateful that you've made Raw Charge a part of your internet experience. Without you, we'd be writing for just ourselves - which isn't a bad thing, necessarily, but new perspectives are good, too. So if you have something to say, at any time, then don't be shy. Share! And who knows, we might even front page you.

Again, all we ask is that you're respectful and please try to leave the curse words out of your posts. Also, please make sure whatever you write is readable - that means paragraphs, spelling, capitalization where necessary, and punctuation. We reserve the right to make minor edits to your post without your permission, and if necessary, remove it without your consent in extreme cases. If there's anything more than minor grammar and punctuation issues, we may contact you so that you can edit it further.

Happy writing - and reading!

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Would love to write more

A guide/how-to would be extremely helpful. Please and thank you.

Goaleez R weerd.

by CAustin on Jun 7, 2011 2:06 PM EDT reply actions

We’re going to try to come up with a style guide this summer.

As for a quick how-to, I put this up a few weeks ago: Raw Charge at large – let’s hear it from the fans

Win or lose, I'm proud of these guys.
Raw Charge, an SBN Tampa Bay Lightning community. Follow me on Twitter: @dagmar27.

by Cassie McClellan on Jun 7, 2011 5:37 PM EDT up reply actions

style guide:

1. Buy Strunk and White’s The Elements of Style. Read it. Use it.

2. Follow those of Mark Twain’s rules governing literary art that pertain to non-fiction: (12-18 here)

That should be a fine start. :-p

Heel for school, Vol for life!

Go Bolts! Out West, go Preds! Southern hockey solidarity!

by Incipient_Senescence on Jun 7, 2011 6:43 PM EDT up reply actions

I prefer the Chicago Manual of Style, thank you. :oÞ

Win or lose, I'm proud of these guys.
Raw Charge, an SBN Tampa Bay Lightning community. Follow me on Twitter: @dagmar27.

by Cassie McClellan on Jun 7, 2011 7:41 PM EDT up reply actions

clearly you haven't read Strunk and White

Heel for school, Vol for life!

Go Bolts! Out West, go Preds! Southern hockey solidarity!

by Incipient_Senescence on Jun 7, 2011 10:17 PM EDT up reply actions

No, but I did used to work at a textbook publishing house.

Win or lose, I'm proud of these guys.
Raw Charge, an SBN Tampa Bay Lightning community. Follow me on Twitter: @dagmar27.

by Cassie McClellan on Jun 8, 2011 8:29 AM EDT up reply actions

ah

well, The Elements of Style has a lot less on formatting and more on writing. And it’s the only style guide I know that’s actually written in an entertaining style. There was at least one night in college where a couple friends and I just took turn reading sections aloud, and we had a blast.

Heel for school, Vol for life!

Go Bolts! Out West, go Preds! Southern hockey solidarity!

by Incipient_Senescence on Jun 8, 2011 8:57 AM EDT up reply actions

I would love to share some of my photos

Any chance there’s a photo folder or other way to post them to an online album here on RC?

"[The Lightning] are uncanny. When they want to get a goal, it's like they just snap their fingers or hit a button. They just dial it up. You can see it. It's like they flip a switch. When they are down, it's just like they think, 'we know we are going to score.' I don't know what it is, it leaves [the opposition] flabbergasted." - Mike Knuble, 3 May 2011

by MTBoltFan on Jun 7, 2011 4:15 PM EDT reply actions

We don’t have that functionality here on this site, unfortunately. I think the best you can do is to post them on an online album, and then insert select pictures into a post. Not sure if there’s a limit to how many pictures you can insert into something, tho.

Win or lose, I'm proud of these guys.
Raw Charge, an SBN Tampa Bay Lightning community. Follow me on Twitter: @dagmar27.

by Cassie McClellan on Jun 7, 2011 5:31 PM EDT up reply actions

Done

For those that care, I’ve posted my photos from the Admirals’ games and Lightning’s games from the past 12 months or so on Flickr.

I don’t have the URL with me here, but search for my user ID (MT Bolt Fan) and you should find the pics.

I’ll post more as I take them through the 2011-2012 season.

by MTBoltFan on Jun 8, 2011 9:56 AM EDT up reply actions

I always try to write FanPosts...

for here and other SB Nation sites, but chicken out due to my over-critical standards for what a FanPost should be (usually I think that they’re too short). I’m working on one right now, but I don’t know if I’ll end up publishing it.

I do want to get more active and commenting here; the atmosphere is great, and of course I love the Bolts, so I’m hoping to stay on here even though it’s summer.

"You can't defense that!" -Gary Thorne, after Brian Roberts' go-ahead home run in the 8th inning of an O's game vs. TB

by SnipeShot on Jun 7, 2011 4:37 PM EDT reply actions

Just remember that your version of perfection isn’t another person’s version of perfection. About the best that you can realistically hope for is to get the point across that you’re trying to make. After that, it’s pretty subjective. I tend to write like I speak, for better or for worse, but it works for me and people seem to understand me. That’s all I care about – that people understand what I’m trying to say. :o)

And there’s nothing wrong with short. If you need a word count limit, tho, Google won’t index anything less than 150 words. So that’s something to keep in mind. And there’s a word counter at the bottom left corner of the editor, so you don’t have to worry about trying to figure that out.

Win or lose, I'm proud of these guys.
Raw Charge, an SBN Tampa Bay Lightning community. Follow me on Twitter: @dagmar27.

by Cassie McClellan on Jun 7, 2011 5:30 PM EDT up reply actions