Some of the Recent Questions, although valid, are not questions that encourage much debate. They are either questions about results of writing competitions, future competitions, or people asking for comments on their shared work.
These types of question push more interesting questions out of the order of the first three which I see when I click on Community/Recent Q & A 's.
I would like to see a popular Recent Questions system introduced, but unlike the Popular Questions option where questions go way back in 2012
A fortnightly timeline seems reasonable for a popular Recent Question.
I believe the best Recent Questions, should occupy the first three positions on merit of having received the most replies.
I suppose the Q & As could be set out differently to aid discussion, but I don't come here to discuss writing as such and I would be disappointed if this site became just another writing forum. This site is about publishing, submitting, rejection etc. Frequently the questions need quick answers as submissions depend on them and I have recently defended this site as an open house where people can pop in, ask something speedily and be away again. I have belonged to forums previously where members refused to ask questions from new people who just needed a quick answer and I like that it doesn't happen here. There are no cliques. The girl who writes speculative fiction chats freely with the chap who writes historical, the other guy who writes chivalric romance and that girl in the purple shirt who most suspect of being a bit chick-lit. The reason that happens is because we are not directly discussing our work but methods of best selling our work - something common to all genres.
If I wanted to discuss the short story form, novel structure or share nerdy fan fiction I'd be somewhere else. Let's face it, there's no shortage of writing forums serving those interests. I do agree catagorising questions so they can be found by subject might make our community more useful and easier to navigate, or perhaps a system of rating questions and their accompanying answers as to how helpful they are might be the answer, but helping the person who most recently asked a question is what it is all about and I wouldn't want that to change.
Some of the recent questions, although valid, are not questions that encourage much debate.
would this be one of them questions ?????
I understand what you are saying Adrian and I say everything David said, well maybe not cos he said it all but he is right. oh yes thanks Bloombury.....
Regards
I am also very grateful to Bloomsbury for providing this free facility plus rewards. I'm grateful also that our questions are answered promptly. I think that clicking on the read more icon and scrolling down a little is a small price to pay.
Jean