1. How did you hear about/come across Silklantern?

It`s all due to Robert Jordan. I`d been bored that day and browsing thorough the site of Orbit Books, the publisher, to see when a new book would come out. They used to have a few links of WoT sites there, including Silklantern. Well, I was bored and curious enough to take a peek around and lingered at SL long enough for the idea of RPing myself to form.

2. What was the name of your first character, and how did you come up with this character (i.e. did you base this character off a different one you had read about, etc.)?

That was Amalia, actually. I was a newbie back then and uncertain how much connection to the books my writing could have. Thus, when I thought about where to write, the Borderlands came to my mind. The endless fight against the Blight made me think of a Green. That`s where New Spring entered the picture; Moiraine`s difficulties of dealing with people outside the White Tower made me think that a young Green who overestimates herself would be fun to write. Amalia started out as the cliché Green – rash, impatient, focused on fighting the Shadow, getting head over heels into danger.

3. Do you have a favorite thread that you were/are in?

I honestly can´t say. I`ve been in so many good threads that I can`t pick one.

4. What would you say is the hardest part about writing for you?

That would be keeping my chars apart, I think. I try to let each develop a unique personality. It’s hard not to let them become too similar, especially with my two Yellows. And no, I`m not telling who they are.

5. What advice would you give to new writers on the site?

Never hesitate to ask questions, no matter if you think you`re making a fool of yourself for asking. You aren`t. Everyone here started out as newbie once; we don`t bite. Honestly.

6. How long have you been writing since joining Silklantern?

I`m not entirely certain, but I think it`s been about three years and a half now.

7. Are you involved in any other kinds of writing aside from RPing on PS?

Not really. I`ve occasionally begun writing fantasy on my own, but I always give up on it pretty quickly.

8. Which one of your characters fits your own personality the most, if any?

I honestly can`t say. They all have some personality trait of me, but I can`t say which of my chars resembles me most.

9. What have you been working on since Roga and Jenisi invited you to become an administrator?

I`ve done a lot of editing for the wiki which will hopefully be usable for everyone soon. Apart from that, I`ve tried to keep the discussion about the new, original Portalstones world alive and kicking.

10. What are the plans for the future of the site? (or, What would you like to accomplish for the site?)

I`d like the site to be better known so newbies could find their way here. We`ve had too few writers for too long. I hope having an original world will help with this; it could attract people who like writing something akin to fantasy, but who aren`t WoT fans and perhaps have never as much as heard of it. We`ll also try to get us linked on more other sites and send direct invitations to people who have marked themselves as fantasy fans on social
networks such as facebook.


Questions for Roga, about Amalia:

1. How did you arrive at the decision to add a new administrator?

Jenisi and I talked and agreed about how the administrators should work together while people were still coming together to support the idea of a new site. We knew that times would come where one or both of us would be busy with real life while the site continued to need attention. Past experience showed us that we needed to plan for this. We agreed that at such times, new administrators and/or global moderators should be brought in from the site’s membership.

Recently, we arrived at one of these difficult times when Jenisi’s family began to need more of her time during the summer. We talked about our time commitments for the next several months, and quickly agreed that the people of Portalstones deserved the attention of another active admin during this time when we need to be building and connecting better with the rest of the internet.
We feel a very strong connection to the community, but it was here before us, and we even want it to be here ‘after’ us, if we ever have to retire. For that to happen, our leadership needs to grow and adapt along with everything else.

2. How was Amalia chosen?

I asked Jenisi if there was anyone she would like to see as the new admin, and she named Amalia first. I agreed immediately, and sent a private invitation to her. That sounds pretty simple, but there was a lot affecting the choice. What we agreed to in the beginning was that administration would work by persuasion and consensus, and we should always keep the spirit of Silklantern in mind – no rank hoops for members to jump through, and all freedoms except rudeness and copyright violations available to the posting member.

We needed someone who was familiar with Portalstones and Silklantern, who would not be a ‘yes-man,’ who would bring their own ideas to the table and freely disagree with us at times, but who could also compromise and work with us to make progress for the site. Both of us have had experiences with Amalia which told us she fit this profile perfectly.

So we welcome Amalia to a new phase in her involvement with Portalstones. Even before this was formally announced, she has been working with me on adding important content to the Wiki and we are planning an outreach campaign to bring in a wave of new members. She is off to a great start; we’re already happy we chose her and hope you’ll welcome her and bring her your ideas and concerns just as you’ve done with us.


For a few people Amalia has RPed with:

Thernan, Shade, and Tevram made a few comments about Amalia including how she seems to come up with thread ideas, how she keeps people interested in a thread, how she communicates with others, and other general comments about her.

Notes from Thernan:

How she seems to come up with ideas (or help formulate them to advance a plot):

Amalia is a very intelligent person who has strong knowledge of WoT. She uses a collaborative approach to idea formulation and often to posting and it makes for a far steadier plot. There are two people on PS who I love to write with above all others. She is one of the two.

How she keeps people interested in a thread:

First of all, she is good at cracking the whip when needed. Many threads die off because folks lose interest or because they have RL getting in the way. She is good at convincing folks to write. Second, she actively involves people in her posts through consultation, and I find that keeps people on the ball.

If she communicates well OOC:

Amalia communicated exceptionally well OOC. She is honest, sometimes, brutally so. However, her honesty makes for a far more robust story when it is written. However, I must say that she should hurry up and send me her piccie, lol.

General comments:

Amalia writes several very well developed characters and she writes them extremely well. She elevates the quality of my writing and the writing of others...and her first langauge isn't even Englsih...if you can believe it.


Notes from Tevram:

She's definitely a leader, someone who likes to keep things moving in any thread that she's involved in. She volunteers to handle all the details and OOC duties to manage the threads and isn't afraid to PM people to get them going on a post. She's always very tactful and friendly when she does it, but she does keep people accountable, which is why I've tended to follow her various characters around with my various characters. I know that any thread she's involved in isn't likely to die. That and she's a good writer to boot. She's taken charge of guiding the new development of the PS unique world, trying to keep people involved and recapping what has already been discussed, essentially trying to manage that project to keep it alive. And I think she's doing a great job at that as well.

All in all, I think making her an admin was an excellent idea. Given all of my interactions with her and how positive they've been, I'm sure she'll be excellent at it. And I look forward to writing with her in the future. That's probably the highest recommendation I can give her. If people want to keep writing with you, what more is there?


Notes from Shade:

Amalia‘s command of English is up to the mark. Her statements are usually clear and coherent. She has good technical knowledge of the Wheel Of Time lore.

Writing a story requires three stages - Planning, execution and completion. Amalia introduces her idea in the tavern. She gives a rough outline of her plan as well as her reasons for it. Her co-writers will look at the idea she proposed and give their opinions.

There are times when people disagree. Instead of ignoring the dissenting argument or resorting to personal attacks, Amalia will look at the points presented and debate accordingly.

Once everyone is in agreement, the thread begins. If she has to do significant roleplaying of another writer’s character, Amalia either ask the person’s permission or send that portion of her post for that writer to vet. This is to avoid any misunderstandings between the writers. Cheerful and helpful, She is always willing to help other writers as can be seen in the biography sections. Amalia has also posted summaries and updates of the threads not only to give a guide for the current roleplayers to follow but also to provide any interested writer to participate in the thread she is in.

Looking at the threads she has done so far, one can infer that Amalia will not let a thread die if she can help it. She will always try to finish the thread instead of leaving it half done.

Amalia is a good friend and mentor for anyone be it that they are newcomers or regulars. She will make an outstanding administrator.