Hi, and welcome to the Novels WikiProject! As you may have guessed, we're a group of editors working to improve Wikipedia's coverage of topics related to fiction books often referred to as "Novels".
A few features that you might find helpful:
Our navigation box points to most of the useful pages within the project.
I've often heard that the lynching mob scene in TKaM, as well as the whole "rape" scenario, and the whole novel itself, was at least partially inspired by the Tulsa Race Riot. I'm, to say the least, skeptical of this; a similar legend exists concerning the Scottsborro Trials, but, as stated on this page and in Charles Shields's biography of Harper Lee, she did not have that specifically in mind. Is there, however, proof of the Tulsa Race Riot providing direct inspiration? If there is, I haven't found any. — Cinemaniac19:29, 1 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]
I have also not heard of the Tulsa Race Riot being a direct inspiration for the trial of Tom Robinson. Or the Rosewood massacre. Or Emmett Till. Unfortunately, the Protection of Southern Womanhood was such an issue in the early to mid 20th century that any dozens or hundreds of examples of black men being accused of compromising the sanctity of white women could have merged to serve as an amalgamation of one fat example of injustice. --Moni322:15, 1 November 2007 (UTC)Moni3[reply]
From Wikipedia's article on To Kill a Mockingbird... "When Lee was 10 years old, a white woman near Monroeville accused a black man of raping her. The story and the trial were covered by her father's newspaper. The black man was convicted, sent to prison, and eventually was committed to a mental institution where he died in 1937." ...It doesn't sound like she needed much more inspiration. --Dystopos23:49, 1 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]
As my previous posting shows, I was skeptical of this so-called "inspiration" anyway. The whole idea seemed more like original research, but I must admit, there are some parallels.
A) A black man accused of raping a white woman, when he clearly didn't.
B) The black man is captured and sent to prison.
C) An angry mob thronging around the jail ready to lynch him.
But then again, these sort of parallels have been drawn also from the Scottsboro Boys Trial; and, as already noted, Lee was thinking of something less sensational than either. Also, as Dystopos pointed out (something I was already aware of), Lee witnessed two similar situations during her childhood, so she really didn't need any more "inspiration". — Cinemaniac13:10, 2 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]
The Novels WikiProject Newsletter - Issue XVIII - November 2007
The November 2007 issue of the Novels WikiProject newsletter has been published. You may read the newsletter, change the format in which future issues will be delivered to you, or unsubscribe from this notification by following the link. Thank you.
The January 2008 issue of the Novels WikiProject newsletter has been published. You may read the newsletter, change the format in which future issues will be delivered to you, or unsubscribe from this notification by following the link. Thank you.
The February 2008 issue of the Novels WikiProject newsletter has been published. You may read the newsletter, change the format in which future issues will be delivered to you, or unsubscribe from this notification by following the link. Thank you.
The March 2008 issue of the Novels WikiProject newsletter has been published. You may read the newsletter, change the format in which future issues will be delivered to you, or unsubscribe from this notification by following the link. Thank you.
This is an automated delivery by KevinalewisBot --16:10, 7 March 2008 (UTC)[reply]
An election has been proposed and has been set up for this project. Description of the roles etc., can be found at Wikipedia:WikiProject Novels/Coordinators. If you wish to stand, enter your candidacy before the end of March and ask your questions of anyone already standing at Wikipedia:WikiProject Novels/Coordinators/May 2008. Voting will start on the 1st April and close at the end of April. The intention is for the appointments to last from May - November 2008. For other details check out the pages or ask. KevinalewisBot (talk) 12:25, 12 March 2008 (UTC)[reply]
The Novels WikiProject Newsletter - Issue XXIII - April 2008
Elections are now taking place for coordinators of the project for the next six months. Any editors interested in seeking a coordinator position, or who want a say in who is selected, should indicate as much here.
Member news
The project has currently 381 members, 69 joined & 0 leavers since the start of March 2008.
Other news
The project's long-time lead coordinator, Kevinalewis, has announced he is not standing as a candidate for another term in that capacity. We would like to take this opportunity to express our gratitude to him for the extraordinary work he has done for this project.
Welcome to the Twenty Third issue of the Novels WikiProject's newsletter! Use this newsletter as a mechanism to inform yourselves about progress at the project and please be inspired to take more active roles in what we do.
We would encourage all members to get more involved and if you are wondering what with, please ask.
Last month's challenge (South Wind) was completed by member User:Blathnaid with a nice starting stub.
The first person to start the article is mentioned in the next newsletter. This month's article is Kate Christensen's 2008 PEN/Faulkner award winner The Great Man.
To stop receiving this newsletter, or to receive it in a different format, please list yourself in the appropriate section here.
The May 2008 issue of the Novels WikiProject newsletter has been published. You may read the newsletter, change the format in which future issues will be delivered to you, or unsubscribe from this notification by following the link. Thank you. SteveCrossinBot (talk) 07:52, 10 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
WikiProject Novels is currently holding a roll call, which we hope to have annually. Your username is listed on the members list, but we are unsure as to which editors are still active within the project. If you still consider yourself an active WP:Novels editor, please add your name back to the Active Members list. Also feel free to join any of our task forces and take a look at the project's Job Centre to get involved!
The members list is currently under review so we have moved all past active member's name to a Incumbent List and are doing a Project Roll Call. If you still consider yourself an active WP:NOVELS editor, please add your name back to the Active Members List. You may also wish to add your name to any of our many Project Task Forces.
Devil May Care, written by Sebastian Faulks ("writing as Ian Fleming"), has become Penguin Books fastest selling hardcover fiction title. It is the latest installment in the book series about British secret agent James Bond and was released to coincide with the 100th anniversary of late Bond creator Ian Fleming's birthday on May 28, 1908.
Me Cheeta: the Autobiography, written by a ghostwriter, is the autobiography of Cheeta the Chimp who is listed in the Guinness World Records as the oldest recorded non-human primate at the age of 76. He has appeared in various movie roles which included twelve Tarzan movies and even battled addiction to alcohol and cigars. The book is not published until October 1, but judges for the 2008 Guardian First Book Award were sent a early version and were so impressed that they have included it on the 10-strong longlist.
Stephenie Meyer, who is listed by Time magazine as one of its 100 most influential people of 2008, has decided not to continue with writing her draft for Midnight Sun after 12 chapters of the unfinished manuscript were leaked on the internet.
Current debates
Categories for Discussion has a series of discussions about whether to categorize certain specific types of fictional characters: double agents, dictators, characters with eidetic memory, etc. Advice from any Novels project members would be valuable in assisting them.
WikiProject Media franchises aims to help editors with the coordination of articles within the thousands of media franchises which exist and has requested input from our members. They are currently discussing a naming convention for franchise articles. Since this may affect one or more articles in our Novel project, they would like to get opinions before implimenting any changes.
With the Newsletter being almost three months overdue, I have decided to take on the position of Editor to make sure it reaches you regularly on time each month. The Newsletter is meant to inspire and encourage our team of Editors and so my goal shall be to make it informative and interesting each issue.
We now have many positions vacant in our Project Team, so we are looking for members who have the time and interest to take on the various roles, details of which can be found at the Job Centre. Shortly a Coordinator nominations notice shall also be sent out to all members, which will commence the annual Coordinator selection process.
Next month's Newsletter will include a message from our Coordinator Maria, who will introduce herself and speak on our forthcoming elections for extra Coordinators.
This month's Collaboration has been selected by popular vote and is Look Homeward, Angel. The next collaboration is due for selection on 14 September, 2008 so cast your vote.
Newsletter challenge
Our last newsletter's challenge The Pure Land was completed by our member Maclean25, who also provided us with tipline news for this newsletter.
The first person to start the article is mentioned in the next newsletter. This month's article is Leslie Ann Moore's first book in her fantasy 'Griffin's Daughter' trilogy, which was named by the Independent Book Publishers Association as the 2008 Ben Franklin Award winner for Best First Fiction, Griffin's Daughter. Note: This article was previously deleted due to lack of notability, but that now can be established since winning this award.
To unsubscribe from further issues of this newsletter please remove your name from here.
Nominations have now commenced for Coordinator Candidates for the Novels Project. Any member of the project may nominate themselves. Nominations close on October 27, so if you wish to run make sure you add your name before then. Details on the election process and the role of Coordinators can be found at Wikipedia:WikiProject Novels/Coordinators/October 2008. The voting and question phase of the election will open on October 28 and end November 28.
After the recent roll call, the Novels Project now has 74 active members.
15 positions still remain unfilled at the Job Centre, members who are interested are encouraged to apply.
Yllosubmarine (talk·contribs) has been a member of the Novels WikiProject for nearly two years, and a coordinator since May. Aside from her work outside the project (including four FAs and six GAs in various areas), she has been active in the Project's Assessment and Peer Review departments. She hopes to continue in these roles as well as help encourage more activity and community research within the Project. With the upcoming coordinator election, she hopes that others will volunteer to become more active in their roles as Project members so that we can continue to provide quality articles to the readers of this encyclopedia.
On the advice of Coordinator Maria, the newsletter is now only distributed to active listed members of the Novels Project. A new section has started with this issue called 'In Focus', which will feature various members and task forces each month.
Members are requested to post any news items to the Tip Line (found above) to make sure it reaches the next newsletter before closing date, which is always the last day of the preceding month. Any task force news should be added by the coordinator of that task force. Having news items helps inform members of what is happening at the various task forces and so can be a way of encouraging more membership and participation.
Editors are required to assist with the newsletter for Task Force News and Peer Reviews & Assessments News, which involves the gathering of news items from the main project and the various task forces. These positions may be applied for at the Job Centre.
This month's Collaboration has been selected by popular vote and is : Steppenwolf (novel). The next collaboration is due for selection on 1 November, 2008 so cast your vote.
Coordinators election voting and question time is now open. Project members should vote for any candidates they wish to support by November 28 at the Coordinator Elections. Yllosubmarine, aka Maria, has decided not to be reappointed, her work as sole Coordinator since the last elections in May is highly appreciated by all members of the project.
18 positions remain unfilled at the Job Centre. Members who are active project contributors are encouraged to apply even if they can only do a position for a short time.
– Position of editor for 'Task force news' is still available at the Job Centre.
Peer review and assessment news
Peer Reviews are still open for three articles – At Swim-Two-Birds, The Emberverse series & Flowers for Algernon. Feel free to submit any novel-related article that you are working on for review, and please consider stopping by and reviewing an article, as we need more reviewers for our articles!
– the_ed17 (talk), Editor – Peer review and assessment news
Member in Focus
Hi, I have been around this project for quite some time now. Bit of a hiatus earlier this year, but back now just contributing. The Novels WikiProject wasn't started by me but my interest in the subject initially attracted me to what was here. It has developed substantially in the last few years and now takes in all forms of Narrative Prose Fiction within its scope. We are about the content not the format of the prose so WP:Books differs a little in that an implied format is entailed; also they can also focus more clearly on non-fiction. WP:Literature are the "new boys on the block" and are a little more focused on the "quality" aspects of literature, and again they have less emphasis on pure fiction and the prose aspect. Our biggest problem is to maintain a certain focus of interest across such a broad subject area and we need workers who can develop task forces, teams for assessment, teams for peer review and so much more. "So much to do, so little time, I'm late, I'm late, I'm late" to misquote from Alice in Wonderland.
The featured listNarnian timeline has been nominated for removal. You can comment here. The Narnian timeline is a featured list, which means it has been identified as one of the best lists produced by the Wikipedia community.
As I shall be leaving Wikipedia, this will be my last newsletter. Any member who is interested in taking over the role of editor can sign up for the position at the Job Centre.
Over the last month I have been working on a portal for our project. So am happy to announce that the Novels Portal is now up and running.
Boylo: Thank you for getting this newsletter back on its feet and going again. No Boylo equals no Novels Portal...heck, without you, we wouldn't have had a newsletter for these past months...so, for all of the members of the Novels WikiProject, I want to thank you for the time and effort you have put into this project, and I wish you the best of luck in all of your future endeavors. Thanks, pal.
This month's Collaboration has been selected by popular vote and is : Novel. As this is our Project's premier article, all members are asked to assist. The next collaboration is due for selection on 21 November, 2008 so cast your vote.
Recently a new worklist had been created and quietly arrived, the Cleanup listing which gives a fairly comprehensive hit list of "novels" related articles that have been tagged for something or other.
Since then a new Article alerts listing has also been added of more topic and "urgent" items worthy of our attention.
As you can see, this is about as bare-bones of a newsletter as you can get. The reason for this is that the newsletter has and will be inactive, but we wanted to get a last one out detailing the current state of our project. The truth is that WP:NOVELS is in bad shape. Only a few editors are active in editing inside of our project. Our Peer Review section, this newsletter, our task forces, and our collaboration center are all dead; although a collab is picked each month, not a lot of work seems to occur.
Out of these ashes, we are proposing that the project start an A-class review system. This will hopefully bring people together for reviewing, and will perhaps get the project some sorely-needed attention from others who can come in and help rehabilitate it. Final plans have not been established, but we will see about getting a mass message out to all of the project members if/when it is set up; discussion of this can be conducted on the General Forum.
This newsletter will probably be the last we will have for a long time, as neither Ed nor Kevinalewis have the time to create these every month. However, if any editor is willing to step up and create one, we would be glad to assist you in making it up.
If you don't want to create a newsletter, but would still like to help, there are plenty of things that can be done. As detailed on the right, the Novels Peer Review section has four articles needing attention, but only one review has been done; one from May, one from November, and one from December have not had any comments left on them. Please consider helping out there; even a 15-minute review would help.
Talk between Kevinalewis and the_ed17, the two project coordinators, has led to us deciding to suspend elections for coordinators indefinitely. With the exceedingly low amount of participation in the last elections (five total votes), we do not feel that it is worth it to try to set up another election.
20 positions remain unfilled at the Job Centre. Members who are active project contributors are encouraged to apply even if they can only do a position for a short time.
Collaboration of the Month
This month's Collaboration has been selected by popular vote and is : Shantaram (novel). The next collaboration is due for selection in April, so cast your vote.
Peer review and assessment news
Peer Reviews are still open for four articles – Sector General, Petals of Blood, Scenes of Clerical Life, and Flowers for Algernon. Feel free to submit any novel-related article that you are working on for review, but please consider stopping by and reviewing an article; we need more reviewers for our articles (there is a PR that has been open since May)!
Recently a new worklist had been created and quietly arrived, the Cleanup listing which gives a fairly comprehensive hit list of "novels" related articles that have been tagged for something or other.
Since then a new Article alerts listing has also been added of more topic and "urgent" items worthy of our attention.
