Writing - Revision history

Olin Bose at 18:15, 19 November 2025

2025-11-19T18:15:33Z

Kevin Wang: /* Compensation */

2025-06-30T20:45:35Z

Compensation

Kevin Wang: /* Set administration */

2022-03-28T14:26:58Z

Set administration

Kevin Wang at 19:50, 6 January 2022

2022-01-06T19:50:09Z

June Yin: /* Compensation */

2021-12-06T03:30:46Z

Compensation

Kevin Wang: /* Components */

2021-10-20T15:06:48Z

Components

Kevin Wang at 15:03, 20 October 2021

2021-10-20T15:03:36Z

Kevin Wang: /* Editing */

2021-10-20T15:03:00Z

Editing

Kevin Wang at 04:36, 17 October 2021

2021-10-17T04:36:29Z

Kevin Wang: Created page with "{{Intro}} '''Writing''' is the process of creating quizbowl questions, with the individuals who write questions being called simply '''writers'''. After a qu..."

2021-10-17T04:27:29Z

Created page with "{{Intro}} <onlyinclude> '''Writing''' is the process of creating quizbowl questions, with the individuals who write questions being called simply '''writers'''. After a qu..."

New page

{{Intro}}
<onlyinclude>
'''Writing''' is the process of creating quizbowl [[questions]], with the individuals who write questions being called simply '''writers'''. After a question is written, it is typically passed on for [[editing]]; the editor can be the same person, and in fact editors typically also write. Writing is a very technical process which requires writers to balance concerns of [[difficulty]] and [[importance]] with personal flavor and creativity.</onlyinclude>

Writers are an essential part of the quizbowl community - with most [[set]]s having about a dozen [[packet]]s of twenty [[tossup]]s and twenty [[bonus]]es, roughly 500 questions need to be written for any given [[tournament]]. The long history of [[packet submission]] and [[housewrites]] means that, historically, many players found themselves becoming writers as they continued their careers. More recently, it has become much more normalized for active players to not do any writing.

[[Jerry Vinokurov]] penned an in-depth guide to writing questions on the forums and it is reproduced on the wiki here: [[How to Write Questions]].

==Components==
The primary aim of writing is to simply produce questions; even a poorly-written question is still technically written. While one can write for projects other than mainstream tournaments (like [[vanity packets]] or for [[studying]] purposes), the bulk of writing down today is ultimately a product which others pay to play. This leads to the secondary aim of writing: to produce quality questions.

Integral to the writing of good questions is an awareness and adherence to the principles of [[good quizbowl]]: that questions should be fair, consistent, and reward [[knowledge]]. Almost always this means producing [[pyramidal]] questions which being hard and get easier, curating [[clues]] from legitimate sources absent of factual errors, and avoiding [[trivia]].

==Related activities==
Writing can be broadly interpreted to include all steps from the creation of a question to its inclusion in a [[packet]]. However, many of these are typically considered separate and split among different individuals during set creation.

===Editing===
:''Main page: [[Editing]]''
Editing is generally considered to be separate from, but closely related to, writing. Indeed, in most situations editors are a dedicated role, but one that is expected to write the most questions in their category.

There is no clean split between which considerations are considered part of writing versus editing. At minimum, editing involves reading over a question to verify that it meets standards, but a well-written question may require no editing at all. On the other end of the spectrum, an editor may need to totally rewrite a question (or simply replace it, which is effectively the same).

===Proofreading===
Proofreading is the act of reading through questions to check for [[errata]] like typos, factual errors, formatting issues, or problems with [[feng shui]]. [[Olivia Murton]] and [[Ophir Lifshitz]] are known for their work as proofreaders on many of the projects they have worked on.

===Set administration===
Questions are typically intended for use in formal tournaments, whose mirrors must be centrally coordinated and payment must be processed. Additionally, they are often produced in groups to handle the number of questions that are required. The logistics required to orchestrate these moving parts and ensure overall quality is non-trivial and is often considered an additional non-writing aspect of creating a set.

Historically this has been the domain of the [[head editor]], but is often considered the lowest priority among other responsibilities like enforcing overall set difficulty and acting as subject editor for what is often a large chunk of the distribution. In an attempt to remedy this, sets have begun to move towards having dedicated team members for handling these tasks.

==Compensation==
The standard compensation for questions is somewhere in the range of $4 per tossup, with bonuses typically worth slightly less. Organizations like [[NAQT]] can offer flat rates, with bonuses for things like writing in high-demand categories, high volume, and consistency. By contrast, housewrites tie their compensation to the profit of the set, which is determined by mirror fees and, thus, the number of teams which play the set.

The payment for question writing is sufficient that dedicated writers with sufficiently high pay (e.g. NAQT high volume writers) are capable of deriving the majority of their income from writing - nevertheless, the average writer will not reach minimum wage. It is not unusual for inexperienced writers to take upwards of an hour per question, which translates to around $4 an hour. This is not an unusual situation - despite high gross pay, many editors make significantly less per hour due to the additional time required, and other essential roles like [[reader]]s and [[scorekeeper]]s are merely reimbursed for travel (if compensated at all). The fact that only a small minority of the community makes significant money from quiz bowl is a reminder that it (like other hobbies) is driven largely by volunteers.

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:15, 19 November 2025
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	The payment for question writing is sufficient that dedicated writers with sufficiently high pay (e.g. NAQT high volume writers) are capable of deriving the majority of their income from writing - nevertheless, the average writer will not reach minimum wage. It is not unusual for inexperienced writers to take upwards of an hour per question, which translates to around $4 an hour. This is not an unusual situation - despite high gross pay, many editors make significantly less per hour due to the additional time required, and other essential roles like [[reader]]s and [[scorekeeper]]s are merely reimbursed for travel (if compensated at all). The fact that only a small minority of the community makes significant money from quiz bowl is a reminder that it (like other hobbies) is driven largely by volunteers.		The payment for question writing is sufficient that dedicated writers with sufficiently high pay (e.g. NAQT high volume writers) are capable of deriving the majority of their income from writing - nevertheless, the average writer will not reach minimum wage. It is not unusual for inexperienced writers to take upwards of an hour per question, which translates to around $4 an hour. This is not an unusual situation - despite high gross pay, many editors make significantly less per hour due to the additional time required, and other essential roles like [[reader]]s and [[scorekeeper]]s are merely reimbursed for travel (if compensated at all). The fact that only a small minority of the community makes significant money from quiz bowl is a reminder that it (like other hobbies) is driven largely by volunteers.
		+	{{c\|Question Writing}}

@@ Line 10: / Line 10: @@
 The primary aim of writing is to simply produce questions; even a poorly-written question is still technically written. While one can write for projects other than mainstream tournaments (like [[vanity|vanity packets]] or for [[studying]] purposes), the bulk of writing down today is ultimately a product which others pay to play. This leads to the secondary aim of writing: to produce quality questions.
-Integral to the writing of good questions is an awareness and adherence to the principles of [[good quizbowl]]: that questions should be fair, consistent, and reward [[knowledge]]. Almost always this means producing [[pyramidal]] questions which start hard and get easier, curating [[clues]] from legitimate sources absent of factual errors, and avoiding [[trivia]].
+Integral to the writing of good questions is an awareness and adherence to the principles of "[[good quizbowl]]": that questions should be fair, consistent, and reward [[knowledge]]. Almost always this means producing [[pyramidal]] questions which start hard and get easier, curating [[clues]] from legitimate sources absent of factual errors, and avoiding [[trivia]].
 ==Related activities==

@@ Line 10: / Line 10: @@
 The primary aim of writing is to simply produce questions; even a poorly-written question is still technically written. While one can write for projects other than mainstream tournaments (like [[vanity|vanity packets]] or for [[studying]] purposes), the bulk of writing down today is ultimately a product which others pay to play. This leads to the secondary aim of writing: to produce quality questions.
-Integral to the writing of good questions is an awareness and adherence to the principles of [[good quizbowl]]: that questions should be fair, consistent, and reward [[knowledge]]. Almost always this means producing [[pyramidal]] questions which being hard and get easier, curating [[clues]] from legitimate sources absent of factual errors, and avoiding [[trivia]].
+Integral to the writing of good questions is an awareness and adherence to the principles of [[good quizbowl]]: that questions should be fair, consistent, and reward [[knowledge]]. Almost always this means producing [[pyramidal]] questions which start hard and get easier, curating [[clues]] from legitimate sources absent of factual errors, and avoiding [[trivia]].
 ==Related activities==

@@ Line 30: / Line 30: @@
 ==Compensation==
 The standard compensation for questions is somewhere in the range of $4 per tossup, with bonuses typically worth slightly less. Organizations like [[NAQT]] can offer flat rates, with bonuses for things like writing in high-demand categories, high volume, and consistency. By contrast, [[housewrite]]s tie their compensation to the profit of the set, which is determined by mirror fees and, thus, the number of teams which play the set.
 The payment for question writing is sufficient that dedicated writers with sufficiently high pay (e.g. NAQT high volume writers) are capable of deriving the majority of their income from writing - nevertheless, the average writer will not reach minimum wage. It is not unusual for inexperienced writers to take upwards of an hour per question, which translates to around $4 an hour. This is not an unusual situation - despite high gross pay, many editors make significantly less per hour due to the additional time required, and other essential roles like [[reader]]s and [[scorekeeper]]s are merely reimbursed for travel (if compensated at all). The fact that only a small minority of the community makes significant money from quiz bowl is a reminder that it (like other hobbies) is driven largely by volunteers.

@@ Line 27: / Line 27: @@
 Questions are typically intended for use in formal tournaments, whose mirrors must be centrally coordinated and payment must be processed. Additionally, they are often produced in groups to handle the number of questions that are required. The logistics required to orchestrate these moving parts and ensure overall quality is non-trivial and is often considered an additional non-writing aspect of creating a set.
-Historically this has been the domain of the [[head editor]], but is often considered the lowest priority among other responsibilities like enforcing overall set difficulty and acting as subject editor for what is often a large chunk of the distribution. In an attempt to remedy this, sets have begun to move towards having dedicated team members for handling these tasks.
+Historically this has been the domain of the [[head editor]], but is often considered the lowest priority among other responsibilities like enforcing overall set difficulty and acting as subject editor for what is often a large chunk of the distribution. In an attempt to remedy the problems that stem from neglecting these aspects of production, sets have begun to move towards having dedicated team members for handling these tasks.
 ==Compensation==

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 {{Intro}}
 <onlyinclude>
-'''Writing''' is the process of creating quizbowl [[questions]], with the individuals who write questions being called simply '''writers'''. After a question is written, it is typically passed on for [[editing]]; the editor can be the same person, and in fact editors typically also write. Writing is a very technical process which requires writers to balance concerns of [[difficulty]] and [[importance]] with personal flavor and creativity.</onlyinclude>
+'''Writing''' is the process of creating quizbowl [[questions]], with the individuals who write questions being called simply '''writers'''. After a question is written, it is typically passed on for [[editing]]; the [[editor]] can be the same person, and in fact editors typically also write. Writing is a very technical process which requires writers to balance concerns of [[difficulty]] and [[importance]] with personal flavor and creativity.</onlyinclude>
 Writers are an essential part of the quizbowl community - with most [[set]]s having about a dozen [[packet]]s of twenty [[tossup]]s and twenty [[bonus]]es, roughly 500 questions need to be written for any given [[tournament]]. The long history of [[packet submission]] and [[housewrites]] means that, historically, many players found themselves becoming writers as they continued their careers. More recently, it has become much more normalized for active players to not do any writing.

@@ Line 17: / Line 17: @@
 ===Editing===
 :''Main page: [[Editing]]''
-Editing is generally considered to be separate from, but closely related to, writing. Indeed, in most situations editors are a dedicated role, but one that is expected to write the most questions in their category.
+Editing is generally considered to be separate from, but closely related to, writing. Indeed, in most situations [[editors]] are a dedicated role, but one that is expected to write the most questions in their category.
 There is no clean split between which considerations are considered part of writing versus editing. At minimum, editing involves reading over a question to verify that it meets standards, but a well-written question may require no editing at all. On the other end of the spectrum, an editor may need to totally rewrite a question (or simply replace it, which is effectively the same).

@@ Line 8: / Line 8: @@
 ==Components==
-The primary aim of writing is to simply produce questions; even a poorly-written question is still technically written. While one can write for projects other than mainstream tournaments (like [[vanity packets]] or for [[studying]] purposes), the bulk of writing down today is ultimately a product which others pay to play. This leads to the secondary aim of writing: to produce quality questions.
+The primary aim of writing is to simply produce questions; even a poorly-written question is still technically written. While one can write for projects other than mainstream tournaments (like [[vanity|vanity packets]] or for [[studying]] purposes), the bulk of writing down today is ultimately a product which others pay to play. This leads to the secondary aim of writing: to produce quality questions.
 Integral to the writing of good questions is an awareness and adherence to the principles of [[good quizbowl]]: that questions should be fair, consistent, and reward [[knowledge]]. Almost always this means producing [[pyramidal]] questions which being hard and get easier, curating [[clues]] from legitimate sources absent of factual errors, and avoiding [[trivia]].