As promised, for Jill_Marie and anybody who finds themselves moderating a novel, here are some guidelines:
Weekly selection threads: Take the number of pages in your edition of the novel and divide it by the number of weeks for the discussion (in the case of Gone with the Wind, you have nine weeks over August and September). Then go to the page for each division, and see which chapter starts or ends closest to that page. This will allow you to determine the chapters to be discussed for each week. This is preferable to just dividing up the number of chapters, since some books have chapters that vary in length, so you could end up with really long or short selections. Then post a thread for each chapter range. Use a subject similar to the following: GWTW: wk 1, 8/1-8/7, ch 1-12, NO SPOILERS. On the last one, leave off the NO SPOILERS. Some people will read more quickly or slowly, so they don't have to stick to the dates exactly, but can post on any thread for the selections they have read; the week numbers and dates are a general guideline. Nobody should give anything away from later in the book (spoilers).
Then you should also post other threads on various topics related to the book. The subjects should all start with the title of the novel or an abbreviation (like GWTW). Suggestions:
The author (ex. GWTW: Margaret Mitchell). For this one, you can do some research and give a brief post about the author, include images, etc. I usually post a link to the wikipedia page, and you can also post links to anything else about the author that you think worthwhile. Others are also encouraged to post any links they find in their replies.
From Book to Screen (ex. GWTW: From Book to Screen). This is usually a popular thread, and you can discuss any movies, miniseries, etc. that are based on the book.
Favorite Characters
Favorite Quotes
If you have a B&N Classics edition, there will be discussion questions at the end. You could post a thread for Discussion Questions and make a separate post for each question. If you don't have the B&N Classics but can find questions elsewhere, you can do this, too. If you don't have any, don't worry. This is the only thread I would suggest waiting until later to post, since most of the questions might require having read the whole novel. All of the others should be posted right at the beginning, including all of the weekly selection threads, so that people can read and discuss at their own pace.
If you can think of any other topics, you can post threads for those, too!
If you look back through this board, you should be able to find some examples of novel discussions, if you want.
I hope that that is helpful, and if you have any questions, please ask! Good luck, and have fun!
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Grand Dame of the Land of Oz, Duchess of Fantasia, in the Kingdom of Wordsmithonia; also, Poet Laureate of the Kingdom of Wordsmithonia
