Weekly Plot Help - Week of November 3rd

[alison-sky.livejournal.com]

Got a problem in your NaNo? Who doesn't?! But we've got a way to help!

Post here with your plot problems, and all through the week members of the community will scan through and see if they can help.

AKA - The best way to procrastinate is to help others!

So post your problem. Then take a moment to look at everyone else's and see if you can help them.

People helping people. That's what makes this community great :)

So have at it!

Comments

[trenchcoatedson.livejournal.com]

My dad is a professor. Mostly between classes they:

1. grade papers
2. plan their next lecture
3. Sit around and talk to each other

My dad would sometimes take his papers home to grade. He did more of #3 than anything, haha. As for planning lectures, he'd really only do that if it was a subject he needed to brush up on and make notes of. For things he knew very well, he usually didn't plan out huge lecture notes. That can vary from professor to professor, of course. The college my dad works at isn't a huge research oriented school, so it also depends on where your university professor is working. Is he at a school that pushes research or not? These are things to consider. If he is, he'd also be working on current research projects- planning them out and executing them, writing up papers with the results, trying to get his research published. How much research he'd have to do and how much time he'd spend on it would also depend on how much the school would push him to do research.

(And I just realised you never said your MC was a female or male, so replace the pronouns for whatever you want there.)

There's also, as someone mentioned, office hours- which generally is any time the professor does not have class, although I've seen some professors not have class and not make all their time their office hours. Office hours will vary from semester to semester. Generally it's polite for a professor to leave his door open during office hours. Professors will shut their door usually to indicate they don't want to be bothered, although you are really allowed to bother them anyway if it's their office hours, cause it's their job and that's part of it. During office hours they do every thing else listed above, and then advise students- either they help them with their class schedules (as students are set an "advisor"- a professor, usually in their same major. This can differ from college to college- for instance, in my hometown, every student had an advisor. When I transferred to a bigger college, you only get a set advisor when you reach your Junior year) or they will answer questions from students regarding their classes.

As to what students ask about, well, I can tell you that usually professors hate it when students ask them things like "Did we do anything in class?" or "Can I look at your notes/have a copy of your notes/etc.?" Professors vary, however. It's up to you to decide how your character is.

As for a usual late-October day, define "late". Most professors get off at 3 or so unless they have a night class. Some stay way after work times, maybe to finish grading papers or lectures. It depends also on the placement of your college and how big it is- what a late day would be like. For example, at the college in my hometown, which was very small, most people would be on campus before noon, and the place would be deserted the later it got. But at the college I currently attend, which is much bigger, there are still a good amount of students around past noon, even until 3:30 or so. And as for what students do... well, it varies! Talk, smoke (if the campus allows smoking, mine doesn't), eat at one of the on-campus restaurants (the bigger the campus is, the more likely it'll have these), hang out in their dorms, study, etc.

Hopefully that helps. If you need any elaboration just ask.

[imaginepageant.livejournal.com]

WOW! Thank you (and your dad) so much! This is excellent. I'm not sure how far into his career I'm going to go, but as of Saturday I didn't even know he was a professor, so anything could happen, and I may have to do some research myself on his university after November!

The office hours will definitely come into play, as will the closing of the door--I think he's the type of person who would do that, and then get cranky if a student dared to knock.

By late-October I meant late in the month--October 28, to be exact. I didn't know if that's the point in the semester when projects or tests start to crop up, ie. would a professor be particularly busy at that time or not. However, knowing campuses get empty in the afternoon will definitely help... I had already been thinking of making him stay at work late to avoid going home to his wife, so now I'll know not to have the halls bustling with students at that time!

Again, thanks so much! And I may hit you up on that offer for elaboration if I get stuck. :D

[trenchcoatedson.livejournal.com]

If he's at a specific University that actually exists, that will definitely help for research. Haha.

I had one professor who would ALWAYS close his door during his office hours. It's kind of a sure sign that says "DO NOT BOTHER ME OR I AM GOING TO BE ANGRY" but like I said, it's part of their job.

Well, again, the amount of students varies on how large the campus is. So do keep that in mind! Although there are generally less students at that time. Ideally, MOST students (at least from what my dad has told me and I've observed) like a schedule where they get off before 12, but this can vary as well. Personally, I love schedules where I'm off before 12, even if that means I have to go to morning classes...

As for October, well, from my experience, usually that means a test is coming up soon, midterm papers, etc.

If you need any more help as to college life, just give me a PM on LJ or comment back here again. I've been to both a small town college (the town's population was 9,000) as well as a pretty decent sized college (currently I go to the University of Arkansas). I went to the first for 2 and a half years, and the second for... well, this is my first semester, admittedly- but I can tell you I've already noted the differences! :P And as stated, my dad is a professor, so I know about the experiences of a professor, and me and him are rather close so I'm sure if you had any simple* questions I could ask him them for you.

*Note: Simple... while I'd love to tell you I could ask my dad all the elaborate and complicated questions you might have, I imagine he would get annoyed after awhile... xD

[imaginepageant.livejournal.com]

I'm setting my novel in my own town (easier to picture scenes and places in my head), and the university is in the nearest city. To be exact, the University of Western Ontario. I believe it's pretty big, and it's in London, which is definitely pretty big.

I may be PMing you at some point, but don't worry, I won't have you calling your father every hour to check on something for me. Not only am I considerate, but I am way too lazy to even go to that much trouble for research right now. ;)