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Section Rules & Information

 
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Stratadrake
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Joined: 05 May 2004
Posts: 13710
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PostPosted: Sun Aug 09, 2009 9:29 am    Post subject: Section Rules & Information Reply with quote

[i][Updated August 2009, mostly for wording and condensing. The basic rules are still the same.][/i]

This is the writing equivalent for the Art Help & Critiques area. Essentially, the same rules apply here as there, but for clarity those rules are:

[u][b]Rules for Everyone:[/b][/u]
[list=1][*][b]NO FLAMING.[/b] (Standard forum rule.) Be polite and civil to other users. Making personal attacks or throwing insults will not be tolerated. If you can't keep your temper, you should probably spend some time doing other things to cool down.

[*][b]This is a PG-13 limit forum.[/b] Again, this is another standard forum rule. There is to be NO explicit content whatsoever -- primarily with regards to sexual content (such as "lemons"), but it can also include gratuitous violence. If it's not "work safe", it's probably not "forum safe" either.[/list:o]

[u][b]How To: Ask for Writing Help or Critiques[/b][/u]

This area isn't like the "Show & Tell" or "Self-Promotion" areas. This is more than just a place to show off your stories for other people to casually read, this is for when you need serious, real help to write better stories. It is imperative that [b]you[/b] help keep this place orderly, not just by following the hard-and-fast rules, but by knowing the "big picture" of how this area is structured and intended to be run.

These are the rules and guidelines to follow when you need help with your writing:

[list=1][*][b]Please give your forum topic a descriptive Title.[/b] Captain Obvious will thank you for not typing stuff like "I've got a story!" or "PLZ READ!". In some cases you can use the Title of your story directly in your forum topic.

[*][b]Do not ever copy & paste actual chapter text directly into your post.[/b] Yes, this is important. Submit it to your FAC gallery and give us the URL. Less typing for you, more convenient for us!

If you want a "form" to fill out, you can use this as a model:

[list][*][b]Title:[/b] _________________
[i](Title of your story)[/i]
[*][b]URL:[/b] _________________
[i](URL to click on)[/i]
[*][b]Short Summary:[/b] _________________________
[i](Twitterize your story: Phrase it in 50 words or less for those of us with short attention spans!)[/i]
[*][b]Mature Content Advisories:[/b] ________________________
[i](e.g: descriptions of violence, sexual content, etc.)[/i]
[*][b]Genre, Theme, Style, or Pairing:[/b] ___________________

[*][b]Based on Series:[/b] _____________
[i](For fanfiction only. The show, game, etc. on which your story is based)[/i][/list:u]

You don't have to phrase it in these exact terms, but the basic idea is that you [b]must[/b] provide us a basic overview of what you're working on, where you are, what you need help with and what we're jumping into. Reading a story takes serious time, and we don't want to do it blindfolded.

[*][b]One topic per story.[/b] Posting multiple topics just to draw attention to your story will most certainly do just that, mostly from forum moderators who will inform you that "multiple posting" is frowned upon and promptly lock your topic against further replies. That isn't exactly the kind of attention you had in mind, is it? Good.

[*][b]Be Patient![/b] While just about anyone can spend one to five minutes analyzing a visual picture to give feedback, reading and analyzing a [i]story[/i] takes a lot more time.[/list:o]

[u][b]Minimum Quality Standards[/b][/u]
Really, quality standards begin with you the writer, and not us. But we must ask for one thing at a bare minimum:

[list][*][b]YOU MUST EXERCISE PROPER SPELLING, GRAMMAR, AND PUNCTUATION IN YOUR WRITING.[/b] Run your story through a spelling/grammar checker before uploading, and please actually take the time to correct any spelling/grammar errors [i]yourself[/i] before submitting a story for feedback. Don't hastily press the "auto-correct" button on your spellchecker, because computers can't fix everything for you and sometimes the suggestions can actually be [i]worse[/i] than the original typo.

We're all human, we all make mistakes, and an occasional typo here and there isn't going to throw anyone off. But don't ask us to break out an SMS- ort 1337-to-English translator just to read your story. English language has rules and you do need to follow them. And yes, [b]we can tell[/b] the difference between a simple, honest mistake and simply slacking off on your part.[/list:u]

[u][b]Your Rights as an Author:[/b][/u]
[list][*][b]You do NOT have to follow all (or any) suggestions you receive from other users[/b]. Though usually, the more you can follow, the better.

[*][b]You do NOT have to explain yourself[/b]. Don't try to predict what our reactions and critiques will be to your story. We don't really care what your purpose for writing the story is, that's not the issue. But if we do have a question about a specific part of the story and want clarification, you should explain [i]that part of[/i] the story. This is usually a sign that the passage in question should be revised or rewritten.

[*][b]No flaming is allowed here[/b]. If you feel somebody is being too harsh, speak up and tell them to ease off, or if it is a real problem, contact a moderator and bring it to their attention.[/list:u]
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