Them's The Rules
Sashira
The rules are the things between stars, so don't bother reading the
paragraph if you understand the sentence.
Before we begin with the real rules, here's one I have to throw in.
*You must solemnly swear that you are at least eighteen years of age -
but please, no porn scenes.*
This is not a forum for erotica (written pornography.) Nothing
against it, but there's plenty of places to practice your porn writing.
As a good shorthand rule, I don't want to hear any descriptions of
genitalia. If you can't work sex into a story in a subtler way than
describing individual sex acts, you want a "fantasy erotica" group, not
an "urban fantasy" group. But sensuality, passion, attraction and cuss
words are not things a creative writer can sensibly forbid.
I'm a fiction writer, so I never really know what to believe. If you
say you're old enough to play with the adults, I will take your
honestly sworn word. But by law, you absolutely must not be a minor to
participate, or you could stumble across something having to do with
sex or bad words (which teenagers would find absolutely shocking, and
children would be confused about). Understand?
1) *Use some sort of punctuation, and some grammar consistent with a
dialect of English.*
For beginners who do not know the rules of punctuation, a style
guide such as Strunk&White's "The Elements of Style" can be valuable.
Once you know the traditional rules by heart, you can break them. I
know quite a few good writers who play merry hell with things like
semi-colons. However, you must use some kind of punctuation to break
your thoughts into coherent units.
Grammar has more rigid rules, but you can pick which set of rules to
use. There's no reason your narrator or other characters can't express
themselves in a Southern dialect or urban slang, if you're familiar
enough with it to write it convincingly. This is a game based in and
set in the U.S.A., so uncommon forms of English should be used
cautiously - if no one understands your language, it's hard to get into
a story.
2) *Have a dictionary handy. Mythology references help too.*
Generally, a good simple word like "sparkle" is better than a
fancified version such as "scintillate". Specialized vocabulary
(mythological terms and such-like) should be explained in-context. But
don't complain if someone's muse demands a word like "phosphorescent"
to properly describe something; either look it up or guess by context.
If someone's failed to explain a mythological term that isn't in
your dictionary, check Wikipedia. If it isn't common enough to be on
Wiki, it's the writer's fault for not defining their terms.
3) *Proofread everything at least once.*
Typos happen to everybody; sometimes we think we know how something
is spelled, and really don't. There is room for forgiveness. But if
you don't care enough about what you've written to try and eliminate
unintentional mistakes, I won't bother posting it. (Talented amateurs
who need special dispensation from this rule may apply for proofreading
help, which I'll grant as often as I can, or can recruit people to do
it for me.)
4) *Ask nice before you use someone else's Main Character in your
scene.*
Collaborative writing builds off of others' ideas, but people get
miffed if you kill off or incorrectly portray a character that they're
'specially fond of. Unless otherwise marked, the Main Character is the
one whose point of view the segment is told through. If you write a
segment where the obvious narrator/protagonist is not the only Main
Character, list the first names of these characters before your
submission. But please, throw in some interesting supporting roles for
others to play with; asking permission half a dozen times for one story
can get tiresome. YOU CANNOT MAKE A SPECIFIC MYTHOLOGICAL FIGURE A
MAIN CHARACTER. You can't exclusively claim Puck or Loki, for example;
anything that has a proper name in established mythology is fair game
for others to interpret. You can interact with these figures, but
others can too - in their own way or yours, as they see fit.
If you have the resources to e-mail, IM, write to, or meet another
writer, you can write a scene with someone else. You can either
collaborate directly on conversations between Main Characters, or send
the scene to the other writer for approval before posting. Please
exercise sensible caution before giving home addresses to strangers or
meeting them.
5) *Correctly title your posts.*
Story submission titles should include ONLY the title of the segment
(or "Untitled") and the name(s)/pseudonym(s) of the author(s). Any
criticism of another writer's segment should start with the word
"Critique"; angry or insulting critiques are not helpful, and will be
removed as soon as I notice them. Collaboration requests, or summaries
of proposed scenes with other characters, should mostly be handled
through private e-mail; if you have to post it, title it "Request -
(author's name(s))". Any other comments about a segment you've written
should be included at the end of the submission. Random short comments
about the segment (e.g., "I liked it") or other chatter should start
with the word "Gossip". Try to limit these asides - though "I liked
it" is nice to hear, it's not very helpful in improving someone's
writing.
6) *There are no copyright lawyers attached to this project - we work
by the honor system.*
This is a forum for playing with characters and ideas, not
self-publishing stories that are intended for sale. There is a special
hell reserved for people who plagiarize (steal other people's ideas for
money); however, some terrible writers routinely steal characters,
phrases or even whole stories. If you want to publish your part in
these games some day, or are overly attached to your words, take care.
Do your own research into copyright laws and publishing contracts -
don't sue me later because my idea got your idea stolen or cost you
royalties. IMITATION IS FLATTERY; COPYING IS STEALING. (When directly
quoting something, credit the author by name/pseudonym.)
7) *Stick with the genre.*
Urban fantasy is about modern people, particularly in urban,
industrialized countries ("First World") who encounter magic or
mythological beings. Magic should follow consistent internal rules and
make sense in context. Mythology can be interpreted loosely, but
magical or divine characters should be based on a traditional story
(and described in a way that tells which culture came up with the
concept.)
For some good examples of urban fantasy, I personally like Charles de
Lint, Aimee Bender, and Francesca Lia Block. Urban fantasy has its
roots in surrealism - some classics are Gabriel Garcia Marquez' "A Very
Old Man With Enormous Wings" and Franz Kafka's "The Metamorphosis".
8) *Stick with the setting.*
The World, as I'm calling it for now, is centered around a fictional
city in Southern California (based very loosely on Los Angeles.) It is
an American urban environment, with quite a bit of delightful scenery
(mountains, deserts, an ocean coast, forests of many kinds) within
driving distance. If you want a blizzard and you're not on a
mountaintop you'll have to write in some temporary magic, but otherwise
feel free to play with terrain. Don't worry about making specific
locations consistent, or syncing up driving distances with other
writers. Real-world locations may be used, but don't waste too much
time fact-checking a place you've never visited. Everything outside
the City is more or less an hour away (Tiajuana, Mexico is something
like three unless you get caught up in a long line at customs.) If you
don't see a building or neighborhood you'd like to set your scene in,
make up a new part of town. While comments on inaccurate geography,
meteorology, or some other detail are helpful to know, they don't make
your story a bad story.
9) *Don't get offended; get even.*
If someone uses a god that you follow as a fictional character, or in
another way offends you with their ideas, fine. But don't waste your
energy railing at someone you don't agree with. Channel that rage into
a story that makes a point: the point that the idea you disagree with
is silly. The same myth can be delightfully interpreted in any number
of ways - it's up to you to make your story mesh with others, or not.
(e.g., "With a worldly smirk, Coyote said, 'Oh, is that what Cynthia
told you about me? That girl will believe anything . . . now let's you
and me talk straight.'"/"With a worldly smirk, Coyote said, 'All those
rumors Cynthia's spreading are true - even if I don't believe half of
'em myself.'")
10) **NO ONE WINS. Gods and superheroes may only be supporting
characters.**
If you have to think of a game as a contest, think of this as a
contest to tell the best story. You may work in teams to win. If
someone thinks of a devilishly clever way to kill off a character of
yours, it might make sense to sacrifice that piece in an interesting
way. You'll get more respect as a writer for making a series of
interesting characters than clinging to one that no one likes. As for
godlike abilities, it's not very interesting to write about a character
that does everything well. A secret weakness doesn't help a god be
more interesting; look how boring it got for Superman to have to run
into kryptonite all the time. However, powerful Main Characters can be
fun to create as long as their powers are specific and limited.
And that's it. Make good art. Have fun. Make friends, if you're so
inclined.
May your muse be kind,
Sashira