[Fiction] Fiction FAQ

[Kirby1024]

Sorry this took so long. Nevertheless, it's here now. If you have a question that's not on here, feel free to e-mail me, and I'll revise the list.

Welcome budding writers!

Some of you may be looking at some of the epic fiction pieces that have been written here and feel, well, a little intimidated. Well, we feel your pain, and have written this fun little FAQ for you, to answer a few potential questions you may have (We don't get a lot of questions about this place you see, so it's not technically an FAQ you see)

Q: Am I really expected to write stuff that long?

A: Hell no! Stories can be as long or as short as you like. Remember a lot of these stories were quite a few months in the making, with multiple authors. Something that goes on for that long will obviously be, well, long...

Q: Man, those stories are good! I'm not that good!

A: Your point?

Seriously though, Even the best authors weren't that good at the start. Good writing comes with practice (usually), and you can only get better (unless you're Jeffery Archer, of course ). If you don't feel you're particularly up to a story, contact one of the many Board Veterans, and ask if you can do a collaborative piece with them.

Q: Who are the Board Veterans?

A: The list grows all the time, and a few of them don't generally go in for Writing, but the following users of the board are usually alright for contacting:

Kirby1024/Alex McKenzie/Teknokat/Prof. Sydney 'Photon' Holland (me!)

Jack Chance/Fortune

Jager

James 'Prodigy' Meehan

Jordan Rossi

You can contact any of these with ideas you have for stories, and they may just be able to give you ideas, or help you "jump in" so to speak.

Q: So, about the collaboration thing...

A: Ah. Well, the majority of fiction on this site is a group effort. The Opnet Board is a community of people, all working in an assumed shared world. Because we like to interact, we tend to go in on group efforts. On Wizard's Watch (the biggest Epic in the system), was a collaborative effort, was a collaborative effort between Elizabeth, Jager, James 'Prodigy' Meehan, Jordan Rossi and Atwight. (Yeah, as I said, EPIC!)

Q: But what if I don't want to?

A: Oh, that's fine. I myself have written a large story by myself (It's called Trust in Me, and was written with all three of my Opnet Personas), and Elizabeth has written a Story called Acts of Compassion on her lonesome, so don't think you have to share.

Q: So, what if I want to include another person's character in my story?

A: Well, there's nothing stopping you, of course. But, if you are, remember some common courtesy. Before you post, contact the person the character belongs to, and allow them to have a look. They may think that you're portrayal of the character goes against their vision of the character (and they may have a point).

Q: What if I want to join in someone else's story?

A: Again, there's nothing stopping you, but please remember common courtesy. Remember to ask permission before entering a storyline, and try and work within the story. If you wanted to write another story entirely, you could have just started a new post...

Q: So what if I want to write a story about something other than the Opnet Board? What if I want to keep it out of Continuity?

A: We've (Well, I've) introduced a set of Tags that you can append to the beginning of your Story's title to signify that it's not a part of continuity, or other things that distinguish it from run-of-the-mill fiction.

Currently, the Tags include:

[NC]: Non Continuity. Use this tag to identify stories that aren't part of the N! Prime Universe.

[AU]: Alternate Universe. The Board has at least one fleshed out Alternate Universe, with it's own rich and varied possibilities. It was introduced (kinda) in The Egyptian Incident , and was expanded upon in On Wizard\'s Watch . It's quite likely it will expand further. Note this is different from [NC], as this is technically part of the N! Prime uni/multiverse. Just not the default universe, that's all.

As the fiction boards gains more and more stories, we may feel the need to add more tags to the list. If you are asked to put a new tag on your piece, we would be much abliged if you could respect the Moderator's request.

Q: What if I want to write about Trinity, or Adventure!?

A: Go ahead! There are board for writers of Trinity and Adventure, as well as IC boards for each. Feel free to begin using them!

Q: Can I use canon characters in a story?

A: Canon characters pose a slightly different problem than using other people's characters, so it's worth a quick mention. Canon characters are technically public domain, so theoretically you can use them without issue in your story.

However, it's worth noting that canon characters are still part of the shared universe of the Opnet Board, like everything else. As such, using them in a certain way can rub people who have different views of the character. As such, while you're free to use them, we personally recommend you don't, unless you truly feel you can do the character justice.

Or, in the words of Jack Chance:

Quote:

Originally posted by Jack Chance:

If it helps; my personal approach is to know in advance why I'm using a canon character. Then mentally subtract the canon character from the proposed story to see if there is still a story to tell. If the answer is no then the story must be about that canon character and I have to rethink what I'm doing.

Q: I need to remove a story from one of the boards. How do I go about it?

A: If, for some dire reason, it's essential that a fiction piece is removed from the board, the procedure is as follows:

1) You PM me regarding the story that needs to be deleted.

2) I'll e-mail you back, confirming that you indeed want the story deleted.

3) I'll then wait 48 hours, to give you time to reconsider, or sort out any issues that are necessitating the deletion.

4) After that time, I'll remove the thread.

Note, if the thread that needs to be removed is a collaborative thread, I'll need confirmation from all authors of the piece, not just the person who PMs me.