Clare
01-29-2004, 01:33 AM
These, as far as I remember, are the rules for the Fanfic forum. I know I'm not a mod, but someone did ask for a list of official rules and maybe someone who is a mod could sticky this.
1, Stories must be a reasonable length. One page is the absolute minimum - anything shorter than this will get locked as Spam.
2, Post each chapter in a separate thread. This makes it easier for people to keep track of your fic and has been a rule since the days of the UBB. If you want to preserve early chapters, there are two things you can do:
A, Build your own website and post the stories there. All you need to do this is a grasp of HTML and an account with a web-hosting company - a free account will usually give you something in the region of 15 - 25 megabytes of server space, but you must be prepared to put up with adverts.
B, Join a site such as http://www.fanfiction.net . Membership is free and you can post stories with anything up to an R rating, providing they aren't lists, MSTs, about real people, using the Review system as a messageboard and so on. If you write original fiction, join http://www.fictionpress.com - they're an offshoot of fanfiction.net, so most of the rules are pretty similar. NOTE: anyone who had a fanfiction.net account before February 2003 will have had a fictionpress.com account set up for them by the sites' staff.
3, Even though this is called a fanfic forum, some original fiction is allowed.
4, No plagiarism. Plagiarism is the act of copying someone else's plot, characters etc and pretending that you thought of them. Basic themes are open to everyone, but you must interpret them in your own way. If you want to use a non-canon character you didn't create yourself, ask his or her creator - the latter's decision is final and no means no.
5, No topics asking people to create characters for your fic. You must invent all original characters yourself.
6, Only mod-approved add-ons are permitted. Any that are started without permission from a mod will be locked.
7, There is a difference between constructive criticism and a flame. If you genuinely feel a story needs improving, say why it needs improving. But don't just go round telling people their fics "stink", "suck", "are stupid" and so on - being rude about other people's work is not going to win you many friends. For the same reason, don't give someone a bad review just to get back at him or her for criticising your work.
8, Bad language must be kept to a minimum. Only mild swear words such as "damn" or "hell" are permitted and even those should be used sparingly. Excessive swearing is not big and nor is it clever.
9, Violence is allowed provided it isn't too graphic - while it is acceptable to kill off a character by violent means, you should avoid going into too much detail. Also, if there are violent scenes in a chapter, include a note warning people of this.
Much the same principle applies to romantic scenes - sex should be implied, not shown in all its glory.
10, It is strongly recommended that you do each of the following:
A, Read Advice for Aspiring Authors
B, Avoid cliched plots such as "kid who goes on a (bog standard) Pokemon journey"
C, Write in prose instead of script
D, Make sure your spelling, punctuation and grammar are of a reasonable standard.
11, The other messageboard rules - see here - also apply on this forum.
1, Stories must be a reasonable length. One page is the absolute minimum - anything shorter than this will get locked as Spam.
2, Post each chapter in a separate thread. This makes it easier for people to keep track of your fic and has been a rule since the days of the UBB. If you want to preserve early chapters, there are two things you can do:
A, Build your own website and post the stories there. All you need to do this is a grasp of HTML and an account with a web-hosting company - a free account will usually give you something in the region of 15 - 25 megabytes of server space, but you must be prepared to put up with adverts.
B, Join a site such as http://www.fanfiction.net . Membership is free and you can post stories with anything up to an R rating, providing they aren't lists, MSTs, about real people, using the Review system as a messageboard and so on. If you write original fiction, join http://www.fictionpress.com - they're an offshoot of fanfiction.net, so most of the rules are pretty similar. NOTE: anyone who had a fanfiction.net account before February 2003 will have had a fictionpress.com account set up for them by the sites' staff.
3, Even though this is called a fanfic forum, some original fiction is allowed.
4, No plagiarism. Plagiarism is the act of copying someone else's plot, characters etc and pretending that you thought of them. Basic themes are open to everyone, but you must interpret them in your own way. If you want to use a non-canon character you didn't create yourself, ask his or her creator - the latter's decision is final and no means no.
5, No topics asking people to create characters for your fic. You must invent all original characters yourself.
6, Only mod-approved add-ons are permitted. Any that are started without permission from a mod will be locked.
7, There is a difference between constructive criticism and a flame. If you genuinely feel a story needs improving, say why it needs improving. But don't just go round telling people their fics "stink", "suck", "are stupid" and so on - being rude about other people's work is not going to win you many friends. For the same reason, don't give someone a bad review just to get back at him or her for criticising your work.
8, Bad language must be kept to a minimum. Only mild swear words such as "damn" or "hell" are permitted and even those should be used sparingly. Excessive swearing is not big and nor is it clever.
9, Violence is allowed provided it isn't too graphic - while it is acceptable to kill off a character by violent means, you should avoid going into too much detail. Also, if there are violent scenes in a chapter, include a note warning people of this.
Much the same principle applies to romantic scenes - sex should be implied, not shown in all its glory.
10, It is strongly recommended that you do each of the following:
A, Read Advice for Aspiring Authors
B, Avoid cliched plots such as "kid who goes on a (bog standard) Pokemon journey"
C, Write in prose instead of script
D, Make sure your spelling, punctuation and grammar are of a reasonable standard.
11, The other messageboard rules - see here - also apply on this forum.