A couple of general Rules questions?

[VincentBerg]

I'm interested in posting my stories here, but I've got a number of questions first. I tried searching through all the various forums, looking for a statement about the "rules" concerning story postings, but couldn't see any specifics.

It says something to the extent of 'don't post anything objectionable, but just what does that entail? I've got a Apocalyptic story (part of a PA series), which features 'adult' topics such as death, violence, and yes, a few sex scenes, so what's OK concerning a story (where the sex plays into the main story themes and isn't just for window dressing?

Secondly, the site is supposedly for Sci-Fi, Fantasy and Horror, but exactly what does that entail? Does a 'science' related PA story fall within that broad category? Is there a better category for it (Sci-Fi, Fantasy)?

Next, how do you suggest breaking a story up? Mine is a HUGE story (25 chapters of 6,000 to 10,000 words per chapter). I'm assuming I have to post each chapter separately, but are there any further restrictions? It specifies that stories for 'Review' can't be over 5,000 words (or was it 500?), so I assume I can only post snippets there, but what about for the stories to the general site? What are the 'rules' there?

Finally, I know we're not supposed to 'advertise' (other than in the 'promotion' forum), but I've found (on other sites), that many readers don't like to start anything that isn't finished, and that others don't like to wait for a long story (25 weeks worth at a single chapter a week posting), so I usually post a single website link where they can find the completed ebook, even though they can (obviously) read the entire thing for free by waiting for it to be posted. What's the best way to handle this? Is the single link allowable? Should I make it text only? Should I include a "Check my Blog" reference for more information?

Anyway, thanks in advance for any assistance. I'm anxious to get started.

[Hobbit]

Hi Vincent. I'll try and work through your questions.

It says something to the extent of 'don't post anything objectionable, but just what does that entail?

We have members from the age of 13 & up. You have to be aware that they may read material that you will place, and therefore needs to be written/shown with that in mind.

Does a 'science' related PA story fall within that broad category

Can't see why not. If it is the sort of thing that might interest our Forumsites, then it's OK.

Next, how do you suggest breaking a story up?

As the material onsite shows, there are different ways of doing so. Going through in sections seems to be the preferred choice of most.

What's the best way to handle this? Is the single link allowable? Should I make it text only? Should I include a "Check my Blog" reference for more information?

This is one of those gray areas where, if you're not careful, you can be accused of posting for no other reason than to promote. Such posts go in the Promotion Zone. Best thing to do is post here, see how it goes and then add to the thread, I would suggest. If members want to know more about your blog, they can PM you.

Hope this helps!

M.



.

[VincentBerg]

We have members from the age of 13 & up. You have to be aware that they may read material that you will place, and therefore needs to be written/shown with that in mind.

OK, so we're talking PG-13. That makes it a little easier. I assume I can leave in the sexual machinations as long as I eliminate the direct descriptions of the sex (the death and dying I'll leave in). But again, that's just asking people to ask about an 'uncensored' version.

This is one of those gray areas where, if you're not careful, you can be accused of posting for no other reason than to promote. Such posts go in the Promotion Zone. Best thing to do is post here, see how it goes and then add to the thread, I would suggest. If members want to know more about your blog, they can PM you.

I was thinking more of posting to the general website, rather than to the Forum (since you've stipulated the smaller size limit for posted entries on the Forum). I'm assuming it would be more difficult to PM from the SFFworld.com website. Would a simple "PM author for questions or explanations" be allowable?

Finally, since we're already on the topic, I'm not sure what the differences between posting the website's "Story" page and posting the Forums are. Is there a central page where I can read the details on each, rather than having to search through the entire site to make sure I don't miss anything?

[Hobbit]

Would a simple "PM author for questions or explanations" be allowable?

Think that's what a few authors do.

I'm not sure what the differences between posting the website's "Story" page and posting the Forums are. Is there a central page where I can read the details on each, rather than having to search through the entire site to make sure I don't miss anything?

Not too difficult, that one. The story area's where you can place completed stories, possibly in sections. The Forums are where authors, fellow writers and Forum members can suggest and discuss development/style/plot points etc.

[VincentBerg]

Thanks, I'll go with those suggestions then. I'll use the Forum for future story ideas, but I already have a cadre of author's who I bounce story ideas off of (though it would make sense to offer my two cents worth of advice to whoever may want it).

[VincentBerg]

OK, another dumb question, which I'm sure I could find the answer to somewhere else, if I could figure out where to look:

Note: If you wish to post your story so that non-members can view it, please use the Stories Section of the site (accessed by clicking the "Stories" menu item from the site's main navigation menu, above.)

I can't find any "Post" or "Submit" field on the Stories page. I was thinking I was supposed to submit it via the Stories Forum (labeling it as "Stories"), but the above quote comes from that Forum. Am I missing something obvious here?

By the way, I'll probably post some sample chapters under the Forum for Critique purposes so the other Forum folk can advise whether the 'edited chapters' make sense or would potentially cause problems.

[tmso]

I know. One of these days we need to organize ourselves, but in the meantime...

The Stories section can be accessed here. This is a an area of the site that can be viewed and read by anyone under the...well, not sun, but the intertube's glow. Since you already have a user account, you just need to log in. It may tell you, you need to log in again, just ignore that and click on the Register link. If you are logged in, then it will say, hey, you don't need to register, you're already logged in! It is a quirk that developed when we went over to the new forum. We have other (bigger) issues at the moment, so maybe we'll fix that in the future.

Anyway, you should see an option to go to your control panel. After going to the control panel, click on Stories and add your story by clicking on New Story.

Keep in mind, the site interface is quirky and formatting can be a bear. And the site automatically divides up your pages by, I think, can't recall, 500 words or so. For a reader, it can be awkward to read longer works on the Stories section.

Does that help?

[VincentBerg]

Thanks. I can see why I never found it! I'd hit "Register"/"Sign-In" dozens of times, but never progressed beyond that. It didn't behave as you suggested, it accepted my name as a new registration, despite it being the same registration I had on the Forums, but either way, I can now access the "Add new stories" option, so I'm set.

Yeah, I spent some time investigating some stories to see what they were like (they seemed to average dozens of page (like around 40 or 50) so I figured the division size was small. I figure if each of my chapters are between 6000 and 10000 pages that would end up as 12 to 20 pages, so that's not too bad. But it's still too long to post on the Forum.

Thanks for the info.