Mod Post: Updated Mission Statement, Rules/Guidelines
Last Updated 8 June 2008
fma_exchange was originally created to encourage writers to step outside boundaries and stretch their creative talents further. For instance, if one wrote purely Ed x Winry, it might be interesting to be assigned Alphonse Elric gen!fic (or even Ed/Greed/Ling/Winry, if you wanted to try something really new XD).
It was also created to help writers improve their craft, not only in terms of mechanics but also in characterization (of yes, even characters she/he did not normally think about).
I thought it would be prudent to tweak the rules/guidelines a bit, in the hopes of making this community both more accessible and more fun.
Membership is no longer moderated, as of January 2008. All LJ users may join and participate without prior 'screening'.
HOW DOES THIS WORK?
At some point during the first week of every other month (i.e. January, March, May, July etc.), members will be able to respond to the submission post with their request. You do not have to participate each month, if you don't want to-- participation is absolutely voluntary.
2) At the end of the week, prompts will be assigned to you. Though originally these were random, the prompts are now assigned so that any participant will not a) receive the same person's prompt twice in a row, b) receive a similar prompt twice in a row, and c) will not receive a prompt that includes elements specific to one FMA universe (i.e. anime-only, or manga-only) that they are not familiar with. This means that if you've only seen the anime, you won't have to write a Ling/Lan Fan fic. Though this would undoubtedly stretch your creative abilities, it would probably not be rewarding for both you and the person you're writing for.
A mod will e-mail you with your recipient's lj username and a link to her request. You may not switch prompts/request a new one. Do the best you can; this is a learning experience!
But what are these prompts you keep talking about?
Mods will write a request post for every session. You must reply to that post, and to that post only with:
Your username:
Your E-mail:
FOUR pairings or characters:
Particular wishes:
Particular dislikes:
Preferred Genre:
Max Rating:
Do you write anime!verse, manga!verse, or both?:
Got it? So For Example:
Your username: kalliel
Your Email: ryuusenka@gmail.com
FOUR pairings or characters: Elric brothers, Dante/Envy, Alex Louis Armstrong, Hohenheim
Particular wishes: post- or pre-series, emphasis on character interactions
Particular dislikes: No mention of Winry/Ed
Preferred Genre: gen for characters, horror for pairings
Max Rating: R
Do you write anime!verse, manga!verse, or both? Both
Also, no character or pairing bashing! You're here because you're a good writer and you enjoy writing, so anything any of the FMA characters does has to be plausible - if you're suddenly going to write Al off as hating his brother just so it's convenient for another pairing then you probably shouldn't be here.
When requesting a fic, don't make anything too specific/off-the-wall, but don't be afraid either. If you really want to see Armstrong x Winry, go ahead and request it, but also give alternatives (like Armstrong gen). We want to try make sure everyone gets what they want, but we don't want to make it too difficult for the writers, either!
Once everyone has received a prompt, the real fun begins!
As of the July-August 2008 session of fma_exchange, sessions will be split into two parts, each one month in duration.
Part I: Writing
You will have one month to write a fic for the prompt you received at the beginning of the month. This piece MUST be
--at least 500 words long (amended from the original 1000).
--submitted to the community on time (the last day of the first month of each round. For instance, if It was the September-October round, entries should be turned in by September 30).
--in adherence with the participants' assigned prompt (if the prompt calls for Roy/Ed, and the fic is about Envy and Dante, the fic will be disqualified from the judging round).
Posting Your Fics
Wherever you decide to publish your fic, you must include in the post to the community the following information:
Title:
Author's Name:
Written For:
Pairing or Character:
Rating:
Spoilers/Warnings:
Your fic must be behind a cut tag, spell-checked, and scrutinized for proper grammar and punctuation. You may have your stories beta'd as long as the beta can be trusted not to reveal what you're writing for the recipient. Remember, part of the fun of this comm is the surprise of learning who wrote for you!
In the event that you cannot turn in your piece on time, please contact the mod (kalliel either via LJ comment or e-mail at ryuusenka@gmail.com. Decided on a case-by-case basis, an extension of a few days may be given. However, part of the fun of this community is working within a time limit, so you are expected to make every effort to turn their piece in on time. Please remember that this is an exchange; someone is writing for you, so you should reciprocate by finishing your prompt!
Until your post on fma_exchange is unscreened by the mods and Part II of the session commences, please DO NOT talk about your fic in public or reveal for whom you are writing! You may consult a beta-reader, but the point is to keep your identity secret for the first month and surprise the person you are writing for.
If you are unable to turn in your fic for any given round, you will be banned from participating in the following round. The prompt assigned to you will then be taken up by a back-up writer. Though there are backup plans for defaulters, please try to avoid being one. It is your responsibility to sign up only if you are certain you will have time to complete a 500-word story. (Allowances can of course be made for sudden life changes, technical/electrical difficulties, etc.)
Part II: Reading
After every entry for the round has been turned in, the mod/s will unveil the submitted entries. During the following month, every participant is encouraged to read and review the other participants' work. You are obligated to at least comment on the story written for them--it allows the writer to know what you think of their interpretation of your prompt! It is strongly suggested that you also take the time to read the rest of the sessions pieces, as well, as it is both encouraging and constructive for all community members.
During the last week of Part II, a panel of anonymous judges--generally 2-3--will organize an online meeting in which they discuss the various merits and weaknesses of each piece. Once they decide which piece is most complete (i.e., most representative of a whole, high-quality fic), the results will be posted. A transcript of the meeting will also be available to community members shortly thereafter.
Pieces are judges holistically--no points are awarded specific categories, like spelling/grammar, characterization, etc. How well the piece is presented as a whole and the impact it achieves on its audience will serve as the foremost distinction for a winning piece.
When the results are announced, the winner of the session will receive a banner (for placement in the winner's userinfo, if he or she so chooses) honoring his or her achievements.
If you have any questions or suggestions, please feel free to ask!
fma_exchange was originally created to encourage writers to step outside boundaries and stretch their creative talents further. For instance, if one wrote purely Ed x Winry, it might be interesting to be assigned Alphonse Elric gen!fic (or even Ed/Greed/Ling/Winry, if you wanted to try something really new XD).
It was also created to help writers improve their craft, not only in terms of mechanics but also in characterization (of yes, even characters she/he did not normally think about).
I thought it would be prudent to tweak the rules/guidelines a bit, in the hopes of making this community both more accessible and more fun.
Membership is no longer moderated, as of January 2008. All LJ users may join and participate without prior 'screening'.
HOW DOES THIS WORK?
At some point during the first week of every other month (i.e. January, March, May, July etc.), members will be able to respond to the submission post with their request. You do not have to participate each month, if you don't want to-- participation is absolutely voluntary.
2) At the end of the week, prompts will be assigned to you. Though originally these were random, the prompts are now assigned so that any participant will not a) receive the same person's prompt twice in a row, b) receive a similar prompt twice in a row, and c) will not receive a prompt that includes elements specific to one FMA universe (i.e. anime-only, or manga-only) that they are not familiar with. This means that if you've only seen the anime, you won't have to write a Ling/Lan Fan fic. Though this would undoubtedly stretch your creative abilities, it would probably not be rewarding for both you and the person you're writing for.
A mod will e-mail you with your recipient's lj username and a link to her request. You may not switch prompts/request a new one. Do the best you can; this is a learning experience!
But what are these prompts you keep talking about?
Mods will write a request post for every session. You must reply to that post, and to that post only with:
Your username:
Your E-mail:
FOUR pairings or characters:
Particular wishes:
Particular dislikes:
Preferred Genre:
Max Rating:
Do you write anime!verse, manga!verse, or both?:
Got it? So For Example:
Your username: kalliel
Your Email: ryuusenka@gmail.com
FOUR pairings or characters: Elric brothers, Dante/Envy, Alex Louis Armstrong, Hohenheim
Particular wishes: post- or pre-series, emphasis on character interactions
Particular dislikes: No mention of Winry/Ed
Preferred Genre: gen for characters, horror for pairings
Max Rating: R
Do you write anime!verse, manga!verse, or both? Both
Also, no character or pairing bashing! You're here because you're a good writer and you enjoy writing, so anything any of the FMA characters does has to be plausible - if you're suddenly going to write Al off as hating his brother just so it's convenient for another pairing then you probably shouldn't be here.
When requesting a fic, don't make anything too specific/off-the-wall, but don't be afraid either. If you really want to see Armstrong x Winry, go ahead and request it, but also give alternatives (like Armstrong gen). We want to try make sure everyone gets what they want, but we don't want to make it too difficult for the writers, either!
Once everyone has received a prompt, the real fun begins!
As of the July-August 2008 session of fma_exchange, sessions will be split into two parts, each one month in duration.
Part I: Writing
You will have one month to write a fic for the prompt you received at the beginning of the month. This piece MUST be
--at least 500 words long (amended from the original 1000).
--submitted to the community on time (the last day of the first month of each round. For instance, if It was the September-October round, entries should be turned in by September 30).
--in adherence with the participants' assigned prompt (if the prompt calls for Roy/Ed, and the fic is about Envy and Dante, the fic will be disqualified from the judging round).
Posting Your Fics
Wherever you decide to publish your fic, you must include in the post to the community the following information:
Title:
Author's Name:
Written For:
Pairing or Character:
Rating:
Spoilers/Warnings:
Your fic must be behind a cut tag, spell-checked, and scrutinized for proper grammar and punctuation. You may have your stories beta'd as long as the beta can be trusted not to reveal what you're writing for the recipient. Remember, part of the fun of this comm is the surprise of learning who wrote for you!
In the event that you cannot turn in your piece on time, please contact the mod (kalliel either via LJ comment or e-mail at ryuusenka@gmail.com. Decided on a case-by-case basis, an extension of a few days may be given. However, part of the fun of this community is working within a time limit, so you are expected to make every effort to turn their piece in on time. Please remember that this is an exchange; someone is writing for you, so you should reciprocate by finishing your prompt!
Until your post on fma_exchange is unscreened by the mods and Part II of the session commences, please DO NOT talk about your fic in public or reveal for whom you are writing! You may consult a beta-reader, but the point is to keep your identity secret for the first month and surprise the person you are writing for.
If you are unable to turn in your fic for any given round, you will be banned from participating in the following round. The prompt assigned to you will then be taken up by a back-up writer. Though there are backup plans for defaulters, please try to avoid being one. It is your responsibility to sign up only if you are certain you will have time to complete a 500-word story. (Allowances can of course be made for sudden life changes, technical/electrical difficulties, etc.)
Part II: Reading
After every entry for the round has been turned in, the mod/s will unveil the submitted entries. During the following month, every participant is encouraged to read and review the other participants' work. You are obligated to at least comment on the story written for them--it allows the writer to know what you think of their interpretation of your prompt! It is strongly suggested that you also take the time to read the rest of the sessions pieces, as well, as it is both encouraging and constructive for all community members.
During the last week of Part II, a panel of anonymous judges--generally 2-3--will organize an online meeting in which they discuss the various merits and weaknesses of each piece. Once they decide which piece is most complete (i.e., most representative of a whole, high-quality fic), the results will be posted. A transcript of the meeting will also be available to community members shortly thereafter.
Pieces are judges holistically--no points are awarded specific categories, like spelling/grammar, characterization, etc. How well the piece is presented as a whole and the impact it achieves on its audience will serve as the foremost distinction for a winning piece.
When the results are announced, the winner of the session will receive a banner (for placement in the winner's userinfo, if he or she so chooses) honoring his or her achievements.
If you have any questions or suggestions, please feel free to ask!