fanfic writers-l

Mailing List
Name:	fanfic writers-l, Fanfic-Writers List
Date(s):	1998-?
Moderated:
Founder(s):	Lizard
Type:
Fandom:	multi
URL:	Home Page
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fanfic writers-l was a mailing list for fans of meta.

It was associated with http://www.mrlizard.com.

Greetings, all. I would like to announce the continued existence of fanfic_writers-l, a mailing list devoted to discussing the art of writing fanfic qua fanfic -- that is, fanfic itself, as a subgenre, and not focussed exclusively on any one genre or kind. Fanfic writing poses unique challenges not found in other forms of writing, and my desire is for the list to become a 'multidenominational' one.

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[Last updated on: Mon Apr 20 15:49:29 1998] The Fanfic-Writers List

Purpose: This list exists to discuss writing fanfic, as a unique sub- genre of many other genres. The primary focus will be on the issues which arise in fanfic which do not generally arise in other types of fiction, the problems of playing in someone elses sandbox, issues of canonality (and ignoring same), slash, what do creators think, crossovers, etc. Also on-topic will be general issues of writing, the usual complexities of plot, character, and even basics of grammar if it comes to that. I'd prefer the focus to be on specifically fanfic- related issues, but if the topic remains even marginally close to writing, I'll be happy. Literary, film, TV, comic book, and other fanfic are all 'on topic'.

What's NOT on topic? Meta-issues related to the source material not linked to fanfic in some way. In other words, discussing what's going to happen on Voyager next season is not on topic, unless you somehow relate it to fanfic writing -- i.e, "What happens when my brilliant 500 page novel is rendered meaningless by one stupid episode?"

Posting fanfic: Since I want this to be a cross-media group, it really won't function well as a simple forum for posting fanfic for the reading pleasure of the others alone. That is, don't post a story if you just want to entertain us -- give us a pointer to the web page or newsgroup. Posting complete or partial stories IS permitted, however, if the purpose is either a)to illustrate a point ("This is how I handled the problem of two conflicting origins for the Constructicons") or b)to ask for criticism/comment. Remember in the latter case, a lot of the readership won't know your universe, so it's a good test of how well your story works AS A STORY.

Adult, "slash", hentai/ecchi/lemon, NC-17, etc fiction *is* appropriate for discussion and posting, however, in the interests of keeping the list as broad based as possible, I ask that anything which might be considered 'adult' be tagged as such in the subject header, so that people of Delicate Sensibilities need not expose themselves to it. If you absolutely can't abide the thought of such discussion occuring -- don't subscribe.

The same applies to material which is exceptionally violent or disturbing (esp. things like rape, torture, mutilation, etc, described in pages of loving(?) detail). You ought to know if your stuff is 'beyond the pale'. Post it, ask for comments, open a discussion on it -- but let people know what they might be in for.

If a thread has drifted off-topic but is still of apparent interest to a number of people, tag it '[Off Topic]'. Ditto to questions of only marginal relevance to the list but for which the list is a good resource. (i.e, "I need to know when the great Pyramids were built for a story I'm writing" is off topic, but acceptably so if you mark it that way.)

Moderation: I will moderate as I see fit. Generally, I will not moderate except for:

a) advertising/spam, which sometimes sneaks onto mailing lists.

b) abusive, insulting, or inflammatory behavior. Here's some examples: a) "That story was poorly written, here's why" is on-topic and acceptable. "That story sucks, loser!", is not. b) "I had trouble believing in a romantic relationship between Mulder and the Cigarette Smoking Man. It didn't seem to work from their characters on the show" is acceptable. "You pervert! I hate slash!" is not.

c) Any attacks on the person, rather than the ideas, in general, is unacceptable.

d) Vulgarity above and beyond the call of duty in unacceptable. The occasional use of colorful anglo-saxonisms to make a point is not an issue. An entire incoherent post of nothing but, is.

And, lastly, as moderator, I reserve the right to basically bar any person for any reason. Point blank -- it's my list, thus my property. I do not plan on making a habit of arbitrary and random dismissals, but I feel I must reserve the right to do should the need arise. I hope it never does.