The Writing Café Rules and Guidelines
This forum is moderated by:
[align=center]Ice Arceus, Department Head
Delta, Moderator
Dustin DeVine, Moderator
[/align][align=center]Ice Arceus, Department Head
Delta, Moderator
Dustin DeVine, Moderator
Originally Written by PMJ; Rewritten by The Writing Café Staff
I. All PB General Forum Rules apply!
The consequences for breaking them here are no different than anywhere else on the forums.II. Chapters cannot be shorter than 800 words in length.
800 words = approximately one and a half pages on Microsoft Word. Exceptions include:
- ‣Prologues and poems are exempt from this rule.
‣Short stories must be 1,000 words or longer.
III. All poems must be compiled into one thread.
Only ONE poem thread is allowed per member; do not post your poems in a separate thread.
- ‣There is no word limit for poems.
IV. Stories cannot exceed a PG-13 rating!
Profanity:
- Permitted:
Mild swears (hell, damn, dang, crap, and crud that aren't already censored automatically by the forum are perfectly fine to use in fanfics)
Not permitted:
Strong swears: (the f-word, the sh-word, the n-word, etc.)
Violence and Death:
- Permitted:
‣Light to moderate violence (occasional bleeding or bruising of characters).
‣Controlled heavy violence (gunshot wounds, gouging/goring/disfigurement of a character's body-parts).*
‣Depictions of death.*
* Must be downplayed so that they are not leaving a lasting impression.
Not Permitted:
‣R-rated depictions (Anything that would be included in R-rated media).
‣Violence for the sake of violence.
Drug/Alcohol Reference (Usually found in Dark-sided fanfics):
- Permitted:
‣Character(s) taking a swig from a can of beer, downing a shot of whiskey.
‣Smoking, on the other hand, is fine so long as it’s on the lines of cigarettes, cigars, or tobacco pipes.
‣Character getting drunk but not causing a violent act.
Not Permitted:
‣Types of drugs use/reference (marijuana, heroin, cocaine, etc.).
‣Character getting drunk and beating up another character or acting sexually towards another.
Insinuation (Typically involving characters talking about or displaying romantic tendencies towards one another):
- Permitted:
‣Kissing, hugging, cuddling, mild sexual references.
Not Permitted:
‣Full-blown erotica, graphic nudity, sexual acts.
Warning: 10% - 40% depending upon severity. If the case is severe enough, a ban may even be issued based on the moderator's discretion
V. Don't plagiarize.
Plagiarism itself is considered a crime in real life, and thus isn't tolerated here. Spoofs and parodies are the exception to the rule, but otherwise all fanfics should be your own writings.
Warning: 30% for minor offenses, or a ban for continued fracturing of this rule.
VI. No senseless malevolence.
Stories written with the full intent of harassing or slandering a specific group or person on the forums aren't tolerated. Mocking people based on their race, age, gender, orientation, background, upbringing, etc. is one of the most horrible things you can do online to begin with, and writing fiction with that as the sheer focus is even worse. Mild jokes are excusable, but anything more is not.
Warning: Violating this rule will result in removal of the fanfic and a 20% to 40% warning, depending on the severity.
VII. Good grammar, spelling, and proper formatting are musts!
- ‣All writings must be of readable quality!
‣Minor spelling or grammar mistakes are forgivable.
‣All paragraphs need to be double spaced (pressing ENTER twice; including dialogue)
Note: Spoiler tags ([ spoiler ][ /spoiler ]) can be added to lengthy chapters to help separate the actual update from the writer's commentaries or compensate for the fact that they're so long.
As of November 21, 2012, scripts and script-formatted stories are no longer allowed in the Writer's Corner. These are normally poorly formatted and can be difficult to follow to begin with. While they are a critical part of plays and movies, they have no place in a fiction forum as they aren't serious attempts at fiction writing.
Scripts and Script-formatted Stories
MUST BE BLABLABLAH
Warning: Violating this rule will result in closure of the fanfic and possibly a minor warning, depending on the moderator's discretion.
VIII. Spam
- What will be considered spam:
‣"Thank you!" posts
‣One worded posts (ex: "Great! Good! Amazing!")
‣Number ratings
‣Any general comments ("I like your fanfic! ")
Warning: Minor spam 20% Major spam 40%
IX. Double posting and bumping
- Permitted:
‣Critics can bump as long as they are actually giving a thorough critique and the fanfic is considered relatively recent.
Not Permitted:
‣Only the original writer is allowed to revive the thread.
Writers may bump their own fanfics at anytime to either update it or get it some attention. If the thread has not been posted in in two weeks, the thread is considered dead and only the original writer is allowed to revive it. If it gets bumped, the thread will be unapproved and your post will be hidden.
X. Chapters
- Permitted:
‣All chapters posted in one thread.
‣Linking to your future chapters in the original post and making them part of a Table of Contents listing what chapters you have so far.
Not Permitted:
Compiling all new chapters into the OP.
XI. No abusing colors or tags.
DON'T ABUSE THE TAG SYSTEM, OKAY?
Warning: You will be given a few hours to fix your post. Failure to do so will result in the removal of your post.
XII. Quoting:
- Permitted:
‣Quoting pieces of the chapter and critiquing them individually.
Not Permitted:
‣Quoting the entirety of a chapter.
Warning: Verbal warning. Continued violation of this rule will result in a minor spam warning.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1bnl2uJ37m-9Hb-ez_uZu9Ya9xD4BQbnQ06CxnvsPgIY/edit?usp=sharing