FAQ Reader's Guide to Alt.StarTrek.Creative Version 1.24 updated September 23, 2002 The following FAQ was developed for the Readers of Alt.StarTrek.Creative to help them understand the Group. It details more about the group that is not explained in other faqs. Table of Contents I. What is ASC? A. The ASC Virtual Library/Tea House B. Somethings That Happen on ASC. C. Associated Services D. Other Newsgroups II. Some Questions about ASC A. Why the Authors Write. B. How should You respond to works. C. Why Not this type of Stories D. Shuttlecraft III. Newsgroup problems and how to deal with them A. The Slash Debate B. Trolls IV. Appendixes A. Other FAQs V. Credits Section I: What is ASC ====================== Alt.StarTrek.Creative is for the posting of Creative Star Trek fan works (stories, poems, documentation) and discussion of those works, Star Trek Fan works in general, and issues effecting those works. It is NOT for the general discussion of Star Trek. There are other groups for that. No BINARIES are allowed on ASC. Now that I've gotten that out of the way, perhaps I better go into detail about what ASC is. Think of ASC as a comfortable bookstore/publication house. It's a place to find new Star Trek Works to read and discuss. I think the best way to show this is to discribe what goes on in ASC as if it was a real place instead of a virtual one Part A: The ASC Virtual Library/Tea House ----------------------------------------- You've arrived at a new newsgroup you've just found, and like any good reader, you have decided to read the FAQ. Since this is a Literary Group ... Suddenly you find yourself in a large room. It's walls are covered with Oak Bookcases, and the floor is covered with a soft blue rug. Several comfortable chairs are scattered through out the room. Several conferance tables also are scattered through out the room. They sort of remind you of the one you saw in the Observation Lounge on Star Trek: The Next Generation. Numerous people are scattered though out the room. As you take in the surroundings, a young man approaches. "Welcome to ASC," he says. "I'm Stephen Ratliff, I'm FAQ and Index Maintainer here. Feel free to browse the stacks, and a selection of beverages is available at the cafe." Stephen indicates a small counter with Guinan standing behind it. "Several authors are in right now, and the Archive Team is getting things organized in the Joseph Young Room. There is a discussion of Shuttlecraft in the Four Captain's Lounge at 1230 hours. If you have any questions, feel free to ask." Thanking the young man, you head over to the bookcases. Looking at the bindings of the books, you notice that everything is labeled rather strangely: NEW TOS: "The Game of Life" 2/3 h-c PG-13 REP Letters from the Delta Quadrant [PG] (VOY, Tu) 3/? NEW DS9 Liquid Assets 1/2 (O/K) [NC17] NEW TNG "The Walls of Jellico" 1/5 [G] (Marrissa Stories #16) WIP ENT Any Porthos in a Storm 3/? [R] (A/Porthos) You manage to get Stephen's attention, and comes over to see what you need. "Oh, you want to know what that means," Stephen says. "Well we call the first word the Postname. It indicates if it's new, just been reissued (Reposted), revised, or is a Draft. Next can be the series, but that may be at the end. Then there is the title, followed by the parts, but some people place that at the end. The rating is inclosed in [] and any special notes or romance codes are in ()." "You can find the romance codes and series codes at the end of this FAQ or at the FAQ website," Stephen continued. "The FAQ is posted weekly." You pull out a story that you think is interesting, take a seat in one of the comfortable black recliners and begin to read. It was a very enjoyable story, but you notice that the author says that there is a sequel in the Archive. Once again you beckon over the FAQ Maintainer. "The Archive is over there," Stephen informs, pointing at a oak archway. "Everything is sorted by type; story, parody, crossover, poem, then by series; tos, tng, ds9, voy, combined, misc, then title." You go over to the Archive and go though the various doorways (directory changes) to get to where the story should be, but you've forgotten what the name of the story is. You remember the Author though. You turn to find the FAQ Maintainer at your side. "You may want to check the index to the archive (see list at the end for current locations) It helps many people find what they are looking for," Stephen said. Having enough reading for the moment you return to the main room. You pass several people discussing the latest works of somebody named "Macedon." The praise is glowing so you decide to look up the guy's works. A discussion is going on around one table about who gets the worse from fan-fic writers. A disheveled lady going by the name "Mercutio" claims Q does, and if it doesn't stop the authors may be in trouble. Having recently been reading some Original Series work, you decide to say that Kirk does. Mercutio suggests some works, noting that you can get them from her web page. A young woman who's been sitting over by the Tea Room, speaks up, "Did anyone read my story, A Christmas Miracle? I haven't got any e-mail about it, and I'm not sure that it got out of AO-***L." It just so happens that that was the story you had just read, and liked. So you decide to talk with OdoGoddess. If you're lucky, she might just give you a sneak peak at what she has been working on, and at the least you'll learn a lot about how those lovely stories came to be. ... We'll return to the Library/Tea Room later. It's time for some more traditional FAQ Stuff. B. Events on ASC ---------------- 1) ASC Awards> Held every March, the Awards encourage feedback. They cover February 1 to January 31. The Awards are discussion Based. A list of Stories is posted and the group responds with what they liked and why. The more written, the more points. For the first 3 years, Stephen Ratliff ran the awards Charles Rando ran the awards in 1998, and Kattz from 1999 to 2000. Stephen returned to run them in 2001, and will help out Seema who's in charge in 2002. 2) Challenges> Every once in a while someone will challenge the writers to write a particular type of story. The writers may or may not Respond to the challenge, but the response is usually good. The most memorable of these where the Gift Challenge and the RevengeFic Challenge C. Newsgroup Services --------------------- 1) The Archive> Use indexes. 2) Index to the Archive> [Crosswinds] http://trekiverse.crosswinds.net/ [Enterprise] http://www.trekiverse.org/ [QContinuum] http://qcontinuum.trekiverse.net/ 3) FAQs> Just add FAQs/ to any Trekiverse site. D. Other Newsgroups ------------------- alt.startrek.creative.erotica.moderated [Moderated] Star Trek erotica discussion. Includes stories and other topics concerning STAR TREK erotica. Moderated to reduce spam. Moderated version of ASCE alt.startrek.creative.all-ages [Moderated] A family friendly version of ASC. Stories limited to [PG-13] and no slash. All stories posted to ASCA are allowed on ASC alt.startrek.uss-amagosa TNG-DS9 time frame stories on the USS Amagosa or associated Universe. alt.fan.q for discussion and creative stories on Q from either Trek or Bond. rec.arts.startrek.current For the posting of current Star Trek news and infomation, within the last FOUR MONTHS rec.arts.startrek.tech For the discussion of the technical aspects of Star Trek rec.arts.startrek.fandom For the posting of fan related events. For Sale, conventions, and the like rec.arts.startrek.info (moderated) Star Trek Information rec.arts.startrek.reviews (moderated) Star Trek Reviews rec.arts.startrek.misc Everything not covered elsewhere II. Questions About ASC ======================= This section handles questions about ASC. For which we will begin in the comfortable Four Captain's Lounge just off the main room of ASC. It's a nice big room with several Classical Lounge chairs and all of the Captain's Chairs from the various Trek. A poduim has been set up at the far end of the room. * * * * * Your friendly neighborhood FAQ Maintainer, comes up to the poduim and begin announces the topic ... A. Why do the Author's Write ---------------------------- Speaking about this topic is C. Francis, Author of the Votex Series: There are several reasons to write fanfic. 1. To feature characters we just can't get enough of. 2. To extrapolate from plot lines on the shows to bring more closure, or to change endings or situations we are not happy with. 3. To theorise about characters' backgrounds, or what goes on "behind the scenes". and 4. To, in some small measure, live and breath and play in an alternate universe. Kattz (Awards Coordinator, "Input" author) Some of us write because something jump-starts us. I've always wanted to write something as good as the stories I enjoy reading. Ian Toldman I write because, if the characters and stories banging around in my head don't get out, it will drive me insane (may be there already, but don't tell anyone). Jeff Jacques I write because it's fun to be able to put these characters into situations *I'd* like them to be in. Writing sort of acts like Viagra for the imagination, giving you a jumpstart for your creative juices. :) I also write to improve my skills in the craft. It's also challenging to create new characters and situations that seem believable enough that I, the writer, find intriguing enough to continue writing to find out what happens. Oh, did I mention it was fun? :) Constable Katie (Current Archivist and noted Voyager Author) I write because the characters come alive for me on the screen, and then dance off the screen into my head where they jostle around, pushing and shoving, and demanding that I write more adventures for them. I write stories about things that I want to *know* about the characters and am too impatient to wait for TPTB to do it for me. I write because I can't *not* do it anymore. I write for fun and to amuse myself, and hopefully to amuse others. I write because I want to prove to myself I can. J Winter (former Back-up FAQ Maintainer, Alliance Author) It's that line from "The Mask" that sums it up best. "Why? 'Cuz I GOTTA!!!" And I do. The characters I write have been around in one form or another since childhood, and Trek was the natural platform. Because I have been able to use them to hone my talents, there are a number of projects I can now safely start for professional markets. And I don't care anymore about rejection slips. Because of fanfic, I know I can write. And Finally, Dina Lerret (Former Archivist) To keep the archive team busy. ;-) If you have something to add, please e-mail the FAQ Maintainer. * * * * * Our next topic is ... B. How should I respond to stories ---------------------------------- Again, C. Francis: While most writers love to hear that a reader liked a story, many writers *really* want to hear specifically what the reader liked (or disliked), and why. Constructive criticism, delivered in the spirit of friendliness and tact, is almost always appreciated and welcome. No one wants to hear "it sucked", not just because it's derogatory, but because the comment gives the writer no way to improve his work or style. Stephen Ratliff ( FAQ Maintainer, Author of the Marrissa Stories) I'm one of those authors that will accept most any response, but I prefer more detailed responses. If you tell me that my portrayal of Captain Picard is off, I'll take a look at it, but if you tell me that what he said to Commander Riker in Chapter Three didn't sound like him, I'm more likely to respond with a change. In any case, if a reader gives a response of any significant length (not just, a one or two liner) I believe that the author should write back. It's just good manners. J Winter (former Back-up FAQ Maintainer, Alliance Author) Be honest with me. Sure, I want a nice ego massage. We all do. But I also want to know what went wrong. Unless the story says "Draft" before it, I'm not likely to change what you don't like. Rather, I want to know for the next one. And I absolutely, positively will delete and ignore e-mail from anyone that sends me "You suck." or "Your story is stupid." That shows a total lack of intelligence and doesn't merit my time or the readers, should one choose to post it on the group for all to read. (Which I personally don't mind. Even bad publicity makes folks curious.) Sasscat Bu-to-y I think responses should be sent to the group, and I am trying to be good and write some, I promise! =) Short "I liked this" feedbacks are all well and good for warm fuzzies - and they *do* give me one heck of a warm fuzzy! - but for 'serious' stories (doesn't mean they can't be funny) I prefer things that tell me how I can improve. Parodies, of course, are another matter entirely - or are they? It's hard to write serious crit on a parody, or at least it doesn't usually spring to mind. But parodies are open for improvement as much as 'serious' fanfic. What do we think, guys? As for extensively detailed critiques, I say lay 'em on! While I'm used to midway crits and usually think of longer ones as belonging to pre-post beta-reading, I certainly wouldn't object to any in response to a piece. A lot of it depends on the story, of course. So, all that rambling and I've essentially decided it depends on the story. See why Zeborah considers me so helpful? But I think I'd have to say I prefer detailed crits that will help me improve. Not only will it be good for me, but it's in our own best interests to ensure better stories on the ng, right? ilsa Personally, I would prefer responses to be sent to the group rather than through personal email. This is after all a group about writing as well as ST. It would be interesting to see several opinions about one scene and yes it should be more than just a love it or hate it response. Why do you feel about the story the way you do? Writers can only improve if they know what does and doesn't work. Laura Valentine I prefer thoughtful responses, though not necessarily long ones. The most helpful responses are "This didn't work for me because..." and "This did work for me because...". That way, I know where my strengths and weaknesses are. Serious, in-depth critique is always welcomed, but when I want to know if a story succeeded, I look for people's emotional responses. Did I get into your guts with this one? Did I make you think? Did I make you laugh or cry? Jungle Kitty I strongly agree with Laura. I don't expect people to write long, involved feedback (but I love it when they do), but it's great when they quote a sentence or two and tell you that it really worked for them or confused them/seemed out of place/contradicted something earlier in the story/whatever. So, if you can take the time and feel moved to do so, even a little bit of detail in the response is appreciated. But first and foremost, ALL FEEDBACK IS WELCOME! I would also like to encourage people to post their responses to the newsgroup. I know some feedback-givers are reluctant to do so, and send responses only as private email. But please consider posting it to the group as well. I know I've read certain stories only because of the comments that appeared. So if you really loved something, you might want to encourage others to read it as well. It's also a great way of starting a discussion about ideas, events, characters presented in the story. Have an another view point? E-mail the FAQ Maintainer * * * * * Our next topic is... C. Why not this type of stories? --------------------------------------- Speaking on this topic, is once again, Stephen Ratliff, Authors tend to write on what they enjoy. It may just be that at the current time none of the authors that write your type of story are posting at the moment. Of course it is possible that no one writes your type of story. But, considering the stories I've seen that's very unlikely. We've had Action/Adventure, Every Relationship in the known universe, poetry, and even (in the case of my own stories) Children in command of the Enterprise. What can you do to get a story of a type you want? You can check the archive, challenge the group to write them, or you can write one yourself and post it. J Winter Why not a particular type of story? Funny, but that's the question that gets a lot of unusual stories or challenges posted. My running joke is that I'm working on a Chekov/Neelix slash masterpiece. Why? "Why not?" is the answer. Generally, we all write what's in our gut. If what you're looking for isn't here, consider it an open invite to fill that void. After all, we now have a romance code for Sh**tl*cr*ft. Why not? More Authors will chime in later. * * * * * Our next topic is... D. What is it about Shuttlecraft? --------------------------------- Speaking on this topic, Stephen Ratliff, Shuttlecraft was our attempt to get out of a rather nasty debate by making it humourous. We were debating about stories pairing two members of the same sex, commonly refered to as Slash. So some person who refuses to step forward started applying the same arguments to relationships between shuttlecraft. It was just what was needed to calm us down. Every since then, the subject comes up. People have even written stories about shuttlecraft. More Authors will chime in later. * * * * * Our next topic is... E: Why the Pseudonym? --------------------- Speaking on this topic, Captain Kate: I use a pseudonym for the simple fact that I do a lot of my work on the local academic network, on the university's hardware. Although my page isn't on their server they are pretty funny about their employees using the resources for certain things, and seeing as I have some NC17 content on my pages I don't want to take any chances. Also, in certain professions you get well known in cyberspace, and no matter how much of a healthy respect a lot of my online friends have for Trek and fanfic writers, there are always those who don't. I'd just rather not take any chances. I don't mind dishing my details when people mail me, or we get chatting, but I see no point in tempting fate. Zoinky: I'm one of those for whom young is a state of mind. I can remember where I was when Kennedy was shot. I too saw TOS in first run. But like some of the young people, none of my family knows I write this stuff. Okay my husband knows, but he's it. There is something appealing and romantic, almost rebellious about posting stories when no one knows who you are. Also something very safe. Avid Trekdom is something most of my age group has moved beyond. And in my neck of the woods is not something you discuss openly. During the day I'm a mild mannered retailer, but at night I don the cape, gloves and pearls to become zoinky, an amateur science fiction romance writer. I enjoy writing these stories. I have no desire to write commercially so I'm content to just hide behind a silly name and let none of my family or friends be any the wiser. The Emu: First and foremost, my name isn't *anywhere* on the web. I don't want people I don't know in a medium I have no control over having that knowledge of me. Paranoid? No, I think it's good stranger danger. It applies particularly in fanficdom. I used to run an XF archive, and I once received three requests in as many weeks for author's names to be removed because their bosses had been wandering a little too close to their corner of cyberspace or because a reader had contacted them in RL. (True and scary story.) It doesn't matter whether one's current boss is fanfic friendly or online or at least unconcerned. You don't know how you'll feel about your next boss. This is a hobby that's poorly regarded by society in general and it's a dubious corner of copyright and you may not write tasteful smut *now*, but I've seen a lot of authors - who never thought they would - taking that joyful slide. I like to decide who on the net knows about RL me and who in RL knows about my fanfic. I wouldn't want it any other way. I recommend to as many people as I can that they keep the worlds separate. James Winter, Back-up FAQ Maintainer: You have some folks who choose pseudonyms to call attention to their works. I am more inclined to read something by D Vader, Esq, than I am by Nelson Smith. If Mr. Smith calls himself Darth Vader, its going to grab someone's attention in a sea of stories that one cannot possibly read entirely. Then there are those who are or plan to be professional writers. It's rather rude to sit here and pillage Paramount's material, then turn around, find oneself asking John Ordover's coworkers to buy a manuscript that has the same name attached to it. Hence, names like Macedon and J Winter and so on. It doesn't fool anybody, really, but it's a way of separating pro and fan work when professional editors need all the excuses in the world to trim their mountainous slush piles. Then there are some who need a persona to get in the mood to write. And there are those who wish to remain anonymous. Why? Why not? Those are some of the explanations. I'm sure there are others. By the way, what kind of contrived pseudonym is Stephen Ratliff anyway? (Just kidding!!!) Stephen Ratliff, FAQ Maintainer: I don't write under a pseudonym, and at this point, it's impossible for me to get rid of referenced to my name. However, I understand the many reasons (Listed above) and have no objections to either way. It's the writer's choice. More Authors will chime in later... * * * * * * Having finish the sessions in the Four Captain's Lounge, you return to the main room. Section III: Newsgroup Problems and How to Deal with them. ========================================================== Back in the main room, you notice some debate going on around a couple tables. Seeing Stephen running from them into the Virtual Staff Offices, you decide to see what made the FAQ Maintainer leave them. A. The Slash Debate ------------------- The first table is largely-abandoned but messy table where a few people are vehemently arguing. "Slash is a cheap thrill!" "Het is a dull cliche!" "My eight-year-old reads this newsgroup and I don't want him seeing either!" "It's in the subject line!" "Excuse me," you ask, a little timidly after all the shouting. "What -exactly- is this argument about?" "It's about whether this newsgroup should be so filled with smut!" exclaims one. "I want something my son can read with me." "Then you should go over to alt.startrek.creative.all-ages," says another to the first. To you, then: "Paramount won't take the show in the direction of TrekSmut and some character pairings we think it ought to, and if they won't write it, we --" "--Have /had/ this argument," interjects a stern woman. "We do not need to have it again. Do I make myself clear?" "Why don't you all take a break for a while, have a cup of Earl Grey or a glass of strawberry juice," Stephen said, as he joined the stern woman. "We really don't need a flame war and as long as our purpose is: Alt.StarTrek.Creative is for the posting of Creative Star Trek fan works (stories, poems, documentation) and discussion of those works, Star Trek Fan works in general, and issues effecting those works. I don't want anything being excluded. As for the person who wanted a story for their eight year-old, would he like an advanced copy of the latest Marrissa Story? The group wanders off, some to the tea counter some to the archive. The mother exchanges e-mail addresses with Stephen. Afterwards he turns to you and comments, "That's one down, one to go." You look over to where he's looking ... B. Trolls --------- A bunch of people are gathered around another table. A teenager wearing a uniform from another Sci-Fi show has just left them. You can hear them saying. "If you don't like them, don't read them." "If you don't like Trek, why are you here?" "You are obviously a ... " Curious as to how Stephen is going to stop this one, you follow him "May I have your attention everyone," Stephen said. It doesn't work. He mutters under his breath, "time for the big guns." As the people continue to shout responses, he pulls a phaser rifle out. Firing it at the ceiling, he knocks a banner left over from last year's awards down on to the table. As it crashes in the middle of the table, he says again, "Now are you going to listen?" The group quiets. "Thank you," Stephen said. "In case you didn't notice the guy you were reprimanding left after his first post. Please let the Office of Off-Topic Reduction deal with trolls. We don't need a lot of people shouting when one person will do." You ask the FAQ maintainer, "What are Trolls?" You don't get a response from the FAQ Maintainer, but someone else answers. Seated at a table surrounded by various reference books, technical manuals, a half-finished cup of French roast, and a laptop he is furiously tapping away at is J Winter from the Office of Off-Topic Reduction, and a frequent offender of same. He looks up at the query concerning Trolls. "Trolls. Bane of the Internet, only three or four steps above Spammers in the intellectual food chain. Basically, they're a nuisance, nothing more. They know precisely what reaction they are going to get. Giving it to them merely encourages them. Every so often, we get a post like "All effing Trekkers should die!" or the incredibly original "Get a life!" (BTW, Trollers, Shatner was kidding.) These are simple to deal with. Ignore them. In fact, ignoring a Troll is the best solution to a nasty Troll problem. "Sometimes they get creative, though. They might attack a particular author, or go on long rambling dissertations as to why you, gentle reader, are intellectually inferior because you choose to do something constructive with your spare time rather than doing really cool things like typing annoying messages on Usenet groups you don't even read. (Pause while I berate myself for using a run-on.) Ignorance is still your best weapon, but just in case... "In the past, we have come up with creative ways to respond to Trolls. One is to simply post something to the effect of "Look, Mummy! Trolls!" In one case, we trolled the Troll by responding to his insipid arguments with even more insipid arguments. Eventually, the Troll in question found himself unable to come up with anything witty to say to "I know you are but what am I!?" and left. Another time, we nominated and approved one as Troll of the Year. More recently, I had the opportunity to post Trek-based parodies based on a Troll. The Troll in question seemed to LIKE these and added to them. Not only was (s)he no longer trolling, but (s)he was contributing to the overall creative process of the group. "So the best advice is to basically ignore these poor wretches. They're generally insecure and bored and need to feel better by degrading others. If it gets to the point where you absolutely MUST respond, remember, the key word in the group's name is "creative". When you respond to a Troll, you are really extending an off-topic thread. If you must respond, do so more to entertain the group than to vent. Trust me, they hate it when you don't pitch a tantrum. They get upset and go back to pulling wings off of flies and playing frog baseball or spray-painting subway cars. And that's no fun." Looks down at his screen as he taps out the next Alliance story. "On, my God! I killed Annie!" Begins hitting the delete key with a vengeance. At this point Stephen returns his attention back to you. "He's right, some of the best parodies have come as a result of off-topic posts or trolls. The original Index Maintainer, Matt Steenberg, posted a series of four 'Current Event' parodies for instance." ***** Well this concludes this FAQ ... if you have any more questions, feel free to ask. VI: Appendixes ============== D. Other FAQs ------------- Introduction General Information about ASC posted weekly IntroToASC.txt Advice For Authors More information on posting for those who write stories posted bi-weekly Advice4Authors.txt Msting on Alt.StarTrek.Creative The guidelines for posting MSTings on ASC posted monthy or as needed. MST.txt The Mannerly Art of Critque How to respond and take response to your works posted on the second week of the month Crit.txt The Mannerly Art of Debate How to safely debate without causing problems. posted on the third week of the month Debate.txt Posting Codes What are all those little letters in the headers? posted weekly Codes.txt Guide to Infinite Combinations The FAQ for alt.startrek.creative.erotica.moderated. posted on the first week of the month. Infinite.txt V: Credits ========== Section II.A Christine Francis, Votex Series Author Kattz, Index Summary Editor Jeff Jacques Ian Toldman Constable Katie J Winter Dina Lerret Section II.B Christine Francis, Votex Series Author Stephen Ratliff J Winter Sasscat Bu-to-y ilsa Laura Valentine Jungle Kitty Ariana Lilcamp Sections III.A first draft J Winter Section III.B his conversation Other Contibuters include: Ruth Gifford, ASCEM FAQ Maintainer (96-99) Alara Rogers, ASC Archivist (95-98), ASC Archivist-Emeritus (98-) Dina Lerret, ASC Archivist (98-) "Constable Katie" , ASC Collector/Formator (98-) This FAQ in general was compiled and written by Stephen Ratliff It is maintained by Stephen Ratliff +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Once again, these are only suggestions, but most of us would like you to follow them. Stephen Ratliff another insufficantly reluctant staff member of ASC. *************************************************************