========================================================== GUIDELINES FOR VIRTUAL PARTIES, SHARED-WORLD FLUFF, AND BIG FLUFFS BY SINGLE OR MULTIPLE AUTHORS BEGIN CHUNK 1 OF 3 The amount of onlist discussion and controversy that virtual parties have generated has inspired the Lady in Black and the Mad Bibliographer to put their heads together (with a resounding crash) and assemble ideas that have been posted to Vampyres since at least September 1992 (the CotN Convention). Many of you have suggested rules for virtual parties, given reactions, or set examples as hosts/hostesses or participants. So, to numerous Vampyres listmembers, past and present: THANKS! We couldn't have done it without you! Rules for reserving a v-party date were significantly modified in July 1995. Thanks to Assistant Listowner Drac for moderating discussion of this topic! Although this file is primarily about virtual parties, it also gives guidelines for posting other big fluffs, multi- author and single author. If you plan to participate in any kind of multi-author fluff, or if you plan to post your own big fluff (a novel or an ongoing serialized story), take a little time to read this, please. We're not trying to spoil your fun: we're trying to make it more accessible to listmembers. WHAT IS A VIRTUAL PARTY? From the Dictionary of VampSpeak: [the Dictionary of VampSpeak is one of the MadBib's infamous Info Files, periodically posted to the list and also available on request] virtual party -- a type of shared-world fluff ("fluff" means creative writing). The virtual party is "hosted" by a kind being who provides a setting for fluffery. Participants "attend" by posting activities of one or more attending personae at said party. Virtual parties are limited to a few days' duration, as determined in advance by the host. They generate incredible quantities of fluff and inspire screams of anguish from listmembers who have small e-mail accounts and/or little spare time, and who do not realize that such events are the exception rather than the rule for the Vampyres-l list. More experienced listmembers who prefer to avoid the festivities unsubscribe during virtual parties. GUIDELINES FOR VIRTUAL PARTIES Most of these are SUGGESTED GUIDELINES, not rules, associated with virtual parties. Not rules because there's no way to enforce them and, in any case, Vampyres strives to be a flexible list. Many of these suggestions are *strong* suggestions, but we have given the reasons behind the guidelines to help you exercise your own judgement if any seem inappropriate for you. The parts that are *rules* are the ones pertaining to calling virtual parties. Virtual parties *must* be cleared through Assistant Listowner Drac . FOR VIRTUAL PARTY WOULD-BE HOSTS AND HOSTESSES: BEFORE YOU BEGIN: DO YOU HAVE THE TIME? Hosting a party in cyberspace takes time. Lots of time. No, you don't have to use those cute little plastic things to cut out canapes; you don't have to vacuum dustbunnies from under the couch; you don't have to hold a blood drive to stock the bar. BUT: You have to create a setting for your guests. You have to be "present" during a good deal of the party so you can interact with them. You have to link up divergent, sometimes contradictory, sometimes wildly imaginative lines of fluff. Will you have the time and energy to attend to your guests throughout the duration of the party? Virtual parties may be declared to observe the following occasions: Spring Equinox; Summer Solstice; Halloween; and Winter Solstice/Yule. (In July 1995 it was decided that the Autumnal Equinox was too near Halloween for holding a v-party, but whether an autumnal equinox v-party occurs is at the discretion of the person who accepts v-party bids.) In addition, there may be one possible "Floating Party" per year to observe a special occasion worthy of note for Vampyres subscribers. This special party must be okayed not only by the party bid reviewer, but by the Vampyres list; the bid reviewer will present the suggested party to the list for thumbs-up or thumbs-down. If the majority reaction is negative, the party will not be held. The "Floating Party" *cannot* be held within a month of another v-party. KNOW YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD: It is *strongly* recommended that anyone hosting a virtual party have been subscribed to Vampyres for at least six months real time immediately prior to hosting the party and have attended at least one virtual party or have participated in some form of multi-author fluff. Consulting one or more hosts of previous virtual parties is also a good idea. WHO HAS HOSTED VIRTUAL PARTIES ON VAMPYRES? Daes Dae'mar; Corvus; Imaginos; Sir Calvin Mac Druen (with Myrdwyn Calladori); The Lady in Black; Jester; Baron Gideon Redoak (ably assisted by Samantha the Vampiric Cat, Cecily de Catton, Jessica Ward, Elizabeth Sheridan, and Sir Roderick Tremayne {c/o Alexandria D'Armagnac}); Mekare; Tamazin; Pandora and Nicholas Edwards {c/o Anne Fraser}; Lord Raptor; Valedaemon; D.'s {Deb Allen's} suite of personae; Stardreamer; jarien; Rain Addams; Vyrdolak; and WinterStar. Stressing the importance of background on the Vampyres list is not an attempt to exclude newcomers. Fledglings are welcome -- in fact, are encouraged! -- to attend virtual parties. Virtual parties are for everybody! But a would-be hostess needs familiarity with the personalities and customs of the list as well as the mechanics and details of virtual partying in order to keep the party running smoothly. We are a complex and idiosyncratic little community. Someone holding a virtual party needs to prove herself part of the community by showing knowledge of who is who and what is what -- knowledge that comes only with time. It is impossible to appreciate the Vampyres list until you have seen it in action for a while. And please note that we said six months *immediately* prior to the virtual party. If you were subscribed for six months in 1991, that won't hack it. Vampyres is a dynamic list, with constant turnover in topics and membership. To host a virtual party, you need to know what's going on *now*. OKAY, YOU'RE TOUGH ENOUGH TO HOLD AN E-PARTY. WHAT NOW? HOW DO I RESERVE AN OCCASION FOR MY VIRTUAL PARTY? Parties are no longer "called" the way they used to be. If you want to host a party, contact Assistant Listowner Drac for a copy of the v-party bid form. The form asks for information such as the party's proposed location, theme/plot, who is hosting and co-hosting, etc. If four or five parties per year are not enough for you, see the options listed under BUT WHAT IF I WANT MORE? in chunk 2 of this info file. Once you know that you will be hosting a v-party: GIVE PLENTY OF ADVANCE NOTICE. At least two weeks. Preferably three. Maybe more. Not everybody can log on every day to learn the latest news, and occasionally messages don't make it all the way to their destination. Warn people well in advance, and remind them frequently. Frequently means at least once a week; twice is probably better. Two groups of people need this information: 1) Those who want to write entrance fluffs for themselves and maybe even work on party storylines. 2) Those who want to unsub for the duration of the party. Remember, some folks' mailers simply *can* *not* handle the volume of mail that virtual parties generate, and they *must* unsub for the duration or risk getting in trouble with their sysops or even having their e-mail accounts (or at least their listserv subscription privileges) taken away. Avert disaster. Give fair warning. SET THE STAGE. You're the host; you decide where you will hold the party, what it will look like: how many rooms, how many floors, city or country or ocean liner (ocean liner? Yes, it's been done) or your own idea of never-never land. Give enough details to allow for interesting entrance fluffs, but leave things vague enough to allow for imaginative exploring. It helps to suggest possibilities (a trap door, a secret passage...) without getting into specifics. You don't have to set the scene with your first advance post, but give people at least a few days' notice so they can tailor entrance fluffs to your setting. SET THE DURATION. There are several aspects to this. The party must be long enough for people to enjoy themselves, for plotlines to develop and be concluded, but not so long it runs out of steam or starts driving anyone (participants or non-participants) up the wall. In onlist discussion of v-party parameters, suggested lengths have ranged from 5 to 7 days. Many think seven days is too long, but almost everyone agreed that anything shorter than five days isn't enough time. Seven days is probably the maximum practical length, and it seems to have become the norm for Vampyres. This longer duration may in fact be advisable, to allow for Vampyres's experiencing technical difficulties -- as has occurred during v-parties. Many potential party-goers do not have access to e-mail during the weekend. It places an additional burden on these people if guests start partying on Saturday or Sunday. Introductory or wrap-up fluff by the host, however, is fine for weekend posting. When setting beginning and ending dates for the party, include TIME and TIME ZONE. Vampyres is an international community, and someone with access to the Internet can post as easily from Australia or Guam as from England or Texas. People all over the world need to know *exactly* when they can send in that first party fluff and, conversely, when they can safely resubscribe. If you decide that your party will begin at midnight (as many hosts do), please specify what you mean by "midnight." Is it the beginning of the day or the end? If your party starts on Midnight of Tuesday the 10th, does that mean what happens between Monday the 9th and Tuesday the 10th, or between Tuesday the 10th and Wednesday the 11th? (The Mad Bibliographer is of the school that considers midnight the beginning rather than the end of the day: that is, 00:00 hours, as opposed to 24:00 hours.) Consider an unambiguous starting time: "one minute *after* midnight (= 12:01 AM), Tuesday the 10th." Give your guests a LABEL FOR THEIR PARTY FLUFF. All fluff for a given virtual party should have the same label. A number of people benefit: 1) Those attending or following the party who want to keep up with events. (Remember, regular posting to Vampyres does not stop during virtual parties. A discussion and a party can go on simultaneously. Isn't the Internet wonderful?) 2) Those *not* attending or following the party who don't want it cluttering their mailers or don't have time to read it. (Some people really don't have time to read virtual party fluff. It's not a reflection on your talents as writers, folks!) 3) The archivist, who gathers all the party fluffs and archives them for posterity. It is a *lot* easier for him if the subject lines are consistent. You will probably want to SET A MAXIMUM NUMBER OF POSTS PER GUEST PER DAY. Not everyone has done this, and it is ultimately the hostess's decision. But setting a limit on the number of posts encourages people to make substantial posts and tighten their storylines. There seems to be some consensus onlist that virtual party fluff, unlike other fluff, contributes to the permitted three posts per day. END CHUNK 1 OF 3 ========================================================== GUIDELINES FOR VIRTUAL PARTIES BEGIN CHUNK 2 OF 3 FOR PARTICIPANTS (THIS INCLUDES THE HOST/HOSTESS, TOO) DO YOU HAVE TIME TO PARTICIPATE? Fluff authorship is *time*-*consuming*! Barring mailer problems, will you have time to play and wrap up storylines? Don't disappoint us by starting something you can't finish. Look at your schedule in the Real World (tm) before posting that entrance fluff. LABEL YOUR FLUFF! Your hostess should have given you a label for the subject line. If she didn't choose one, use whatever everybody else is using. Your label can have two parts, if you wish: a title with the name of the party fluff, and a subtitle telling what you're doing. For example, if you are writing a character named Val who is a vampire at a virtual party called WILD PARTY, you can say: Subject: WILD PARTY FLUFF: Val the vampire wets his whistle! PARTY FLUFF IS STILL FLUFF and the guidelines given in the How to Post Fluff Info File apply. WARN us if your post contains explicit sex or extreme, graphic violence. Use that carriage return to keep your lines to a reasonable length (preferably 65 characters or less). Double space between paragraphs, but do *not* double space whole posts. And *proofread* before you hit that SEND key! Even though virtual parties are expected to generate lots of mail, it is still best to keep virtual party posts to 200-300 lines or less. Longer files tend to get delayed and to gag mailers, even mailers that can stand lots of shorter files. If you have more than 200-300 lines to say at once, make two or three files of them and send them separately. THAT MEANS HOSTS, TOO! OBSERVE YOUR HOST'S RULES. The host is running the show; you need to respect that. He is extending hospitality and considerable effort to run a virtual party; you need to show courtesy and stay within whatever limits he has chosen to set for all. So: Post your party fluffs ONLY WITHIN the times stated for the party; keep your NUMBER OF POSTS PER DAY within the maximum he has set (if any). Anywhere but in a virtual party FAQ one might add, "At least don't trash the place," but physical damage to the locus of a virtual party seems to be the rule rather than the exception for Vampyres to date. Of course, physical damage is *always* wreaked by evil gate-crashers, not legitimate guests. (Well, nearly always....) The one exception to staying within starting and ending dates and times is the hostess herself. She may want to write pre-party fluff to set the scene, as well as a post-party wrap-up. This brings us to an interesting aspect of virtual parties: WHEN THE PARTY'S OVER, IT'S OVER. If your mailer went down during the party; if you were lining up a storyline with someone else and *his* mailer went down; it doesn't matter. Once that clock strikes twelve (or whatever the hostess has decreed), you are OUT OF THERE, even if you haven't written an exit fluff. Do NOT post apologies to the list; do NOT write "Uh, sorry I'm still hanging around" notes to the host. You're not there! You're gone! History! It's part of the virtual party magic (and a way to avoid pointless clutter on the net). BUT WHAT IF I WANT MORE? Sometimes in the course of a party, chemistry strikes, and two or more participants come up with a thread that is more than the time limit or setting of the party can handle. Two schools of thought exist on post-party extensions. Obviously, since this happens, some people like it. There is, however, an opposing side, with the motto: "When the party's over, it's OVER -- give it a rest!" All we can say is that the matter is open. No one has forbidden such post-party fluff, but if you find yourself writing it, please *do* give it another subject line as soon as you take it away from the party. Other options to formal v-parties, besides party extensions, have been discussed onlist. A group of people can run a multi-authored fluff (planned and written in private mail and then posted to the list). Examples of this include the Lady in Black's Shower Fluff and Alessandra's Mansion Party (not yet concluded). You can also hold a party off-list by using a .dis (distribution) list. If you choose this option, invitations and advertisments to your .dis party *can* be posted to the list. KEEP UP WITH THE PARTY STORYLINES. This can be tricky, since a situation can change drastically or even reverse itself between the time you start writing a post and the time your post gets sent out to the list. Mailers can go down, nodes can go down -- or somebody may just be quicker with that SEND key. There are inherent risks to participation in virtual parties, and looking silly because of bad timing or plain bad luck is one of them. Still: it is *usually* possible to keep up with action at a virtual party and write the appropriate bits into your posts as participant. DO SO! Another aspect of virtual party magic is that party time is flexible and party chronology chaotic. If your post contradicts someone else's, or should occur before another, but didn't due to mailer constraints, it's *okay*; there's no need to explain. Or, if you feel you must explain because the plot is contingent upon it, do it with the next fluff installment. Believe us, anybody with a little virtual party experience will understand. DON'T USE ANOTHER'S CHARACTER WITHOUT PERMISSION. Character abuse is ... well ... *abusive*. A character that someone has thought of and developed is private property in a very intimate sense, and a character's creator will feel violated if someone takes liberties with such a vulnerable extension of herself. This feeling on the part of an author/creator is not egoistic possessiveness as such but protectiveness for a creature that literally cannot take care of itself and yet is far more than a thing. We don't want to get soppy and sentimental about this, but characters and entities are very dear to the people who brought them into whatever world they live in and who sustain them there by ongoing creative effort. If you didn't create it, don't touch without permission! We cannot emphasize this strongly enough! Taking unauthorized actions with someone else's brainchild can get you on the creator's bad side very, *very* fast. Obeying this rule (and this one is a RULE, folks!) gets tricky at virtual parties -- after all, we're there to interact. Sometimes attendees will give permission to all and sundry to use their character(s) within certain limits -- particularly those who will not have net access for a day or two (like a weekend) but don't want to miss the fun altogether. (Such permission is usually accompanied by requests like "Don't kill my character or make her kill anybody else.") It's fine to use characters like these as long as you stay within guidelines the creator has set. And if someone uses your character (with or without permission) and slips, deal with it creatively. Use a strategy of "Yes, AND," rather than "Yes, BUT." If you find yourself doing something out of character in another's hands, instead of explaining, "No, Jane wouldn't do that," invent a reason why she *would*. While it's not nice to use another's character without permission, it's okay to *approach* anybody. As the Lady in Black says, "If you're bold enough to join the party, be bold enough to make fiends." Of course, when you enter -- especially if you're new to the list, or new to virtual partying -- it's fine to describe your character: personality traits, appearance, outfit, whatever. But the best introductions either contribute to the storyline or incorporate someone else. It's not a good idea to simply say "Jane the Vampyre is here! Use me!" (In fact, such sallies are usually ignored.) If your character is already interacting with someone else's, it is probably okay to write a little action or dialogue for that character. But it's safer to consult with your co-conspirator offlist about what he would like to do, or at least would be willing to do. Which brings us to the next guideline: FEEL FREE TO COAUTHOR VIRTUAL PARTY ACTIVITIES VIA PRIVATE E-MAIL!! It's the safest thing in the world, and nobody will think you're a weenie. (If anybody does, find someone else to fluff with.) Spontaneity is inevitable at virtual parties, but you can have planned adventures, too. If you want to try something that looks like *fun* but is complicated or potentially objectionable, use private e-mail to contact whoever needs to share responsibility and offer your idea as a suggestion. A *lot* of off-list e-mail has been behind events at virtual parties in the past, and it can lead to rousing or moving adventures. You can be spontaneous, but you also have the option of being strategic. Or try combining the two! FOR THE LIST AT LARGE If you plan to participate in an upcoming virtual party, or if you *must* unsub when a virtual party is scheduled to occur, watch for those announcements from the hostess, and read them carefully. Sometimes plans change between the first virtual party announcement and the last call -- start/finish dates and times, details of setting, whatever. ======================================================= HOW TO UNSUB Send an e-mail to majordomo@the-institute.net with the body: unsubscribe vampyres ======================================================= If you don't like virtual parties in general or don't/didn't like a particular one, don't start a flamewar. This doesn't mean that you can't complain or criticize if you believe you have reason (after all, everybody else does ), but be polite about it. Unless there is a compelling reason, don't complain *onlist* about a virtual party while it is in progress. Why? 1) To give yourself time to cool off. You may feel just as ticked after a few hours or days of reflection, but chances are you won't, and instead of the puerile, knee-jerk comments you thought of first, you can make a post that oozes sophisticated, patronizing scorn. Of course, you have the option of making a courteous post, too, and it will be easier when you feel more calm. 2) During virtual parties, the party itself is taking up a lot of bandwidth on the list. Many who would agree with you are unsubbed; conversely, the intended audience will most likely ignore it as they search for the bar or deal with the Waldo stripes they find themselves in. Your would-be audience may also benefit from a chance to pause and reflect before you post your concerns. Give their mailers and minds a break. 3) Onlist criticism during a party can generate ill-will. People wrapped up in virtual parties, like all creators of works-in-progress, tend to be touchy about their brainchildren. Critical onlist comments, however accurate or well-intended, can erupt into one of those dreaded flamewars running side-by-side with the party -- and probably spilling into it. Even if you think the party-goers are idiots, they have as much right to post as you do. Let them have their fun. If you find party fluff unbearable, there's always the DELETE key and the UNSUBSCRIBE option. During the party, it *is* okay to complain privately to the host and/or guests if you find some of the goings-on objectionable. But please keep it polite! END CHUNK 2 OF 3 GUIDELINES FOR VIRTUAL PARTIES BEGIN CHUNK 3 OF 3 AND NOW FOR SOMETHING ALMOST COMPLETELY DIFFERENT: OTHER KINDS OF BIG FLUFFS -- SINGLE AUTHOR AND MULTI-AUTHOR Virtual parties cause problems because they generate a lot of bytes in a short time period. Other kinds of onlist entities can do the same thing. You've finished a novel and you want to post it. Half a dozen people are collaborating on a multi-thread story and posting it as it develops. You're posting the autobiography of your persona, making it up as you go. It's fine to share this kind of work with the list -- but! -- the reasoning behind virtual party guidelines applies to all kinds of big fluffs and, for that matter, big files. So: If you are the purveyor of *any* kind of big file, please post thoughtfully. Some people have small mailers that gag on files over a certain length; some have small accounts that get jammed when too much mail arrives in too short a time period. If you are responsible for a *big* onlist entity, whether it is your own single-author novel, a multi-author fluff of indefinite duration (such as the the Mage fluff or the San Antonio fluff), or an ongoing, open-ended serial fluff, you need to take extra care in posting it, to keep from damaging subscribers' mailers. If you have already written out your novel, epic poem, or whatever, and it goes on for a few hundred kilobytes (or even a few dozen): 1) Chop it into manageable chunks. Manageable means a maximum of 200-300 lines per chunk; that's about 10-15 K or 4 to 6 single-spaced pages. (These conversion figures are *approximate*. When in doubt, be conservative.) 2) Number them consecutively. If you know how many chunks you've got and can tell us "Part 7 of 10" or whatever, fine! If you have no idea where it all will end, that's also fine: just use "Part 7," "Chapter 429," or whatever in the subject line, after the title. Why number parts of a big fluff? Some listmembers have *big* disks (lucky them!) and collect fluff chunks until they have enough to spend time with. Numbering the parts helps these people organize your fluff. Numbering the parts is also very helpful to our archivist. 3) Post them at manageable intervals. How big is a manageable interval? For single-author fluff, at least twelve hours between more than two sequential chunks. (So post chapter 10 and chapter 11 at 10 AM, then chapter 12 and chapter 13 at 10 PM.) Twenty-four hours is probably better. But DARN, it's hard to wait that long sometimes! It is a little harder to set guidelines for posting multi- author fluff. Since threads may come from several directions at once, numbering episodes is often not feasible. And as to posting at intervals: *so* much offlist coordination can be involved; someone who has *finally* put together three or six or ten people's contributions into an episode just wants to get the darned thing onto the net! The flip side of multi-author fluff is that it takes a while for one episode to get licked into postable condition. However, if your one episode that took over a week to assemble is 600 lines long ... please! Break it up! And if possible allow an interval of 12 to 24 hours between posting more than about two chunks. Our mailers will thank you. Again, when in doubt be conservative and sleep on that next episode.... Many guidelines that apply to virtual parties are also appropriate for multi-author fluff. Don't post a character's actions without permission from the creator; feel free to collaborate off-list (it can make for a much better final product); and generally follow the How to Post Fluff rules about things like labelling, line length, and so forth. BUT REMEMBER! None of this is meant to discourage anybody from participating in the wonderful world of Vampyres. Virtual parties have made a lot of fledglings feel welcome, and long fluffs -- single-author and multi-author -- have given a lot of pleasure to both readers and authors. We *are* interested in seeing any vampire-relevant fluff you might want to share. Vampyres is a very laid-back and tolerant list in many ways. We do need guidelines for the posting of fluff, however, especially big fluffs and shared-world fluffs. No matter how tolerant Vampyres as a list may be, some people are stuck with very *in*tolerant mailers and/or *in*tolerant schedules that don't give them a chance to play along the way they might like to. Be considerate of those less fortunate than yourself, those of us with unfriendly systems, unfriendly sysops, or mini-mailers that can't handle big files. You can keep your posts short, give your audience a little breathing space, and still produce good fluff. It's not hard, honest. These guidelines aren't meant to make life more complicated for anybody; it's an attempt to reduce the chaos factor and provide a little lubrication. And now, parting words from the Mad Bibliographer and the Lady in Black: If you find any errors or omissions in this file: >> "It's not *my* fault! It's *hers*!" << Cathy Krusberg/The Mad Bibliographer The Lady in Black END CHUNK 3 OF 3