Fan Anthology

[Son of Barbarus]

I am working on a story at the moment and I would like to submit it for consideration. It's only in the first draft but I'm nearing completion. Which draft would be the best to submit? Are we trying to get it as tight as we can before submission?

[Olis]

Personally, I would advocate making the written piece as good as you can before submitting it to review and further editing. However, what with Andurin Marvak as the project lead, I'd say it'd be up to him.

[Akragth]

It's generally not the done thing to ever submit a first draft for anything. Better to edit it yourself first. It gives you a chance to spot any slight errors/typos/grammar errors before sending it to an editor who will (or should be) concentrating on bigger issues than minor errors.

[Ace Debonair]

Roles I see:

• Editor (this is the hobbyist that is basically in charge with content and deadline decision-making authority)
• Co-editors (optional) (these would be "lesser" editors that assist the main editor, whether or not to use them, who they are, and how many would be up to the editor)
• Proofreaders (read submissions, recommend changes/corrections)
• Publisher (this is the person that will put the final content together into a finished format for downloading, this person needs some skills and basic software)
• Authors/artists (obviously, these members provide the stories and art)

Some hobbyists might perform multiple roles.

At the very least, I see the editor, a publisher, two or more proofreaders, and n authors/artists as the minimum quantities.

There might be other roles that are necessary, but I'm relying on a high school education that didn't include journalism or the school paper. I'll defer to anyone with knowledge/experience in providing additional roles and correction/clarification to what I provided above.

I can serve as a/the publisher unless someone with skills and software wants to serve in that capacity.

I would be more than happy to take on editing, either as a co-editor or the primary. I think that list looks solid, by the way.

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, besides just 'top-down' editing I'd like to see a formalized role or expectation for peer review and workshopping. In my mind, I imagine a set of soft deadlines for outlines and drafts, followed by workshops, and then more drafts and workshops. Absolutely any piece of writing will benefit from at the very least three rounds of review and re-writing. As I've said before, THIS is what will take the stories further and peer editing is always great to get fresh eyes on a story. Most great ideas are someone else's, after all, even if you plant the seeds. Anyone who's spent much time in Liber knows this well.

A good editorial staff can do this as well, as long as people are open to it and don't consider it confrontational to be pushed and prodded to make changes.

Seems like a pretty well-thought out process. You'd definitely get my vote for being editor!

As someone who has spent years in the Liber, I'd have to agree - I'm yet to see a third draft of anything that was worse than the first draft!

I can probably do some proofreading, but it'd definitely help to have a few people on task for that. It's a long process and mistakes that one person misses can be spotted easily by another, after all!

[Andurin Marvak]

Uh....I wasn't aware that I was the project lead....

[Olis]

Uh....I wasn't aware that I was the project lead....

 

Well... It's your idea, right? Unless you wish to cede that position to someone else, then you're it by default.  

[Andurin Marvak]

Oh. I actually was just broaching an idea to the board when I first posted this topic. I hadn't initially planned on being the operating lead. I'll have to think about this now, as I'm a bit caught off guard and I need to consider if it's even possible for me to be the lead with the time I have available.

[helterskelter]

I may not be the best soul as a creative writer, however reading I can do. If proofreaders are required then may I offer my services, I can blitz through 400 pages and still spot the mistakes (if any of course). If not then I look verily forward to a Fanthology!

[Dosjetka]

I can proofread and do a spot of writing. Also, I could help out with the publishing, though my skills are a bit rudimentary and rusty.

[Brother Tyler]

Okay, so we have an editor (JeffTibbetts), at least three proofreaders (Cormac Airt, helterskelter, and Battle-Brother Ludovic), and a publisher (me).

 

As editor, JeffTibbetts gets to make the hard decisions on things such as deadlines, story length(s), content requirements (themes, etc.), which stories are accepted (whether from a quality perspective or any other criteria), etc.

 

We'll let JeffTibbetts develop his plan and then start a new topic here to announce his ideas (and he's free to contact me for any B&C administrator guidance he might like - purely optional on whether or not he wants to do it and I won't hold it against him if he doesn't).

[Conn Eremon]

Sorry, kind of assumed one of my previous posts would sound enough like a volunteer for proofreading that I didn't make another one after that list of roles was posted. Error on my part.

 

I would like to help the project as a proofreader.

[Brother Tyler]

Roger

[Andurin Marvak]

Well, I'm certainly glad Jeff is leading this thing. I apologize for not having been around lately, between Holy Week and other recent work/life shenanigans, I haven't had any time for the hobby, or even little extras like the B&C.