Q. What sort of feedback is sought for and, reciprocally, should be expected in return?
A. To begin with, whosever might ever solicit my help in creative fiction writing should harbor no hesitation whatsoever in immediately making full use of these Online resources in order to then get best results from whatever individual attention.
(Indeed, the only really sound reason for any perhaps more advanced aspiring fiction writer not to use these free resource provided or else some equivalent thereof, is if any such only repeats what one already knows and understands without helping or adding anything more. But not otherwise.)
And anyone who expects only useless and affably innocuous response or who demands ceaseless gushing praise and encouragement should seek elsewhere. Rather, I offer to exchange such substantive and even highly critical response, fault finding that serious aspiring writers crave (in order to identify and make the ongoing effort at editing and rewriting to improve deficiencies in their work) but pretenders (who only demand to be constantly "stroked") tend to resent and take so damn poorly.
Q. What are your terms of joint authorship?
A. The old maxim goes that a to become a writer one must write (pretty much) every day. And collaboration does not alter such requisite except to make this more congenially conversational than merely staring at the proverbial blank page (or screen) all on one's lonesome.
But then there may accrue some obligation of courtesy to hold up one's end of the conversation, unlike should one fail to strive seriously enough in the writing craft on one's own, thereby wasting only one's own time.
Moreover, beyond just critique, for anyone soliciting my assistance and input into their own writing efforts, to maximize the benefit, it may be most efficacious, first to warm up by trying out any of the ongoing fiction writing joint authorship exercises provided on this website (some simpler, others more elaborate), in order then to apply, together, the same techniques and procedures to whatever your own projects, as and if suitable and should one remain interested. That is what I would request in return. What can it hurt? How hard can it be? Is this reasonable or unreasonable?
Please do me the courtesy and never seek to evade or sidestep the above questions, but always let me know where we stand, from the start, before we ever proceed any further.
Q. What are the benefits of my collaboration?
A. Let that be evidenced by this website, samples of what I have produced and all that I propose.
Q. Why should everybody else bend over backwards to do things your way?
A. As opposed to what other way? Indeed, I might very well ask the very same question of you!
Where can one familiarize oneself with your preferred collaborative methods and gage the merit of the results, before being asked to comply thereto? What is the URL for your FAQ? Impress me! Why should anyone who so ever consent do things however whatever your way?
Convince me! Present to the world a better procedure. I will be only happy to discuss with you honestly whatever are your expectations, only provided they are open to review before hand, just as are mine.
Counter proposals must always be explicit. Evasion is both unseemly and counter productive.
Q. Why must initial procedural assumptions be specified?
A. So that no one will feel having fallen prey to "bait and switch", finding oneself inveigled, intentionally or unintentionally, into anything other than what one had hoped for, intended and understood all along.
It is out of dissatisfaction with what was already practiced and available that I set to work to offer any better alternative.
Aside from the utter and arbitrary Victorian prudish censorship practiced certain forum Moderators, and the sheer autocratic ineptitude of others, not to mention the relentless embarrassing obsessions reverenced and cherished in some quarters, various other rigid and inept collaborative methods and conditions are among those enumerated here.
Alas, I have encountered so many others Online to whom the very fundamentals of the writing craft, that serious effort may be required to improve and produce work worth reading, and also the expectations of civility in the exchange especially of the harshest and most exacting critique and the free wheeling of brainstorming together are all alien and greeted with scorn and disbelief!
Clearly, differing assumptions and expectations can come into conflict on many levels. That is why it might be worth while taking the care and trouble spelling things out.
Anyone who just cannot bring themselves to believe that doing something well, such as good fiction writing, takes effort and concentration, especially effort on their part, likewise will never acknowledge effort by others or be pleased by any results, no matter what one undertakes for them by way of further modification or customization.
There is little point in reinventing the proverbial wheel, and less so in doing it badly. That is no way to discover or create anything new!
Real serious writers study intently and argue with passion the techniques of the greats, including modes of collaboration. As the saying goes, they understand the rules very deeply before breaking them, brilliantly.
This site is compiled and developed from my own abilities and experience, along with existing bodies of knowledge and techniques. Not that therefore any part of this should stand beyond criticism.
Indeed, serious and cogent criticism is solicited. (However, all such is entirely voluntary, of course.)
Q. What are your terms for helping to create custom themed collaborative fiction brainstorming for other sites, workshops or Online communities?
A. If my writing talent appeals, in context of the opportunity for creative collaboration, then, so, too, must my wisdom in area of technique and procedure. If what I've done, particularly with input from others, shows any merit, then, in that case, might this not suggest that I may possibly know what I'm doing? After all, why would any sensible person oppose or seek to subvert the way I do anything that I do well, instead of cooperating fully and cheerfully?
Any professional opportunity, should such arise, I hope, will be handled professionally and courteously then that. And as for any unpaid volunteerism on my part, that would be a courtesy on my part, in which case courtesy reciprocally will be due, if nothing else. As, for example, in participation by me in any new amateur or fan project.
For anyone who finds themselves utterly filled with ungovernable resentment at being told what to do at all, why even seek the advice or input of others whosoever, if such will only prove so upsetting?
Please, just figure out if what I offer is at all what you want, before hand. And then let me know. An "armed standoff", so to speak, is seldom at all conducive to creativity. I have come to the conclusion that anyone who resents that which is asked of them here, even just to peruse my writings, decide for themselves if I know what I'm doing or talking about at all, and then to take a try at brainstorming with me in response or even rendering cogent critique, is unlikely to offer me congenial terms of collaboration elsewhere or otherwise either.
Just what the Hell does anyone who dislikes what they find here or my terms, expect of me differently to do for them especially?
In so far as any customization request or proposal, the ideal results would be that whoever so requests or proposes of me, after having participated in the existing collaborative fiction writing common projects, and tested them out thoroughly, can then state with confidence that the only thing wrong with the experience is that it has not been customized to their preferences in genre and subject matter etc. Otherwise, obviously, whatever other problems ought first to be sorted out and addressed before proceeding any further and revamping everything entirely.
Yes, I've been burned before,
accepting invitations or taking requests. So, now I require a simple and minimal good faith effort, first.That's why I want to see civility and sustained serious input to the current ongoing fiction writing collaborative brainstorms I already administrate, listed here first, that they might discover if the general idea appeals to them at all, before I undertake a new custom theme on their behalf, rather than only after I am put to such bother.
So, if anyone is now still interested, please heed my reasonable and necessary conditions:
Q. But it's just too much for others to simply jump right in, given how extensively developed
‘Star Trek: The Ship of Fools' already is.A.
‘Star Trek: The Ship of Fools' is there for writers who like to have more extensive background to work with, but there is a range of sellections far more easy to jump right in, listed here.
Q. But those options are still too limited for my own personal preference!
A.
Yes, it would be nice to expand the range of sellections. And I am available to help develop the suggestions of others into further new and different collaborative projects. Or check my loglines for any new and original premi that might appeal.nevertheless, currently, this free customization offer remains open only to beta testers, for my reasons as already stated. Again, the invitation to beta test is open to all.
Q
. Aside from beta testing participation, first, are there any further conditions for your help in creating new custom themed collaborative fiction brainstorming for other sites, workshops or Online communities?A. Yes:
Copyright 2001 - 2005 by Aaron Agassi
