As a creator, can I start off with a particular genre?
Yes, you can set the tone and the genre, however, you cannot control it. Contributors can change it to anything else. No one is obligated to follow the same genre until the end. As long as it makes sense, everything is allowed. If you start a story intending it to be of the romance genre, the contributors can change the tone of the story to horror, science-fiction, fantasy,, or any other genre of their choosing. Creators do have to establish the main characters in the story, meaning the rest of the contributors have to write the story revolving around the main characters you establish even if they add more characters of their own.
Why is only the creator allowed 1000 words?
Since it’s the start of the story, creators are allowed to write more so they can set up the story. We have restricted the word limit for contributors so that they aren't burdened with writing, and also so that one person isn't 'running' the whole story.
Can I write consecutive segments if no one else is 'claiming' the segment after mine?
No. We have placed this restriction on writing consecutive segments because the aim of Fichain is to collaborate. It needs to look like a team effort and not just 1-2 individuals. That said, you can wait for someone to write the segment after yours and then 'claim' the next one after it. Contributors & the creator can write as many segments as they like, but please make sure you’re not writing consecutive segments. We want as much variety as possible and if the same person is writing it defeats the purpose of the collaboration.
Will the story have a title?
It's hard for the creator or anyone else to set a title for the story because none of the Team members will have an idea where it's going to go. Once the creator has ended the story, the team can collectively come up with a title for it. You can offer suggestions and take votes on the title and decide together.
What about characters? Can creators write on canon characters or do they have to be original only? Can contributors add new characters?
Yes and yes. The story can have original characters or canonical characters from TV shows, books, movies, games etc. However, you must mention it as a footnote to your written segment since everyone may not be aware of canon characters from particular shows/ books or movies.
For eg. If a creator has begun the fiction with Captain America and Flash, you can add Darth Vader to the story, but you cannot eliminate Captain America and Flash, and you must also provide a note about Darth Vader, which fandom he's from and what his character traits are. This applies to the creator as well - for Captain America and Flash.
That being said, AUs are perfectly acceptable and the writers are free to reset characters the way they wish to and change character traits, quirks etc. The note provided by each author is just a guideline for further contributors.
Creator's characters = Main (Central to the plot)
Collaborators' characters = Secondary (not necessarily central to the plot)
Can I switch tenses and narrative type?
No. The creator defines the narrative type i.e. first/ second/ third person, present/ past tense etc and the rest of the contributors HAVE to follow this for the entire length of the story. This is just to maintain consistency, or the end result will look too patchy and difficult to read as one coherent piece.
As creator, am I only allowed to write the start and end? Or can I contribute to the middle segments as well?
You can. The creator can become a contributor too and write one or more of the middle segments.
Why does a contributor need to 'claim' a segment? Why can't they just write and post it? Also, why the time limitation of 48 hours?
This is to avoid confusion and to let other writers know that this segment has already been claimed. Also, it ensures that the first person to ‘claim’ a segment gets to write it which means several people aren’t writing the same part at the same time and causing a confusing jumble of parallel stories.
As for the time limit, we want the story to move as quickly as possible which is why there is a time limitation. If you’re unable to write your segment within this time, it’s wide open for someone else to ‘claim’ it. So make sure you only ‘claim’ a segment if you have the time to write it.
Can I choose to take the story forward (changing genres) in any direction I wish to?
You can but contributors need to make sure they are including elements from the story’s progress so far, meaning you need to reference events that have occurred so far and ensure that the story is progressing logically. For eg. You cannot just write Segment #3 as a follow-up to Segment #1 without considering Segment #2 at all.
Can I add new elements to the characters established by the creator?
Contributors can add characters, conflicts, character quirks and traits, and also include retconning. Retconning means introducing a new piece of information that offers a different explanation/ interpretation of events thus far. If a contributor decides to bring back a character that has been established as dead and provides a suitable explanation for why they were believed ‘dead’ then that is an example of retconning. Much like what Arthur Conan Doyle did when he was forced to bring Sherlock Holmes to life because of reader pressure.
Will my segments be beta-read or corrected or stay as they are? Does the creator have a say in it? Will my segment be 'rejected' for any reason?
The creator has no creative control over the story progression or the segments contributed by the collaborators. In other words, the story does not 'belong' to any one person, it is collective ownership, so there is no question of accepting or rejecting a segment.
This means the creator or the WC DT will not judge you/ correct you on your grammar, punctuation, or vocabulary. However, we do ask that the writing be of some standard and be coherent and readable. It cannot be fragmented or confusing or leave the creator with the task of ‘fixing’ the segment to fit in with the rest of the story. If your segment is confusing/ does not progress the story/not open-ended enough to allow the next person to continue it then contributors (or the creator) can ask you to 'fix' those elements in the story or fix it themselves with your permission.
What about language? Am I allowed to use slang? Can I include words/phrases in different languages?
The default language for writing is English. That being said, you can include dialogues and phrases in other languages if it makes sense for the character(s) to speak them. Please don't make it too full of jargon and neologisms which will make it hard for people to understand. If you're referencing pop culture/ slang/ phrases or idioms in other languages, please include a footnote that explains what these are.
Is the creator allowed to choose who they'd like to continue the story or write the next segment?
No. As we mentioned, the creator has no control over the story apart from writing the start and the end, however, you can tag other writers when you post your segment. We do ask every contributor to tag at least one other writer when they post their segment so that more people are aware and can participate.
Is there a time limitation to end the story? Or can it go on forever? How often will a new Fichain be launched?
We don't want stories to become too long-winded and become meaningless, and lose their coherence by going on forever. So we have set a time limit of about a month depending on the participation (this is subject to change and left to the discretion of the creator).
We will have a sign-up sheet for writers to claim their spot as creator/ originator of a story. You can sign up once a month. Fichain # 1, # 2 and so on. Reply on this thread if you'd like to sign up for a particular Fichain.
At this time, we're allowing 3 Fichains to be launched simultaneously.
Ideally, one story should be completed in a month and the next set of 3 Fichains can begin the next month, but this is subject to change & we will allow some overlap since we cannot control the creative process and how each story is progressing and whether it is heading for a satisfactory conclusion by the end of one month.
But please bear in mind that there is no set length to a story. You can make it as long and as short as you want to. If you think the story has been satisfactorily resolved within the first couple of contributions, then as creator, you can wind it up.
Similarly for the length - we have stipulated a time period of one month but we are aware this is contingent on many factors such as writer involvement and how the plot is developing etc. etc. We do not want to undermine any person’s creative process so you are welcome to continue it beyond a month or up until the time that you feel the story cannot be stretched any further or if the collaborators collectively decide (as a Team) that they want to keep writing and developing the plot further.
What do I need to do if I sign up as creator for a particular month?
You will need to post a new thread entitled Fichain # (whichever number you've signed up for). You can post the first segment of the story in your first post and tag a few authors. Make sure you clearly establish who the main characters are in your story.
Reserve the next post for collating all the segments in your story. Update each segment as it is posted with the title (Segment # 2, # 3 and so on... along with the UN of the member who posted it)
You can reserve an additional post for glossary/footnotes/ character sketches etc.
You will need to monitor who has 'claimed' a particular segment and update it in your second post. Give that user 48 hours to post & if they haven't done so, unreserve their spot and open it up for others to take up.
Follow the story and if you think it has reached an adequate conclusion with conflicts resolved etc, write an ending and conclude the story. The ending can be just a few lines, or it can be an epilogue.
What about the content? What kind of content in writing is allowed/ not allowed? Am I allowed to post Mature content?
Since this will be posted in the forum, you will need to follow Forum guidelines for posting. Which means no graphic descriptions, nudity, or explicit content. Any other form of Mature content can be posted (dark or triggering themes) using the Mature content filter. If you think the content may be triggering, you can also post a Trigger warning before your segment.
Can I write something that has happened in canon? Will that be considered plagiarism?
You are free to write a scenario from canon with your interpretation/ your own words and give due credit (i.e stating that this happened in the show /movie/book and is canon). Additionally, you are also allowed to use character quirks, scenes, and descriptions from canon with due credit given. However, directly copying someone else's writing is considered PLAGIARISM and is strictly not allowed. If plagiarism is suspected or reported, the post will be trashed and the user will be severely dealt with.
What if no one responds on my Fichain thread? How long should I wait for someone to ‘claim’ it? If no one claims it, what happens?
We are hoping that won’t happen and that at least one other writer ‘claims’ the next segment and writes something. We understand real life can get in the way, and people don’t have the time to write and therefore, don’t ‘claim’ the next segment. We will allow a time period of up to 10 days (subject to change) for a response on the thread.
However, in the event no one comes forward, you will be given a chance to either scrap and restart your story OR add on to it yourself. You can also tag writers and invite them to participate in your fic.
Asked by oye_nakhrewaali
What if I am not a creator and want to kill off a character?
Also, do I have to mention and give dialogues and character growth to all the characters written in parts before mine, or is it ok if I just mention them in passing while focusing on one character's graph and pov?
Ok, so we can't have people killing off main characters (main characters will be set by the creator when they kickstart the story) else we'll end up having a new main character in every part. 
If one main character is indeed killed off, then the story can shift to another main character. For eg. The creator may have started off the story with Captain America and Flash. You can kill off Captain America in your segment but will need to continue with Flash and add another character if you wish to. The next contributor can decide to bring back Captain America (by retconning) in their segment.
So the main characters are the ones established by the creator. Collaborators can add secondary characters/ conflicts but the story needs to focus on the main characters, their development arc, their growth, the resolution of their conflicts etc. Therefore, it also needs to be told from their PoV.. i.e the narrative will revolve around them.
So to answer the second part of your question, you do not have to include all secondary characters (mentioned in the previous segments) in your segment, but you do have to focus on the main character/s.
Asked by DreamofEndless
Where will the story be posted? Will the story be posted on this thread, or in the FF section?
For now, the stories will remain in the thread that the Creator makes for each Fichain. We will make it sticky for as long as the story is active.
Since it is a collaborative effort, & currently there is no means of adding multiple authors in the FF section, the stories will remain in this forum for now. That could change when we've figured out a way to migrate the story (with all the authors' permission) with due credit to all authors involved.
Asked by Quantum-Dot
What I have written more than 500 words? Will my segment be considered invalid?
Nothing is invalid on Fichain. At the maximum, you could be asked to 'fix' your segment by the creator/ contributors. WC DT if
a) It's not flowing logically and a fact revealed earlier has been overlooked
b) characters are too inconsistent or the focus is shifting too much
c) Tense changes i.e if the narrative began in past tense and you've suddenly switched to present tense or changed from first - to -third person.
d) If it breaches IF CoC or Forum rules in a major way.
Additionally, the purpose of having the word limit was two-fold -
a) To not burden a writer too much and have them feeling overwhelmed & to encourage them to write even if a little
b) To not have one person ‘directing’ the whole story and therefore defeating the purpose of collaboration.
That being said, the word limit is just a guideline. This is not a contest and we’re not even checking if your segments (either the creator or contributor) stay within the prescribed word limit.
The lower limit is more important here so you don’t write just 1-2 lines. You need to advance the plot significantly and leave it open-ended for the next person to take up.
So, yes, you can exceed the word limit but not so much that you’re writing pages and pages.
If you have any more questions, please feel free to ask on the thread and we will update the FAQs (this post) with the response.
Edited by LizzieBennet - 10 months ago
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