Subject: [RFC] A Weekly Synopses List
From: Mark Doherty
Date: 5/17/1997, 12:25 AM
To: fanfic@fanfic.com

At 07:15 PM 16/05/97 GMT, Gary Kleppe wrote:
On Fri, 16 May 1997 07:14:08 -1000, Mousse Lee wrote:
	Perhaps what we need is a weekly review of new fics.  Actually not
so much a review, but a summery that would be posted on a regular basis.
	The author of a fic would write a paragraph or so about their work
and mail that to one moderator-type who would collect the summeries and
make the weekly post.

Sounds like an excellent idea! Who wants to volunteer to organize it?

Okay, it seems like a decent option to allowing people to prioratise
their fic reading options, and nothing is going to get done if someone
doesn't pipe up, so I volunteer to run it.

Here's how I propose the Weekly Fanfiction Synopses would work:

1) People would write their own Synopses of their works, to be up to 
   10-15 lines, wordwrapped at about 70-78 words(although I will format
   synopses if they come in wrong, I'd prefer not to have to devote too
   much time to that particular aspect of this).

   I am willing to help people write a synopsis for their work, but I
   am not volunteering to do it for everyone. Realistically, if you've
   written a fic, you shouldn't have trouble writing a synopsis. If anyone
   has trouble, I'll create a suggestion list on how to write a synopsis,
   storing it on my homepage, with occasional postings(say, once every three-
   four months) of it to the FFML.

2) These synopses would be sent to my email address, 
   mdoherty@mailbox.uq.edu.au
   preferably at the same time or before you send your fic to the FFML.
   Be sure to include a [Synopsis] or [Syn] or [S] tag in the Subject Header.
   Please do not send your synopses both to the list and to me, it will 
   create unnecessary spam.

   Although there is no reason you can't send synopses for fics you either
   haven't finished/sent, or have written some time in the past, in the end
   this service is meant to aid people in choosing their reading of 
   recent fics that have been sent to the FFML, so it would be best for your
   own C&C interests to send it about the same time as you send your fic.

3) It would be best if you kept your synopses clean(free of swearing and
   anything greater than implied lemon), but I will not change your synopses,
   so I will instead have a seperate section at the end of each Weekly Posting
   if anyone decides to include explicit violent/sexual/language descriptions
   in their synopses.

4) As stated above, I will not change the content of a synopses, unless 
   specifically asked. I will, however, correct any formatting errors if
   I spot them, perhaps overly obvious spelling errors as well.

5) I shall compile all synopses sent to me from the previous week, and send
   the compiled list to the FFML on either Friday or Saturday Night, depending
   on any possible personal factors. Due to the one great advantage of living
   in Australia, and the time differences this means, that means that the
   post will be seen by most of you mainland Americans early in the morning
   of the weekend, the most reasonable time to be seeing a Synopses list.
   (Of course, I understand that some don't have access to their accounts 
   on a weekend, but a day/time had to be set for this to work properly.)

   The posting shall be sent in the following format, barring any suggestions/
   protests:
   [SynList] Weekly Synopses List for xx/yy/zz

6) Synopses would be compiled both alphabetically and under Series, for
   example:
                               RANMA
   Acting like a Zurk         by Jeff Flogle <jeff@blah.com>
   
   This fic is about blah blah...

   Fleecing a rabbit          by Anthony Gerbil <angerbil@ral.com>

   Etc, etc, etc.
                               SAILOR MOON

   ******

   And so on.

7) The previous four Lists would be stored on my web page, to allow 
   people to have some chance of catching up on posts they missed.


It's all up to you people now. It's a volunteery service, both in that I am
offering my services for nothing, and in that it can only work if YOU post
your synopses to me. Suggestions? Problems? Input? Mail me or the list, let's
get this ball rolling.

Shall I start it on a trial basis, to see if there is sufficient interest?
Like I said, it's all up to you people now. 

************  
Mark Doherty  -  mdoherty@mailbox.uq.edu.au
My fanfics are at http://www.uq.edu.au/~zzhdoher

"Kawaii must die."