A question
or statement I often hear from readers -- I'd like to send feedback but I'm
not sure what to say.
RTF stands for Rich Text Format. It is a saving option in all Windows platform word processors. Word generally saves files as a .doc. Because Word adds pages of code to what you have actually written (15 page stories might have 40 - 50 pages of code tagged onto it by the program) it is a very sloppy and even dangerous format in which to even save files (all that code is taking up YOUR hard drive space). It is nearly a deadly format to send into cyberspace as all that code is where the hackers hide viruses. Because of this .doc files must be deleted unopened. When saving a file in Word scroll down the saving options and you will come to rich text format. Chose this and save your files. If you compare the same file saved both ways you will see how much smaller the rtf file is. RTFs do keep all of the formatting you put into the story (unlike ascii files) such as bolds and italics in places where you want to indicate emphasis.
Here's how to make an RTF file: Click here
I have gotten stories written in long hand and I do NOT have time to type anyone's story. It costs money to snail mail stories around and it is really a waste of time. Stories pasted into email do not save any of the formatting that you put into your story and must be hand coded into HTML. This takes some of the control of your story out of your hands. It is also a time consuming thing. Time is something that none of us have much of these days.
A non-canon character is one that did not appear on the show and was invented by a fan fiction writer. Non-canon characters that recur in stories in only small, possibly comic relief roles are perfectly acceptable. Non-canon characters who appear in only one story and are never seen again are also fine. Writers need to "people" a story so the canon characters have someone to interact with. In my opinion, non-canon characters, who do not change the dynamic of the canon characters, who are well written and believable, enrich a fan fiction universe. Non-canon characters who DO change the dynamic of a character such as a wife, girlfriend, child or parent of a character who had none of these things on the show are far less acceptable as major participants in a series of stories. Generally co-workers are the easiest thing to fit into any given character's universe. Co-workers (other fire fighters, ambulance drivers, nurses, doctors, even police officers) give non-canon characters a common ground with the all canon characters. A family member or a girlfriend of one of the characters does not have this common ground with the rest of the cast. If you want to use non-canon characters, you should make up your own. Writers must have permission to use characters invented by other fan fiction writers. The creators of those characters generally have a specific plan in mind for their use so it is better for you to make up your own characters which you can control.
The kind of stories I am looking for are the kind that I like the best. The people who responded to the survey also like this type: A dramatic story that is very much like an episode. Good drama has both comic and tragic elements. Overly melodramatic stories tend to end up reading more like soap operas than Emergency! stories. Mindless comedy that reads like a sitcom is exactly what I want for the Station 51 Follies page, however.
There are sites that specialize in things like romance, characters background stories, angst, adult stories and slash. Stories with any of those themes should be sent to those sites. To be honest, I don't like most of those themes and even if that were not the case, I don't want to step on the specialty of another site. Also if you have a series running on another site, it would make it easier for readers if you posted all the stories in that series to that site.
The main one is that they remain the same character they were in the show. That does not mean that you cannot expand them a little bit but basically they should be the same. Married characters should remain married. Single characters should remain single. Roy & Capt. Stanley were definitely married. Johnny, Chet & Marco were single. We are not completely sure about Stoker so that can be up to the writer. The characters at Rampart also appeared to be single. It is known that Roy has two children. A boy named Chris and an unnamed daughter. The daughter's name and ages of both kids are completely up to the writer. The wife of Captain Stanley and any children that they may have are also completely up to the writer. Family members should only be in minor supporting roles in most stories. John Gage is known to be an American Indian. Where he is from and what his tribal affiliations are, is also up to the individual writer. Again, this should not play a major role in stories for this site.
NO! In fact, it is probably a huge detriment. There was very little continuity in the show (Craig Brice even had a race change) so trying to use every bit of info from the show will definitely stifle your creativity.
No. You are writing about a fictitious LA and LA County FD. Just as the show was. Station 51 is at Universal Studios and is not an actual part of the LA County Fire Dept. Don't waste your time pouring over maps and old calendars from the 70s to see what day A shift may have been working. You are writing fiction which means that you get to make things up. In the show it was mandatory that street names be made up.
No, but as many of the readers at this site are, getting your medical facts straight is a very good idea. If you are an EMS worker remember NOT to put in more medical details than you need to advance the plot. All of the readers are not in the field and too many medical facts make readers gloss over and lose interest in your story.
This did not seem to be a major concern of the Producers. Adam 12 was both a TV show and characters in the Emergency! Universe. Dwyer had two or three different first names (maybe he was triplets) Bob "the Animal" Bellingham, reported to be the biggest slob in the Department, was portrayed by a thin, extremely neat-appearing actor. Brice also had a heavier, more relaxed partner with a very similar name. Most people in fan fiction have "recast" Bellingham as the heavier guy since it made a lot more sense but this is also up to the individual writer. If something was mentioned on the show once in passing, but screws up your entire story - just ignore it. It can't be as major as Craig Brice suddenly becoming a black man. Don't be a stickler for obscure details, just tell a good story.
I have found that the best way is to keep your eyes open, listen to people, watch the news. If a news story touches you, it probably has enough drama to base an Emergency! story upon. How would the story have affected Station 51 if they were the responding unit to a fire or an accident, maybe even a natural disaster of some sort? Ask 'what if?' and let your imagination go. However, we do not want plotlines which have any member of the cast coming down with some kind of deadly disease or falling in love with women or adopting children who have some sort of deadly disease. Those type of stories are better suited to other sites.
Of course. Firefighting is dangerous work. Johnny Gage seldom thinks before he acts. The need to be rescued from either his own foolishness or the danger of the job is a plausible situation. Injury could also result. Just make sure that the injury is the result of a larger plot and that it is not the only plot of the story. Any character can become injured, not just Johnny, of course. But an overuse of injury does get boring. One of the first things that FFs and EMS workers are taught is not to become a victim themselves. We want these guys to be heroes more often than victims. There is plenty of opportunity for drama, don't always take the expected or easy route. It will make you a much better writer and readers will enjoy your work more.
Absolutely not! They are for this site only. Every site has set up its own guidelines and no site has any business trying to lay down rules for another. Everyone's tastes differ. There are now many, many fan fiction sites. Sample them all. Chances are that, the one that has the stories that appeal to you the most is the one you will want to write for. I don't personally have time to frequent bbs, newsgroups, mailing lists or even other sites so I have no idea what the state of the fandom is or what other sites are doing. I speak only for myself and this site. Every site has its own niche and this one is stories that are as much like episodes as possible, with strong, believable characters. I like action and interaction among the characters. I do not like romance, angst or stories that only explore the background or homelife of any given character. Occasional off duty stories are fine as long as they mainly focus on the characters from the show.
Click here for an explanation of Mary Sue
A question
or statement I often hear from readers -- I'd like to send feedback but I'm
not sure what to say.
The simple truth is writers need feedback if they are going to improve their skills. They need to know what works in a story and what didn't work (in a polite way, of course.) It's very hard to be objective about your own work because you are too close to it. Even a short note just saying that you enjoyed the story, helps because writers are paranoid and if they don't hear anything, they assume that no one liked their story and they will hesitate to write another. Lack of feedback is one of the main reasons writers stop writing in a given fandom.
Really helpful feedback points out exactly what made the reader laugh, cry, think, feel. If a certain line or scene sticks in your mind then the writer was sucessful and should be told as much. If something was unclear, they will also want to know that. Most writers even want to know about mistakes as long as it is not phrased like a personal attack. Everyone makes mistakes and we can't learn from them if we don't know about them. An example might be -- "I really enjoyed your story. It was exciting and made me feel like I was right there on the scene with them. I would like to point out though that you mentioned that Roy was sharing the Oxygen from his SCBA with the victim. It is actually compressed air in the tanks not Oxygen. Oxygen is highly combustible and shouldn't ever be used around open flames or high heat. This didn't spoil the story for me in any way but I thought you'd like to know." Remember that writers spend hours and hours working to create a story for you to enjoy. You should be willing to spend a few moments to drop them a line saying that you appreciate their efforts. Everyone will not like every story so if one just doesn't do it for you, there is no need to send negative feedback if it's just a matter of personal taste and not something constructive. There is NEVER, NEVER any excuse to flame an author.
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