Question Canon Author Auditions

Since the other topic may be a bit obscure, here's more information.

Auditioning for Whateley:

Whateley is a shared universe of canon authors. As such, there are some challenges to being an author. One has to uphold the universe as defined. One has to write shared characters, and use other authors' POV characters as supporting cast so the whole set of stories is a cohesive whole. All canon work is reviewed by the entire set of authors, and revisions – especially those related to other authors' or major characters (Mrs. Carson, etc) or major universe elements – are not optional. The critique is generally friendly, but sometimes it can get a bit contentious. If a prospective author can't deal with that, you won't be able to write in Whateley.

The canon authors have periodic on-line IRC chats. Participating in these isn't mandatory, but it IS extremely helpful to bounce ideas off others and get quick feedback. We expect a canon author to contribute 3-4 complete stories (long multi-part or shorter single-part) a year, although we recognize that real-life sometimes interferes (hurricanes, floods, illness). Teaming up with other writers is encouraged, and can be very productive.

Don't plan on being best friends with every author. We're an opinionated group of people, and we aren't shy at giving our opinions, which can sometimes cause friction. The most important thing is to show respect to the other authors' opinions and work to compromise – and that applies to all of us. A new canon author needs to listen to the more experienced authors when they share their wisdom, suggestions, and experiences.

Whateley is not strictly a TG universe. It started that way purely because of the backgrounds of the original canon authors. Authors are not constrained to write only TG works (note Shine, Ratel, Elaine Nalley, Wyatt, etc). It's more about interesting characters.

What does it take to try out to be part of the team? There are a couple of routes.

1. 1) Privately contact a Whateley author and propose a universe-building background story, such as the growth of the MCO, some major mutant incident like the Fools' Fight, or a significant step in the growth of Whateley, the Syndicate, or the like. We'll evaluate the submission, work with the prospective author, and polish it for publication as a canon Gen 0 work. If we feel the quality is high enough, we'll bring that author in as a canon author. Note that this will be a significant work, not a microscene, vignette, or short story


2. 2) Submit an application package when we open a window of submission (such as now – August, 2019 for a few weeks). The application package will consist of:
   
   
   • - Two character definition sheets. (blank sheet is at the end). Do NOT plan on using these characters as your main POV characters, please. If you have written fan-fic (IF) Whateley stories, it may be very difficult to fit those characters into canon, so we strongly suggest NOT using those types of characters. If you submit interesting characters that otherwise have a serious issue, we may not be able to resolve that issue to fit the character into the universe. This is a measure of how well you define characters, not an audition of the character you intend to use. A canon author will be willing to provide assistance on these; don't hesitate to ask.
   
   
   • - An example of a work you have written. Again, not a short story. It can be anything. This is about quality of authorship, not how you see Whateley. As an example, some authors have written extensively and have works on FM or Big Closet Top Shelf. Other forums are fine. The submitted example should have all the major elements – character definition, drama and conflict (internal, external), climax, and resolution.
   
   
   • - A Whateley short story – Think longer than a standard (not Bek-length) microscene. A vignette or so. The key is to use an author POV character as prime, and to also use two or more existing Whateley characters as supporting cast. This is primarily to show a prospective author's ability to 'play well with others' and to help further the storyline for ALL POV characters. It is not expected that a prospective author will write the supporting characters exactly like the original author – no one will write Phase like Diane, nor Laura like ElrodW writes her. It is mostly about being able to reasonably use the characters as supporting cast with reasonable characterization that doesn't make the canon group or original author cringe.

It is a huge plus to work with a canon author; it shows that you're willing to work with the author group, to take suggestions, and to propose new ideas when someone notices something isn't quite right.

If you have questions, this topic is the place to ask them, or PM an author, or contact an author on the Discord channel.


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Name (Author) - Codename

Name: (include birth-name if it's changed)
Height:
Weight:
Age:
Hair: (color, style, length, texture, etc - whatever is appropriate)
Eyes: (size, shape, color, unique features)
Face: (face shape, nose size and shape, chin shape, complexion, etc)
Race:
Build: (general build, measurements if you have them. Athletic, lithe, portly, stout, rotund, starving waif supermodel, etc.)
Gender: (include TG status if appropriate and state of transition)
POB: birthplace and/or home
Assoc: (campus associations. Cottage, floor, clubs, team, etc. THIS MAY START OUT MOSTLY BLANK - and that's OKAY!)

Powers: description of powers, written with an explanation of what he or she can do, how the powers work, limitations, etc. generally, make this descriptive enough that another author can accurately use your character's powers.

Psychology: what makes this character tick? Fears, motivations, self-doubts, etc. how does he or she react to different situations? What are his or her goals? Are there any psychological weaknesses? Again, describe this well enough that another canon author can accurately use your character.

Other: - anything else we need to know about your character

NOTE - this IS NOT the place for extensive backstory except for that necessary to explain the character's motivation, psychology, etc.

One quick note from a fan sharing joy for this process. I have never seen it as a closed or elite group of authors, just excited for more content.

Just a note - the Gen 0 route mentioned above is always open, not just now. If you're busy with projects, life, work, etc, but will be free in a few months, you might want to try the Gen 0 route. Ask. We'll get answers.

Kristin, I didn't interpret the comment the same way you might have.

To me, the comment seemed to be saying that we weren't an elitist group, which implies snobbery and nose-in-the-air. Yes, we are a closed group of canon authors, but we aren't insular. We interact with the fans quite a bit. We react to their comments, we (mostly) welcome any comments that aren't nasty or snarky or mean. We are pretty open in our opinions that we appreciate our fans and let them know it. We encourage WhateleyIF. That's what I interpret from the comments.

We've had fans in the past with whom we had HUGE battles about haven an open writing universe, and it is a very sensitive point with us authors. (I don't need to mention names.) And yes, for the reasons Kristin mentions, we have to remain a closed group of canon stories. Canon stories. I think all the fans understand the need for us remaining a small, closed group. But it seems apparent that the fans also note that we encourage microscenes, WhateleyIF, and so on. We let them know that there IS a path to becoming a canon author.

So Kristin is right, and I believe my comments are right. It looks like we're talking about two different things.

elrodw wrote: - A Whateley short story – Think longer than a standard (not Bek-length) microscene. A vignette or so. The key is to use an author POV character as prime, and to also use two or more existing Whateley characters as supporting cast. This is primarily to show a prospective author's ability to 'play well with others' and to help further the storyline for ALL POV characters. It is not expected that a prospective author will write the supporting characters exactly like the original author – no one will write Phase like Diane, nor Laura like ElrodW writes her. It is mostly about being able to reasonably use the characters as supporting cast with reasonable characterization that doesn't make the canon group or original author cringe.

Would that be a current author POV character (Jak, Lanie, etc.), or does it include POV characters that were one-shots or whose authors have moved on (Chaka, Tennyo, Reach, Jimmy T, etc.)?

null0trooper wrote:

elrodw wrote: - A Whateley short story – Think longer than a standard (not Bek-length) microscene. A vignette or so. The key is to use an author POV character as prime, and to also use two or more existing Whateley characters as supporting cast. This is primarily to show a prospective author's ability to 'play well with others' and to help further the storyline for ALL POV characters. It is not expected that a prospective author will write the supporting characters exactly like the original author – no one will write Phase like Diane, nor Laura like ElrodW writes her. It is mostly about being able to reasonably use the characters as supporting cast with reasonable characterization that doesn't make the canon group or original author cringe.

Would that be a current author POV character (Jak, Lanie, etc.), or does it include POV characters that were one-shots or whose authors have moved on (Chaka, Tennyo, Reach, Jimmy T, etc.)?

I strongly suggest characters who have an active author, but any character who is the POV focus of several stories also works. I have used Tennyo as supporting cast a few times. I have used Reach as supporting a few times. For the audition, using a few is good. Once an author becomes canon, the more that are used (in various stories, not all at once), the better.

If you use a character with an active author, you can communicate with that author to get feedback during the development process, BTW. With other authors, you may not have that benefit.

I'd say avoid one-shot characters like the plague, too.

If I wasn't utterly swamped by life I'd be jumping up and down to get Kelly moved over to be a canon character. I think that I could maybe learn to write well enough to extend the few thousand words I have about her trip to Whately to be a story rather than a bare novella...
Of course that would depend on me having time and the canon cabal being willing to work with me... I tried to write something for Amelia Hartford, but haven't got more than a title, at this point, Amelia's Change....

Everyone has not read IF (on the old site I did, not now). I don't have the time. I barely keep up with canon. I don't know this "Kelly" from a hole in a wall.

Just saying.

I'm good with that actually and can understand where Kristin is coming from. One thing that many who read or write here have to understand is that in a way Chrystal Hall is Kristin's baby. She has been making sure that it didn't die an ignominious death when a number of the original canon authors abandoned the universe due to the fact that some fans felt that they were writing something that they didn't like (and I think I'm being a bit mild about what happened with the original breakup of the universe of Whateley Academy...) anyway, for all intents and purposes, this is Kristin's playground, and she sets the rules.

The best compromise for bringing existing non-canon characters into the fold would be, I think, to work on a new story featuring them in such a way that it can be standalone. Especially if the character currently only exists in an 'origin story', you could skip over that and introduce bits and pieces of background, characterisation and such as you go rather than recreating the base story that would establish things and set up future stories.

Ametros wrote: The best compromise for bringing existing non-canon characters into the fold would be, I think, to work on a new story featuring them in such a way that it can be standalone. Especially if the character currently only exists in an 'origin story', you could skip over that and introduce bits and pieces of background, characterisation and such as you go rather than recreating the base story that would establish things and set up future stories.

I think it would be painful for all concerned ( especially the readers ) to do it any other way.

Live thread, LIIIIVE!



I think they are still looking :3

As I have said in other threads, the main reason I am not throwing my hat in the ring is that I don't trust myself to follow through; I have a terrible record for finishing stories, and the last thing WA needs is another author who adds something only for it never to get finished.

That having been said, I would love to be able to use my OCs - Serendipity, Euterpe and her friends, Sagacity, Équilibre, maybe some others I am forgetting - in a canon story, I just don't see myself being able to commit to it. The same applies to both my take on David Goodkind's story, and on my Gen 0 stuff (about Champion-1 and Sunburst, as well as about Raul and Ophelia Tenant), but with the added matter that my ideas for those almost certainly clash with the existing canon bible.

I hope it's not to late to try out, because I'm going to give it a go. I may not have the best history with writing Whateley stories, but I'm damm going to try and write a good yarn.

Just gonna rez this again.

If in five months the auditions are still open, I will toss my hat in the ring.
As it stands, work is gearing up into a huge project that will demand all my time.

I can’t commit to writing because of that, but I do have an interesting character for Gen2 in development.
However, I did have some free time recently so another Outlook chapter will be ready soon.

Thxs, Camospam.

If I can kick my muse in the butt, I have a project in the works that I might submit.

Rose Bunny wrote: If I can kick my muse in the butt, I have a project in the works that I might submit.

It involves bunnies, doesn't it?

Bunnies? When did bunnies become a thing?
Must have missed the memo!
Looks like I need to do a re-write.

Camospam wrote: Bunnies? When did bunnies become a thing?
Must have missed the memo!
Looks like I need to do a re-write.

Bunnies have been a thing ever since Morgana and the incredible exploding, invisible, bunny...

Kristin Darken wrote: Just a reminder to everyone auditioning... don't get too committed to an idea that you intend to write as a canon piece until AFTER we tell you you are in. Your audition work may or may not be canon.

My impression, based on the original posting , was that the audition character sheets and stories were not meant to be tracked for canon.

A good example of what changed for me was Scald-Crow. In my fanfic she was a age regressed transwoman bonded to a transdimensional creature from the lands of Arcadia. Her team were the same thing!

Now she's a kid whose spirit almost died in a murder in Seattle. Massively different idea!

If you wanna right for Gen1 I can give some pointers:
1) Be ready with a few story samples and maybe a sheet so we can look it over. We want to see how you make characters and then how you write them.

2) I'd say avoid doing the same thing exactly or even as other characters or going into extreme detail on what your character can do. Let's be honest, power creep is a thing to avoid so consider character abilities that any raw mutant has. I'd suggest evolving the powers with the story so that way you get a more organic experience and can mentor with the established cabal.

3) Take a look at the spread of current characters and consider bringing a new angle to Whately. Hell, more run of the mill teen drama's are always fun and a great way to start a story!

4) Be open to seeing your chars changed or even asked to go back to the drawing board. Shared universes are about your ideas, but also how they work in a group setting.

These are -my- ideas and suggestions from my experiences. I don't speak for the Cabal or Whately. I would love to write with a few people and I'm always open to discuss ideas!

There are a few very key suggestions for auditioning - some of which we (the canon team) have learned through experience.

1) It is VERY HIGHLY suggested that you NOT try to make an existing character from fan-fic into a canon character. Really. This is a lot harder than it looks, and you will likely be very frustrated with the volume of changes suggested or required. It might be so frustrating that you give up. It can be done - look at myself and Morph as 2 authors who have canonized fan-fic characters, but it was not easy, and will not be for you either. In some cases with newer authors, this was a very difficult process.

2) New settings, sub-worlds, extra dimensions, etc. Be VERY careful. Integrating new bits into an existing universe can be equally tricky and / or frustrating. You have an idea, you want to put it in Whateley Unvierse, and the team can't figure out how it fits with established canon. Guess what - more frustration. If you want to make new bits, you need to work with the team and be VERY open to changing your ideas.

3) Characters. Be careful of starting with too many characters at once. If you count the number of characters I could write as POV main characters in a story, I have at least 5 in gen 1 and 1 in gen 2, plus minor side characters. Unless you are a very prolific writer (like Morpheus), some of these will be left to the side as you focus on your favorite. The danger is 'hanging plots' that don't get resolved. That's bad. Start with 1, plus maybe a minor side character or two (who will NOT be POV characters). Get a good handle on fitting one into the universe before you expand.

4) The other danger is overpowered characters. Beware of this. This is why many of the original team left - it was getting too hard to come up with reasonable plots for these characters. Average powers are good. My first character, Kayda, was borderline OP - so I nerfed her at the outset, and kept on emphasizing limitations. How many times did someone comment that "just call Tennyo and the demon problem is gone!" Where's the adventure and development in that? That's a cop-out answer and you all know it. If a character has no challenges, that character becomes very boring - and hard to write. It's a lot more realistic, rewarding, and challenging to write an average character (Shine, Knockoff, Charge) solving problems by being clever.

5) Listen when we tell you we made a mistake and learned from it. As an example, sentient or intelligent spirits. We had a couple, and now we're up to our hips in them. We must minimize that going forward. We can explain this as a one-time anomaly or confluence of psychic factors (or some other BS explanation), but they are an anomaly. So despite there being existing sentient spirits, we don't want more except for exceptional circumstances. Other similar 'variations' from basic tenets apply. If you want to do X, and it has appeared before but we say no, don't do the "yeah, but ..." thing. Understand that we realized it was a mistake and want to stop that. (Like the Warp 5.5 speed limit in Star Trek TNG - the creators ultimately said that was the WORST idea they put in, but once it was in, they were stuck. Same for Whateley.)

6) It's been said multiple times, but teamwork is absolutely essential. If you're a 'lone wolf' writer who doesn't or can't interact with other authors in a collaborative and constructive way, you will fail at Whateley - and not from lack of talent. You will fail by being frustrated and constrained by what the others want to include in plots and story elements.

7) Going right along with that is diplomacy and tact. If you end a disagreement by calling the other a '"snotty-faced, annoying, festering little git!" and insist that you're write and everyone else is wrong, or you argue incessantly with what others do, or you bring your own political or social beliefs into the writing chats / discussions, you will antagonize the rest of the crew, and it won't be a pleasant experience. This is not to say that you can't discuss things, but if it's not Whateley-related, you will need to know when to (as expressed by Tommy Smothers) "curb thy tongue, knave!" (If you don't know the Smothers Brothers, I can't help your lack of American cultural knowledge from the 60s and 70s.)

Writing in Whateley can be very rewarding, and you will get to know and work with some very good people. You will also work with some people who you definitely wouldn't include on your Christmas card list, but you work with them anyway out of professional courtesy. But it is not for everyone. Read what we're saying about the process and experience, and consider it.

I would add one thing regarding power level: try to plan a growth curve for your character. You don't want them to be a loser perpetually stuck in the Underdogs? Fine. You choose a set of powers that would make them a fine addition to the Empire City Guard... WHEN THEY FINISH GROWING UP AND UNDERSTANDING THEIR POWERS.

Meanwhile, they can have a lesser version of those powers... with poorer control... or perhaps they haven't figured out all the aspects and wrinkles of that power. Perhaps there are entire powers that they haven't noticed they have, but that under your concept makes total sense that they SHOULD have those additional powers if they could figure out the exact nature of their mutation/empowerment in the first place.

Consider Alan Moore's groundbreaking stint on Swamp Thing. Part of what made it great (besides the highly original plotting, literate dialogue, good characterization, wonderful art, etc.) was that Swampy got to gradually discover all the implications of the big reveal at the beginning of the run. He didn't get all those powers in a neat package; the author had a premise on what the nature of the character was, he knew that gave the character such-and-such potential powers, and set about a voyage of discovery, throwing situations which forced the character to push himself into discovering those powers. But it's all consistent with the basic premise.

Planning this growth curve gives you a couple benefits. First, you avoid being overpowered, because you set a reasonable endpoint from the start but begin from far below that. Second, the journey of growth and discovery gives you plenty of plot hooks to write stories around.