HOW TO USE THIS FORUM - IDEAS
Note: If you're going to ask a question here, please scroll down and click "New Post" and NOT "reply", otherwise your comment will nest incorrectly!
Please consult the Butterfly Squad Roster for a list of reviewers!
What’s this forum for?
Pitching ideas before you’ve started to write them up as drafts! Ask the community:
- Are you interested in reading this? Straight-up present your idea for an SCP or a tale, and see if people think it’s worth writing up.
- Does this need more? Do you have the beginnings of something that could be awesome, but you feel isn’t quite there? Give some examples of what you think might work, and see what people like better.
- Did I get my facts straight? This your first time writing about antique combat apparatus? Double-check your premise and historical accuracy.
- I’m trying something new! Want to write an SCP that uses an animated image or has a cool twist? See if the community thinks it’s cool too.
- I'm seeking greenlights so I can make a draft thread! This is the place! More information on the greenlighting process is here: http://www.scp-wiki.net/forum/t-10629348/new-draft-forum-policies
What are the guidelines to follow here for the most efficient review process?
- Keep it short and sweet. The explanation of your article should not exceed 500 words. Reviewers will ask for clarification or additional details as necessary; you want people to be intrigued and interested by the pitch, not overwhelmed or hesitant to even try to read a wall of text.
- Engage with your reviewers. Reply to the critique you get. When you change your concept in response to feedback, reply to your reviewer with an edited version and ask them if it's an improvement. Rather than assuming you're ready for the drafting step, confirm with your reviewers if what you have is solid enough to be mainlisted.
- Avoid using the “shotgun method” (throwing short, overly simple ideas at people until one of them sticks). Asking someone if a one-sentence idea is good is like showing them a pile of fruit and asking them how the smoothie you’re going to make will taste. There’s no way to tell for sure at this point. Do yourself and the reviewers here a favor and flesh out an idea before you ask if people are interested.
- Don’t bump. That's spammy. The forums tend to move slowly. Try the IRC chatroom for real-time feedback if you’re waiting too long.
- Don't make duplicate threads for the same concept. That keeps spam down, prevents forum flooding, and is more efficient for reviewers too when following the development of an idea. (Caveat: if your thread has not been active in 14 days or longer, you may create a new concept critique thread.)
- Keep your cool. If someone’s being mean, talk to a staff member, and they'll take care of it. Do not make personal attacks or call out the person yourself. Keep in mind that most writers here have college-level or above writing experience, and the standards are set very high for quality work here. The site's a tough place to get started in, so make sure you've read the How to Write an SCP Guide before you dive in.
- Read the forum rules and guidelines. The comprehensive Rules and Guidelines for this forum, written by Aelanna, can be found here. If you’re not familiar with the rules/expected behavior, read this before you post!
- Please don't just link or excerpt a sandbox draft. Give us a quick explanation of the concept. We don't need to see all the complicated details that would be present in a draft; we're helping out with the core idea. Link a sandbox ONLY IF A REVIEWER ASKS.
- Don't advertise your stuff on others' threads. As common courtesy, threads should focus on the work of the original poster. Rather than asking someone in their own help thread if they can review your thread, send them a wikidot message.
- To attract attention, use a unique title. Something like, "An idea about a cursed pizza delivery boy" sounds way more interesting to a potential reviewer than "Please review my idea" or "My first SCP idea" or something else predictable for the Ideas forum.
And of course, if there are any other questions, feel free to post here or PM me (Zyn). Happy forum-ing!
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