DocumentZ - Story posting Guide
Greetings to all the contestants of DocumentZ and anyone that might be looking on from the audience!
A couple of questions have been thrown my way in regards to what is acceptable and not acceptable in regards to the Episode Entries of DocumentZ. So I have put together a guide below that should clear all of that up plus some additional recommendations to the Contestants.
These recommendations are there for you to get the most out of the DocumentZ writing experience. To avoid some obvious pitfalls and to hone your writing skills! DocumentZ is for the newcomer to fiction writing as well as the veteran after all, so we need some guidelines to try keep things easily cohesive.
FAQ
Is the writing going to be done 1st person or 3rd person?
This is a simple but very interesting question. It opens us up to a lot of possibilities and yet we want to keep this on “easy” mode for those who do not do a lot of fiction writing. Deep 1st Person POV can be tricky. At the same time some people find it difficult to write completely from a 3rd person perspective. (Let us not even consider the other, stranger forms of prose.)
So in conclusion: DocumentZ, Tim Simmons will be written in loose 3rd person POV.
Definition: You should be writing from Tim’s knowledge, following him around. You are allowed to describe him and what he does. You are allowed to dip into his thoughts and perceptions if that is what you like to do. There are not too many words to be fancy, so do not get too caught up in sequenced inherited in one or the other that will waste time.
How much time will I be given to write my Entry?
We are closing judging on an Episode Prompt 7 days after the Prompt is posted. In other words, when the Episode Prompt reaches Payout, all the Entries must be in! If everyone gets their posts in on a good time then the evaluation of the posts and the start of the new Episode can happen faster!
How will I know where to go and what to do? How do I know what the place will look like?
Mostly you are given a lot of freedom in what your actions should be. We have selected a fairly populous city in the United States as the setting for this character. The City is easily viewed using Google Maps and a starting location is well defined for you in the Episode 1 Prompt.
Forewarning on what NOT to do
A writing prompt, as in most writing contests is between 600-1200 words. You have that limit in order to complete the objectives that have been set out to you in the prompt.
There are a few facts about the story that should evolve over time and it would not be a good idea for you to try and cram it all in one Episode or even into one Season of DocumentZ.
These factors include:
- Tim Simmon’s character
- Tim Simmon’s background
- How the Zombie contagion works
- How the Zombies themselves are
- What is happening all over the world?
These are factors you SHOULD and want to explore. However, you need to do it in drips and drabs. Tim does not what is going on everywhere and he is thrown neck deep in the action! There is simply no time to try and define everything right away.
This causes each winner of the Episode Entries to slowly shape the world, the characters and the zombies themselves. This is aimed at creating something wholly unique.
Do you have more questions? Reply to this post!
Do you want to discuss them? Hop on over to our Discord chat!
Keep on writing
@zakludick
