Rules (read first!)

[Cordilow]

Purpose of forums:
• Fantasy Reader Topics (subscribe): This is where one may discuss such as stories/authors you've read (or haven't read) or topics relating to them. If you want to ask questions about stories or authors, or simply have discussions about them, this is the place to do it. For instance, if you want to talk about Harry Potter or J.R.R. Tolkien, this is the place. Please let people know if you are about to spoil a story.
• Fantasy Writing Topics (subscribe): This is a forum for fantasy writers (illustrators, etc.) to discuss publishing, the art of writing and so forth. This is not a place to get feedback on something you've written. Please feel free to ask questions, express concerns and chat generally with your fellow writers, but remember to put "OT:", without the quotes, in the subject, if you go off topic, or in the message body if you started off on topic.
• Fantasy Critique (subscribe): This is where one may get feedback on personal fantasy writings. There are both private and public critique forums. If you plan to get your work published through a regular publisher, the private critique is highly recommended above the public—also remember to submit only a very small portion of the whole (i.e. a single chapter or two—at most—of a large novel). If you've written some dark fantasy and want it critiqued, post it in either Private Dark Fantasy Critique or Public Dark Fantasy Critique—not everyone is into horror. Please read this post for more information.

Scripted fantasy:
Although most fantasy forums are primarily targeted at normal novels, novellas, short stories and fairy tales, it is important to know that other types of fantasy are welcome for discussion here. Some of these go under the scripted fantasy sub-forums, such as movies, plays, visual novels, text adventures, games, video games, graphic novels and so forth. If you can manage it, please post in the proper sub-forum of Scripted Fantasy Discussion (e.g. movies go in Fantasy Movie Discussion).
• Examples of other, atypical, accepted content (non-scripted) include such as hypertext fiction, collaborative fiction, fantasy poetry and non-fiction related to the fantasy genre.

Non-written fantasy:
As the name of the parent forum implies, you are free to discuss other fantasy-themed forms of media besides writing, especially as they relate to some kind of fantasy writing (i.e. art, illustrations, music, sound effects, voice overs, and so forth). Movies, games, visual novels, comics, graphic novels and such should be discussed in the sub-forums for scripted fantasy as mentioned above.

Copyright warnings:
• Please do not use or redistribute content of authors here without their permission—this includes everything they say in their posts.
• Please do not post content you do not have permission to post, or that you are not properly licensed to post.

Content and behavior warnings: (Violators may be banned)
• Please be civil and considerate at all times.
• Do not plagiarize (regardless of which forum you post in).
• If your post contains any foul language, please remove it—or if it is content to be critiqued, kindly let us know at the beginning of your message body. Let us know the severity, too (i.e. such as mild, medium and severe; or you can choose to rate it with such as movie or video game ratings).
• Do not post erotica or anything with adult content.
• If you post images, make sure they are suitable for audiences of all ages.
• If you include media (games, movies, art, writings, linked websites, etc.) for download, make sure to warn us of any content not suitable for people of all ages, and please be specific as to which things they may be. Do not simply say, "This game includes some bad content."
• Refrain from hate speech—and from non-complimentary pigeonholing.
• Please make it known if your critique forum posts contain graphic violence, or other disturbing content.
• If you have criticism, keep it constructive, rather than destructive.
• Do not mock or express disdain for other users—such as those with poor English, differing tastes, etc.
• If you go off topic, put OT: in your subject, or make a note of it before you start the off topic part in your post—off topic discussion is allowed if you do this. I should note that sometimes what is off-topic is arguable, however. Once you read this whole post, you should have a fairly good idea of what is on and off topic.
• Please keep the quoted material in your replies to a minimum—that is, we don't need the entire post quoted when it's right above on the forum anyway, unless quite a few messages have come in the meantime. Be especially wary if you subscribe through email, because many will be tempted to do exactly this (since the quoted material is often automatically appended to your message)—you won't get banned for this, as it is usually unintentional, but please fix it up before sending.

Advertising:
• Advertising is allowed if it relates properly to the forum at hand and does not break any other forum rules (i.e. writing contests would go under Fantasy Writing Topics; if you're trying to get people to read a book, on the other hand, one of the other forums would be best, depending on whether you want a critique or if you just want people to know about it).
• Advertising is not allowed if it looks like you have an agenda to advertise like a spam bot (even if you're not a spam bot).
• Advertising is not allowed if you use underhanded/deceptive methods: i.e. don't create multiple Nabble accounts to try to make it seem like more people are interested, pretending you're a different person.
• Bumping posts to inspire discussion is allowed—doing it for advertising purposes is not. Wait at least two weeks after the last post in the thread to bump it. Try not to do it every two weeks for the next year, or anything like that, though—such would be considered spam.
• Please do not repost the same thing as something you have posted before (or essentially so, either)—if you feel the desire, try bumping your post (according to the rules) instead.

Definition of 'Fantasy' in these forums:
Contains at least one of the following:
• Supernatural elements
• Magic
• Something that 'might' be magical, or supernatural
• Implied supernatural or magical elements (i.e. if the story contains dragons without a real-world explanation, but no magic—even though this 'might' be science fiction, it's acceptable here)
• It is speculative fiction, but the sub-genre is not obvious.
• It seems like fantasy, but is arguably science fiction, or something else (i.e. the 'magic' system has a possible grounding in science).
• It seems like something else, but is arguably fantasy (i.e. a horror story about a murderous doll, with no 'scientific' explanation as to why it can move, talk and kill people of its own accord).
• It relates to another work that is fantasy (e.g. members of the readers forum may wish to discuss non-fantasy books by a hard-core fantasy author)
• Mythology
• Legends
• Fantasy-related non-fiction (i.e. discussion on such as The Element Encyclopedia of Magical Creatures is surely allowed)
• It takes place on another world that is not obviously in the same dimension of space as our world

Important notes:
• Keep up to date with any forum changes by subscribing to the changes forum under announcements.
• You can reply (through email) to posts you receive through email.

[Cordilow]

Critique forum information:
The critique forums are where you may submit stories for others to critique (give advice, tell of problems, etc.), or you may in turn help others. There are both private and public critique forums.

—Private Fantasy Critique—

What is the private critique forum?
It is a critique forum that only authorized users are allowed to see and use. Contrariwise, public forums are viewable by all (even those using search engines).

Prospective members:
1. Read and agree wholeheartedly to the forum rules, as well as all the content in this reply to the rules. Don't just skim them. There is information you will need to know.
2. Post at least a few posts in the other forums under Cordilow's Literature and Fine Arts of Fantasy. Make sure at least a couple of them are replies (they don't have to be critique forum replies).
3. Contact Cordilow and request membership. Tell that you have read and that you agree to the forum rules; this is intended to be your electronic signature to the agreement.
4. Wait for feedback from Cordilow.
5. Congratulations if you make it! Just make quality posts and you should do fine.

—Public Fantasy Critique—
• The public fantasy critique forum is a critique forum where any registered user may post (provided they have not been banned).
• Posts here are public, and even indexed by search engines.
• Read the forum rules (including this entire post). Agree to them before posting (this is a personal commitment—you don't have to tell anyone, for the public forums).
• Enjoy!

***Guidelines for all critique forums***
(These are not 'rules' per se, but they are for the benefit of all:)
• You are not required to post regularly in any forum, private or public. However, please be courteous and critique other people's stuff if and when you have time, or if you want critiques yourself. Please try to give priority to those posts that have not had replies yet.
• Be patient (especially if you've submitted something long). The forums are still relatively new. Don't expect immediate results.
• Look for prospective members—referrals will probably help us grow more than anything.
• You may be dropped from the private group, or even banned from the public forums, if you ignore warnings and disobey the rules.
• Say what you want us to tell you—don't just submit a story.
• Try to post only what is necessary. For instance, if you only want to know about your descriptive style, only submit content that displays it (we don't always need to read a whole chapter—though it is sometimes desirable).
‣ Remember that publishers often won't accept a manuscript if it has been published online (including via email). A general guideline is to submit only a few chapters at most (or a small portion of the whole—if your chapters are few, only submit smaller segments). The smaller the amount, the better—and the more likely you are to get a critique.
• Listen to those who critique your submissions. Realize that you do not know everything. Even if you disagree, refrain from openly shooting down suggestions and advice (unless, of course, you are an experienced writer and know these things to be bad practice in the fantasy writing industry—but even then, be courteous).
• Pay attention to the announcements forum.
• Try subscribing to forums. You can post and reply through email that way (as well as get all posts in full through email); this will help us develop a more community feel. Click Options-->Subscribe to this forum.

[Cordilow]

Q. Does the administrator of this forum work for Nabble?
A. No. Nabble is a free service. Anyone can start forums on it—even you.

Q. Can I contact Nabble directly?
A. Yep, see Nabble Support.

Q. I'm worried about posting because forum x doesn't have much, if any, activity—will anyone see my posts?
A. Yes—your posts will be seen by at least the forum owner, and in most cases some others. Hopefully they will even get replies; most posts do.