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WRITERS GUIDE:         

          For those of you who suffer withdrawal symptoms if you don't write a story, here are some guidelines for story submissions.

            First, and most importantly, all submissions should be legible.  This does not necessarily mean that it must be typed, but at least clearly printed, and please, one side of the paper only.  I have a hard enough time with my own handwriting as it is, and keep in mind that I have to be able to edit properly. 

            Next and equally important, all submissions should pertain to ELFQUEST.  After all, going from Amberfox to Mr. Ed would be weird.  In all honesty, I'd prefer to keep the chaos to a dull roar and ask that stories and other submissions involve the Holt and its assorted slobs.  I will accept other material on an individual basis. 

            Though we dwell on the same world and time as Wendy Pini's elves, we'll never meet up with them.  This would be bad.  The stories of Cutter and Co.'s adventures are not ours to tell.  Besides, isn't it more fun to create and abuse, I mean, write adventures for our own elves?

            Please keep in mind that currently on the World of Two Moons much of the plant and animal life is rather reminiscent of Earth's Pleistocene epoch.  This means that there are, in many areas, animals such as the sabertooth tiger and mammoths.  This rules out massive charging herds of brontosaurus.  Fantasy creatures are also ruled out: no dragons or unicorns (references may be made to such creatures provided they remain in the realm of fantasy).  Don't feel this means you're limited though.  In the glossary are creatures that are found locally, and if your character isn't from the area - imagine the options open to you.  

If you involve another member's character in any of your material, you need to ask permission first, or contact me to speak to them.  If you'd like to involve others but aren't sure of which characters would work best for your story or which members would enjoy interacting, ask me and I will send you a lovely list of elves and\or members.  Upon approval from the member(s), please try to keep the characters consistent with the way they were created, follow the CIS, and avoid drastic changes unless the member gives you permission to do so.  

         After you complete the story, allow all the members involved to approve the parts where their characters appear before sending me the final draft.  If this becomes too costly or troublesome, send it to me and I'll send it out for approval to the various members involved.  Do not be afraid to involve others; most members are thrilled and flattered to have someone include their elves in stories.  Many will even enthusiastically collaborate on story ideas.

            If there are problems within the story, I will send it back with explanations, pointing out the problems.  I feel this is your work and you are the only one truly qualified to make necessary corrections (with the exception of responses from characters that belong to other members).  If I find only grammatical errors or simple misspellings, I will make the changes myself, but let you know there were those problems.  I will send a corrected copy to you, as well as the original for you to make final approval prior to print.

            Some members often send material and tell me to edit at will.  If this is suitable, let me know.  I will still inform you of any problems I may encounter, and will send an edited copy if you prefer.  Remember, these are your stories.  All I am looking for are grammatical and spelling errors and any aspect in the story that might violate or clash with any existing rules of the Holt.  

       I am not an ogre.  If you feel that a section of your story needs to remain despite my having problems with it, let me know.  Perhaps I need more detail as to the situation or something just needs slight rewording.  I will be happy to try to work something out with you, something that makes the both of us happy with the final result.  

        Please, I must ask that there be no X-rated material.  You'll have to imagine that for yourself.  I have not considered a "blue issue" for Grand Illusions, especially since we have not had enough submissions for such a 'zine.  I will accept R-rated material if it is done in good taste.  If you're in doubt, just send it to me!

        If you cannot think of any story plots for your character, feel free to ask me or any other Holt writer.  Because we are wanderers in wandering, an always-available option is how your elf came to be with the Holt of Grand Illusions or what she\he did prior.  If you need someone from the Holt to fill a particular role, there will be a brief character listing for you to look through, or again, you can write me for assistance.  Never be afraid to ask!  It's what I'm here for - to help!  

         I accept stories (short, long, or in parts), poetry, games, puzzles, open letters, personal ads, and brief comments.  A word of caution: I urge everyone to take note of those evil Gotara worshippers that work in guise of mild mannered mailmen who know what we're doing.  This means DO NOT SEND ORIGINALS!  They see right through envelopes and if they notice it's an original, kiss it good-bye.  Make a copy and either keep it for yourself or send it to me in the place of the original.  They don't call it the post orifice for nothing.

            Lastly, I am capable of receiving material via email.  My computer may have problems if the item is sent in any format other than word document, so if possible, please send it in word.  If I have trouble opening the document or simply can’t read it, I’ll let you know and we can try again.  You can also send disks with the document(s) and I can download the information from here.  Again, if I encounter problems, I can return it and we can take it from there.

VIOLENCE:

  On the subject of violence, for the Holt of Grand Illusions, it is a natural, unavoidable aspect in varying degrees.  This is due to the elves being wanderers with different cultures and life experiences.  Since the Holt is a wandering one, this will permit the elves to encounter both friendly and hostile races, ambushes, and lands both fertile and desolate – the possibilities are endless.  Many elves are fighters or warriors as survival is difficult when traveling in unfamiliar territory, not knowing what lurks ahead.  

  Most cubs are taught self-defense or even combat skills at a very early age to increase survival chances.  When traveling or hunting, parents cannot always be able to protect their offspring, and if ambushed in unfamiliar territory, it is impractical to assume cubs can escape to the safety of hidden shelter.  It is the decision of the parents as to what to teach their cubs and to what degree.  

            In comparison with many other holts, Grand Illusions is more lenient with its policy toward violence.  There are limits, however, which will not be tolerated (please refer to “no-nos”).  Remember that the wandering nature of Grand Illusions allows for the possibility of violence that would be considered excessive in stationary holts.  Stationary holts and their enemies are usually held in check by fear of retaliation, often resulting in avoidance of conflicts altogether.  Grand Illusions rarely backtracks or returns to an area and thus is not privileged to utilize such fear.

            When writing about violent scenes, use good judgment in its necessity to the story or contact me in advance to check on acceptable levels.  We welcome stories with a certain amount of violence as they can show the necessity of it or the shameful waste it can cause.  As with love/romantic/sexual stories, please keep in mind that the subject does not appeal to all members of the Holt and also that an overabundance of the same-themed stories wear out their welcome and become boring and cliché.

LANGUAGE:

The subject of questionable language (cuss/swear words) is one of the most heavily debated and controversial issues in the ELFQUEST fandom.  There are those that feel that words/phrases that express extreme anger, disapproval, or surprise should be limited solely to words created by elves from their everyday environment (IE: “owl pellets,” “dung”), while others maintain that elves could have more “human” terms such as “shit.”  Our policy is that “human” cuss words are acceptable, considering that, for instance, excrement, owl pellets, dung, and shit are different sounds that encompass the same concept.  It is an individual society that has made some words acceptable and others not, even though they ultimately mean the same thing.

Along the same lines, “damn” is equally acceptable under this rule, as “damn” and “curse” are interchangeable.  Both words evoke superstition to entice bad events to cause potential harm.

The first and foremost important guideline to using questionable language is if it fits the personality of the character.  Is that character the type to use harsh, crude language, or the type that relies on other methods to express emotions?  Second, is it relevant to the story to use questionable language?  While the character may be the type to “cuss,” the story may not contain a scenario that would constitute such an expressive response.  The “cussing” would therefore be considered unnecessary and merely gratuitous.  If swearing doesn’t belong for whatever reason, don’t use it.

Third, while use of such words are perfectly acceptable, try to avoid excessive use of it.  Just as with romantic or violent scenes, constant use becomes boring and loses its intended impact.  Lastly, I wish to stress that while “human cuss words” are acceptable, I strongly encourage Holt members to create their own elfin equivalents.  It’s more fun, creative, and causes less distress and whining from our more sensitive members.

NO-NOS:

            While our Holt can experience a wide range of violence, there are exceptions. Abuse of Recognized mates, cubs, bond beasts, narcotic drugs, and natural resources will not be tolerated.  Incest is totally unacceptable.  The killing of animals for sheer sport is avoided.  While the subject of rape is strongly discouraged (since elves do not have the sexual taboos that humans and trolls have) it is feasible that it may occur.  Humans and troll certainly still use sex as a weapon to subjugate and intimidate members of their own and of others’ races.  It is also possible – though extremely rare – that an elf that is accustomed to free and casual joinings will not understand when her/his advances are rejected.  This type of elf must be taught quickly which elves are “off limits” or uninterested and which elves are active in such activities to avoid regrettable situations.

Continual violence between Holtmates of Grand Illusions will not be tolerated.  There may be tensions, aggression, or even occasional fights between two parties, but constant bickering is not acceptable.  Desertmoon will ask though involved to take dispute outside the Holt perimeter and not return until they’ve reached some form of in-Holt peace agreement (or someone is killed).  Stories involving such conflicts are welcome (Starshadow vs. everyone who can lift off the ground, Frostfire vs. Shadowmist, Morrigan vs. Dawnblade and the Nightdancers, everyone vs. Harvesttoad), but after three stories of severe clashes, sequels will have to take place outside the Holt.  The Holt cannot survive with its members fighting each other.