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SME Advice Page

You've read the Fanficton the Sailor Moon Expaned Page and you decided that you would like to join the team. That's Great!

But it's not simple. Every ten Applications that are received, at least seven are rejected outright because they don't fit with the SME concept. Of the other three, two fall into a gray area of needing work before a decision is arrived at. Sometimes, the changes the applicant makes allows us to accept it. Other times, the author is unwilling to make changes and the application falls by the wayside. The tenth application is usually accepted into the group with little or no changes. (FYI: My application ended up in the "Needs work" catagory, and I worked on it until it was accepted.)

One of the biggest mistake we see is that people don't understand that SME is a shared Universe. That means that we are free to borrow and use characters from other authors inside the group, within reason. I can use anyone's SME characters, with the creator reserving the right to veto any action or sitution I place their characters into. We work on a established timeline, with major events already plotted and placed. There's plenty of space for stories, but within that framework.

Therefore, I offer these words of advice for those who want to join us....

Some things to keep in mind when applying to join. These are only my views on the subject, and not the offical position of any other SME author;

#1) SME is not a place for an inexperienced fanfic writer to start out.

Almost all the members of the SME crew have at least one year experience in writing fanfiction, ranging from Sailor Moon to Battletech. Most are still writing for other series and fanfic universes while they write for SME. It is one thing to propose a story, it is another matter to write the story. Experienced authors have a better knowledge of what they can or can't do. If you have no experience, write several of your own fanfic stories set in your own universe and put them up on the web, or join a mailing list that is about fanfiction. But above all - WRITE!

In addition, read other writers' fanfics to get a feel for plot construction, character development, and other details. Good Fanfics can teach you something positive about writing, Bad fanfics will teach you what not to do. Know the difference between the two.

#2) Keep the initial proposed storyline small event-wise.

SME is a collection of stories that are united by a common, detailed background that has been built up over several years. Characters are shared with each author, as are events and locations in the SME timeline. While there is some flexibility in the timeline and characters, it is not flexible enough to handle a proposal along the lines of "Revenge of the Nega Moon in 3003." If, on the other hand, your proposal is along the lines of "A romance between two minor characters," that has a better chance of being looked at closer by the SME crew.

Once you're in, you'll be better informed and free to join the big storylines and make your own mark.

#3) Be VERY familiar with the SME universe.

The basis for the SME universe is the anime series Sailor Moon. It is the structure that we attach our stories to, so anything that is a direct contradiction to the anime series is a no-no. Also, the Japanese names of the characters are the ones we used -- not "Amy," but "Ami," not "Raye," but "Rei," and so on.

Read all the stories on the SME site to get an idea of what the relationships between individual characters are like. Then read the SME ten commandments. Both will give you a framework to set your story in.

#4) Check your spelling, grammar and formatting.

Sounds like a no brainier, right? Bad writing in the technical sense can ruin a story quickly. It is very hard to read a story proposal if the formatting is off ,words are mispelled, and grammer is atrocious. Most Word Processor programs have a spell checker/grammer checker. Use them. If you belong to a fanfic mailing list, send the story to the list for proof reading and comments and criticism.

5) BE FLEXIBLE!!!

Your story proposal shouldn't be set in stone -- this I can speak on from personnel experience when I joined SME. My original character of Alan Thomas went through several major changes before he became the character that appeared in "Windwalker Chronicles." As he was originally proposed to the SME group, he was a much more powerful user of magic. Conversation between the SME members and myself refined the extent of Alan's magic to the point where everyone could agree. It is to these guidelines I write Alan to.

Assuming your propsal is not totally unuseable, (That is a key point - if it doesn't fit SME in any,way shape, or form, being flexible will not help) you must be willing to give on certain things in order to make your proposal SME friendly. How much you have to give depends on how much it fits into the background.

Belive me, you want to make as good an impression as you can stright off the bat. Most of the submissions we receive are not useable, or worse. I am not trying to scare you off, but it isn't easy to join. Keep that in mind, and we'll see you on the SME Author's mailing list!.

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