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3 years ago ::
Jan 16, 2010 - 2:04PM
#281
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Perhaps you aren't talking to the right people?
I've seen the silence too, both to offers to write and offers to run playtests. And I ain't even a noob - I've written 4 non-LFR RPGA adventures in my day, and even playtested a LG mod for Mr. Merwin once.
The problem is that people aren't trying hard enough to write. It's not enough to send an email to someone and then throw your hands up in the air and say "well, I offered to help and they didn't respond. I tried!"
Write a well thought-out proposal and send it to every writing director you can reach. Send emails to the globals asking to be put on a potential authors list. Send them your qualifications, explaining why you think you'd be a good writer.
I'll tell you right now... many (most) authors prove to be unrealiable and either disappear or quit mid-project, or grossly miss their deadlines. The admins are often in a position where they have to pick up where an absentee author left off and finish his work, or write a proposal that never got picked up on their own. Be available to help out and get yourself noticed.
If you need help, need templates, need to know who to reach out to or how to do it, don't be shy. Ask people that have some experience with it or ask the globals directly. All the admins I've worked with are pretty responsive, but Pieter (global admin - Madfox) and Pierre (regional admin - Gomez) are particularly helpful. I know Teos is itching to help new authors develop their skills, and I'm in that same boat.
Dave Kay
LFR Writing Director Retiree
dkay807 [at] yahoo [dot] com
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3 years ago ::
Jan 16, 2010 - 3:18PM
#282
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Date Joined:
Aug 21, 2007
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Claire and I try to have writing opportunities twice a year for our Waterdeep adventures open to new authors. However, we don't tend to use authors new to LFR for Major Quests as the demands for the adventure fitting into the story arc are much greater. As has been stated by others, writing for LFR is a bit harder than previous RPGA campaigns. Hey, I wish I had more than 5 Waterdeep adventures per year.
Keith
Keith Hoffman
LFR Writing Director for Waterdeep
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3 years ago ::
Jan 16, 2010 - 5:55PM
#283
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Date Joined:
Aug 18, 2007
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Write a well thought-out proposal and send it to every writing director you can reach.
That assumes that you ideas work in evey Region. (Keith you would have heard from me if I had an idea that worked for Waterdeep for example, but not yet.)
In one of the regions I have contacted I got back a response of "all modules allocated for 2010" in October last year.
I'll tell you right now... many (most) authors prove to be unrealiable and either disappear or quit mid-project, or grossly miss their deadlines.
And hence WD's quite reasonably go back to trusted authors, and they need a huge 4 to cover their allocation of mods for a year. The fact we then have folks like you with "mods" upcoming just makes it that much harder for potential new authors to get a shot.
I'm not blaming the WDs for the situation at all, heck I'd have modules planned out through to the end of Epic by now if I was in their position. My objection is to the constant "always looking for new authors" statements, because experience says it isn't necassarily true at all, and as you point out that is for good reason in many cases.
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3 years ago ::
Jan 16, 2010 - 7:44PM
#284
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Date Joined:
Dec 16, 2005
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Perhaps you aren't talking to the right people?
I've seen the silence too, both to offers to write and offers to run playtests. And I ain't even a noob - I've written 4 non-LFR RPGA adventures in my day, and even playtested a LG mod for Mr. Merwin once.
The problem is that people aren't trying hard enough to write. It's not enough to send an email to someone and then throw your hands up in the air and say "well, I offered to help and they didn't respond. I tried!"
Write a well thought-out proposal and send it to every writing director you can reach. Send emails to the globals asking to be put on a potential authors list. Send them your qualifications, explaining why you think you'd be a good writer.
I'll tell you right now... many (most) authors prove to be unrealiable and either disappear or quit mid-project, or grossly miss their deadlines. The admins are often in a position where they have to pick up where an absentee author left off and finish his work, or write a proposal that never got picked up on their own. Be available to help out and get yourself noticed.
If you need help, need templates, need to know who to reach out to or how to do it, don't be shy. Ask people that have some experience with it or ask the globals directly. All the admins I've worked with are pretty responsive, but Pieter (global admin - Madfox) and Pierre (regional admin - Gomez) are particularly helpful. I know Teos is itching to help new authors develop their skills, and I'm in that same boat.
It's probably not just reliability. For some writers, I imagine that the various requirements drive them away. I for one would be happy to write for LFR if I weren't required to use .docx format for the files and dungeon tiles for the maps. I wrote a good number of LG mods and some for profit 3rd party stuff but I don't want to deal with dungeon tiles or buy a new word processor to write LFR. (Yeah, I might be able to use open office, but I've yet to see what it can do that my trusty Word 97 doesn't do better).
So, if the PTB ever find that they don't have enough authors (or enough good and reliable authors), they might think about relaxing those requirements. I suspect I'm not the only person who would be interested in writing for the campaign but is not currently doing so due to the various requirements.
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3 years ago ::
Jan 16, 2010 - 9:22PM
#285
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- Senior Volunteer Community Lead
Date Joined:
Aug 19, 2007
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I for one would be happy to write for LFR if I weren't required to use .docx format for the files and dungeon tiles for the maps.
Eh, I'd say that not being willing to accomodate these two points would qualify for the 'not trying hard enough' category. There is a free mapper available for dungeon tiles, and a number of programs that can work with the images. And I'd not be surprised if you could do something in an older version of word and have a writing director convert, if it was worth their time - though free versions are available, and it's really not expensive. I picked up excel, word, and one note for $60 for three machines a year or two ago and consider it a very sound investment.
Keith Richmond
Living Forgotten Realms Epic Writing Director
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3 years ago ::
Jan 16, 2010 - 9:35PM
#286
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Date Joined:
Oct 26, 2008
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The problem is that people aren't trying hard enough to write. It's not enough to send an email to someone and then throw your hands up in the air and say "well, I offered to help and they didn't respond. I tried!"
I have to call you on this comment: On the one hand we have WD's and admins looking for new writers and on the other hand, we have someone saying that contacting them isn't good enough. The whole point to emailing someone with a suggestion of help is that if they need it, they will at least respond. The only thing to be taken away from silence or no response is that in fact, they don't need your help.
I mentioned this in another thread. Lack of contact is unprofessional. If you can't keep up with your email enough to reply with a simple "I got your email but I'm too busy right now to say more than that" or "what we really need is X" within a few days, well that's what some folks around me refer to as a personal problem. It makes folks who might be willing to help out decide that frankly the admins/WD's/whoever are just not worth it, because if they can't be asked to do this much, frankly what is going to happen when the actual writing begins?
That's not to say that I'm calling all WD's lame or out of touch, but there's no need to make excuses for them if they were to not keep in touch.
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3 years ago ::
Jan 16, 2010 - 11:41PM
#287
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Date Joined:
Dec 16, 2005
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I for one would be happy to write for LFR if I weren't required to use .docx format for the files and dungeon tiles for the maps.
Eh, I'd say that not being willing to accomodate these two points would qualify for the 'not trying hard enough' category. There is a free mapper available for dungeon tiles, and a number of programs that can work with the images. And I'd not be surprised if you could do something in an older version of word and have a writing director convert, if it was worth their time - though free versions are available, and it's really not expensive. I picked up excel, word, and one note for $60 for three machines a year or two ago and consider it a very sound investment.
The Dungeon tiles objection is a matter of quality writing rather than expense or difficulty. I think the product is garbage and to the extent it does what I want it to do at all, it does so very poorly. I contacted the administration through one of my friends who is a writing director about a year ago with the idea of using the old fantastic locations maps rather than dungeon tiles for a fantastic locations module and was told that it had been asked before and the answer was no. So, they want dungeon tiles and I want to do my adventures well. These two goals are not compatible, so that's it. If they change their mind, I may change mine.
I don't mean to imply that the authors who do use dungeon tiles are bad writers for doing so--I'm sure they do the best they can with the tools they are given and some of their work still manages to be good. I just think that it would be better with better tools (and that, if it comes down to it a mere pencil and graph paper would constitute "better tools") and I am not personally interested in working under the requirement to use dungeon tiles. I only bring it up now to point out that if they really want a larger pool of authors than they have now, there are steps they could take to achieve that goal. One is better (or more) outreach to new authors. Another would be finding a way to work around some of the restrictions that keep some people who have worked with them in the past from doing it now.
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3 years ago ::
Jan 16, 2010 - 11:43PM
#288
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Date Joined:
Aug 18, 2007
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The problem is that people aren't trying hard enough to write. It's not enough to send an email to someone and then throw your hands up in the air and say "well, I offered to help and they didn't respond. I tried!"
I have to call you on this comment: On the one hand we have WD's and admins looking for new writers and on the other hand, we have someone saying that contacting them isn't good enough. The whole point to emailing someone with a suggestion of help is that if they need it, they will at least respond. The only thing to be taken away from silence or no response is that in fact, they don't need your help.
This nicely sums up my feelings about DKay's comment. There is another thing to take away mind you, and that is the person you are contacting doesn't care that you want to help.
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3 years ago ::
Jan 17, 2010 - 12:13AM
#289
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- Dragon Slayer
- If only he would apply himself
- Dammit Jim, this is Star Trek, not D&D!
Date Joined:
Jan 31, 2006
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On authoring, I've been turned down a couple of times before being accepted. I've been turned down since becoming an author - well, not so much turned down as put on the wait list. I've also had people give me a conditional yes, based on either a full proposal or doing work that was based on a strongly developed and confining outline. And, I have said no once because, though I really wanted to work with the region in question, I need to moderate my writing so as to not impact my family.
This has been said before, but I'll try to say it in a different way.
Regions
Regions have very few slots per year. They are often writing one of them on their own, leaving 4 or so slots in a calendar year. As you might expect, they might have someone they want to choose specifically for one of them (even two). For example, they might want to tap a writer they worked with before or to turn to a writer that they admire from work they have seen. So, you have 2-3 slots. For those, they look at the list of people that have expressed interest. Some regions reported scores of would-be authors on the waiting list at the start of the campaign. I'm not sure that has changed for popular regions.
At the same time, I have seen some regions periodically put out a call for authors, though not since the new Community site.
Cores
Cores tend to try to go with people they know, because the global admins know a lot of people. But, they have more mods overall, so this can be a bit better for odds. Major quests and specials will usually go to experienced authors.
What to do
The biggest downer for an admin is being let down by someone that expresses great interest but then drops out. You really should stop and make sure you are interested in the entirety of the process. For example, the stop-go nature of the work. You have to do a lot up front to create a proposal that you will be happy with, since you can't stray from it later. Then you hand it in, wait (3 weeks is possible) hopefully are approved, and then start based on the proposal and their changes. You write for a month or so, turn it in, and wait. Then playtests are run (though most authors are smart to do at least 1 playtest on their own before the draft is due), you wait (2-4 weeks) and you edit for a second draft, incorporating feedback. Now you produce your final draft, which the admins/Tulach might edit however they see fit and which you will not see until the mod comes out. Plus, while the process is certainly creative, there are plenty of confining rules.
Assuming you are happy with that, you will want to let everyone you would want to write for know that you are available. You will not hear back from most people because, as in most of the publishing market or job world, you are an unproven resource and there are a lot of you out there - answering these requests is often a waste of time. So, prove you aren't. Put together a gaming resume highlighting your experience. Attach examples of your work that shows your capabilities. Be professional. Edit all your communications carefully.
If you really want to land the job, create a proposal. The proposal should be 2 pages and detail the adventure (encounter by encounter, with locations and NPCs). This will show the admins both your capabilities and that you mean business. Be open to suggestions, as each admin will have wildly varying ideas on what they could do with that (for example, they might like encounter 1 and an NPC but not anything else).
Keep at it. Find people in your area that playtest. Ask to playtest for your region, providing a mini-resume of the people in your group. (Our playtest group has two former Triads, two large con organizers, 3-5 people with LG and/or LFR writing experience, capacity to test at wide tiers and with little notice, etc.). Keep floating ideas, even just a short paragraph to talk about a vision you have based on what the region is doing.
If you keep at it long enough, it will happen - all assuming that whay you are putting before them is of quality.
Follow my blog and Twitter feed with Dark Sun campaign design and DM tips! Dark Sun's Ashes of Athas Campaign is now available for home play (PM me with your e-mail to order the campaign adventures).
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3 years ago ::
Jan 17, 2010 - 12:31AM
#290
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- Dragon Slayer
- If only he would apply himself
- Dammit Jim, this is Star Trek, not D&D!
Date Joined:
Jan 31, 2006
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I finally played SPEC1-3 at P1. SPEC1-3 P1:
Show
I had a great time. We were not a super-optimal team, but we were a solid team. We had a lot of trouble in the last encounter and I can understand the complaints. I don't think it was off by much, but I think some minor tweaks could make it better. In particular, the tiering is really difficult because of the at-will being so hugely controling. With half our party dominated, and not being in a situation to ever shake that off, our party of 6 really had an uphill battle. The DM was strict but not as rough as they could have been - they could have easily shut down all our healing. Drop one PC via clever use of dominate to focus damage on PCs and you could easily have one PC down and 3 controlled... We called it due to time, but I can see us having lost it because the damage was adding up with 1 of 2 leaders continually out of the picture. We were making some slow headway, but we lacked sufficiently strong damage output to overcome half the party being out of the picture.
I am glad to have played it because I learned a lot as both a player and author. I have a better feel for what the challenge can be for my PCs and what can hurt a table as a DM. I am impressed that Dave could produce something this hard back in August of last year (really starting way before that, probably). Most people were barely doing 7-10 when Dave wrote that. He had playtested my mod around the time he was writing it, but clearly this was something very hard to write. It felt like an LG special in many ways - super hard and paragon-feeling.
Follow my blog and Twitter feed with Dark Sun campaign design and DM tips! Dark Sun's Ashes of Athas Campaign is now available for home play (PM me with your e-mail to order the campaign adventures).
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