First, a META is a type of improvisational fanfic, (impro for short) which means that it is a story or series written by a group of writers, (usually randomly selected, but not always) whose names are stored in a queue. Each writer must complete his part within a certain time period, then, after his part is submitted, the next writer begins. There is no "head writer" who determines who will write what, so the writers work independently, although collaboration is quite common.
Unlike other impros, a META is not about writing stories, it is about teaching how to write stories. At META, inexperienced writers can learn how to write in an improvisational style without fear of embarassing themselves. Writers are encouraged to write the best parts they can, not for the sake of the story, but to improve their abilities. After submitting parts, they are reviewed and given constructive feedback.
Each META belongs to some genre(s). Possible genres include but are not limited to: shoujo, comedy, mecha, sci-fi, fighting, RPG, horror, magical girl, etc. The genre is only there to give the series a general flavor, not to put rigid restrictions on where the story can go. Genres can also be mixed and matched to make new and interesting stories. One could write a shoujo/fighting META, or a META which mixes elements of horror with comedy- the possibilities are endless. The important thing is to give each series a distinct personality, what some call, "the spirit of the impro", and it is the goal of each writer to stay faithful to this spirit.
Most people favor some genres over others, so to give everyone a fair chance at writing in an area they are comfortable with, each META will be ended after a small number of chapters, and a new one begun with a different theme. Ambitious writers can even submit their own METAs, as practice for starting a series.
Each part is due exactly at 11:59 EST, 4 days after the previous part, with no extensions or exceptions. A part that is not submitted on time is counted as a skip, and the next person in the queue starts writing. This is a lot less time than is typically granted for an impro part, and the no-exceptions rule might seem draconian, but the rules are that way for a reason. Since META is a teaching impro, it is important that parts be cranked out in a short period of time, to allow people to write and benefit from feedback without the months-long waits that are customary for standard impros. Also, experience shows that most people don't begin writing until shortly before their deadline, so longer deadlines don't really benefit anyone.
It might seem kind of daunting to write a part within a fraction of the time granted to experienced writers, but do not despair, META writers do not have to accomplish as much work as other writers; they don't even have to write a complete chapter.
Writing a whole chapter in such a short period of time is an unrealistic goal, so instead, META writers write scenes, which when grouped together, make whole chapters. What is a scene? A scene is just a setting with one or more characters talking, thinking, or acting. One scene is distinguished from the next by a break in time or a change in location or perspective. Usually, the transition between scenes is noted by a set of characters, such as *** or ---.
The rules are set up this way for a very good reason: one learns much more from writing a few well-detailed scenes than from writing a large, sketchy part hastily. Authors improve by finding the limits of their abilities and testing them, so it is important to put some thought into what you write.
To avoid confusion, from here on, META submissions will be referred to as "parts" rather than chapters. There is no limit to how many scenes can be put in a part; if a writer wishes to submit an entire chapter, that's fine. On the other hand, if a writer wants to write a couple scenes and leave a dangling ending, that's ok as well.
The goal of a writer depends on what was written in the previous part. If the previous part ended a chapter, then the writer has more freedom to be creative than if the previous part ended in mid-chapter. If the previous part did end in mid-chapter, then the writer's work should fit with the last part as seamlessly as possible (which makes reading and rereading previous parts that much more important). If the writer chooses to end a chapter with his part, he should indicate it clearly, with something such as "End of Chapter."
This is by no means a comprehensive list of rules, and like the Three Laws of Robotics, they sometimes contradict each other. They are listed roughly in order of precedence.
Respect the spirit of the impro
Every impro has a distinct feel or essence to it, and maintaining that feel is a critical part of being an impro writer. If a series is a light-hearted slapstick comedy, then gorily killing off a character probably goes against its nature (unless the series is violent AND slapstick, like South Park). When a series has an existing set of main characters, pushing them to the side to make a minor character the focus of the series just because that character is your favorite isn't a good idea. Writing off a series' premise, be it a quest, some conflict, a love triangle, etc, and substituting your own premise isn't a good idea either.
Of course, every good anime and manga series must evolve over time- quests are completed, conflicts are resolved and give way to other conflicts, relationships change, but the process of evolution is natural, occurring over possibly many chapters. The key is to make the transitions as smooth as possible.
Some events are unavoidably jarring. Going back to the first example, if a character dies in a story where death is not the norm, then that death is an important part of the story and should be treated as such. How do the other characters react? Do the relationships among them change? Use your writing abilities to communicate these things to the readers.
In the second example, while a minor character can't become the star of the show, one can write a part that focuses on the character. Perhaps we see events from the character's point of view, or perhaps the character plays a greater role due to circumstances. The key here is subtlety.
In order to write a part that captures the feel of a series, it's important to go back and read the previous parts. For example, if you're having trouble with the mannerisms for a particular character, go back and read previous examples. If you don't go back and read previous parts, then you're relying on half-remembered bits of knowledge.
The most important thing to remember is that you, the writer, are a guest in the house of impro. If you sign up for an impro with an attitude of, "This series sucks, so I'll throw out all that crap and rebuild it the way I want it" or "It's my turn, I can do whatever I want, and the rest of you can all go to hell", you're in the wrong business. Impros are all about working with other people to produce a viable story, not using a story as one's personal plaything. It isn't even possible to wrest control of an impro from the other authors. Remember, if you step on someone else's work, someone else will do it to yours.
Preserve continuity
Previously, it was mentioned that it is important to preserve the feel of a series; it is also important to keep your facts straight. Details like the names of people and places, the current locations and activities of characters, and events that took place in previous chapters require a little more effort to keep straight than say, personality profiles. Don't rely on memory; check previous parts when necessary. Otherwise, this may lead to contradicting information, which makes it difficult for future writers to determine what's what.
The same thing goes for plot threads. You should read the previous part carefully to see what developments have occurred, then try and think of ways to further these developments. It is generally a very bad idea to ignore a thread just because you don't feel it's worth the trouble or you didn't like what happened. There is one major exception to this rule: if the previous author's part violated the spirit of the impro or continuity, you shouldn't feel forced to follow a bad path. (This would give the most control of an impro to the laziest author, or the author with the biggest ego and least restraint).
Note: it's difficult to determine when something is so problematic that it should be ignored. This is a judgement call, and usually isn't something you can figure out without consulting others.
Introduce new ideas
It's possible to do all of the above and still write a bad part. Sometimes, a story stagnates because each author is afraid of bringing a plot thread to a conclusion, and so nothing is resolved. All plot developments must be resolved eventually- the key is to know what is too little and what is too much. This comes from experience, and from observing the work of others.
Communicate with other authors
The three rules above cover what you can do on your own, but no good writer works in a vacuum. By talking with other writers, you can get ideas for your part, verify a fact without having to look it up, and learn what previous writers intended or what future writers intend to do. Although each writer is responsible for his own part, there's nothing wrong with sharing information. If the previous writer shares his ideas or outline with you, that makes it easier for you to figure out where the story should go or get an early start, and if you do the same for the next writer, he benefits as well. It's not really that important for a META, where the focus is on improving your own writing, but it's a good habit to get into.
It's also important to have other people pre-read your part, so they can catch spelling and grammar mistakes, factual errors, and other inconsistencies before the part is actually released, so you can correct them. I cannot stress this enough.
Another set of general guidelines can be found at Improfanfic, specifically at Double Dog Dare.
METAs, and all stories in general, can be divided up into a beginning, a middle, and an end. It's difficult to say where one leaves off and another begins, so we will differentiate them based on the general traits of each. The amount of freedom a writer has depends on where in the storyline his part takes place.
Beginning
The first chapter of any series introduces the main character or characters, their background, their motivations- anything that distinguishes one character from another. It explains where the story takes place, the story's cultural conventions and terminology, and whatever else the reader needs to know to get started. (This varies quite a bit.)
The beginning "arc" of a series has the most room for an author to contribute to new developments. Perhaps an aspect of a character's history or personality can be elaborated on. Perhaps there is a gap in the supporting cast of characters that can be filled. Perhaps the characters need a purpose- a task to accomplish, or an antagonist to overcome.
The level of detail in the starter determines how much can be added. A vaguely defined starter begs for more details to be filled in, while a well-defined starter is more restricted.
Ending:
When a series has been put into "ending mode", all the plot threads, major and minor, need to be resolved. This usually means that no new threads are introduced, unless they contribute to the resolution of another thread. Timing is important; if there are too many or too few threads left to the final part, the ending will seem rushed or anticlimactic.
Middle
Basically, whatever is in between "the beginning" and "the end". There needs to be a balance between maintaining existing threads and introducing new ones.
There is no such thing, because right and wrong are somewhat arbitrary when it comes to writing. However, in the future, we will be keeping a list of things that occur commonly in writing, along with explanations from various people as to why they like/dislike them. There will be differences of opinion, of course.
Feedback is a very important part of the writing process. Anyone is welcome to review a part, although it is important to have a core group of reviewers who review parts periodically, so that the readers can become acquainted with their biases, their likes and dislikes. A review is not a rant or a comment; the purpose of reviewing is to evaluate the writer AND explain how the writer can make improvements. This is what distinguishes a review from a commentary or a rant. Of course, people are free to use the message board to comment and rant, but if they write a review, it should be identified as such in the subject header, and it should follow some guidelines. The guidelines listed here also serve as guidelines for the writer; when writing a part, one should ask oneself these questions.
The critical point for an author to remember when reading reviews is that there is no "official META reviewer". Each reviewer has biases, so it is important to weigh the opinions of all the reviewers against each other and not accept them blindly.
A typically bad way to review a part is to say, "It rocked/sucked". It's not enough to say that you liked or disliked something about a part; you should explain why. Even better, try and suggest an improvement. If you didn't like a word, offer a better one. If you think the part took the story in a bad direction, explain what direction you think the story should go in.
Here are some things you might want to consider:
There are a few restrictions on what types of series will be chosen as METAs. The following are not permitted:
Fanfiction
First and foremost, no true fanfiction is allowed, although this does make the term "improfanfic" a misnomer. Fanfiction, I should clarify, is fiction based on some pre-existing book, tv series, movie, or even something written over the internet.
When people are given a convenient pre-defined world with which to work with, they tend to slack off on important details like character description, setting description- the things which make a story special. This happens because the writer is using a common reference, and expects the reader to have full knowledge of the reference source. It's a quick and easy way to start writing, but a poor way to learn how.
Fanfiction also brings with it a very large headache: deciding what is and isn't canon (established fact). Perhaps an anime/manga has multiple continuities, and people disagree over which continuity takes precedence. Or perhaps there is some fact or event which is only implied and not clearly stated. Even if canon is clearly defined, one must worry about when to deviate from canon and when to stick with it; not enough deviation makes the story an uninteresting carbon copy; too much deviation makes the story unrecognizable, and if that is the case, one might as well write an original story from the beginning.
Here at META, we sidestep the debate by writing original fiction. By restricting submissions to original fiction, we eliminate the writing shortcuts, the unspoken references to character backgrounds, settings, events, etc. which mask a writer's inadequacies. The written chapters are your canon and contain everything you need to know. It is YOUR job to bring the story to life and convince other people of its worth.
Self-inserts
Second, "self-inserts" fics are not allowed. A story is a self-insert if it features an obvious representation of the author, a character with unlimited knowledge and/or power who trudges through the story, dominating it at the expense of the plot. Often, there is some contorted justification for the presence of the character (Most authors who do this wish to be looked upon sympathetically); it usually fails. Self-insert characters are easier to spot in actual fanfiction, where they stick out among the regular cast, but they are certainly possible in original fiction.
Self-inserts are written for self-gratification, not for the enjoyment of others, and as such, make remarkably poor teaching examples, except as "what not to do."
Non-anime works
We will be focusing primarily on anime-themed works, since our goal is to produce writers who can write in an anime style. However, we will allow non-anime submissions (the definition of "anime style" is rather murky) as long as they are deemed beneficial.