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I may never come back, and I just want someone to know. This article contains text from a former Shadow Academy course. It is no longer in use, and is preserved here for historical purposes only and should not be used/referenced.
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Course Notes
One of the most prominent aspects of the Dark Jedi Brotherhood is fiction. Everywhere you look on the site, you will see it. You see fiction in reports, on the forums, on DJBwiki pages, even on people’s dossiers. The majority of DBers, in fact, write as an outlet, and it is an essential part of Star Wars roleplaying.
Don’t be alarmed, though – while there are many stellar writers in the Brotherhood, you are not expected to be good enough to earn a Pulitzer Prize. There are many outlets for any writer, novice or expert, to take part in during his or her time in the Brotherhood. So if you’re interested in writing up a storm for your character, your unit, and the Brotherhood as a whole, this part of the Grind Path will guide you on what to expect.
Storylines and the Star Wars Universe
The Dark Jedi Brotherhood follows specific storylines throughout each year, all written by different members and leaders. Take a look at the main Brotherhood page. Above the news postings, you will find the date of the real world next to a timeline that you may not recognize. In Star Wars, years go by BBY (Before the Battle of Yavin) and ABY (After the Battle of Yavin) – similar to our BCE and AD. Say, for example, the year you see on the site is 34 ABY. That means the Brotherhood is currently in a specific canon year, according to the Star Wars universe.
But I don’t know a lot about the Star Wars universe!
Don’t worry. If you want to know more about the Star Wars timeline, Wookieepedia is your best friend. You’ll probably be doing a lot of research as a member, in order to work closely with the Star Wars universe. After all, there are laws and rules to follow.
What to Expect
Storylines in the Brotherhood are fairly simple to follow. Most leaders will take time to write up a fictional event in their reports for their units. Even the Grand Master, the big cheese, will work on a DB-wide storyline. Fiction drives the activity of the Brotherhood, as well as the background of competitions and vendettas that you may end up participating in.
As it is with every piece of fiction, there are expectations as to how you write. You will be expected to write clearly and concisely, with little to no spelling or grammatical errors. In order to shine as a writer, you must learn to become a polished one, and don’t worry – plenty of DBers can help you edit your work.
Every piece of fiction you write, every story you contribute to, will directly affect your Brotherhood character. Bear that in mind as you develop your character. What he or she is like will affect how you write and what your story will be. Species, name, background, childhood, personality – all of these are important to think about as you develop your DB persona.
But I’m not that great of a writer!
Again, don’t worry about it. The most important thing is not to panic. Fiction can seem very intimidating at first, especially run-ons. However, the next part of this chapter will explain what kinds of fictional activities you can partake in, and how you can get involved.
Fiction Competitions
Unit leaders and Brotherhood leaders are responsible for providing opportunities for their members to write, game, and have fun. One of the most efficient ways to do so is to run competitions. Competitions are just that – chances to submit work in and compete with other members for medals. Normally in fiction competitions, the top three participants are given crescents, which is a type of competition medal. As a result, fiction competitions are incredibly popular, and many will come with a specific prompt and guidelines.
When participating in a writing competition, there are many things to keep in mind. Pay attention to every word when you read the details of a writing competition. Most of them will require a minimum or maximum of pages, as well as request that you use a writing platform that sends .doc files (This is so they can be easily downloaded from an e-mail attachment). In some larger events, you will be expected to put your full ID line and PIN on the document, in order for it to be properly identified. Most of all, it’s important to know which e-mail address to send your work to, often in the form of an attachment.
Why is it important to follow the rules? The word “disqualification” comes to mind. Even missing a small detail could kill your chances of winning a competition. Once you get the hang of it, it’ll be a breeze to submit your work.
Where can I find competitions?
Easy! Simply go to the main Brotherhood website, navigate to the top, and hover your mouse over the “Main” tab. Click on “competitions” and see which ones are available for you to participate in. Remember, some competitions are unit-specific, so don’t try to send fiction to someone who may not be running it for your house or clan!
Forums/Message Boards
One of the Brotherhood’s counterpart websites is the Dark Jedi Brotherhood message boards. These forums are used mostly for fiction, as well as some forms of discussions as held by DB leaders. As a new member, you will be expected to register on the forums. Just put in your Brotherhood name and a password, and you’ll be set.
The message boards are a primary source for unit-specific fiction and storylines. They are also where you find the famous (or perhaps infamous) form of storytelling that is simply known as the run-on.
What’s a Run-on?
A run-on (or RO, as it is commonly called) is a story written by two or more people, normally spaced out in a specific number of posts on a forum thread. Run-ons can be private (for a small group of people), but usually they are popular among houses or clans. Often units will run at least one run-on a year, and they are quite a hit with members.
But run-ons are tricky. When you participate in a run-on, you will have much less room for interpretation or freelancing. Instead, you will be expected to adhere to a specific storyline being written by multiple people that you need to work with and cooperate with. Chances are, other people will write about character, and it is essential that you treat their characters with the same respect you’d expect them to treat yours with. A run-on is a team effort, period. And if you attempt to make the run-on your own story, you’ll drag down a great piece of fiction and make some enemies in the progress.
Are there any specific rules I should know about run-ons?
Normally the rules are fairly universal, but the specifics will change depending on who is directing or coordinating the run-on. Sometimes word count expectations will be different, as well as how long someone can reserve a post, how often you can post, and of course, where your character will be situated. However, there are quite a few general rules that pervade most run-ons.
First, there’s the problem with godmodding. Godmodding is an ugly word in the Brotherhood. It basically means that no matter how low of a rank your character is, you write him or her as if they can do anything. The fact of the matter is, your character is not a god – he or she has limitations. And that makes the character more interesting rather than less interesting.
Second, there’s the need for consistency and continuity. This means that you need to read each post carefully in order to understand current events, characters’ behavior, and setting. Say perhaps someone has ended his or her post with your character leaping in front of a tank. You certainly shouldn’t begin your post with your character drinking beer at a pub. That causes a break in continuity, making the run-on sloppy and confusing.
Finally, there is a lot of encouragement for cooperation and respect. As said earlier, do unto others as you would have them do unto you. If you feel like you want to create a dramatic scene and hurt someone else’s character, do not, for Pete’s sake, do that without the creator’s permission. It takes communication to make a great story, and more often than not you will be talking consistently with fellow writers to help create a great story.
I’m quite scared now
Don’t be. This is all part of the learning process. People are around to help in your writing endeavors should you need it. But for now, let’s do a quick review and see what you learned.