If you missed the introduction to the idea, please read here first.

Format

As a collection of short stories with a theme, each fitting in a limited space, we have to be strict about word count. Each story will fit on two facing pages in a 6" x 9" book. Different lengths of stories give different amounts of artwork.

Story size (word count)		Art size (dimensions, physical & @ 300 DPI)
Two page	700-750	No art	--none--
One-and-a-half page	530-580	Half page	4.75"w x 3.75"h	1425w x 1125h
One page	325-375	Full page	4.75"w x 7.5"h	1425w x 2250h

The stories emulate the Choose Your Own Adventure style, where the choices a character makes brings them (either directly or indirectly) to their fate. Since the reader hasn't read any other part of this story or made any choices, the story will start with a brief mention (1 to 2 sentences) of the choice the character made. From there, the story will continue.

I have an example available to help illustrate this here.

Art notes: When you submit a story, provide a few art notes we can give to an illustrator. Note that depending on the detail, we may not be able to do what you ask. We need this even if you believe your story is a full two pages in length -- it may be reduced after editing.

Deadlines

Our goal is to have this available for sale by January 1st. The sooner this book is available, the sooner proceeds from it can go toward Katrina relief.

November 20th

Story submissions are due

The rest of the schedule will be based on when we receive enough stories for publication.

When you submit a story, we will edit it and give it back to you to give you a chance to polish it up. This doesn't mean you should send us a rough draft; when you send us a draft, you should feel like it's ready to be printed, as-is.

If anyone has a problem with these deadlines, please let me know, so that we can discuss it. If anyone feels they cannot meet the deadline because they're having a problem with inspiration or the format, I am more than willing to help you.

Guidelines & Style

The first thing to note is that this isn't a Choose Your Own Adventure book. This project was inspired by them, but could be better described as a collection of self-contained "bad endings" from Choose Your Own Adventure stories, spanning a two-page spread. The idea is that a reader could flip open to any page in the book, and be able to read one of these stories without having to flip back or forth to find the beginning.

There would be flexibility in style and genre -- in fact, I am hoping we'll get a good blend of traditional fantasy, modern/urban fantasy, cliffhangers, detective/noir, etc. stories.

Guidelines

The stories should be PG -- mainly because the source material was PG. We don't need to make them children's stories as far as vocabulary and grammar go, but the subject should matter be PG. You can push it some with the violence or horror, if you want to tell a particularly scary story.

The story should be about what happens after the main character made a choice. One or two sentences that set up the scene and illustrate the choice should be at the beginning of the story.

Style Guide

We have a few basic requirements for each story that we will not deviate on:

1. Language
   
   1. We will use standard American English.
   2. The stories and art will be PG, and will refrain from profanity or sexual overtones.
2. Characters
   
   1. Each story will be written in the third person.
   2. The reader is the main character, and will be referred to in the second person.

Assumptions

There would be certain assumptions about these stories: namely, they would be written as if the reader was familiar with the characters and story already -- just as they are when they get to one of these endings in a real Choose Your Own Adventure book. Of course, there's not problem introducing a new character in a piece like this -- it's done at times, such as if you were to enter a shack in the woods and meet a lumberjack who kills you. But the general feel is one not of introduction, but purely of conclusion.

There are certain assumptions the reader will make, especially when referred to directly in the second person. Chief among these assumptions is gender -- if you have a story where the gender of the character is important, be sure to indicate that to the reader in the story. Avoid directly telling the reader that they're male/female. Instead, use the story to illustrate this, such as through character actions (smoothing out a skirt, walking out of a men's bathroom) or through reactions to the character ("We serve real men here! Get out, boy!")

Submission Info

If you are interested in our project, please contact me at fateproject@gmail.com. You don't need to have a draft ready before letting me know you're interested.

For stories:

You can either paste the story into the body of the email, or attach a file as plain text, RTF, PDF, or Word/WordPerfect doc. If you need some other format, please let me know.

For artwork:

We're looking for art to match the stories, but if you have a piece that you think would inspire a story to go with it, we've love to see it. Both photography (undoctored or "Photoshopped") and illustrations are welcome. If you need to send us some other format, again, please let me know.

We can accept EPS files and 300 DPI TIFFs. The sizes are:

Half-page	4.75"w x 3.75"h	(at 300 DPI: 1425 x 1125 pixels)
Full-page	4.75"w x 7.5"h	(at 300 DPI: 1425 x 2250 pixels)

These are guidelines. I'm not asking every artist to make their art fit exactly those dimensions, and I understand the value of negative space.

Author & Artist Collaborations

If a author and artist want to work together on a particular story, we still ask that they submit their work separately, and let us know that they're working together on a story. They don't have to be submitted at the same time -- we need to see individual submissions come in as they're done, so that we know where the project as a whole is.

Unmatched Stories & Art

As we get stories in that have space for art, I'll have them posted up for artists to illustrate. As we get art in that isn't marked for a particular story, I'll have them posted up for writers to write for.

Where to submit material

All submissions should be emailed to fateproject@gmail.com.

Compensation for Contributors

Since this is for Katrina relief, the proceeds from this book will go to the America Red Cross's Katrina relief fund. That means that this project is purely voluntary. However, I would like to make sure that each contributor gets something for their efforts. For authors and artists who submit at least one piece we publish, you will get the following:

• A credit in the book
• Space to write a short blurb about yourself in the "About the Authors & Artists" section. This can include a URL
• A PDF copy of the book

For authors and artists who provide three or more published entries, I will also ship a printed copy of the book to you (or, for those local to the Sacramento area, hand-delivered).

Questions?

Please feel free to ask. Email me at: fateproject@gmail.com.