What’s a Shared Story World - QH Fletcher's thoughts

Tales of Ryh’na (TofR) is a Shared Story World (SSW). You may be thinking, “What the heck is that?” Put simply, an SSW occurs when someone creates an in-depth background canon around a proposed universe.  The canon is then made available to anyone who wishes to create content. The contributor can write a story, create a graphic or video, use whatever form of self-expression is most comfortable, or not. SSWs are a great medium for stretching artistic wings.

SSWs function under a Creative Commons License. By that I mean  the content that exists in the canon or is provided by a contributor can be reused by another contributor as long as the second person gives appropriate credit to the initial creator. Sounds complicated, right? The Cliff Notes version goes like this. If I were to write a story based on the canon and create a mean, horrible, fluffy, heart-of-gold Yeti named Marvin, you could then write another story using Marvin as long as you didn't turn him into a blood-sucking killer (since I didn’t create him that way) and give me credit  as Marvin’s creator. Now, if your story absolutely requires Marvin to be Uber Meanie Yeti, all is not lost. You simply e-mail me and ask whether I will approve the character change. If I say no, Marvin remains a Teddy Yeti at heart. If I say yes, you can have Marvin slash and burn the neighborhood as long as you give proper credit. The other point you need to know and remember is that only the original creator can kill off a character permanently. You can sling him in stasis for a time or put him into a healing hibernation that the characters in your story think is death, but you have to bring the lovable/killer Yeti back to life by the end of your creation. Also, ways exist to handle the original creator's decision to kill Marvin while folks are still writing Marvin-based stories. It works a lot like how fanfiction and the disclaimers and warnings a fanwriter has to do in that genre.

Another great point about SSWs is that canon is often flexible. Any and all contributions can be evaluated by the individual or team that oversees maintaining and expanding the canon for that creative work to be included in the main canon of the SSW. Basically, you can add to canon with your work. So, if your story has Marvin meeting Mavis and falling in love, that can become part of the canon once approved. You can contribute characters, plot points, or overall story arcs. I’ve used stories as the example so far, but all of this also applies to graphics, videos, or other forms of creative work. Your graphic, for instance, of how Marvin and/or Mavis look can become canon as well.  Fun, right?

There are several SSWs in existence, though TofR is the first to be created and executed entirely by committee. We’re breaking new ground!  All SSWs function basically the same way: with the use of a pre-existing canon/universe, creator contributions under the Creative Commons License, and fully or partially expandable canons.  To participate, you simply register; study the pre-existing canon, maps, stories, graphics, videos, etc.; form an idea; and get to work.  Submission practices vary a bit between SSWs, so be sure to read the contributor agreement and contribution guidelines that are provided. You’ll usually have to cite the Creative Commons Licensing Agreement provided, which will tell you how to share in existing parts of canon/other’s works, how to give credit, and what, if any, fees you might collect in the future. Yes, some SSWs provide for contributors to receive real coin for their works. Be sure to read that part carefully! Which is the one aspect where SSWs have it all over fanfiction. You get to own your stories and sometimes even get paid.

So, that’s basically what you need to know about Shared Story Worlds, a bit simplified, but still covering a few of the most important aspects.   Fun and creative satisfaction ready to be had. 

Don’t you think it’s time you joined in?

QH Fletcher

How did I get here?

I was minding my own business at the 2011 Femslash Con and listening to docwho2100 talk about a shared story world (SSW). She asked if anyone would be interested in maybe getting together and starting one. I said I would because, really, the idea was intriguing and I figured I’d find out more about it if nothing else.  Seven months later I find myself an Executive Producer and up to my eyebrows in coding, writing, advertising, and one of a hundred varied pieces that make up creating and launching a shared story world.

You might ask what in my credentials makes me a viable choice as an Executive Producer besides a love of writing fanfiction, and I’ll happily answer – Not one danged thing! I somewhat fell into this as I have bits and pieces of the knowledge and experience needed to get Tales of Ryh’na off the ground. Mostly, what I have is a lot of really good friends with a great deal of experience in the varied areas of expertise we need to make this work. They are a group of amazing women who really love a good project.

It’s been an interesting journey; one that’s not yet completed. I’ve learned, taught, pulled out my hair, and screamed at the top of my lungs, but mostly, I’ve had a great deal of fun. We almost came to blows creating the base storyline. We’ve lost a few original members along the way, and picked up a few new ones. We’ve talked story, business, graphics, merchandising, advertising, HTML/CSS, javascript, PHP/MySql, maps, layout, themes, beta editing, and canon development. We’ve periodically stomped off in anger or frustration and came back with new ideas and compromises. We’ve found that explaining magic to the tech-minded causes gray hair and neck strain. On the other hand, discussing tech advances with the magic thinkers causes migraines and upset stomachs.

But through it all we persevered, never doubting the knowledge that we, as a group, could do this, and now our fledgling baby has begun to take steps and speak in sentences.  There’s still a lot to do before we launch, but I don’t doubt for a moment that we will do so.  These women are just too awesome not to succeed.

QH Fletcher (aka quiethearted)