This is a mirror of the Writing Channels Rules for the Official SCP Discord Server on 05command for accessibility purposes.
Welcome to Deer College!
Deer College is the category that houses all of the writing-related channels in the SCP Foundation Official Discord. Are you looking for feedback on your SCP article, Tale, artwork, or other piece of writing for the SCP Wiki? Are you interested in providing feedback to authors to help improve their works? Are you looking to participate in a collaborative, creative culture focused on writing for the SCP Wiki? Do you enjoy discussions of general writing topics? Then you've come to the right place.
This space is for workshopping ideas and drafts by exchanging feedback with other users. You can interact with both new and long-time users of the wiki all trying to get their work ready to be posted on the main site.
Deer College is moderated by Critstaff. Their usernames are usually in purple and they are typically marked by a butterfly role emoji (and they have the @Critique Staff role). Critstaff enforces the rules of these channels and responds to reports made within Deer College.
Note: The use of AI is banned in Deer College channels. Using AI to generate idea posts, drafts, critique, or responses to critique (among other things) is against the rules. You may find further details on our AI policy below.
To find how to join this space, you must read through the rules in full.
The Channels:
#writing-channels-rules: You are here! The rules for these channels are listed here, and the entire channel is required reading for you to join the rest of the space.
#moth-squad-roster: A list of users that have demonstrated skill with critique and have made themselves available to be contacted by authors in the process of writing. To contact a moth, you are required to read their profiles in full and follow their contact templates!
#writing-general: This channel is a topic-enforced space dedicated to the discussion of general writing topics. Conversation here must be about topics related to writing; it is not a casual chat. Critstaff will redirect any off-topic conversation and repeated offenses can result in kicks or bans from Deer College. You'll see Critstaff post a sticker of a sign that says "writing-general is about writing". This is our version of a stop order, requiring the current conversation to halt and return to the topic of writing.
#writing-events: This channel is for writing discussions about Deer College and wiki-based contests and events.
#writing-technical: For questions about the technical side of writing, such as CSS, HTML, or Wikidot formatting. You are required to include a link to your sandbox page when requesting assistance here. The majority of problems can't be solved unless you include a link to your sandbox page (it's difficult for people to properly help if they can't see your code).
#writing-brainstorming: A channel for engaging in ideating new concepts, fleshing out ideas, or helping others do the same! Connected with the Official SCP IRC server.
#idea-critique: A forum channel where users create posts following the idea template to receive feedback on the concepts for their written works. New users are required to engage in the idea critique process and receive "greenlights" in order to make use of the draft critique resources here (more on that later). Check the pinned post; you are required to follow the format outlined there.
#draft-critique: A forum channel for users to receive feedback on their drafts for the wiki. All drafts must be written in a wikidot sandbox (such as https://scp-sandbox-3.wikidot.com/). New authors must first receive two "greenlights" during the idea critique phase in order to make a post to this channel.
#art-critique: This channel is for receiving critique on SCP-related artwork. Check the pinned post; you are required follow the format and rules outlined there.
#specialized-critique: A channel for getting critique and feedback on collaboration log entries or on general tone, vibes, and/or flow in an excerpt. This channel is also for getting insight or clarification from a subject matter expert. Check the pinned post; you are required to follow the rules and formats presented there.
#metacritique: A channel to ask questions and talk about critiquing to help you improve your crit skills! Check the pins for helpful critique resources from Moths, Critstaff, and more!
#licensing-help: For questions regarding images and their sources, or licensing SCP things like merchandise and games. If you're not a member of staff, do not answer questions posted in this channel.
How do I receive critique/feedback on my SCP?
(Or any piece of writing for the wiki)
The greenlighting system has been put in place to help authors in honing their ideas. In order to post on the Draft Forums, you must first get two ‘greenlights’ on the Idea Critique Forums (Greenlights from the wiki forums also count). Posts to this forum must follow a certain template to make our reviewers' lives easier. Reviewers with the @Greenlighter role can then offer a ‘greenlight’ to an idea — a vote of confidence that they think the writer is able to engage with draft crit and has a solid enough grasp on an idea to succeed. This doesn't mean you should only ask greenlighters! All crit is helpful.
Please note: Greenlights are only required for new authors in order to use the draft forums here and/or on the wiki forums. New authors are classified as users who do not yet qualify for the author role (See 'Successful Writing Page' below). You are free to get crit elsewhere or to post without getting crit. However, we highly encourage you to use the draft forums and the expertise of experienced critters familiar with the wiki and its styles!
Successful Writing Page: For the purposes of greenlighting and the author role, a successful writing page is defined as any SCP (including -J, -EX, 001 proposals, etc.), Tale, GOI Format, Writing Process Related Essay or Guide, or Site and Hub Page that is at least 24 hours old and rated +10 or more, posted to the SCP-EN Wiki. A Writing Process Related Essay or Guide is defined as one that is about or related to the writing, editing and critique process specifically. Site and Hub pages count as a successful writing page if they consist of substantial content that does not include crosslinking or other existing pages.
If you collab with someone who has that @Author role and is able to bypass the Greenlight system, make sure you mention them with a ping in the opening post of your draft thread.
While we don’t recommend doing so without feedback, you may post to the wiki at any time. Greenlights are not required to post to the wiki.
Don’t feel like you’re ready for idea critique yet? Use #writing-brainstorming to develop your idea until it's ready.
A word of advice: Don't include "SCP-XXXX" in the title of your idea post. It will only obscure the actual name and will not add anything of value. Similarly, don't include "Seeking Greenlights" in the title, that's what the tags are for!
I made my Idea Critique post. Now what?
It's time to seek out feedback and critique for your idea. Don't expect to receive critique simply by waiting. The critique process is an active one and you'll learn a lot by giving feedback, too. Here's a few guidelines:
- Giving and receiving feedback is a community-focused process, and all critique comes from ordinary site members.
- There is no specific group of people who give feedback, and no special role or authority is needed to provide critique.
- Remember: Critique isn't meant as a way for people to show approval or disapproval of other people's work. The goal is to be thoughtful and constructive. Even when examining a work’s flaws, the purpose of feedback is to support an author and help them improve their work.
Since most users in Deer College who provide critique also have work of their own that they would like feedback on, users who reach out to ask others for feedback are expected to offer to provide their own feedback as well. This is called a critique swap, or more simply, a crit swap.
- You may advertise your thread by offering a critique swap in #writing-general once every 24 hours. To make the most out of your once per 24 hour swap offer, see this helpful resource.
- Other people are going to be offering crit swaps as well! If you're waiting on the cooldown before you can make another critique swap offer, keep your eye out for other users offering swaps. You may accept as many of these as you are comfortable with, but don't overwhelm yourself to the point where you can't follow through!
- Users can also offer a critique swap in a comment on any idea or draft thread with the “Critique Swap” tag. (Yes, you can swap an idea for a draft or vice versa!)
- Set expectations! When engaging in a critique swap, provide a timeline to your crit swap partner on when you'll be able to look at their piece, and update them if that changes.
- If a crit swap has not been honored in a timely manner, either the agreed upon timeframe or one week, please report this to Critstaff.
In addition to critique swaps, you may seek feedback from members of the #moth-squad-roster.
- The Moth Squad is a group of users who have volunteered to be contacted directly to offer feedback on critique threads.
- Each member of the Moth Squad has their own contact template and offers critique on different things, as described in their contact template in the Moth Squad Roster section of Deer College. Read the contact profile carefully, as it will tell you what each moth requires you to include when requesting their feedback.
- If you do not follow their contact templates and requirements, a Moth is free to ignore your request. Ignoring contact templates can result in kicks or bans from Deer College.
- Members of the Moth Squad are not authorities within Deer College. They are simply experienced critters who volunteer their time.
There are far more general users seeking feedback than there are Moth Squad members, so while reaching out to a member of the Moth Squad is always an option, contacting other users for critique swaps is still the best place to start.
Remember: The goal of idea critique is neither to defend an idea from criticism nor to change it on a whim; it’s to explore an idea, build on it, and improve it. Authors seeking greenlights can find them most easily when they are both confident in their creative vision and committed to developing it further. Learning how to respond to and integrate critique is just as important as greenlights themselves.
I've got two greenlights. Now what?
Congratulations! You may utilize the draft critique resources. When you are ready for feedback on your draft, you may make a post in the #draft-critique forums.
- Include a link to your sandbox page where the draft is written. Remember, you can only share your draft using a sandbox link.
- If you do not have the Author role, you must link the message for each of your greenlights so Critstaff is able to verify them. Not doing so can result in your thread being closed and locked!
- It's a good idea to include a rough word count of the draft, and any questions you have or areas you want assistance with specifically.
As with the idea critique process, you may use critique swaps or the Moth Squad in order to get feedback on your draft.
Note: You do not need to receive greenlights on your draft before posting! Greenlights are only given in the idea critique phase. Instead, you'll get a feeling of when a draft is ready to post from the people providing critique to you. Don't hesitate to directly ask your critters if your draft is ready to be posted!
Deer College Rules
When Giving Crit:
1) Critique the work, not the author. No personal attacks or judgements, stick to criticizing writing.
2) Be Constructive! Criticism can be direct, but this doesn't give you a right to be mean or hostile. Make sure your critique is productive and constructive. Deer College is a space to build each other's works up, not tear them down
3) Don't Dogpile. If somebody is getting a lot of critique that points to flaws in their work, it's best to let the conversation conclude before you add your point.
4) Be courteous when providing feedback! Be mindful of how your tone or attitude may come across to the person you are critiquing.
When Receiving Crit:
1) Do not repost a thread after you've changed a pitch or draft. Update the existing thread.
2) Be respectful to your reviewers. Everyone here is a volunteer, so please be patient and understanding if nobody is around to critique your work or if you disagree with the critique they've given.
3) No asking for critique without offering a crit swap. You can't ask for critique in the writing channels without offering a crit swap. The only way to receive critique without a crit swap is by following the contact templates of the Moth Squad.
4) You must follow the contact templates of the Moths when contacting them. Moths may ignore your request if you fail to follow the template and continuing to do so will result in kicks or bans from Deer College.
5) Do not ping or DM random users for critique. If someone does this to you, please report it to Critstaff so we can take action.
6) No thread bumping. You cannot advertise your thread in #writing-general outside of your once per 24 hours crit swap offer, even if chat is moving quickly and you're worried it wasn't seen. You are, however, welcome to advertise the threads of other people when you find one that you like and think deserves some more eyes.
7) State in your thread when you publish your draft, or tag the thread as "closed" or "answered". It helps Critstaff keep track, and makes sure that critters don't crit a draft that was already posted.
NSFW Topics:
NSFW topics are defined as any form of content that may include (but is not limited to):
- Graphic depictions of violence
- Sexual topics
- Other content that people may find disturbing; basically, any sort of content that you wouldn't want people to stumble upon if they found your computer open.
These topics are not explicitly banned from DC, as it is very possible that one or multiple authors may be writing stories that feature some sort of mature or NSFW content. The following etiquette is expected around these conversations:
1) Be mature. This is self-explanatory, but if, for example, chat is having a productive conversation about sexual themes in a work, don't enter chat to make jokes about it. We're all adults here, so we expect you to act like one.
2) Messages containing NSFW or disturbing content should be spoilered, with a small message describing what is inside the spoiler bars. DC itself is not an NSFW space, and we expect this courtesy for people that may be browsing the writing channels while in public.
3) If you feel uncomfortable for whatever reason about the conversation, please submit a report using `/reportmessage` within the Deer College channels so that Critstaff can keep an eye on things. Critstaff has final say in ending conversations about NSFW topics.
4) Users who are found to make NSFW remarks or jokes directed to/at the expense of another user, even amongst friends, will be removed from the writing channels, with further disciplinary action discussed among the team. We want to make sure that this space remains not only productive, but comfortable for everyone that uses it.
General Rules:
1) You are allowed to have two (2) new threads per forum, per week. In a single seven day period, you can create up to 2 idea threads AND up to 2 draft threads.
2) Create a thread or use <#1158086485476638720> to discuss a specific idea or draft. General discussions sometimes turn into discussions of specific ideas. When this happens, please move the conversation out of #writing-general and into a more appropriate channel or thread.
3) If you feel that the critique swap offer has not been honored in a reasonable timeframe (i.e. whatever timeframe was agreed upon or over 1 week), please let a member of the Discord Critique Team know in a private message.
4) You are required to include a link to your sandbox page when requesting assistance in <#980552444109025330>. The majority of problems can't be solved unless you include a link to your sandbox page.
5) You are required to follow the templates pinned in #idea-critique, #art-critique, and #specialized-critique.
6) Do not answer questions in #licensing-help unless you are staff.
7) The "Writing-General Is About Writing" sticker, otherwise known as "the sign", is a moderation tool and indicates you should stop the current conversation and return to discussing general writing topics.
8) Only Critstaff may use the sign, and knock-offs, comedic copies, or otherwise are against the rules. Do not post them.
9) The use of AI is banned in Deer College channels. This ban includes, but is not limited to, the use of AI to summarize ideas or answers to critter questions, rephrasing of your words, or generate texts for an idea pitch or (parts of your) draft and crit. If you use AI to brainstorm an idea, no part of the generated text can be used in your template. Many grammar checkers such as Grammarly include AI-powered features which would not be allowed. As a general rule of thumb, if it rephrases or rewrites the text for you, that's an AI feature and is not allowed.
AI use for the purpose of CSS generation is allowed in #writing-technical only. Please check with staff when in doubt.
IN ADDITION:
All server wide rules also apply to critique channels and threads. If in doubt, consult the Criticism Policy (found here: https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/criticism-policy) for a more in-depth explanation of critique guidelines.
If you need help or feel like someone is violating the rules laid out in writing-channels-rules, please don't hesitate in reaching out to a member of Critique Staff via DMs or reporting a message with the "/reportmessage" command within the Deer College channels. You can access this functionality by right clicking (on desktop) or pressing and holding (on mobile) a message, selecting "Apps>" from the dropdown, and then clicking the "Report Message" option next to the icon for Mnemosyne, our server moderation bot.
If you feel like the situation is an emergency, please ping @Critique Staff or use the "/callmod" function. Remember that access to the critique channels is a privilege, not a right, and users found abusing this space will be removed.
Have any unanswered questions? Ask a discord critstaffer!
Once you've read all the above, use /link to link your Wikidot account through Mnemosyne, and then use /joincrit in any channel to join the critique section of the server! Please note that you must be a member of the English SCP Wiki to join.
Critique Etiquette and Other Resources
- There are NO restrictions on who is able to give critique. Any users, regardless of their ability to greenlight, are encouraged to give critique to other authors, and engage in the critique swap process.
- Critique is a collaborative process, and the most effective critique comes when the user seeking feedback and the user providing it work together to make the process easier.
- When seeking critique, it is helpful to start by stating in a clear and concise way what makes your idea or draft unique, so that potential readers have something to latch on to.
- Asking guiding questions when seeking critique — and asking follow-up questions when you've received it — helps people provide feedback that is targeted and relevant.
- The best way to get better at giving critique is by doing it, and users are encouraged to offer feedback even when they feel their knowledge of a subject or format is limited.
- There are lots of resources on how to give better critique from moths and others in metacritique, so be sure to check out the pins in there. Don't be afraid to jump into a random thread and give your thoughts!
A Note On Writing General, Socializing, and Staying On Topic:
While we want #writing-general to be a welcoming place conducive to making friends, it is not a place for general socializing. It's OK to give a brief greeting to friends if you see each other in the channel, but this shouldn't become an extended social interaction asking how they're doing and so on. If you find that you are greeting a lot of people in succession, it's better to simply skip the greeting and engage directly in the conversation. Long chains of saying "hi" quickly bloat the channel and are prone to inducing off-topic discussion. At the discretion of Critstaff, such conversations may be treated under the "off-topic" rules when they become disruptive.
Guides and More:
The SCP Wiki has a huge amount of guides for both authors and reviewers that can be found on the Guide Hub. A few important ones can be found listed below, but take a gander at the hub yourself and see if any catch your interest!
How To Write An SCP — A brief overview on just about everything surrounding writing an SCP. A little outdated right now, but possibly the most important guide on site.
An Exercise in Narrative-Based SCPs — Leveritas explains the basics of how to elevate your SCP by telling a story in an article.
Essay on Communicating Ideas — Uncle Nicolini talks about the greenlighting process and how best to explain your idea to get those votes of confidence. Incredibly useful for all first time authors.