Snippettsville Setting Database Discussion

wildsweetone

i am what i am
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Well, here we are at the next step. Alex is fiddling with some changes to Map 4; the Ambience of Snippettsville has been discussed; the Character Database is up and running.

Now it's time to talk about how we'd like the Setting Database to run.

There is Weird Harold's idea about having an index and homesteading property. Here's a quote from the Mapping Discussion thread:

For a "shared universe" like Snippetsville, each setting and character should have more background detail for other authors to build on than can be plausibly included in a 600 word vignette. Anything that can help other authors remain true to the creators vision should be allowed inthe character and settings database -- pictures, Maps, floor-plans, measurements, furnishings, brand names of appliances (Is the Juke-box in Hannah's Diner a Wurlitzer or Jukebox (tm) or one of the other competing brands?) upholstery colors, and every other little detail of the authors' original visions of the settings they create.

As an ultimate vision, I can see each author describing a setting that they have chosen first rights to. The descriptions will be entered into the Setting Database in the SDC under each author's name - in the same manner as the Character Database works.

Do we wish to go so far as to have an index that needs one person controlling and categorising each setting that authors pass on to him/her? It seems to me like a whole lot of extra work being given to one person.

Let's hear everyone's thoughts :)
 
I think you're being unnecessarily complex here Sweet. This sort of precise detailing will be relevant only to pedants and mawnjy authors.

Readers who spot mistakes delight in spotting mistakes (a parsec is a unit of distance not time)

A third floor in a two floor house could become necessary to an author and I can't really see what the problem would be except to alter the original author's vision. How does a third floor make any difference to the characters? Is this a story group about everyday(?) people or an architects handbook?

Consistancy is ok but anything more detailed is as restraining as the 600 words.

Having said that, my solution to differing from author's originals would be to have those authors read stories which include specific detail to give the ok before submission for inclusion.

Gauche
 
Sweetest: I was waiting for someone else to post first and I'm with Gauche on this. Despite the appreciation I have for all your work and passion on Snipps, I merely want to write snippets of erotica with distinctive characters in 600 words less whatever.

I do not have the time or inclination to research anything like the proposed database or figure out which alley or tree my characters slam up agaisnt. I'll go with whatever anyone else creates of distinction and make corrections if I get any compass points wrong or forget that my favorite humping tree died of a pesky blight last summer.

Perhaps I'll only create gals passing through town, not sure now.

Please, I am not being negative, just letting you know my take and preferences.

best always, Perdita
 
Gauche and perdita,

All comments are welcome. There's no point me going out on a limb and telling everyone what to do. I'd much rather throw out a couple of questions in order to hear what everyone thinks about them before making the final decision.

I too have been swamped with the fine details of setting up the township and simply want to get to the writing as I know the rest of us want also.

I do think however, serious consideration should be given to any public settings descriptions, however private houses etc. need not involve anything more than whatever is written by the original author.

Authors borrowing settings need to be sensible and keep in a similar mould as the originating author only because it will keep the same vein of ambience.

Places like Green Lake and the Country Club need to be fairly well described after all, they're the places more than a couple of characters are likely to appear.


(As an aside... I envisage part way through next week as a beginning for the Accepted/Declined thread.)
 
A setting which might be useful

It seems that any discussion of settings is a bit of a non-starter. I can understand a writer writing about a location as it unfolds, so no problem as far as I'm concerned. I have however replaced the Green Lake Country Club with the more egalitarian Green Lake Lodge. Description as follows:

"Welcome to Green Lake Lodge.

The main entrance is on the north side of the building, accessed from the car park. The two-storied building is constructed from an attractive mixture of wood and weathered stone and looks as if it belongs here.

The central part of the building is the administrative and recreational hub. Entering the reception area, you will find the registration desk on the right. To the left, an area of comfortable chairs and low tables. A big open fireplace gives a welcome in the colder weather and there are impressive trophy heads on the walls. Ahead of you is the main restaurant, with a view south over Green Lake. Along the south side of the building, a shaded deck is furnished with chairs and tables, which are used to extend the dining area when the weather is good. Upstairs are the offices, and the quarters of the resident manager.

From the reception area the main bedrooms are to your left, the east end of the building. There are six single rooms, twelve double rooms, four family rooms and two suites available for guests. These are on two floors and all have south-facing views over the lake. The north side of the bedroom spur is given over to staff bedrooms, for live-in staff upstairs, and storage facilities, downstairs.

The west end of the building is given over to entertaining the guests. A welcoming bar, tables and chairs, comfortable booths around the walls, a dance floor and room for the band to play. The dance area is two floors high and a balcony rings the room with additional tables and chairs for revellers. The lodge is popular for wedding receptions and the like and when the Lodge hosts the start-of-season and end-of-season Balls is filled to capacity. The bar is open to non-residents as well as Lodge guests, as are the restaurant facilities.

At the far end of the west spur is a small indoor swimming pool, with a gym upstairs.

The staff look forward to welcoming you to Green Lake Lodge."

Snippettsville writers, feel free to use the Lodge in your stories. I will.

Alex
 
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