(cross-posted from the LCFiclist)
Well, it's time to start thinking about the 2004 Kerths
And we thought it might be helpful to put together a FAQ file, since we get new fans joining us all the time. The entire file is 12 pages, but I won't post it all at once.
I am looking for feedback on this -- are there questions you think should be added? Are there responses that make no sense? Have I missed an entire category? <g> And then after we've had a chance to work through all that, we'll post this entire thing to Erin's Kerth site.
Kerth FAQ, Part the First:*****
Kerth FAQ
This is an attempt to answer common questions about our annual awards and how to participate.
GENERAL
>> What are the Kerths?
They're awards for great writing given to fanfic stories in various categories. Stories win Kerth Awards based on fan voting; stories get on the ballot based on fan nominations.
>> Who runs it?
The event is coordinated and directed by the Kerth Committee (K-Com): Erin Klingler, Kathy Brown, Pam Jernigan and Annette Ciotola, but we certainly couldn't do it all by ourselves. We've also got our dedicated quiz team (Hazel, Wendy and Meredith), behind-the-scenes helpers who track fanfic and new authors (Kaethel, Diyan), and the wonderful Archive staff (LabRat and Lauren). The award ceremony itself wouldn't be possible without all the FOLCs who contribute entertainment (jokes, wav files, etc) and/or volunteer to present awards. Thanks, FOLCs!
>> Who dreamed up this idea, and when?
The original Kerths, in 1998, were the brainchild of Leanne Shawler, who had seen a similar set of awards in another fandom. Many, many fans contributed ideas to the project, coming up with the idea for an online ceremony to mimic the Oscars, complete with commercial breaks. And generally, whoever had the bright idea ended up in charge of doing it.
>> So if Leanne started it, where the heck did the K-Com come from?
Pam organized the IRC awards ceremony that first year, and Erin served as MC. The next year, Leanne had moved on, so Erin took up the job of running the awards. Kathy, and later Annette, were added due to their positions as EIC of the archive and owner of Annesplace.
>> Where can I check out previous years' Kerth awards?
Lauren at the archive has included a "Kerth Award Winners" section of the archive's themes page (
http://lcfanfic.com/themes.html) with links to ballots and winners from 1998-2003. For some years, there are also links to transcripts of the online ceremony.
>> How did you decide on how to do things?
Within the K-Com, we usually reach consensus fairly easily, but in a pinch, Erin is the one who gets the final vote. There's also been *lots* of public discussion over the years covering all sorts of aspects of the awards, and we've cheerfully adopted lots of good ideas. The K-Com may not end up agreeing with every suggestion made, but we do promise to discuss and consider each idea. However, we've found that it can be impossible to please everyone, so, in the end, we make the decisions based on our best judgment.
>> Are the Kerths officially affiliated with any other FOLC sites or lists?
We have Erin's website (
http://myweb.cableone.net/kc7ypl/kerths.html), and that's the only official site.
>> Not even the archive?
We're grateful for the cooperation we get from the lcfanfic archive crew, but that's it.
>> Hang on, Annette owns the Annesplace archive, and Annette, Kathy & Pam are all part of the admin team at the fanfic boards *plus* list owners for the LCFic e-mail list.
Yes, but that's mostly coincidental. We just happen to love fanfic and have a bad habit of volunteering for things. Over the years we've found we work well together. Not to mention, Annette is a techie genius, so she tends to get drafted for the complicated stuff.
>> So does that mean that Annesplace, the LCFic list and the LCFic message boards are officially affiliated with the Kerths?
No. It does mean that Kerth announcements and discussions are more likely to take place in one or more of these sites, but nothing more.
>> Is it a coincidence that the list and the message boards both have "LCFic" in their names?
No, we did that on purpose, but the management of the two is separate. It's just a very succinct way to say "Lois and Clark fanfiction."
>> What exactly is a "Kerth Curse"?
We prefer to call it the "Kerth Blessing" -- in four out of five years, a member of the K-Com has been nine months pregnant at ceremony time. It began in 1999, when Pam was having early labor contractions during the ceremony. The next year, it was Erin's turn to be in labor. The year after that, it was Kathy. And then Erin went and did it *again.* So far, we have four "Kerth babies" between us.
THE PROCESS
>> When do things happen?
Behind the scenes planning starts in December. The eligibility list is compiled, quizzes are planned, and category lists are tweaked. The list of eligible stories and the category list are posted in early January, and Kerth quizzes are posted to the LCFic mailing list. There is a "reading period" of a few weeks before nominations open. Nominations are collected over a two or three week period, generally in February, and a week or so after the nomination period closes, the K-Com announces the official ballot. There is a week or two for voting in March, and then the polls are closed. One week later, the awards are announced in a ceremony on IRC, traditionally on the fourth Saturday of March.
>> What are Kerth quizzes?
Each category on the ballot has its own quiz, where fans try to recognize stories by either a single quote, or a longer excerpt. The purpose of the quizzes is to jog everyone's memories of stories written in the past year that would qualify for a particular category, and elicit recommendations of other stories that would also fit the category.
>> How do you pick what stories to feature on the quizzes?
Our dedicated quiz team makes every effort to include as many authors and stories as possible. Inclusion in a quiz has nothing to do with a story's perceived quality, however, as that's left for the fans to decide.
>> Are you trying to make it hard to win an award?
Yes. We think that if the award was easy to get, it wouldn't really mean very much. We also think we've got lots of fabulous authors here in FOLCdom, so that we can set our standards pretty high.
>> If it's so hard, do I have any chance to win?
Yes. Every year, there are stories on the ballot by authors who haven't appeared there before, and every year, new authors win awards.
>> If my story is nominated but doesn't win, should I feel bad?
No! You've had a story nominated, and that means a lot. It's pretty tough to even get on the ballot, and all the stories that make it there are very good. It's an honor to have been nominated in the first place, considering how many terrific stories never even make it onto the nominations short list.
>> What if my stories keep getting nominated but never win?
You're still doing pretty darned good. The fact that your stories keep getting nominated should tell you an awful lot about the quality of your stories.
>> You mean I can't whine about it?
Oh, you can always whine. But keep in mind, we're making this tough, so even getting on the ballot is an accomplishment.
>> But if my story isn't even nominated, it must not be that good, huh?
Wrong. The competition for ballot slots is fierce, and sometimes there are more excellent stories than there are spots on the ballot. Keep trying, and maybe next year will be your year. Also, we firmly believe that every author (rank newbie to seasoned pro) has the potential for improvement. If you care to ask, there will be people willing to work with you and help you produce stronger stories.
>> Is there one main place to get all the Kerth updates/discussion?
Erin maintains a Kerth website with lists of categories, eligible stories, and important dates. All Kerth quizzes, announcements, "official" discussions, etc will be posted to the LCFic e-mail list; some of that information will also be cross-posted to the
www.LCFicMbs.com Fanfic Related section.
>> If I have other questions, where can I ask them?
You can send us e-mail (KCom@lcficmbs.com), or post a question or comment to either the LCFic e-mail list, or the Fanfic Related section of the
www.LCFicMbs.com message boards.
*******************
AWARD CATEGORIES
>> What general kinds of categories are there?
Some are size-related; all stories of the same approximate length are compared, no matter what the topic. Others are topic-related; all stories on the same topic are compared, no matter what the size. Some are combinations of the two, or have other unique requirements.
>> What are the categories?
*Best Super Short (10k and under) -- Very short stories, mostly fluff.
*Best Short Story (11k-50k) -- Short stories of any subject or tone.
*Best WAFFY Story (under 50k) -- Generally short, mainly light stories intended to give the reader a Warm and Fuzzy Feeling. No A-plots.
*Best Comedy -- A generally short story where the main purpose is to amuse.
*Best Holiday/Special Occasion Story -- Generally short stories that deal with a special time of the calendar year, i.e. Christmas, Thanksgiving, Fourth of July, Valentine's Day; or with a special occasion in Lois and Clark's lives, such as a birthday or an anniversary.
*Best Mid-Length Story (50k-100k) -- Mid-length stories of any subject or tone.
*Best Short Revelation Story (under 100k) -- Generally short stories that deal specifically with a revelation. This category is not intended for long stories where the revelation is just one part of a larger whole.
*Best Long Revelation Story (over 100k) -- Longer stories which contain a revelation. The revelation can be either the focus of the story, or simply particularly well-done within the context of the larger story.
*Best Drama (under 500k) -- Stories which tackle a serious subject matter. A-plot required.
*Best Relationship Story (under 500k) -- B-plot driven stories that mainly focus on Lois & Clark's developing relationship. No tone restrictions--both feel-good romances and more angsty stories are eligible. Might include "getting together" scenarios, or focus on the developing relationship. (Clarification note: Relationship stories in this category do not necessarily have to be tearjerkers. They can be feel-good stories, or they could be stories that have some angst and turmoil in them as far as the relationship is
concerned.)
*Best Epic (over 500k) -- Epic-length stories which are either A-plot (drama) or B-plot (relationship) driven, of any subject or tone.
*Best Tearjerker -- Stories which evoke strong emotions in the reader. No size or subject restrictions. (Clarification note: a Tearjerker is a story that generally makes the reader cry, and there are many types of stories that do that besides only relationship stories.
For example, a story can use an A-plot to do that [like Wendy Richards' 'For the Greater Good'], or it can focus exclusively on B-plot (like Becky Bain's 'Ad Astra Per Aspera']. It can also be a deathfic, a story about L&C's children, a vignette, or an epic.)
*Best Short Episode Adaptation (under 100k) -- Stories which alter the events of, or start from some point in, a particular episode. Includes adaptations, continuations, and rewrites.
*Best Long Episode Adaptation (over 100k) -- Stories which alter the events of, or start from some point in, a particular episode. Includes adaptations, continuations, and rewrites. No size restrictions.
*Best Elseworlds Story -- Stories in which the author has made major changes (such as time, place and/or nature of the characters) before where the series started in the Pilot. Crossovers would also fit in this category. No size restrictions.
*Best Alternate Universe -- Stories which feature parallel universes (including the Alt World that was introduced on the show). No size restrictions.
*Best Lost Episode -- Stories that have a similar tone, pace, and balance to the episodes we saw on TV. A good balance of A- and B-plots required. No size restrictions.
*Best Early Years/Super Futures Story -- Stories dealing with Lois and Clark's early years, or their descendants or ancestors. No size restrictions.
*Most Innovative Idea -- Stories that are very original and creative in the use of characters, settings plots, themes, etc. No size restrictions.
*Best Series -- Stories with two or more, generally long, parts that were both/all posted in the same calendar year.
*Best New Author -- Limited to authors who first published their Lois & Clark stories in the past year.
*Best Overall Story -- A story of any type that is outstanding overall. No size restrictions.
>> 10k, 50k, 500k... What's this "k" thing you keep going on about?
That's shorthand for kilobytes of information in the story file, when it's stored as ASCII text. It's the lowest common denominator that almost all word processors can read and create. Often, the file extension will be .txt but that's not a requirement.
>> What if there's a story right on the borderline of a size limit?
Almost always, the story goes into the category indicated by its size. However, we sometimes tweak these a little bit once we see all the nominations. For instance, a 495k story might be bumped up to the Epic category if it's disproportionately larger than all other stories in the original category.
>> Um, do I have to know how many "k" I've got?
Nope. At present, all stories uploaded on the archive are stored in .txt format, and their size is displayed with the story description. Stories posted elsewhere can be sized up when they're added to the eligibility list.
>> Why do the categories change from year to year?
Trends come and go in fanfic, so we try to adjust the categories to match the sorts of stories released in that particular year. Some very popular categories (Revelation, Episode Adaptation) have been sub-divided by length. Some less-active categories (Elseworld/Alt Universe, Early Years/Super Futures) have been combined. Also, some category definitions have been confusing, so we might rename them in an attempt to clarify things.
>> Are there a lot of changes from year to year?
There are some, but for the most part the list stays the same.
>> Why do the categories sometimes change after the nomination period has closed?
We try not to change things at that late date, but if one category has many heavily-nominated stories, or one has very few nominations, we might consider modifying, splitting, adding, or deleting categories, in order to best fit the nominations that have come in.
>> What the heck is an Elseworlds?
This is a term from the Superman comics, though we've probably modified it a little. An Elseworlds story is one that changes significant background material. Perhaps Kal-El never left Krypton/NK, or Lois had a close relationship with her father. L&C might have other occupations, or work at different places. The key here is that *everything* is changed, somehow, from the show's canon -- if any of the actions we saw on screen happened in this universe, then it's not an Elseworlds. A story that presumes the Pilot was exactly what we saw but that changes significantly afterwards (perhaps during Smart Kids, Lois finds out Clark is Superman and runs off to Japan to become a software engineer) is not an Elseworlds.
>> What about a story set before the Pilot?
A story that's set before the time of the pilot is trickier to judge. Obviously an earlier meeting between L&C changes everything from the Pilot on, so the question is whether the character's backgrounds are changed significantly from what we learned on the show.
>> So, the point of this category is...?
The motive here is to reward authors who go to greater lengths than usual to create their universe. Generally, in fanfic, the author and the reader are both familiar with the show's canon, so the author only need indicate that a story is set around the time of a particular episode, and everyone knows the history. An author who changes all that history has to work harder to explain the changes and make them believable. We like to reward that effort.
>> Then what's an Alternate Universe?
The Alternate Universe category was originally conceived to cover stories written about the alt-Clark from 'Tempus, Anyone?' and 'Lois and Clarks'. It's evolved to also include stories that include travel between any two or more universes.
>> Can a story be both Alternate Universe and an Elseworlds?
Yes, if the author uses the alt-Clark's background as a starting point, but modifies it significantly. These are pretty rare, however.
>> So why do they sometimes share a category?
We feel that while details between the two types of stories vary, they share the characteristic of differing from/expanding upon the majority of the show's canon, which requires extra effort from the author.
>> Is that the only reason?
Well, okay, actually we put them together because no one could keep straight which was which, so this covers them either way. If there are enough stories, they retain separate categories -- if not, we'll probably combine them.
>> How did you come up with these categories, anyway?
This list has been evolving since the first awards in 1998. We keep an eye on trends in fanfic -- one year, there might be a fair number of Krypton/New Krypton stories, but the year after, there might be very few, while there are suddenly tons of Holiday/Special Occasion stories.
>> How many stories do you call "a fair number"?
We're very reluctant to include a category that has, in our opinions, fewer than ten strong contenders for the award.
>> So if ten is the lower limit, what's the upper limit?
Well, there isn't one, really, but if a particular category has a huge number of eligible stories, we'll start looking at what might be logical ways to sub-divide them. Last year, for instance, there were 225 eligible stories at short story length. To spread that out, in addition to the "Short Story" category, we had sub-categories like Super Short, Comedy, Holiday, WAFFy, Short Revelation, Short Episode Adaptation, etc.
>> That's still an average of more than 30 stories per category.
We told you the competition was fierce. But those stories might also be able to compete in topic--based categories like Innovative, Tearjerker, Super Futures, etc.
>> You're going out of your way to create more opportunities for people to win awards? I thought you wanted to make it hard to win?
True, but we don't want it to be impossible. We're involved in this because we love fanfic and we appreciate the endless creativity of our authors -- we want to give something back in exchange for all the enjoyment we've gotten. It's a balancing act between keeping competition strong enough to make winning meaningful, and "sharing the wealth" by getting as many authors on the ballot as we can.
>> I think I've got a great idea for a new category -- is there any chance you'll adopt it?
Sure! We're always interested in new suggestions. If it's early enough for it to work (January), we might add it into the current cycle. More likely, we'll discuss the idea for the following year. If we don't decide to go with it, we'll at least try to explain why not.
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tbc in part 2, in another few days... the remaining sections cover topics of story eligibility, nominating, voting, fraud, and the awards ceremony.
PJ
