Don't just read about it, be part of it...

Thank you for your interest in joining the Star Trek: Distant Horizons writer's group.  Before we proceed there are a few details that should first be clarified:

1) Applicants must have at the very least an average command of English writing.

2) Some sort of spell-check is appreciated as reading excessive number of mistakes can take away from the overall enjoyment of the reader.

3) The group is meant for a mature audience, so it is recommanded that an applicant be 18+ although the greater majority of our writing falls under a 'G' or 'PG' rating.

If you are still interested in joining our group of adventurers, which we hope you are, fill out the below Character Bio forms (all 6 of them). Should you experience any problems or have any questions, please contact our lead writer Francois at fcharette1969@gmail.com.  You should receive a reply within 48 hours.

ps - Knowledge of Star Trek, its lore, or this particular 'timeline' is not a requirement, it's not even all that important, we are all here to have fun through writing and there will be lots of help for anyone needing it. 

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MAJORS & MINORS
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Each character bio includes a section to indicate the majors and minors they studied during their 4 years at Starfleet Academy. For the MAJOR, select a field of studies (in white), along with a specialization (marked below it by an asterisk). For the MINOR, either pick a specialty from the *same* field of studies as the MAJOR, or a new field of studies.

If you’d like, you can choose a specialization that is not listed. The list of specializations under each field of studies are only provided as examples, so if you can think of something new, feel free to add it.

You may choose *one* MAJOR and *one* MINOR only. NO exceptions!

* Option 1 - One Major, Two Specializations (Double Major)

Major: Engineering (Warp Theory)
Minor: Engineering (Starship Design)
This means your character has a General diploma in Engineering as well as a Specializations in Warp Theory and Starship Design.

* Option 2 - One major, One minor and no specializations

Major: Medicine
Minor: Engineering
This means your character has general diplomas in Medicine and Engineering.

* Option 3 - Major with specialty and Minor

Major: Science (Exobiology)
Minor: Operations
This means your character has a general diploma in Science as well as a specialization in Exobiology and a general diploma in Operations.

Here is the current list of fields of Study.  Again if you think of something different, put it into your bio.  If approved we'll add it to the list.

COUNSELING
* Psychology
* Conflict Resolution
* Mediation
* Hostage Negotiation
* Child Psychology
* Interplanetary Treaty Negotiation
* Sociology

ENGINEERING
* Warp Field Theory
* Theoretical Propulsion
* Starship Design
* Holo-Mechanics
* Computer Systems
* Nanotechnology
* Shields / Deflector Adaptations
* Robotics / Cybernetics

FLIGHT CONTROL
* Combat Manoeuvres
* Single Man Craft
* Starship Manoeuvres
* Atmospheric Flight
* Emergency Flight Protocols
* Stellar Navigation

MEDICAL
* Emergency Medical Procedures
* Alien Biology
* Experimental Treatments
* Herbal / Alternative Remedies
* Pediatrics
* Biocybernetics
* Genetics
* Epidemiology
* Neurologist
* Biological Engineering

OPERATIONS
* Starship Operations
* Alien Communications / Linguistics
* Intelligence Operations
* Crew / Resource Management
* Emergency Protocols
* Subspace / Multiphasic Communications
* Away Mission Protocols
* Auxiliary Sub-Systems

SCIENCE
* Exobiology / Xenobiology
* Quantum / Temporal Mechanics
* Agricultural & Botanical Sciences
* Planetary Sciences
* Stellar Cartography
* Astrophysics
* Cybernetics
* Archeology / Anthropology

SECURITY
* Hand-to-Hand Combat
* Counter-Terrorist Tactics
* Advanced Hand Weapon Training
* Self-Defense / Martial Arts
* Diplomatic Escort / Personal Security
* Threat Analysis

TACTICAL
* Starship Weapons
* Warp Tactics
* Offensive / Defensive Tactics
* Planetary Defence
* Starship Combat Simulation
* Military Strategies
* Advanced Starship Weapons System

INTELLIGENCE
* Encoding / Deciphering
* Counterintelligence
* Advanced Interrogation Techniques
* Lies / Deception / Counterfeit detection
* Undercover Operations
* Exo-Linguistics
* Applied Camouflage Technology
* Disguises & Unique Cultural Behaviours
* Intel Gathering Tools & Methods

Posting Guidelines / Post Format

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SUBJECT LINE
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SHIP: Character's Last Name: Mission Day - Mission Time ("Title of post")

Example:
USS ANUBIS: Morningstar: Day 1 - 0600 ("My First Post")

The reason we use this format for the SUBJECT LINE is because all of the information needed for mailing programs and the archive is included all in one place.  Some email software allows for mails to be filtered.  By showing the name of the ship to which you are assigned to, your posts avoids being sent to the *junk* folder.  The name of your character allows to know who sent the post without having to figure it out through the email address.  The Mission day and time allow to identify when the action contained in your post begin, so everyone knows if this is right after something else happened, at the same time or hours or even days later.  You will notice that the time is indicated in Military form (0000 = Midnight to 2359 = 11:59pm).

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HEADER
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"Title of your post"
Continued from "Title of the post you last received"

Setting: SHIP/STARBASE/PLANET where the action takes place, more specific location
Stardate: YYDDD.HHMM

Example:
"My First Post"
Continued from: "Their Last Post"

Setting: USS ANUBIS, Crew quarters
Stardate: 33144.0600

The first part, that of the post titles is meant to ensure that everyone has received all of the posts.  The previous post might have nothing to do with yours, but you need to show that it was the one you received last.  That way if another post was sent and you missed it, the rest of the crew will be able to pick up on it and send you the post that you missed.

The Setting is just meant to set the scene for the reader.  Through that one line, the reader immediately gets the idea as to where the action will take place.  It removes the guesswork out as sometimes the scenes can be rather strange.

Now, this would not be a Star Trek forum if we did not use a Stardate.  We use a *story time* stardate which means that it refers to the time of the writing and not yours or mine.

The Stardate is divided into four (4) simple sections: YY DDD.HH MM.

YY refers to the year, which at this moment is 2437, or 37.
DDD refers to the day of the year (001 = Jan 1st to 365 = Dec 31st)
HH refers to the hour in military time (00 to 23) and
MM refers to the minutes (00 to 59).

So looking back to the example above the Stardate of 30144.0600 means that the year is 2430, that we are in the 144th day of the year and that the action starts at 6:00 am.

It might sound difficult but trust me when I say that it will become second nature in no time.

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THE POST
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This is the part that everyone is really interested in, where all of the writer's imagination comes into play and where history is made.

Many forums ask that each player only write for their character and leave any replies or responses to the targeted player.  In Star Trek: Distant Horizons we encourage all players to write for all characters since we have found this to be more fun as you see your own character grow through the writing of others.  Of course there are guidelines to be respected in this matter which are listed below. Please see: "Writing Guidelines / General Rules of Conduct".

* Special formatting:
There are certain things that are specific to this writing forum and are meant to make the reading experience easier and clearer for all.

1… The name of planets, starbases and ships are always written in FULL CAPS.  This is to make it easier to find them when searching previous posts and to make a distinct difference between such things as EARTH (the planet) and earth (the soil) or ANUBIS (the ship) and Anubis (the Egyptian god)

2… Sometimes it is required to specify where a voice is coming from to make the scene as clear as possible, this is done by using the following special quotes.

"Text" … normal speech
*Text* … emphasis
=/\= Text =/\= … disembodied voice such as that of the computer or someone speaking through a communicator
[/\] Text [/\] … visual communication via some type of screen where the person talking can be seen
**Text** … thoughts, like when a character thinks to themselves
~Text~ … telepathy, like when a Betazoid is sending their thoughts to someone else.

* Rules & Tricks
Anything written in a previous post is considered to be an established fact and is, therefore, *untouchable* unless there is an obvious conflict with the story or a character.  Only a CO or ExO have the authority to overwrite / rewrite something that has been previously written and only in order to solve that obvious conflict.  If someone writes that the ship is dead in space, then it's dead in space and we have to find a way to fix it.

When using a part of someone else's post, it is common courtesy to identify that section as having come from whoever wrote it.

If you are not sure as to how a character might act or react to a specific situation, do not be shy and ask the player responsible for that character.  Since we all love to see our own characters used by someone else, it will be our pleasure to answer any and all questions.

When writing in third person people tend to stick to using the characters' name.  After reading the same name half a dozen times in a row the reading can become tedious, so we suggest finding different ways of referring to your and other characters.  Example: Captain Erik Morningstar can be referred to as Erik, Captain Morningstar, Morningstar, the Native American, and a few other ways which make reading about her less tedious.

Of course all standard English grammar, punctuation and spelling rules are in effect, this is a *writing* forum after all ::Grin::.

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THE NM
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NM, which stands for "Non-Mission Message" (yes I know it should be NMM, but don't go there ::Grin:: ) is the part of your post where you can write messages to other members of the crew or explain in more details what you had wanted to accomplish with what you wrote.  Sometimes players also use this to tag other writers to see where the story will lead to.

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THE SIGNATURE
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The final part!  This is where you claim ownership of all the hard work you have done and is usually done following this format:

Name of player <email address>
Rank and name of their character
Position of their character
Ship that the character is assigned to

Example:
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Francois Charette {fcharette1969@gmail.com}
Captain Erik Morningstar 
Commanding Officer
USS ANUBIS, NCC-18501

Some players also add a final thought after their signature which can apply to them, their characters or just something funny that they had read or heard somewhere else.

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FINAL WORD
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Star Trek: Distant Horizons prides itself in being more than a writing forum; we are an online family with common interests and loves.  Ranks extend only to the characters, not to the players, so behind the scenes and the story we are all equal.  If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the webmaster fcharette1969@gmail.com or any of the currently active members.