Creating a Quest

Have you ever wished that you could create your very own Everything2 Quest, but didn't know how to lure people in with glittering prizes? Have you stopped short at promising blessings from others or C!s for stuff that hasn't even been posted yet?

Have you found yourself smiting your forehead until it bleeds as you try to figure out who to ask for permission about your quest and how to get people interested in it?

Have you been struck in the middle of the night by a brilliant idea for a quest, only to have it struck down by your ignorance of how to create a quest in the first place?

Well, quit yer crying! Help is HERE!

I too was once in your shoes. That is why they are all scuffed-up and shit. Sorry about that. But now I have been to the top of the mountain, I have made the quests happen, and I have slid all the way back down on my butt (it's faster than walking) to share my new knowledge with you!

Here are your tools for building this steampunk monster we call a quest:

A shaft of inspiration out of nowhere. "Hey, how come there is nothing in here about the Laura Ingalls Wilder books? I want these bitches to write it for me!"

A bunch of people to do the judging and the prizing. This is where usergroups come in handy. Depending on what kinds of prizes you want to give out, you might want to ask the nearest gods, some editors, your usergroup pals, the catbox, or just people you like for help meting out rewards to good entries.

I always thought you needed permission! But anarchy reigns here: all you need is a bunch of pretty words. Look at past quests for ideas about formatting and exciting twists. It is, however, a really good idea to stick your quest writeup in your scratchpad before posting it, /msg a nearby god, and ask for feedback. They are fabulous people who will be able to point out any glaring gaps or problems with the quest.

A deadline. Can people get prizes for quest-related writeups they already made? How long do you really want to be waiting for people to write stuff? How long do you think it will take? Too long and they may forget your quest exists; too short and they may not even try to enter.

An opinion. That is, an opinion about what an entry should look like and have in it to be good. And a clear set of guidelines so everyone else knows what your opinion is.

And the best part: PRIZES.

The prizes given out for quests here over the years have been multiplarious in their splenderofity. For instance: