Commission Contract

I occasionally accept commissions for writing. The following is an outline of the terms and conditions under which I will add chapters for my interactive stories. They may be modified in negotiations to cover stand-alone stories.

NOTE: This post does not imply that I have stopped writing interactives. When I get ideas of my own, I will still be writing and posting them for free. This document merely outlines the conditions under which I will compose chapters commissioned by readers.

* Minimum order and cost:

a) 300,000 Writing.com Gift Points [WdCGP] for a set of 5 chapters. Each additional chapter in an order will cost 60,000 Gift Points.

-or-

b) $25.00 Amazon Gift Card [AGC] for a set of 5 chapters. Each additional chapter in an order will cost $5.00.

* Each chapter is guaranteed to have a minimum of 1500 words. Typically, my chapters max out at WdC's interactive chapter limit (approximately 1750 words), but there will be no charge for any word count above 1500 in a chapter.

* If, for plot reasons, I have to write a chapter that is less than the guaranteed number of words, the chapter will not be included in the order count. It will be a freebie, provided by me in order to make my end of the job easier.

* Payment of 300,000 WdCGPs or $25.00 AGCs is due only after the fifth chapter in a five-chapter batch has been published. In an order of 10, 15, 20, etc., chapters, payment of 300,000 GWdCGPs or $25.00 AGCs is due after each successive 5-chapter batch has gone up. In case of an order that is not a multiple of 5, the balance is due after the last chapter has been published. (I.e., in an 8-chapter order, the first 300,000 WdCGPs/$25.00 AGCs is due upon the publication of the fifth chapter; the remaining 180,000 WdCGPs/$15.00 AGCs are due upon the publication of the eighth chapter.)

* Content of chapters is negotiable and can be structured to include greater or lesser detail on any number of points, e.g.:

-Published chapters that will get sequels.
-Characters that will appear or whose appearance will be avoided.
-Settings.
-General types of plot incidents, such as the employment of certain kinds of transformation, spells, or relationships.
-Specific types of plot incidents, such as the transformation of certain characters, the employment of certain spells on certain characters, or changes in the status or relationships of certain characters.
-Sequencing of chapters (e.g., whether the chapters will form a linear sequence, or will develop the consequences of chapter-ending choices by branching in different directions).
-The introduction of new characters or settings or spells.

The above list is not exhaustive, and elements can be mixed or matched in a variety of ways and with varying degrees of specificity. See examples below.

* I reserve the right to decline a commission for any reason whatsoever without giving the reasons for so declining it. I also reserve the right, during the negotiations, to make counter-proposals, which naturally you may reject or modify with counter-proposals of your own. It should be stated up front, however, that certain kinds of requests, such as the employment of novel spells, may be so difficult to introduce that I have no real choice but to decline a commission that requires them.

* Certain commission conditions may be agreeable but impossible to meet without the writing of mediating chapters that link an existing chapter to the first plausible chapter in the commission. In such a case, a commission agreement will include an "onset condition"--some plot incident or other marker that constitutes an agreed "starting point" for the commissioned set of chapters. It will be my responsibility to point out whether such an onset condition is needed. If I feel that mediating chapters are needed to connect an existing chapter to a chapter containing the onset condition, then if I accept the commission I will provide the wanted chapters at no charge to you. If, in my opinion, too many mediating chapters would have to be written, I will in all likelihood decline the commission.

* Certain commission conditions may be agreeable but in practice prove impossible to fully implement within the agreed upon number of chapters. In this case, I must continue writing chapters, even if the number written exceeds the number of chapters commissioned, until all the conditions have been met. Any extra chapters will not be paid for, and payment for the set will not be due until the commission is satisfactorily completed. In such a case, a "completion condition" will be negotiated as part of the commission.

* I cannot guarantee the time frame during which chapters in the commission will all be published. (I mean, c'mon, my computer has been known experience hard drive failures, and sometimes real life gets in the way.) It should be recognized that this is the reason that payment for chapters is not due until a certain number of chapters have been posted--you will pay nothing until the chapters you have paid for have appeared. If it becomes untenable to continue the commission, for ANY REASON whatsoever, I will do my best to notify you. No payment will be due for chapters that have been posted but not paid for, and I will be under no assumed obligation to finish the commission. For example, if you commission 5 chapters, I have the right to cancel the commission after posting only 4 chapters; but you will not have to pay for those 4.

* I reserve the right to interrupt the publishing schedule of your commission in order to post chapters outside the commission.

Examples of commission agreements:

Example A (5 chapters)
Write chapters developing out of a sequel to "A New Toy" on the choice "Take Gordon and Chelsea"

Example B (7 chapters)
1. Write a sequel to "The Fourth Musketeer" on the choice "Take Robert with you".
2. Robert and Will infiltrate a fraternity house. [Commissioned chapters begin on the chapter before either Will or Robert assume a fraternity member's identity.]
3. Umeko appears and carries on at least one major conversation with either Will or Robert (or both) while they are in disguise.
4. At least four chapters sequential. Other chapters may branch off any of the commissioned chapters.

Example C (10 chapters)
1. Will, along with Caleb and/or Keith, uses the masks to infiltrate Eastman in an area that has not introduced Blackwell. [Onset condition: The chapter that includes the first appearance by one of the characters, in disguise as an Eastman student, at Eastman.]
2. At Eastman they secure copies of Frank and Joe Durras, who shortly afterward disappear.
3. Will and his friends must use the masks to battle Blackwell and free the brothers. [Concluding condition: The death or permanent incapacitation of Blackwell. Successful rescue of the brothers is optional.]
4. At least 7 sequential chapters ending in the concluding condition. Other chapters may be branches showing different developments of any kind whatsoever, and requiring only that the disguises of Joe and Frank Durras be employed]

Example D (8 chapters)
1. The appearance in every chapter of Charles Hartlein. Specific chapters:
2. A sequel to "Oh, the Drama!" Will in disguise as CH. (1 chapter; any choice)
3. A sequel to "Inside the Actor's Studio." Will with CH's mind band. (1 chapter; any choice)
4. A sequel to "David Kirkham." Lengthy confrontation with CH (1 chapter; any choice)
5. A sequence of 5 chapters in any area, with Will and CH partnering, and CH taking a disguise as a male athlete. Neither CH nor Will may disguise himself as Jason Lynch, though Lynch may appear. [Onset: CH discovering what Will can do with the masks. First disguise by CH counts toward a successful completion]
6. Blackmail by CH of Will cannot be a motive for Will's going along with the events in item 5.

Example E (5 chapters)
1. FtM transformation, with female characters being given new identities as male athletes. [Onset condition: the first transformation]
2. Five chapters, at least four sequential.
3. At least five girls undergo transformation. [Fifth transformation counts as a successful completion]
4. Lisa Yarborough may NOT appear.