The Rules

1. General

NigerianFiction is a community for reading, writing, and reviewing user-made fiction from or about Nigeria. Like any community we can only blossom if members treat each other with respect.

In that vein, by posting anything in the public spaces of this site, you are agreeing to treat your fellow NigerianFictioners with mutual respect in all of NigerianFiction's public spaces. This includes:

Profiles

Author's notes

Stories

Reviews

Favourites

Undoubtedly the differences in personality among us will lead to some friction once in a while and while we generally expect that all members act or speak in a thoughtful manner towards others, occasionally there will be some lapses in judgment, so if you see something publicly posted that offends you, please feel free to contact a Moderator or Administrator.

If you have personal problems with any of your fellow NigerianFictioners, please handle them privately away from the site. Personal issues should not be dealt with in a public space such as this so save all that pent up emotion for your stories so we can enjoy great, juicy, dramatic reads!

Failure to keep your personal drama personal will result in a warning. Repeat offenders may be subject to locking, profile deletion or any other sanction as Administrators see fit.

By posting in any of the public areas on this site, you also demonstrate your understanding that all of your posts are subject to moderation, editing,* and/or removal by the Moderators, or Administrators if, in their opinion, such posts may be objectionable to others. This should not be viewed as a form of censorship; rather, it is a way to ensure that unpleasant differences do not color the NigerianFiction experience for those not involved in those differences. Those persons whose posts are edited or removed will be notified privately as to the edit or removal and the reasons for such. Continued violations may be subject to profile deletion.

*Actual stories will not be edited... only the author, unless they agree otherwise, is capable of editing their story.

2. Stories

All stories must either be set in Nigeria or the geographical area that has come to be known as Nigeria (present day, past or future) OR must have Nigerian main protagonists or main antagonists OR both. This is NON-NEGOTIABLE. Stories that do not have Nigerian main protagonists or main antagonists, and stories that are not set in Nigeria will be deleted and you will be warned.

  • All submissions must be accompanied by a complete disclaimer. If a suitable disclaimer is not included, the site administrators reserve the right to add a disclaimer. Repeat offenders may be subject to further action up to and including removal of stories and account.
    Sample Disclaimer
    Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

  • Stories must be submitted to the proper category. If there is an appropriate sub-category, DO NOT add your story to the main category. The submission form allows you to choose multiple categories for your story, and we worked very hard to add that functionality for you. So please do NOT add your story multiple times!

  • Titles and summaries must be kid friendly. No exceptions.

  • "Please read", "Untitled", etc. are not acceptable titles or summaries.

  • A number of authors have requested that fans refrain from writing fan fiction based on their work. Therefore submissions will not be accepted based on the works of such authors

  • Actor/actress stories are not permitted...not even if they're visiting an alternate reality.

  • Correct grammar and spelling are expected of all stories submitted to this site. The site administrators are not grammar Nazis. However, the site administrators reserve the right to request corrections in submissions with a multitude of grammar and/or spelling errors.If such a request is ignored, the story will be deleted.

  • All stories must be rated correctly and have the appropriate warnings.

    YOU MUST CHOOSE A RATING FOR YOUR STORY. This is non-negotiable.

    This is a site where all ratings are allowed. All adult rated stories are expected to have warnings. After all, they wouldn't have that rating if there wasn't something to be warned about! The site administrators recognize that there is an audience for these stories, but please respect those who do not wish to read them by labeling them appropriately.

    As a result of this, ALL Summaries MUST be the equivalent of a K+ rating so no explicit wording in the summaries PLEASE!! Please obey the ratings. We take these rules very seriously and will take action if we know that a minor is writing or reading material in violation of the age guidelines. Action will include reprimand, story deletion, or profile deletion depending upon the offense.

    K
    All users can read and post K rated fan fiction. Intended for general audiences 5 years and older. Content should be free of any coarse language, violence, and adult themes.
    K+
    All users can read and post K+ rated fan fiction. Suitable for more mature children, 9 years and older, with minor action violence without serious injury. May contain mild coarse language. Should not contain any adult themes.
    T
    All users ages 13 and up may read and post T rated fan fiction. Suitable for teens, 13 years and older, with some violence, minor coarse language, and minor suggestive adult themes.
    M
    All users ages 16 and up may read and post M rated fan fiction. Not suitable for children or teens below the age of 16 due to possible strong but non-explicit adult themes, references to violence, and strong coarse language.
    MA
    ONLY users ages 18 and up may read or post MA rated work. Content is only suitable for mature adults. May contain explicit language and adult themes.

    Please note: Erotica containing adults having sex with minors are strictly forbidden. Such scenes are only allowed as PART of a bigger story and NOT THE MAIN OBJECT OR THEME of the story.

  • Stories with multiple chapters should be archived as such and NEVER as separate stories. Upload the first chapter of your story, then go to Manage Stories in your account to add additional chapters. If you have trouble with this, please contact the site administrator or ask a friend to help you.

  • As much as possible, spoiler warnings are expected on all stories. For categories with serialized content, such as series of books or television series, spoilers are mandatory for the current season and/or most recent part. An appropriate spoiler warning to place in your summary would be: Spoilers for Jenifa. DO NOT do anything like this: Spoilers for the one where Jenifa gets AIDS.

    • Submissions found to be in violation of these rules may be removed and the author's account suspended at the discretion of the site administrators and/or moderators. The site administrators reserve the right to modify these rules as needed.

    3. Reviews

    To Readers: There is a difference between constructive criticism and flames. If you do not understand the difference, do not offer either. Flames are subject to deletion and the offending party will be rebuked in private. Repeat offenses will result in profile deletion. If an author/artist states that they do not want critique, do NOT offer it in spite. That will be considered a flame. In addition, you may NOT take an artist to task for the content of their picture via a comment. If you feel that the content violates NigerianFiction's stated rule on offensive material, please inform a Site Administrator rather than leaving a negative comment.

    To Authors: Try not to take offense to genuine critique. This is a learning experience. If you do not want critique, clearly state that on your profile and in an Author's Note inserted in the actual story.

    Regarding Review Demands: Review demands (i.e. holding chapters hostage for reviews) are not allowed. Saying that you need reviews in order to post the next chapter is viewed as a demand. Threatening to discontinue writing a story because one did not receive the expected number of reviews is also considered a demand. Stating that a certain number of reviews is necessary for story continuance is a demand. Violators will be notified of the violation and given seven (7) days to remove the demand, or face deletion of the story where the demand is posted.

    4. Offensive material

    Offensive material within stories is subjective, however, use common sense. Hate speech, offensive words intended to incite a reader to anger, or Author's Notes attacking other Authors/Artists, whether members or not, are not allowed. This will result in reprimand or profile deletion, depending upon the offense. In addition, please remember that our site hosts both visual and textual material that might be offensive to some. As long as it does not violate the previously stated terms regarding hate speech, things intended to incite anger, or attacks on others, it will most likely be allowed on this site, despite the fact that some might find it offensive personally. Please try to take this into consideration when reporting offensive content.

    5. Plagiarism

    Plagiarism is subject to profile deletion. Shared cliché is not grounds for plagiarism accusations. Sequencing of plot, word-for-word theft, and so on, is plagiarism. If you have any questions, or wish to file a genuine complaint, please contact an Administrator immediately.

    Taking or using fan art without the artist's permission is plagiarism as well. Some might view fan art as common property and assume it is fine to use without permission from the artists. It is not. That is stealing the creative toil of another person for personal gain or fame. Claiming art even for purposes like icons or coloration, without permission and/or credit is tantamount to claiming you created it yourself.

    Note: All art and icons on this site's layout and used in award banners are the exclusive property of Nigerian Fiction and the artist and may not be used outside the site or elsewhere.

    6. Trolling

    Trolling will result in immediate profile deletion. Mocking Nigerian literature, Nigerian fiction, or Nigerian writers is not allowed. You may however, mock Nigerian movies. They are hilarious and even we must admit this.

    7. Icons

    There is an icon gallery on Nigerian Fiction. These icons are free for you to use on this site. They were created by Sugabelly. Please do not steal, or attempt to claim ownership, of said icons.

    Please do NOT post pictures of your minor children as your profile icons. This is for the privacy and safety of the minors in question. You are welcome to post pictures of your adult children, animals, inanimate objects, but please not the little human ones!

    8. Moderators

    All of the Administrators and Moderators donate their time freely to help run this site; please accord them the respect they deserve! The Administrators do communicate with each other, thus going between Administrators to get different results will not work. In addition, refusal to fix issues brought to your attention as a member will cause more work for the staff, giving us less time to focus on site maintenance. Please keep this in mind and work with the staff to enable all of us to enjoy our community!

    9. Site Staff

    There are many site staff members who are more than willing to assist you at any point in time. Please understand that they have been chosen as site staff because they model and exemplify the spirit of NigerianFiction. When they make a request of you it is because they want to see the spirit of NigerianFiction prosper and they are to be respected and listened to.

    If you have any questions, concerns or comments - about the rules in particular, or the site in general - please contact the site Administrator. (Sugabelly)