2025 KiScon Zine – Writers’ Guide

from your trusty zine editors, 1lostone and Alice West

Beta readers

• I think this is too short/too long.
• I didn’t understand what Spock was trying to say here.
• I don’t think Kirk would be shouting at Bones here.
• I didn’t understand where the characters were in the last scene.
• I think Spock is out of character here.
• I couldn’t picture the gizmo they’re using.   
• I thought the story was going to be this, but it turned out to be that. Was that your intention?

Style guide

• All language from other planets, especially Vulcan, is in italics, including food, e.g. plomeek soup, le-matya, Klingon bat’leth, Spock’s fra’als.
• All names of ships (starships, sea ships, space freighters, etc.) are in italics, e.g. the Enterprise, USS Enterprise, USS Grissom, the Fesarius.
• Direct thoughts and mind-meld communication are in italics. Example: Mr. Scott ran down the corridor. I’ve got to get to the transporter room in time! But: Mr. Scott ran down the corridor. He had to get to the transporter room in time.
• Italics can be used for emphasis but should be used sparingly throughout.

• Planet, star system, and starbase names, e.g. Earth, the Earth, the Andromeda Galaxy, Deep Space Station K-7.
• Cities and other geographical locations—on Earth or any other planet, e.g. New Orleans, Vulcan’s Forge, the Pacific Ocean, Mount Seleya.
• Past memories and flashbacks. (Large passages in italics are hard to read. Try to make it clear that the passage is in the character’s head.)
• Alien names are in regular type, like other names.

• Words in ALL CAPS or in bold are not used in zines. Try italics.
• Rank and profession should be upper case when used with the name, e.g. Nurse Chapel, Commodore Decker, Doctor McCoy, Ensign Chekov, Mr. Spock.
• Rank and profession should be lower case when simply referring to the person (the captain, the doctor, a lieutenant, the healer). Example: “Captain Kirk!" Spock protested as the captain bent his favorite first officer over the chair.

• In dialogue, spell out all numbers. Example: “Jim, there’s a twenty-three-point-two percent chance of success.”
• In text, spell out numbers from zero to ninety-nine. From 100 and up, use Arabic numerals. Example: Uhura tried to make contact for the twentieth time. She was 110 percent fed up.
• Use numerals for measurements, dates, times, etc., e.g. warp 5 or warp factor 5, Stardate 2253, 25 meters, 97 parsecs away.
• Starbases and space stations use Arabic numerals. Planets use Roman numerals, e.g. Starbase 3, Deep Space 9, but Omicron Ceti III, Tarsus IV, Altair VI.

• We use a serial comma, which means putting a comma before the “and” in a list of three or more. Example: Kirk got along the best with Humans, Andorians, and Vulcans.
• We also use a comma before “too,” whether within or at the end of a sentence. Example: Spock hoped he would have the opportunity to penetrate Jim, too.
• Short introductory phrases are followed by commas. Example: “By the way, my back is killing me,” Kirk hinted. So, Spock gave him a backrub.
• Periods and commas always go inside quotation marks. Example: “Captain…Jim,” Spock whispered. Wesley had called him “Captain Dunsel.”