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<DIV><SPAN class=657532013-01122003><FONT face=Arial size=2>Greetings
All,</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=657532013-01122003><FONT face=Arial
size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=657532013-01122003><FONT face=Arial size=2>Some questions have
been raised regarding the documentation requirement at the upcoming Eisteddfod.
I hope that the following information is helpful for those asking about
documentation. Please follow up on this list or contact me privately if you have
any further questions.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=657532013-01122003><FONT face=Arial
size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=657532013-01122003><FONT face=Arial
size=2>Thanks,</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=657532013-01122003><FONT face=Arial
size=2>Pendaran</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=657532013-01122003><FONT face=Arial
size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=657532013-01122003>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; TEXT-INDENT: -0.5in; TEXT-ALIGN: left; mso-text-indent-alt: -9.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in"
align=left><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial"><SPAN
style="mso-list: Ignore"><SPAN
style="FONT: 7pt 'Times New Roman'">
</SPAN><FONT face=Arial>I.</FONT><SPAN
style="FONT: 7pt 'Times New Roman'">
</SPAN></SPAN></SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><FONT face=Arial>Is verbal
documentation okay?<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns =
"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: left"
align=left><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p><FONT
face=Arial> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; TEXT-ALIGN: left"
align=left><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><FONT face=Arial>Verbal documentation
is, in my opinion, largely useless. Giving verbal documentation may tell your
judges and audience what you’re performing, and possibly who wrote it and when,
but that is the absolute bare bones of documentation<SPAN
class=657532013-01122003> and it doesn't provide sources from which you can
verify the accuracy of the documentation</SPAN>. Documentation should give more
than the basics, it should dig more into the details of what you’re performing,
but there will be more on that later. There are also no sources available when
presenting verbal documentation and it does little to spread your knowledge of
the work that you are performing. <o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 27pt; TEXT-ALIGN: left"
align=left><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p><FONT
face=Arial> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 27pt; TEXT-ALIGN: left"
align=left><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p><FONT
face=Arial> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; TEXT-INDENT: -0.5in; TEXT-ALIGN: left; mso-text-indent-alt: -9.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in"
align=left><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial"><SPAN
style="mso-list: Ignore"><SPAN
style="FONT: 7pt 'Times New Roman'">
</SPAN><FONT face=Arial>II.</FONT><SPAN
style="FONT: 7pt 'Times New Roman'">
</SPAN></SPAN></SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><FONT face=Arial>What should
go into your documentation?<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; TEXT-ALIGN: left"
align=left><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><o:p><FONT
face=Arial> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; TEXT-ALIGN: left"
align=left><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><FONT face=Arial>In general judges want
to know that you know what you’re talking about. If you can answer the important
questions of Who, What, When, Where, How and sometimes even Why, then you have
successfully documented your performance piece. For example, if you can
document <B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN
class=657532013-01122003>w</SPAN>hat</B> the piece is (example, a
12<SUP>th</SUP> century chanson or a 16<SUP>th</SUP> century sonnet), <B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">who</B> wrote the piece that you’re
performing<SPAN class=657532013-01122003> (if known)</SPAN>, <B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">when</B> it was written, <B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN class=657532013-01122003>w</SPAN>here
</B>is was written (different cultures had different styles of the same types of
poetry and it can be important to explain the differences), <B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN class=657532013-01122003>h</SPAN>ow
</B>is important, (as in the meter, rhyme scheme and so forth). Sometimes even
the question of <B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN
class=657532013-01122003>w</SPAN>hy</B> the piece was written can be important,
or at least interesting, information to include in your documentation –
especially if the piece was written for a particular reason or for a particular
person. <o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; TEXT-ALIGN: left"
align=left><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><o:p><FONT
face=Arial> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; TEXT-ALIGN: left"
align=left><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><FONT face=Arial>Something that most
people don’t know is that judges love it when they learn something when reading
documentation. Remember that many times the person who is judging your
performance is not a performer, or not primarily a performer, themselves. Even
if your judge is a performer, they may not specialize in your type of
performance. Therefore the judge may not know much about the piece that you’re
performing or about your art form in general. If you can educate your judge on
your subject, you will very likely get a good score on your documentation.
<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; TEXT-ALIGN: left"
align=left><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p><FONT
face=Arial> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; TEXT-INDENT: -0.5in; TEXT-ALIGN: left; mso-text-indent-alt: -9.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in"
align=left><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial"><SPAN
style="mso-list: Ignore"><SPAN
style="FONT: 7pt 'Times New Roman'">
</SPAN><FONT face=Arial>III.</FONT><SPAN
style="FONT: 7pt 'Times New Roman'">
</SPAN></SPAN></SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><FONT face=Arial>How long
should it be?<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 27pt; TEXT-ALIGN: left"
align=left><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p><FONT
face=Arial> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; TEXT-ALIGN: left"
align=left><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><FONT face=Arial>The proper length of
documentation has been widely debated amongst the laurels in the kingdom for
some time. This is not to say that everyone needs to try to become a laurel or
that if you want to become a laurel that you need to necessarily worry about the
length of documentation. Rather, it’s merely recognition of the fact that you
are most likely to be judged by a laurel and of the fact that the laurels
generally set the standards for arts in the SCA. <o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; TEXT-ALIGN: left"
align=left><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><o:p><FONT
face=Arial> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; TEXT-ALIGN: left"
align=left><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><FONT face=Arial>Some people think that
documentation should be kept to a minimum – even to keeping it to 3x5 cards.
Others want to see several pages of documentation while still others prefer the
happy medium of two or so pages. Some people play it safe and provide both long
and short versions of their documentation. In the end, the documentation is
yours and it’s up to you how long you make it. The length of the documentation
is also largely determined by the subject. If you’re writing about sonnets, you
will have a wealth of information that can be found and conveyed in your
documentation, but if you’re performing something more obscure, there may be
less information on the subject. In the end, it’s more important to be sure that
your documentation is factual and explains your work to your judges.
<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; TEXT-ALIGN: left"
align=left><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p><FONT
face=Arial> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; TEXT-INDENT: -0.5in; TEXT-ALIGN: left; mso-text-indent-alt: -9.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in"
align=left><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial"><SPAN
style="mso-list: Ignore"><SPAN
style="FONT: 7pt 'Times New Roman'">
</SPAN><FONT face=Arial>IV.</FONT><SPAN
style="FONT: 7pt 'Times New Roman'">
</SPAN></SPAN></SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><FONT face=Arial>Is the
internet a good source?<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: left"
align=left><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p><FONT
face=Arial> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; TEXT-ALIGN: left"
align=left><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><FONT face=Arial>As time goes by, the
internet is becoming a more reliable source for research, but you should steer
clear of using it as your only source. The reason for suspicion regarding the
internet is simply because you can’t truly count on the reliability of many of
the sites. However, if you stick to collegiate sites you’re safe. Still, you
can’t beat the reliability of good books and authoritative authors. I strongly
recommend that you include books and journal articles in your research in
addition to the internet. <o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: left"
align=left><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p><FONT
face=Arial> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: left"
align=left><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p><FONT
face=Arial> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: left"
align=left><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p><FONT
face=Arial> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; TEXT-INDENT: -0.5in; TEXT-ALIGN: left; mso-text-indent-alt: -9.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in"
align=left><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial"><SPAN
style="mso-list: Ignore"><SPAN
style="FONT: 7pt 'Times New Roman'">
</SPAN><FONT face=Arial>V.</FONT><SPAN
style="FONT: 7pt 'Times New Roman'">
</SPAN></SPAN></SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><FONT face=Arial>Get feedback
from the judges<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: left"
align=left><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p><FONT
face=Arial> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; TEXT-ALIGN: left"
align=left><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><FONT face=Arial>While this isn’t
actually about writing documentation, being sure to get feedback from your
judges can greatly help you improve your documentation. A judge’s job should be
more than determining a person’s score, it should be helping the person to
improve their performance and their documentation. So be sure to get commentary
from your judges. If there is insufficient commentary on your score sheet, call,
and talk to or email your judges and ask for commentary and suggestions. If the
judge is insightful and knowledgeable about A&S, they can give you great
tips for how to improve your documentation. If however, you disagree with the
comments that you get, just smile, say thanks and forget about it - especially
if you asked for the comments. Most of the time, however, if you have an
experienced judge, you’re likely to get good commentary that will help you to
improve your documentation. <o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: left"
align=left><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p><FONT
face=Arial> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; TEXT-INDENT: -0.5in; TEXT-ALIGN: left; mso-text-indent-alt: -9.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in"
align=left><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial"><SPAN
style="mso-list: Ignore"><SPAN
style="FONT: 7pt 'Times New Roman'">
</SPAN><FONT face=Arial>VI.</FONT><SPAN
style="FONT: 7pt 'Times New Roman'">
</SPAN></SPAN></SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><FONT face=Arial>Explain
things even if you think its obvious<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; TEXT-ALIGN: left"
align=left><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p><FONT
face=Arial> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; TEXT-ALIGN: left"
align=left><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><FONT face=Arial>There will undoubtedly
be aspects of your performance that you will think are well known or obvious and
that don’t need to be explained, but remember that your judge may not know
anything about your art form. A perfect example comes from the first time I
wrote documentation for a sonnet. I stated that English sonnets were written in
Iambic Pentameter and figured that everyone knew what iambic pentameter was. In
their commentary on my score sheet, the judges asked me to explain iambic
pentameter. Sure they remembered learning something about iambic in high school,
but they didn’t remember exactly what it was and they wanted to know. So every
time you use a poetic or musical term – even if you think that they term is
common place - you should define it and site your source. Terms such as foot,
measure and alliteration are perfect examples. Remember, you have the chance to
teach the judge something and that’s something that judges love. <SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: left"
align=left><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p><FONT
face=Arial> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; TEXT-INDENT: -0.5in; TEXT-ALIGN: left; mso-text-indent-alt: -9.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in"
align=left><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial"><SPAN
style="mso-list: Ignore"><SPAN
style="FONT: 7pt 'Times New Roman'">
</SPAN><FONT face=Arial>VII.</FONT><SPAN
style="FONT: 7pt 'Times New Roman'">
</SPAN></SPAN></SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><FONT face=Arial>Explain
variances <o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: left"
align=left><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p><FONT
face=Arial> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; TEXT-ALIGN: left"
align=left><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><FONT face=Arial>One good general rule
when writing documentation be it for performance or other wise, is to explain
any variances in what you’re doing. By that, I mean that if you do something
different from the way it was done in period, you should state in your
documentation that you’ve done so and explain why. If you’re performing a song
as a spoken piece rather than singing it because you (like I), can’t sing, then
just say so in your documentation. It also helps if you can prove in your
documentation that what you are doing was done in period.
<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P></SPAN></DIV>
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