We think everyone who has seen our posts and wants to sign up has done so ... but we wonder if we can get enough new eyeballs to find 19 more creators (or more) in the next 4 hours because although we've already set records with signups this year, we're very curious to see what a Fandom Trumps Hate auction with 1000 offers looks like.
With that possibility in mind, we've decided to re-open the signup form through 4:30 PM Pacific. Signal boost like crazy and see if we can reach new corners of fandom before time runs out on this bonus window. Whether we reach 1k signups or not, the form will be closing again at 4:30 PM Pacific.
Signups are OPEN. Briefly!
Fandom Trumps Hate is a fanworks auction raising money for progressive nonprofit organizations. You can learn more about us here.
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Esterbrook, whose real name was Fawn, lived as honestly and true to her beliefs as anyone I've ever known. She was thoughtful, caring, and hilarious, and more than willing to mix it up for a good cause.
Esterbrook was an actual professional writer who made a living writing actual, professional words. Her fics reflected her gift, and then some. I had the opportunity to beta for her once, and I literally had no notes. Just first pass, flawless. She was astonishing in her assurance with the written word.
Years ago, when I'd just met her, I barely bit back a laugh when, while leading a panel on Sussexlock at Sherlock Seattle, she called out those writers who insisted on painting Sherlock and John in middle age as feeble and past their prime by indicating her own fit figure, dark hair and dancing eyes and saying, "Hey, kids, this is what 40 looks like."
To remember her, and to remind us all of her brilliant talent. I'm linking probably her best known fic, Stay. The Writers' Suite crew mourns her passing and honors her memory. She was an extraordinary writer and an extraordinary person. We'll miss her.
-Mel
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the
Organization for Transformative Works
In the spirit of encouraging people to comment on fanfics while also making it easier to do so, I feel obliged to share a browser extension for ao3 that has quite literally revolutionized the comment game for me.
I present to you: the floating ao3 comment box!
From what I've seen, a big problem for many people is that once you reach the comments at the bottom of a fic, your memory of it miraculously disappears. Anything you wanted to say is stuck ten paragraphs ago, and you barely remember what you thought while reading. This fixes that!
I'll give a little explanation on the features and how it works, but if you want to skip all that, here's the link.
The extension is visible as a small blue box in the upper left corner.
(Side note: The green colouring is not from the extension, that's me.)
If you click on it, you open a comment box window at the bottom of your screen but not at the bottom of the fic. I opened my own fic for demonstrative purposes.
The website also gives explanations on how exactly it functions, but I'll summarize regardless.
insert selection -> if you highlight a sentence in the fic it will be added in italics to the comment box
add to comment box -> once you're done writing your comment, you click this button and the entire thing will automatically copied to the ao3 comment box
delete -> self explanatory
on mulitchapter fics, you will be given the option to either add the comment to just the current chapter or the entire fic
The best part? You can simply close the window the same way you opened it and your progress will automatically be saved. So you can open it, comment on a paragraph, and then close it and keep reading without having the box in your face.
Comments are what keep writers going, and as both a writer and a reader, I think it's such an easy way of showing support and enthusiasm.
Hi, WQA! Thank you so much for all the advice you give! I'm not sure if you can help me out with my problem, so feel free to ignore me. For the last couple of months, I've been very motivated and I've been able to write quite a lot. I was so happy about it and excited to share my stories, but I've barely had any response by the people that read them. It has had a negative effect on me, and I'm slowly and surely losing the motivation to continue writing. So, I guess my question is, how/what can I do to continue writing even though I feel bad and I lose my motivation everytime that I get no response to my stories? Thank you!
Motivation Lost Due to Low Audience Engagement
This is a common thing for writers, whether it's low audience engagement on a fiction-sharing site, lack of ratings/reviews, or low book sales. However, the reality about publication is that there's a lot of competition and it can take a lot of time and effort to find an audience. Every story doesn't garner tons of engagement, and every book doesn't sell a ton of copies. So if you put a lot of weight in those things, the truth is you're bound to be disappointed. For that reason, it's very helpful for most writers to put more weight in the act of writing and publishing, but then let it go after that. Don't pay too much attention to ratings, reviews, comments, etc. And if you can't help glancing at them, just remember that a lack of visible engagement doesn't translate to a lack of interest. People can read your story without rating or leaving a comment, and they can read your book without buying it or rating it or leaving a review. Not engaging doesn't mean they didn't like it--it's just the reality that people don't usually take the time to engage unless their like or dislike was extreme. People don't often engage if they simply enjoyed something.
So... put more weight in what you get out of writing and sharing your stories. Try not to pay attention to ratings, reviews, comments, and sales--but if you do and they're low, remember that doesn't mean people aren't reading your stories/books or that people aren't enjoying them. Write for the people who love your stories, even if they don't always take the time to tell you so. And know that the more you write and share, the more your audience is likely to build, so in time, you may see that engagement build. There are a lot of free author summits, workshops, talks, guides, and articles that offer tips on how to build your audience and increase engagement, so you might find those helpful as well. ♥
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
I’ve been writing seriously for over 30 years and love to share what I’ve learned. Have a writing question? My inbox is always open!
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You Are Not Aspiring: Fanfiction Writers Are Real Writers Too
We know you’ve heard it. Maybe it was someone in your family. Maybe it was a friend. But, inevitably, if someone who doesn’t read or write fanfiction finds out that you do, the question surfaces. Why don’t you write something that could actually make you money? It’s a bit of a blow to hear it, isn’t it? Even if they don’t actually say it, what they mean is why don’t you write something that’s worth your time? And those close to you aren’t the only ones who see fanfiction as essentially worthless. The writing community at large doesn’t see much value in it, and some of them are even actively against it. It’s hard to keep your self-esteem when the atmosphere seems determined to beat you down, so we’re here to tell you that fanfiction is real writing, and if you’ve written it, you are a real writer.
To start with the basics, if you write anything, you’re a writer. A work doesn’t magically turn into some elevated form of writing once it’s been published by Random House or read by ten million people. It’s like that old saying about a tree falling in the forest. If a tree falls in the forest, it does make a sound, whether anyone’s around to hear it or not. So if you write something, even if you never show it to anyone and only keep it for yourself, you’re a writer. You don’t need anyone else to see it in order to be validated.
Another assumption that we’d like to correct here is that every person who writes fanfiction wants to eventually write something original. Yes, there is crossover, and that crossover makes sense. If you like to write fanfiction, you might like to write other things too. But that doesn’t mean that every fanfiction author’s dream is to become a published author making their living off of their books. So, if all you ever want to write is fanfiction, don’t think that that’s not okay. It is totally, 100% okay. Fandoms will always love fanfiction. You will never lack an audience for your work. You don’t have to have dreams bigger than fanfiction to make writing it worthwhile. You also don’t need an audience to make it those things, either. If all you have is a private notebook where you keep records of your fanfiction adventures, and we’ve talked to authors who do, that’s fine too.
That’s not to say there’s anything wrong with wanting to write original fiction eventually. If that’s where your head’s at, though, fanfiction still isn’t a waste of your time. Any writing that you do, first of all, is practice. And, depending on what you’re writing, you might be able to turn some of your fanfiction into original fiction. Even if that doesn’t happen, by the way, fanfiction can still be your fun outlet, the thing you write when you need a break. You don’t have to turn every piece of fanfiction into something original to justify it. What matters is that you enjoy it. That’s the only thing that counts.
The short answer is that there’s nothing wrong with writing fanfiction and only fanfiction. It can be angsty, fluffy, or hella, hella smutty. It doesn’t matter. You reached into your brain and you created something, and that’s amazing. It doesn’t matter that the characters or the setting were already there for you. You still flexed your imagination and added depth and life that the story may not have had before, and that is nothing to be ashamed of. Fanfiction is real writing. Fanfiction authors are real authors. The argument ends there. Full stop.
Here. Have kudos on that fanfic you wrote in your head while you were in the shower and never typed it out. When I recover from the brilliance of it, I’ll come back to leave a review.
Thanks, @totallysilvergirl, and thanks @helloliriels for asking!
I, for one, had a wonderful time. The writing and the talking about writing was so valuable for me, as always. I found it so motivating to be around all these enthusiastic writers and hear about their challenges and successes. Every year I find new strategies to incorporate into my practice and this year was no exception. This retreat makes me a better writer.
This year we had workshops on the following: dealing with writers' block, workshopping WIPs that were stuck, getting into podficcing, writing effective sex scenes and writing endings. We had grounding sessions to support our intentions and focus, and we had writing sessions with prompts. As usual, we spent time in the evenings reading our work aloud to each other, in the gentle glow of a thousand dollar-store fairy lights. A few determined folks traipsed around the unfortunately very well-it campus to find a place to view the Perseid meteor shower (we saw maybe five) and had a very delightful singalong accompanied by the ukelele. Thank you to @antheiasilva @stellacartography @keirgreeneyes @amindamazed @seriouslymarythough and @cirquedereve for all of this!!
We ate together, and had to kind of fiddle with arrangements for where to eat and where to keep the food. That was a little shaky at times, but only a little, because @blogstandbygo just cheerfully and competently made everything happen, and also because everyone there was always ready with an extra pair of hands to carry and dish up and assemble whatever food there was and make sure it got where it needed to go. We had some good laughs about all of this. I will giggle about the Great Wheel-less Chair Caper for some time to come.
Not yet mentioned, but instrumental in making it all work: @onwallsjcfwrites @fearlessdiva930 @addictedstilltheaddict @pipmer @otter-von-bismarck
@totallysilvergirl you know how this group is, ready to help and welcome and share and listen and build each other up at every turn. Total commitment to making the experience as rewarding as possible. From everyone, for everyone. That's what feeds my soul about this retreat. I would have loved you to be there, and all the folks who couldn't make it.
Want to come to a Fic Writers' Retreat?
Listen, there may or may not be smaller/other events through the year, but the August retreat will definitely be happening next summer. Always the same weekend! Ontario has a stat holiday the first Monday of August, and the retreat always starts the Thursday of that week (ie three days after the stat). In 2024 it will be the 8th to the 11th, location TBD but almost certainly in southern Ontario somewhere. (Closest airport Toronto Pearson YYZ) The cost will be in the ballpark of $450 CDN (currently $342 USD) and that will cover everything except travel.
If advance notice will help folks decide to come, here it is.
Love to see this. Sometimes it seems the only voices cheering us on are those of other writers. We’ll gladly amplify these sorts of announcements here and in our sprint sessions, please let us know!
i'm curious to know the ratio of writers to readers on ao3 so here's a poll. when i say writer, i mean people who have published works on ao3, doesn't matter if it's once, or if it was ages ago, or if it's a regular occurrence. when i say reader, i mean people who have never published a work on ao3. the reader vote still counts if you don't have an account on ao3. if you're a writer who is also an active reader, please still click on the "writer" option!
ao3 ratio
writer
reader
Voting ended onAug 15, 2023
please do boost this so it reaches a larger sample space!
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With all the weirdness in social media lately, we haven't done the best job of communicating that we are still around, but...we are!
Every Sunday, from 10am Pacific to noon, several brave souls come together to write, edit, create, or just hang out. All are welcome! Any project is supported!
Also, our Discord is available for impromptu sessions during the week. There's been a regular group meeting on Wednesdays, but that might be migrating based on schedules. It's all very creative and organic up in here!
So are you looking for some friends to write with, or just bitch about writing with? We've got you covered!
For the first time since 2019, we are back in action! Full-blown fic writers retreat, as is told of in song and story.
To Register, Click Here
When: August 10-13 2023
Where: Sheridan College Trafalgar Campus, Oakville, Ontario, Canada (Near Toronto)
What is it? Four days spent with other fic writers, at all levels of experience. There will be a mix of workshops (Topics TBA and open to suggestions), prompts and challenges, and plenty of independent writing time for your own personal projects.
It’s also an opportunity to make connections with people who share your interests and passions, and where you can focus on your own goals and creativity.
Finally, all meals and many of the snacks are taken care of so your only responsibility will be to yourself.***
Cost (in CANADIAN DOLLARS): $450.00
(approximately $340 USD as of this posting)
Here’s what you get for it:
Meals (Three dinners, three breakfasts, two lunches)
Accommodation (2-person suites with private bedrooms)
Meeting space and resources
Daily workshops and writing sessions (2+ per day)
Registration fee included in the price
Registration Process:
Click on the Registration Link, above.
Complete the form and submit it.
Select a payment option: a) e-transfer (Canadian residents only) or b) PayPal (link in registration form)
Make your deposit of $225 CAD (50% of total cost) to complete your registration
Second payment is due on August 7, 2023, the Monday before the retreat begins.
Please note that we have reserved suites for our estimated number of participants so space will be allocated on a first come, first served basis.
Travel to Toronto is not included
...but once you're here you can probably get a lift to the venue without too much trouble.
Contact me with any questions! Or see the FAQ Page
***A note regarding meals: They'll look a little different this year. Other years, the venue has provided catering, staff, dining area, etc. This year, that option became prohibitively expensive, so we've decided to handle it ourselves. (Because @blogstandbygo is a treasure and a scarily competent organizer.)
This will be a mix of outside catering (from which we serve ourselves), DoorDash style take out, and stuff we assemble ourselves. Your registration covers the cost of all the food, and it will mostly be prepared and ready-to-eat, but there may be some assembly required, and we'll all share clean-up.
This has made a huge difference in terms of the cost of the event, which seemed worth it to keep this as accessible as possible.
Tags under the cut. Let me know if you want to be tagged in this. If you’re not tagged it’s because I didn’t know you were interested. (Or I used an old list and forgot, or I thought you'd asked to not be tagged - correct me if I was wrong!)
It's not because we don't want you! Please come.
(Finally, please advise me of any errors or dead links!)
This is the feelings wheel by Geoffrey Roberts, shown to me by my therapist. My initial thought was, "what amazing synonyms to use for diverse emotional vocabulary!"
More than that, this wheel is great for understanding your characters inner motivations and reactions to situations. For example, if a character constantly feels helpless, then their overarching characteristics will be that they are fearful.
Characters who are less emotionally aware may use words and act in the inner most circle. Those much more aware of their emotions may describe themselves or express and use words from the outer most circle.
Hopefully you guys find this as helpful as I did! Let me know down in the comments.
Every day I stumble on a Johnlock writer who’s been writing for years, or one who just started. Most of my fics beg readers to give recs in the comments box, and they’ve given me dozens of wonderful fics.
I started an AO3 collection (open, unmoderated) to introduce readers to authors new to them. https://archiveofourown.org/collections/Johnlock_ficlets
Author’s choice: for each writer, ONE one-shot ficlet under 1500 words in your catalogue that serves as your calling-card. Short fics are easier to start off with than a magnum opus, but often lead readers to multi-chapter fics.
Choose your fic, open it to edit, go down to “post to collections,” type in Johnlock_ficlets, accept the Getting to know Johnlock writers (Johnlock_ficlets) tag, and hit “post.”
Tagging writers new and er not new. DO PLEASE REBLOG! and TAG YOUR JOHNLOCK WRITERS
UPDATE! for everyone who asked:
“Oh my best beloveds,” take the word count limit as a suggestion, not a bludgeon.
Do you not write ficlets? Insert your shortest one-shot that you think works as your calling-card.
Do you post all your ficlets as chapters in one mammoth-fic that is really a collection of ficlets? Insert that!
Is your calling card really 2K or 3K words? Put that in. The parameters weren’t meant to exclude anyone, just to give readers a place to taste small bites of Johnlock writing they didn’t know before.
The spirit rather than the letter, in other words! Thank you for your enthusiasm, reblogs, and contributions.
Ooooh, this is such a lovely list! The perfect place tp go when you want to read something and don’t have a time or attention span to read something long. A lovely box of bon bons!
Sign-ups Begin- April 1st
Sign-ups Close- April 21st
Check In #1- April 22nd
Check In #2- May 15th
Snippets Due- June 1st
Art Claims Begin- June 17th
Check In #3- June 22nd
Check In #4- July 6th
Rough Drafts Due- July 15th
Posting Claims Begin- July 23rd
Posting Claims Ends- August 1st
Final Drafts/Art Due- August 7th
Posting Starts- August 8th
Posting Ends- October 31st (the last two weeks are reserved for emergency posting)
FAQ
What is the WIP Big Bang?
Good question! This is a Big Bang with one goal in mind: to clean out your fanfic drafts folder. These are stories that were unfinished for whatever reason, that authors returned to and completed, and the art that goes with them!
Do I need a Livejournal/Dreamwidth/AO3/etc. account to participate?
No! You don’t have to have an account on anything to participate, though you will need to have somewhere to post your finished work. Having one or more accounts will help for you to follow what is going on with the bang (we crosspost to Dreamwidth, Tumblr, and sometimes Twitter at the moment), but they are not required to participate. You can always leave comments anonymously or with an opensource ID.
How many fics can we sign up for?
We absolutely don’t mind multiple sign-ups. I know one year someone submitted 50 fics to finish, and got at least half of them done. We just ask that when you sign up with more than one fic you give each fic a unique user ID (please do not use the same ID for all your fics...it’s important to have different IDs for the check-ins).
Will I get emails about the bang?
We do send out some emails, mostly for snippets and art claims and to ensure communication between authors and artists, but please do NOT rely on getting an email to remind you of due dates. We currently do not keep an updated email list of participants, so we only send individual emails as needed rather than mass emails.
However, email is the fastest way to communicate with the mods. If you have any questions or are having trouble communicating with your artist/author, please do email us! We will do our best to respond quickly.
What do you mean by minimum word count to enter?
This is a WIP Big Bang, therefore we ask you to have at least 500 words of your story drafted when you enter.
Can an outline count towards those first 500 words that are needed at sign up?
We have admitted work on an outline before so yes, if your outline is fleshed out enough to cover a 7,500 word+ fic, we’ll allow it.
Are multi-chapter fics allowed?
Yes, multi-chapter fics are allowed and even more so encouraged if your fic is lengthy.
What about fics that are already posted on ao3 in part? Do those qualify for the bang?
It's okay if you have posted a few chapters of your fic already (you never know when the muse deserts you, after all), we just require you to refrain from posting more until posting begins here. All we ask is that you not post any public updates to the fic until August 1st (or July 1st with the mod’s okay). We don’t want you to lose kudos and comments so don’t worry about pulling the fic down, just hold off on updates for now.
Is there a minimum word count?
7,500 words for each finished fic, but the sky's the limit, right?
I see that the fic minimum is 7500 words and that published WIPs are acceptable - but what if the WIP I’m considering is already more than 7500 words? Is the expectation to add an additional 7500 to it?
No. You can add as much or as little as you need to finish the story, though we do expect at least 1,000 or so new words if your WIP already meets the word count.
What happens if an author finishes the fic they signed up with but it’s less than 7,500 words? The intent was to go over the minimum but once they got into it the story was shorter than they thought and stretching it out would make it less good. Do they have to drop out at that point?
By all means, we want your stories to feel as natural as possible, and if it’s under 7,500 words you may have two options:
1 - Drop the fic for the main BB event, post it now, and wait to post it to our AO3 collection in February when we run our International Fanworks Day celebration of finishing fics that are less than 7,500 words when finished. There’s no art for the fic, but bragging rights are posted to the communities for a week.
2 - If there are enough fics that fit that category, we can do a special day of posting the fics, but you’ll have to forgo art for the fic. I, as a mod, would probably pick October 31st for the posting day, as it’s the last day of posting for the bang and I don’t think anyone will mind more than one fic that day. You can post bragging rights to the community and share the fic with everyone.
Is there anything not allowed?
As long as you wrote it and you want to finish it, you're welcome to participate. RPS/RPF is fine. Incest pairings are fine. Things like that I know have been hinted at in questions asked and as long as you tag for them, we’ll allow it. Also, canon settings with mostly OCs is allowed. We just ask that it be tagged properly with any content warnings you would deem fit and be given the appropriate rating for the level of sex/violence there is in the fic. As of the 2023 round, original work is also allowed; however, we recommend you bring in your own artist or forgo art for an original work.
I have a fic I wrote a few years ago, but only the first couple chapters are posted on AO3 because I was never happy with the rest of it and knew it needed major revision. Is that something I could use for WIP Big Bang? The entire fic has been posted, but only on one platform, and it would be rewritten for AO3 and WIPBB.
I think revising a fic for posting would work, as long as you have at least 500 words done, will have 7,500 words at a minimum when it’s done, and are planning to add more to the fic. Simply rewriting what you have would be a gray area, but if you’re going to take stuff out and add new scenes, either in the old scenes place or on your own, you should be fine.
What's the etiquette around OC-centric stories? Ones that are set in a well known fandom and use several characters, but still lean a lot on original characters? Are they discouraged, or fine?
Based on my own personal experience making art for a story that had a heavy OC presence, it’s not something we discourage at all, but be forewarned when it comes to the art accompanying your fic your artist may not be able to incorporate the OCs into your art. Not everyone makes art of a hand-drawn or digitally drawn nature, so it helps if you have people for face claims ahead of art submissions, and you and your artist communicate regularly. You can also end up with art not featuring the OCs at all, just the canon characters, which is not necessarily a bad thing.
Your other options are to bring in an artist you trust with your vision of your OC/make your own art (we do allow that, we just need to be told during the check-in before art that you’re bringing in your own artist if you go that route, or that you’re doing your own art…there will not be a need to sign up in the artist’s sign up, however) or to opt-out of art entirely. So there’s plenty of options to call on when it comes time for art.
What are 'check-ins’?
These are a way for us to see what you've been up to and for you to make sure you're still on track. It will give you a little nudge/reminder if you need it, but they are not compulsory. Basically a form is posted that you fill out with your user ID (unique for each fic) and a checkbox to let us know you’re still participating, plus a section for any notes for the mods.
How are the check in IDs used?
They are solely for the mods organizational purposes. Each ID being for a separate story allows us to keep all the information you submit during check-ins and for snippets in one line on our spreadsheet. You don’t have to share your check in IDs with anyone else if you don’t want to.
How much progress should authors be making between each checkpoint? (Percentage-wise from our estimated total wc, I guess?)
Ideally, with each check-in, you should be at least 25% closer to finishing. The end word count only really matters in that the fic needs to be at least 7,500 words when done, so it’s more your progress towards finishing that should be measured, not so much the word count.
What are the snippets requirements?
In order to allow the artists to make art for the story they claimed, we require you to supply three snippets from your fic, between 500 – 1500 words each. The snippets will be sent to the artist after they have claimed your story. They're to help the artist match your story for artwork the best way he or she possibly can. It’s helpful to choose scenes or parts of scenes that you feel best represent your fic, but don’t feel like they have to be perfect to be submitted. Along with the snippets, we will send your artist the basic fic info and your email, so the two of you can collaborate more if you would both like.
What are the rough drafts requirements?
For the rough drafts, stories should be at least 80% complete. You will not have to turn them in to us, just assure us that you are at that point. Anything less is at the discretion of the mods and those authors should speak to one of the mods asap.
What is, and do I need, a beta?
A beta is basically a person who goes over your work to make sure that there are no spelling/grammatical errors and they can even be of assistance in helping you with story lines, etc. It is highly recommended that a beta looks over your work before posting. If you are having trouble finding a beta, try this post.
Where can I post my fic/art?
Stories and art can be posted to your own personal journal, Tumblr, ff-net, AO3, or wherever you like. For those of you with AO3 accounts, we will set up a collection that will go live on the day of the posting. If you don’t currently have an AO3 account but would like one, you can contact the mods for an invitation code to see if they have any available. You can also add yourself to the AO3 Invites Request queue.
What does posting look like? Do we have to post the whole thing on the day, or can we stretch it out between when posting starts and our date? I’ve had a few longfics get killed by big bangs forcing posting to happen on a given day, and would prefer to avoid that if possible.
For most fics, posting to AO3/FF.net/other places will be allowed to start in August and you can stretch it out as many posts as you want as long as the complete fic is up by your posting date (and posting dates go from August 8th to October 16th with two weeks for emergency posting). However, you can send us an ask/e-mail about posting as early as July if you have an extremely long fic/something with a long posting schedule. Mostly what we want is the fic to be completely up on the website of your choice by your posting date, and I know some people don’t want to overwhelm their readers. So we want to work with writers to give them ample time to post the story up to their posting date.
Now, as for posting to the communities, you get to choose which day your link to the story and bragging rights are posted, and as I said, we have a range of dates from August 8th to October 16th with two to three stories posting a day. If for some reason you miss your posting date, you have until October 31st to post to the community, during the two weeks of emergency posting. So hopefully there should be plenty of time to get a longfic up and posted to the website of your choice and our BB.
Will the three snippets per story we have to send in be the ones we want the artist to make art for? Or can it just be random snippets and then later the artist and I can check together to see which scenes would work best for art?
So ideally, you and the artist will be communicating once you’re each sent each other’s contact information, and you’ll give your artist a chance to read all that you’ve written at that point. That’s what happens in most cases. If your fic gets picked by an artist and they don’t work with you, then the snippets you sent will be what the artwork will be based on. It’s a good idea to know that, while most of the time the artists work closely with the authors, there are a few exceptions to that.
How do I know when to post?
Posting will be tiered; you'll each get your own posting date that you and your artist will decide on together. There will probably be three fics, plus art, posting per day between August 8th and October 31st. The post with date claims will go up on July 23rd and you'll have to choose your date by August 1st.
Posting of chapters on AO3 or your own blog (or wherever you usually post) generally starts August 1st, but you can post earlier (as early as July 1st) if you let us know you have a long story. However, posting has to be finished by your chosen posting date to the comm. One of the things we're hoping to do with the posted dates is to give everybody on the comm a little bragging time in the spotlight. You know, "this story was incomplete for this long, but I finished this sucker." If you don't have time to post your bragging rights to the communities on your chosen posting date, you can queue up a post ahead of time and we can post it on the date you picked or you can email us your bragging rights and we can post by proxy for you. Either way works for us. Art will be due on the chosen posting date to the comm.
What am I posting to the Dreamwidth/Tumblr community if I’m posting the fic elsewhere?
You’ll be posting what we call bragging rights. It’s a small form you fill out and post to the community with a link to your fic (we’ll enable moderated posting to the Tumblr and Dreamwidth communities for members on August 8th). We will post a template for posting artwork and stories to the comm closer to the posting date.
Is there a minimum/maximum requirement for my art?
There is no strict minimum, but we do ask artists to remember that the authors are writing a minimum of 7,500 words and your artwork should reflect that. You can do anything you like, including banners, wallpapers, icons, mixes, vids, gif sets, picspams, etc. Suggested guidelines for art are 500x500px (or equivalent of smaller pieces like banner + spacers, cover + icons, etc.) for traditional art, digital art, and manips; 2 minutes for vids; 10 songs + cover art for mixes; and 6 images for gif sets and picspams. We also ask that when you are in contact with the author, you work with them to see if there is anything specific they would like (i.e. a wallpaper, book cover, etc.). The art is your work, but having ideas doesn't hurt!
What are 'art claims'?
The claims are when anonymous summaries of the story go up for artists to choose from. Artists sign-ups and art claims are the same thing; we use one form for both things, and that way the authors don’t have to sign up for an event they may not end up participating in. It is based on a 'first come, first served' basis and artists may choose up to three potential stories (in case their first choice is unavailable). If there are more stories than artists, there will be a second round of claims wherein artists may choose a second story to work with, and on and on until all stories are claimed for art.
If a fic up for claiming is rated explicit (R, NC-17, etc.), please only claim the story if you are over 18 years of age. Some authors may be uncomfortable working with underage artists on explicit works. We do not verify ages in any way for the bang, so this is solely on the honor system.
What do I do if I have problems or concerns about my author/artist?
Sometimes authors and artists do not get along and this may cause problems with working together. If this happens to be the case with you, please email the mods and we will try to do what we can so that everyone has a chance to have fun at WIP Big Bang!
If you have not heard from your author/artist in some time after trying to contact them, you can reach out to us via email and we will try to get in touch with them for you.
Can I get an extension?
Community extensions may be given in the event that the majority of the authors/artists need one. They may also be given individually under certain circumstances, but this must be discussed with the mods and will only be a short extension for posting. If you are certain that you won’t be able to finish your story in time, please let us know by June 13th.
Can I swap out a fic if my muse abandons it again?
When you sign up, you give us the information on the potential fic(s) you want to write. If, say, one fic isn’t working but one you didn’t sign up for is, you can switch them out while letting the mods know if you need to change a user ID you used. It is absolutely okay to switch fics all the way up until snippets are due. By then, we hope you’ll have however many fics you plan on doing to at least 80% completion since rough drafts are due not much later. Just drop an email to the mods at [email protected] with the new information (title, fandom, etc) and if you want a new sign in ID or plan to use the same one for the fic you’re replacing it with.
Can I drop out?
We have high hopes that everybody who signs up can actually finish the round and share in the joy of the reveal with us, but real life can unfortunately get in the way and we completely understand! If you feel like you just cannot finish in time and no amount of assistance from us can help you, just let us know by July 13th (if at all possible).
Is it possible to be banned?
We do have a banned users list. We hope to use this to encourage participants who are having issues to communicate with the mods. We want to help you! The way the ban works is that participants, either authors and artists, will be banned for dropping out without notifying a mod. This means that anyone who has not posted or talked to a mod by the time the posting period ends will be banned. Dropping out is not in and of itself a banning offense, so please do not panic if you have to drop out! We understand that there are many reasons you may need to drop, and we want to work with you.
Bans will last one round or until the issue is resolved, whichever comes first. To resolve a ban, authors will have to finish and post the story they signed up with and artists will have to finish and post the art for the story they claimed. Three bans will result in a permanent ban from the bang.
Are we allowed to participate without joining the Discord?
Absolutely! The Discord server is optional, as just another way to interact with your fellow writers and get updates on important dates. It’s not mandatory you join, however.
I was just wondering if there’s any way to enter the bang anonymously? Like would it be okay to put our work in an anonymous collection on ao3 or something?
Unfortunately, I can’t think of a way for that to work. The collection that we use is moderated but it’s not anonymous, and there are the bragging posts that you post on your posting day, which you would have your username on whichever platform you use.
I was just wondering whether I'm sworn to secrecy on which fics I'll be finishing up, or if I can shout it out to the world?
No one is sworn to secrecy once they’ve signed up (aside from posting new parts to fic that’s already up somewhere…we ask that you refrain from doing that until at least July 1st)! We will be running Word Wars, where you can add more to a fic in a certain amount of time, and Whine Bars, where you can complain or ask for help or whatever else you feel like talking about when it comes to struggling with a fic, all after sign-ups end on a weekly basis, plus there’s the Discord server for chatting with your fellow authors and artists.
I have a question/concern that’s not mentioned here.
If you need help, you can always contact a mod and we will do our best to make sure that you get your story/art finished. The best and fastest method of contact is through our email, [email protected].
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some people think writers are so eloquent and good with words, but the reality is that we can sit there with our fingers on the keyboard going, “what’s the word for non-sunlight lighting? Like, fake lighting?” and for ten minutes, all our brain will supply is “unofficial”, and we know that’s not the right word, but it’s the only word we can come up with…until finally it’s like our face got smashed into a brick wall and we remember the word we want is “artificial”.
