Round 3: FAQ
FAQ:
What is a Big Bang?
I've heard this question a lot when others have asked me about other big bangs. In a nutshell, a big bang is when an author writes a longer/long fic (10,000 - 20,000 words minimum) and an artist makes any type of art for them. This can include actual artwork (fanart), icons, fan mixes, fan vids and banners.
What is a Mini Bang?
Mini-bangs are recently included categories for those who only want to write a shorter story, or feel their story can't be stretched out to the minimum big bang word count. Mini-bangs vary and can be anywhere from 3500-7500 words.
Where/when can I sign up?
Sign ups for authors will come first and there will be a close date for the sign ups. About a week later, a post will start for artist sign ups. A full schedule will be shown below.
What if I don't write or do art? How can I still participate?
There a number of ways you can participate even if you do not wish to do so by writing or doing artwork. If you are a beta reader, the authors are going to need them as all fics must be beta read. If you aren't comfortable with that, all authors AND artists are going to need cheerleaders to keep them going as deadlines draw closer or they hit writer/artist block for whatever reason.
::Author Requirements::
What am I doing?
If you are writing a big bang, your story is to be a minimum of 10K words and needs to be beta read. If you have someone that is your normal beta reader, great, if not we will have a post of people signing up to do just that.
If you are writing a mini-bang, your story is to be a minimum of 5K words. Same qualifications otherwise for the big bang.
What if I started a story? Can I use that?
For the sake of my sanity so I'm not having the check, if you've started posting it then no. If it's a story you've started writing but have not posted, that's fine. Gives you a leg up.
ROUND THREE EXCEPTIONS ONLY: Because round 2 was a bust due to the pressures of real life and illness, those who were going to post in round 2 are allowed to use their story for round 3. They are also welcome to sign-up with a new idea for round 3.
Is this only the Black Jewels fandom?
You can write OC's, Canon characters, Crossovers, AU's, the only requirement is that it must be written in the world of the Black Jewels fandom. So if you have a Torchwood/Black Jewels idea... go for it.
Can I write with a co-author?
Yes you may. Just be sure to include that in the sign up.
Can I write more than one story?
If you feel you can write more than one story in the schedule given, have at it.
Are there any restrictions to what I can write?
As long as it is in the Black Jewels world, anything goes. Just make sure when posting the finished product that ample warnings are put on the fic beforehand.
::Artist Requirements::
How do I know what art I am doing?
When rough drafts start coming in, a post will go up for claims. It is a first come, first serve basis as to what you want to do. Then that story is taken off the list so others can not claim it.
What are the requirements?
Anything goes. Art, fan vid, fan mix. Just put some effort into the thought of the piece and that it goes along with what the author is envisioning. It doesn't do for the artwork to be way out in right field if the story is in left. A minimum of five songs is needed for a fan mix. One or two songs does not a fan mix make.
What if the one I wanted is taken?
First come, first serve basis. However, I will be taking a first, second, third and fourth choice so that hopefully you get SOMETHING you wanted.
What if there are more writers than artists?
If this happens, then I will extend the artist deadline and they can take on more than one story if they so wish.
What about the other way around?
Then we'll have more than one artist doing one fic.
Can I do more than one piece of art?
For now, no. Let's see how the ratio of author sign ups are to artist. We may need artists to do more than one if there aren't enough artist sign ups. But if there are enough, it's not fair for one author to have two artists when another doesn't.
::Schedule::
What is this schedule you speak of?
Author & artist sign-ups start: Immediately- start writing
Author sign-ups close: August 8, 2011
First check-in date: September 8, 2011
Second check-in date: October 8, 2011
Artist sign-ups end: October 15, 2012
Story summary due: November 1, 2012
Post for artist's to select begins: November 11, 2012
Rough-draft due: December 1, 2012
Posting-date selection begins: December 15, 2012
Final drafts and art due: February 1, 2013- posting begins
Why is there so much time?
Because real life has a tendency to REALLY suck and it allows people to have enough time to really get this done without pulling their hair out. Plus, since some of the dates are going into the holiday season, no one needs to be stressed out going in.
Also- because of the amount of time I give, there was no real way to avoid the holidays without pushing it into next year after the first of the year. I didn't want to do that. That is why there is a two-month gap between rough drafts and final drafts/posting beginning because the holidays keep people busy and I don't want people to have to feel rushed to be ready to post on New Year's Day.
When you say rough draft, does that mean a finished, un-betaed piece?
If you are done by the rough draft due date except the beta portion, great. If not, a rough draft means 75-80% of the fic completed. And if you are getting to a point by the rough draft due date and you have 50% or less of your fic done, please tell me so I can get some cheerleaders on your side for encouragement. I never tell a person that they can't participate if they think they can finish.
What if I fall way behind? Can I change my posting date?
This is going to be a case by case basis. I don't want people rushing to me going "ZOMG I NEED MOAR TIME! HALP!" I'm willing to work with people, but if I have an influx, I may say no. I want to be as accommodating as possible, especially since it'll go over the holiday, but really? We are looking at almost 6 months to get this done. Unless you have a severe case of writer's block and/or a major thing happening IRL then it shouldn't be *too* difficult to get it done. And if you can't, ultimately, I'll work with you and move you to the end of posting if necessary.
Can I post early?
No, please. To be fair, we'll stick to the posting schedule and this means to your personal journal to. Just to be fair.
Questions? Ask in this post.
What is a Big Bang?
I've heard this question a lot when others have asked me about other big bangs. In a nutshell, a big bang is when an author writes a longer/long fic (10,000 - 20,000 words minimum) and an artist makes any type of art for them. This can include actual artwork (fanart), icons, fan mixes, fan vids and banners.
What is a Mini Bang?
Mini-bangs are recently included categories for those who only want to write a shorter story, or feel their story can't be stretched out to the minimum big bang word count. Mini-bangs vary and can be anywhere from 3500-7500 words.
Where/when can I sign up?
Sign ups for authors will come first and there will be a close date for the sign ups. About a week later, a post will start for artist sign ups. A full schedule will be shown below.
What if I don't write or do art? How can I still participate?
There a number of ways you can participate even if you do not wish to do so by writing or doing artwork. If you are a beta reader, the authors are going to need them as all fics must be beta read. If you aren't comfortable with that, all authors AND artists are going to need cheerleaders to keep them going as deadlines draw closer or they hit writer/artist block for whatever reason.
::Author Requirements::
What am I doing?
If you are writing a big bang, your story is to be a minimum of 10K words and needs to be beta read. If you have someone that is your normal beta reader, great, if not we will have a post of people signing up to do just that.
If you are writing a mini-bang, your story is to be a minimum of 5K words. Same qualifications otherwise for the big bang.
What if I started a story? Can I use that?
For the sake of my sanity so I'm not having the check, if you've started posting it then no. If it's a story you've started writing but have not posted, that's fine. Gives you a leg up.
ROUND THREE EXCEPTIONS ONLY: Because round 2 was a bust due to the pressures of real life and illness, those who were going to post in round 2 are allowed to use their story for round 3. They are also welcome to sign-up with a new idea for round 3.
Is this only the Black Jewels fandom?
You can write OC's, Canon characters, Crossovers, AU's, the only requirement is that it must be written in the world of the Black Jewels fandom. So if you have a Torchwood/Black Jewels idea... go for it.
Can I write with a co-author?
Yes you may. Just be sure to include that in the sign up.
Can I write more than one story?
If you feel you can write more than one story in the schedule given, have at it.
Are there any restrictions to what I can write?
As long as it is in the Black Jewels world, anything goes. Just make sure when posting the finished product that ample warnings are put on the fic beforehand.
::Artist Requirements::
How do I know what art I am doing?
When rough drafts start coming in, a post will go up for claims. It is a first come, first serve basis as to what you want to do. Then that story is taken off the list so others can not claim it.
What are the requirements?
Anything goes. Art, fan vid, fan mix. Just put some effort into the thought of the piece and that it goes along with what the author is envisioning. It doesn't do for the artwork to be way out in right field if the story is in left. A minimum of five songs is needed for a fan mix. One or two songs does not a fan mix make.
What if the one I wanted is taken?
First come, first serve basis. However, I will be taking a first, second, third and fourth choice so that hopefully you get SOMETHING you wanted.
What if there are more writers than artists?
If this happens, then I will extend the artist deadline and they can take on more than one story if they so wish.
What about the other way around?
Then we'll have more than one artist doing one fic.
Can I do more than one piece of art?
For now, no. Let's see how the ratio of author sign ups are to artist. We may need artists to do more than one if there aren't enough artist sign ups. But if there are enough, it's not fair for one author to have two artists when another doesn't.
::Schedule::
What is this schedule you speak of?
Author & artist sign-ups start: Immediately- start writing
Author sign-ups close: August 8, 2011
First check-in date: September 8, 2011
Second check-in date: October 8, 2011
Artist sign-ups end: October 15, 2012
Story summary due: November 1, 2012
Post for artist's to select begins: November 11, 2012
Rough-draft due: December 1, 2012
Posting-date selection begins: December 15, 2012
Final drafts and art due: February 1, 2013- posting begins
Why is there so much time?
Because real life has a tendency to REALLY suck and it allows people to have enough time to really get this done without pulling their hair out. Plus, since some of the dates are going into the holiday season, no one needs to be stressed out going in.
Also- because of the amount of time I give, there was no real way to avoid the holidays without pushing it into next year after the first of the year. I didn't want to do that. That is why there is a two-month gap between rough drafts and final drafts/posting beginning because the holidays keep people busy and I don't want people to have to feel rushed to be ready to post on New Year's Day.
When you say rough draft, does that mean a finished, un-betaed piece?
If you are done by the rough draft due date except the beta portion, great. If not, a rough draft means 75-80% of the fic completed. And if you are getting to a point by the rough draft due date and you have 50% or less of your fic done, please tell me so I can get some cheerleaders on your side for encouragement. I never tell a person that they can't participate if they think they can finish.
What if I fall way behind? Can I change my posting date?
This is going to be a case by case basis. I don't want people rushing to me going "ZOMG I NEED MOAR TIME! HALP!" I'm willing to work with people, but if I have an influx, I may say no. I want to be as accommodating as possible, especially since it'll go over the holiday, but really? We are looking at almost 6 months to get this done. Unless you have a severe case of writer's block and/or a major thing happening IRL then it shouldn't be *too* difficult to get it done. And if you can't, ultimately, I'll work with you and move you to the end of posting if necessary.
Can I post early?
No, please. To be fair, we'll stick to the posting schedule and this means to your personal journal to. Just to be fair.
Questions? Ask in this post.