Welcome Post
Welcome to the Glee Femslash Big Bang Challenge!
First things first. I know some of you are probably asking, "What is it?" This is a challenge for authors to write a 15000 word (or more) story. Big Bang challenges usually have a minimum of 40000 words, but since this is on a shorter time line, I have decided on a smaller number. There was a Glee Big Bang a few months ago; however, I don't believe that very many femslash stories were written for it. That's where this idea came from. I pretty much only read (and sometimes write) femslash, so the rest of it doesn't hold a huge appeal to me. Anyway, the time line (from sign ups opening to the stories being posted) is approximately four and a half months. When sign ups close, the amount of time remaining to write will be closer to three months.
For seasoned writers, 15000 words may not seem like much. Remember, this is meant to be a challenge. If 15000 words seems easy for you, then aim for 30000. If you write 30000 regularly, aim for 50000... and so on. However, this is not just for authors who write long fic often. If you normally write drabbles or one shots, 15000 words can be a lot to take on, and something new to try.
The goal of this challenge is to produce quality and quantity. Quality is high priority, which is why a beta is required. I know some of you might not be used to that, but I assure you it can help you (whether you use the beta solely for grammar/spelling issues, for continuity, or if you use them to bounce ideas off of and flesh out your plot). You can go with a beta you already know and trust, or you can request one be assigned to you -- because in addition to authors signing up, I am requesting beta volunteers to sign up.
Another large part of this challenge goes to artists. The goal is to have art for each story. The art can come in many different forms (video, a book cover, a movie poster, hand drawn art, manips, etc). The artists sign ups will continue longer than the author sign ups, because they won't be assigned to stories until we know more about what is being written.
So here we go. Let's start with the basic rules.
Rules
- Fic must be 15000 words or more.
- The fic may not be posted before they are all completed and the posting schedule has gone up.
- The stories must be new - i.e. They have not been posted online anywhere. You should be starting fresh, or if you have already started something you want to use, the rule should be that you need to write another 15000 words for it.
- Authors must have at least one beta, and the beta must sign up on the beta post - stating who they are working with.
- The fic must focus on a femslash pairing. This can be ANY pairing within the Glee fandom (including RPF). Some popular examples would be: Rachel/Quinn, Brittany/Santana, Emma/Terri, Dianna Agron/Lea Michele, Rachel/Santana, Naya Rivera/Heather Morris, etc. The one caveat is that I'm ruling out what would be considered statutory rape cases. No adult/teenage (or child, for that matter) pairings, please. If you are dead set on having the Emma/Rachel pairing, then please set it in the future when Rachel would be 18 or older.
- There can be crossovers, provided that the main focus of the story is on the Glee characters. Also, AU stories are welcome.
- There will be scheduled "check in" times for the authors. All this will entail is them commenting on a check in post that I will put up on the specified days. All I will ask for is an update on the progress. This can be word count, or it can be what percentage they think they have completed. No one is going to be penalized if they haven't started yet (or rewarded if they're already done), but it's a nice kick to remind the authors to get a move on. Also, the check in allows the authors to see where they stand in relation to the others, and will also provide a forum for them to seek help if they want it.
- There will be a rough draft due approximately one month prior to posting. I'm not expecting a final product, or for the authors to even have a rough complete draft. This is mainly for the artists, so they can make something that best reflects the story. So don't be put off by that, please.
- Any fic rating is welcome, but certain things (such as non-con/dub-con) require a warning. Please contact me if you are planning anything that could questionably require a warning.
Schedule
- July 11 - Sign ups begin for authors, betas and artists.
- August 15 - Sign ups close for authors and betas.
- September 12 - First check in.
- October 3 - Second check in.
- October 24 - Artist sign ups close.
- October 31 - Rough draft due - artist assignments begin.
- November 7 - Authors begin posting previews of their stories.
- November 14 - Final check in.
- November 21 - Schedule for authors/artists to post will go up.
- November 28 - First wave of posting begins (or only wave, if there are only a few sign ups!)
- December 5 - Second wave of posting.
So there you go! That's the basic thrust of the challenge, though I will most likely edit this to make any changes/additions that I remember later. ;)
Please comment with any questions or concerns, or feel free to PM me. If you want the quickest response, you can tweet me here.
marshmallowhobo is being kind enough to help me out here (even though I'm not a huge help to her over at the Rachel/Quinn Prompt Meme). So if you can't get in touch with me, I think she's okay with you contacting her... and if not, well, then please bug her more. :D