2013 | Rules, FAQ, & Schedule
Welcome to cm_bigbang, the Criminal Minds big bang challenge!
Membership to the comm is limited to actual participants of the challenge (writers, artists, and betas), but watching the comm is open and encouraged for everyone. When you sign up, you will need to request membership in order to see members-only posts, which you will need. Membership will be granted in February.
Sign ups open on February 1st but the rules and FAQ can be found below:
FAQ
01. What is a big bang?
A big bang is a fic-art collaboration challenge. It encouranges artists to write long stories within a certain timeframe and artists to create pieces to go with the stories.
02. Is this big bang limited to a specific pairing/genre/theme?
No. Any pairing or no pairing and all genres or themes are acceptable. Alternate Universe, crossovers, fusions, and stories of any rating are welcome, as long as the main focus of the story is the characters of Criminal Minds or Criminal Minds: Suspect Behaviour. Unfortunately, this challenge does not include Real Person Fiction (RPF).
03. What is the minimum word count?
15,000 words
04. Is there a maximum word count?
No. Stories can be as long as you want them to be, as long as they're at least 15,000 words.
05. Can I write more than one story?
Yes, but keep in mind that the deadlines and word counts apply for every story you write.
06. Can I write with a partner?
Yes! Co-authoring is acceptable, but please limit the amount of authors to two :)
07. I've already started a story that I'd like to submit for this challenge. Is that acceptable?
Yes, but the stories submitted for this challenge must be created for this challenge, and old works cannot be used again. To submit something you're working on currently, the word count for the story cannot exceed 2,000 words when the challenge begins. This being said, any of the work cannot be posted anywhere previous to the posting date for the challenge.
All submissions must stand alone for this challenge. They cannot end in To Be Continued... or the equivalent. Sequels to previous works are acceptable provided they also stand alone.
08. Does my fic have to be beta read?
Yes.
09. I don't have a beta. Can you help?
Yes! There is a beta sign-up post here. We encourage anyone who doesn’t have a beta to contact someone who has volunteered their services there. Alternatively, you are welcome to find your own beta.
10. I want to participate, and I'm an artist. How do I do that?
Welcome! We're so glad you want to be here! A lot of different types of art are accepted for this challenge. Assignments will be given approximately a quarter of the way through the challenge. Anonymous summaries of the stories will be given and (after a consideration period) Artists will fill out a form with their preferences. Mods will do our best to match Artists to Writers so that both are satisfied. Artists and writers will then collaborate to create a finished product that you both love.
11. I'm not a writer or an artist - how do I participate?
If you want to participate without writing or creating art, you should consider signing up as a beta! In addition, you could always cheer them on at the public posts on our support comm shapingprofiles. It's a long process and writers and artists need as much support as they can get! :)
12. Can we sign up to be an artist pitch hitter?
Yes! There will be an artist pitch hitter sign up post. If you’d like to minimize your commitment and help out in a jam, then please consider signing up for this!
13. Does it matter where I host my story/art?
No. Stories and art can be hosted wherever you like best. Feel free to host on livejournal / fanfiction.net / dreamwidth / Archive of Our Own / deviantart / or an external website. There will be a masterpost of all the fic and art that was posted at the end of everything. You will retain all access and rights to your work.
Schedule
Feb 1st - Writer Sign Ups open.
Feb 1st - Artist Sign Ups open.
Feb 1st - Beta Reader Sign Ups open.
March 1st - Writer Sign Ups close.
March 22rd - First mandatory writer check-in. You are encouraged to have 5k written by this point.
April 5th - Artist Sign Ups close.
April 19th - Artist check-in.
May 1st-10th - Second mandatory writer check-in and anonymous summaries submitted. You are encouraged to have 10k written by this point.
May 13th - Anonymous story summaries posted for artists to view.
May 17th-20th - Artist/writer matching. (Writers should share all their work/rough drafts with their artist at this point.)
June 1st - Artist cheer post opens on shapingprofiles.
June 7th-14th - Mandatory artist/writer check-in.
June 28th - Rough drafts due to be submitted; artist and writers.
July 12th-21st - Mandatory check-in for writers and artists to confirm final participation.
July 26th - Posting schedule announced.
August 1st - Big Bang goes live!!!
Posting will take place from August 1st, with 1 or 2 posts per day and throughout the month, dependent on how many participants finish. A masterlist of all posts will go up once all posts are made.
Banners:
Feel free to advertise! :)
Additional Information:
* support community: shapingprofiles is the support community for this Big Bang. This support community will open on March 1st and can be used by any of you who are participating for any help/support you feel you need. Most posts are locked to participants only however there will be select cheering posts that are not. Participants should feel free to make posts at their will.
* rough drafts: This year, rough drafts will need to be submitted by both artists and writers. This is just to confirm that you're both working comfortably on your projects.
* beta requests: The beta sign-ups do not close. If you are a beta and want to participate, you do not need to go and contact the writers. The writers will contact you based on what you have provided on your sign-up sheet.
* anon summaries: Story summaries will be posted anonymously when artists are given the opportunity to make their choices. This will work as it did last year.
* drop-out post: New this year, there will be a drop out post. If you feel that you cannot complete the story or meet the minimum requirements by the deadline, then you should comment to this post as soon as possible. This will minimise the amount of confusion resulting from drop-outs this year.
* PM-ing: Many of you liked that I PM'd you to let you know important things were happening i.e. when anon story summaries were being posted and they needed to be claimed, when the beta request post opened, when the rough drafts were due, and when anyone was in danger of missing a deadline. I will of course do this again regularly throughout the Big Bang, where needed.
* help, questions and support: As always, I'm here if you need anything, so please just ask; I'm more than happy to try and help where I can. Feel free to PM me (writing2death) or comment to this post :)
Good luck all and let's hope the 2013 Criminal Minds Big Bang is as successful, if not more so, than last year! ♥
Membership to the comm is limited to actual participants of the challenge (writers, artists, and betas), but watching the comm is open and encouraged for everyone. When you sign up, you will need to request membership in order to see members-only posts, which you will need. Membership will be granted in February.
Sign ups open on February 1st but the rules and FAQ can be found below:
FAQ
01. What is a big bang?
A big bang is a fic-art collaboration challenge. It encouranges artists to write long stories within a certain timeframe and artists to create pieces to go with the stories.
02. Is this big bang limited to a specific pairing/genre/theme?
No. Any pairing or no pairing and all genres or themes are acceptable. Alternate Universe, crossovers, fusions, and stories of any rating are welcome, as long as the main focus of the story is the characters of Criminal Minds or Criminal Minds: Suspect Behaviour. Unfortunately, this challenge does not include Real Person Fiction (RPF).
03. What is the minimum word count?
15,000 words
04. Is there a maximum word count?
No. Stories can be as long as you want them to be, as long as they're at least 15,000 words.
05. Can I write more than one story?
Yes, but keep in mind that the deadlines and word counts apply for every story you write.
06. Can I write with a partner?
Yes! Co-authoring is acceptable, but please limit the amount of authors to two :)
07. I've already started a story that I'd like to submit for this challenge. Is that acceptable?
Yes, but the stories submitted for this challenge must be created for this challenge, and old works cannot be used again. To submit something you're working on currently, the word count for the story cannot exceed 2,000 words when the challenge begins. This being said, any of the work cannot be posted anywhere previous to the posting date for the challenge.
All submissions must stand alone for this challenge. They cannot end in To Be Continued... or the equivalent. Sequels to previous works are acceptable provided they also stand alone.
08. Does my fic have to be beta read?
Yes.
09. I don't have a beta. Can you help?
Yes! There is a beta sign-up post here. We encourage anyone who doesn’t have a beta to contact someone who has volunteered their services there. Alternatively, you are welcome to find your own beta.
10. I want to participate, and I'm an artist. How do I do that?
Welcome! We're so glad you want to be here! A lot of different types of art are accepted for this challenge. Assignments will be given approximately a quarter of the way through the challenge. Anonymous summaries of the stories will be given and (after a consideration period) Artists will fill out a form with their preferences. Mods will do our best to match Artists to Writers so that both are satisfied. Artists and writers will then collaborate to create a finished product that you both love.
11. I'm not a writer or an artist - how do I participate?
If you want to participate without writing or creating art, you should consider signing up as a beta! In addition, you could always cheer them on at the public posts on our support comm shapingprofiles. It's a long process and writers and artists need as much support as they can get! :)
12. Can we sign up to be an artist pitch hitter?
Yes! There will be an artist pitch hitter sign up post. If you’d like to minimize your commitment and help out in a jam, then please consider signing up for this!
13. Does it matter where I host my story/art?
No. Stories and art can be hosted wherever you like best. Feel free to host on livejournal / fanfiction.net / dreamwidth / Archive of Our Own / deviantart / or an external website. There will be a masterpost of all the fic and art that was posted at the end of everything. You will retain all access and rights to your work.
Schedule
Feb 1st - Writer Sign Ups open.
Feb 1st - Artist Sign Ups open.
Feb 1st - Beta Reader Sign Ups open.
March 1st - Writer Sign Ups close.
March 22rd - First mandatory writer check-in. You are encouraged to have 5k written by this point.
April 5th - Artist Sign Ups close.
April 19th - Artist check-in.
May 1st-10th - Second mandatory writer check-in and anonymous summaries submitted. You are encouraged to have 10k written by this point.
May 13th - Anonymous story summaries posted for artists to view.
May 17th-20th - Artist/writer matching. (Writers should share all their work/rough drafts with their artist at this point.)
June 1st - Artist cheer post opens on shapingprofiles.
June 7th-14th - Mandatory artist/writer check-in.
June 28th - Rough drafts due to be submitted; artist and writers.
July 12th-21st - Mandatory check-in for writers and artists to confirm final participation.
July 26th - Posting schedule announced.
August 1st - Big Bang goes live!!!
Posting will take place from August 1st, with 1 or 2 posts per day and throughout the month, dependent on how many participants finish. A masterlist of all posts will go up once all posts are made.
Banners:
Feel free to advertise! :)
Additional Information:
* support community: shapingprofiles is the support community for this Big Bang. This support community will open on March 1st and can be used by any of you who are participating for any help/support you feel you need. Most posts are locked to participants only however there will be select cheering posts that are not. Participants should feel free to make posts at their will.
* rough drafts: This year, rough drafts will need to be submitted by both artists and writers. This is just to confirm that you're both working comfortably on your projects.
* beta requests: The beta sign-ups do not close. If you are a beta and want to participate, you do not need to go and contact the writers. The writers will contact you based on what you have provided on your sign-up sheet.
* anon summaries: Story summaries will be posted anonymously when artists are given the opportunity to make their choices. This will work as it did last year.
* drop-out post: New this year, there will be a drop out post. If you feel that you cannot complete the story or meet the minimum requirements by the deadline, then you should comment to this post as soon as possible. This will minimise the amount of confusion resulting from drop-outs this year.
* PM-ing: Many of you liked that I PM'd you to let you know important things were happening i.e. when anon story summaries were being posted and they needed to be claimed, when the beta request post opened, when the rough drafts were due, and when anyone was in danger of missing a deadline. I will of course do this again regularly throughout the Big Bang, where needed.
* help, questions and support: As always, I'm here if you need anything, so please just ask; I'm more than happy to try and help where I can. Feel free to PM me (writing2death) or comment to this post :)
Good luck all and let's hope the 2013 Criminal Minds Big Bang is as successful, if not more so, than last year! ♥