Frequently Asked Questions 2013
What is a Big Bang?
A Big Bang is where authors, artists, betas and cheerleaders all come together to create a huge volume of fanworks. At the end of it, we get a load of brand new Mentalist fanfiction and art. Which is awesome, right?
Authors are expected to write a minimum of 10,000 words for Big Bang, with no upper limit. Artists are expected to produce at least three 'quality' pieces of artwork.
What is a Little Bang?
The Little Bang is for authors who want to write a fic that is longer than 5,000 words, but don't feel ready to aim for the 10,000.
Therefore, authors are expected to write a minimum of 5,000 words to a maximum of 10,000 for Little Bang. Artists are expected to produce at least two 'quality' pieces of artwork.
What is a Mini Bang?
Mini Bang is exactly the same concept, except with slightly different requirements. Mini Bang allows authors to commit to shorter word counts and artists to less fanart. All the fun, but for less of the pressure.
Authors are expected to write a minimum of 1,000 words up to a maximum of 5,000 words for Mini Bang. Artists are expected to produce at least one 'quality' piece of artwork.
Are the sign up dates different for Big Bang, Little Bang and Mini Bang?
No! We want as many people as possible to feel able to participate. This allows people to join in whether their style is long epics or shorter, powerful pieces.
What kind of stories are allowed?
Virtually anything you can think of. This includes AUs, crossovers, sequels etc. The one exception is RPF. Sorry if that is your kind of thing. If you are unsure, please contact the mods here.
What kind of artwork is accepted?
Anything from vids to fanmixes to drawings to graphics to gifs. There are no limitations on the type of artwork you can do to accompany the fics. If you are unsure, please contact the mods here.
What are the deadlines? (The following dates are subject to revision as we see fit, this usually involves a later posting start date, if changes are made.)
Friday 15th November 2013 - Signups Open
Friday 20th December 2013 - Author Signups Close; 1st Author Check In
Friday 17th January 2014 - 2nd Author Check In
Friday 14th February 2014 - Story Summaries Due
Friday 21st February 2014 - Artist Signups Close
Saturday 22nd February 2014 - Story Selection Post goes up
Saturday 28th February 2014 - Selection Closes
Monday 3rd March 2014 - Pairings Revealed
Friday 4th April 2014 - 3rd Author Check In/1st Artist Check In
Friday 25th April 2014 - Posting Date Selection Begins
Friday 2nd May 2014 - Posting Date Selection Ends
Saturday 3rd May 2014 - Posting Schedule Posted
Monday 5th May 2014 - Posting Begins
Can I start posting early?
Yes, but only under ‘private’ on your journal. We do not want you to share your work with anyone other than your artist, beta and cheerleaders until your posting date. We understand that formatting, especially longer fics on LiveJournal can take a significant amount of time. We do ask, however, that you set the calendar date of your entry to your posting date too.
What do you mean by posting date?
To avoid an influx of fics clogging up people’s friends-list in a very short period of time, we will be having 1 fic posted a day. The author gets to choose which date this is starting from Friday 25th April 2014.
How do I post everything?
Post your finished fic/artwork to your personal journal. On your posting date, set the entry to public. Then, the author will post a master post to the community linking to the fic and artwork. It is the responsibility of the author and artist to ensure that the author has all the links required to post the master post on their selected date. After everyone has posted, a master list of both art and fiction will be compiled and posted to the community.
Can I sign up for more than one position?
Of course, but please be careful not to bite off more than you can handle.
I’ve signed up for too much! What do I do?
Let us know as soon as possible. We request that authors let us know at the latest by Friday 14th February 2014 (when story summaries are due). This is so that artists are not affected when an author drops out. Artists, we request you let us know by Friday 4th April 2014 (the first artists check in) so that we can endeavour to find a suitable replacement artist, if possible, for your author.
Authors
I started my story just before you announced Big Bang. Can I use this WIP?
If you wish to participate using a WIP, we ask a couple of things of you.
1. That it is less than 3k for Big Bang, 2k for Little Bang and 1k for Mini Bang.
2. That you add at least the minimum requirement of whichever category you sign up for to your existing word count. (1k for Mini Bang; 5k for Little Bang; 10k for Big Bang)
3. If you have already started posting it, you take it down.
Still unsure? Contact a mod.
Can I write more than one fic?
It is up to you how many fics you choose to write. But please, bear in mind your time constrictions and your own abilities. We do not want people to drop out after artists have been assigned; it's rude and unfair on the artist in question.
Whilst we endeavour to find an artist for every single fic, we cannot guarantee this. We will ensure that every author is assigned at least one artists (if you’re writing three fics, you will be guaranteed art for at least one fic).
Does my fic require beta reading?
We highly recommend having your fic beta read, but it isn't essential. If you do not have a beta, feel free to look in the beta pool and ask people in there.
Can I use my own beta?
Of course. However, if you haven't got a beta and are looking for one, please check out our beta pool.
My fic is going to be too long/short to fit into the category I originally signed up for. Can I change it?
Yes. We ask you to do this before Friday 14th February 2014, in order to ensure the fic is the right category for the artists to choose from. We don't want artists who only have time to make art for a Mini Bang fic, for example, ending up having to deal with something that is Big Bang length.
I haven't met the word check in requirements. Help?
The check in requirements aren't a hard and fast requirement. Many people write in different ways and therefore, your schedule may be vastly different to ours. These are also just our way of making sure that people are still with us and haven't dropped out for one reason or another.
I haven't quite made the word count. Does this mean I'm disqualified?
For a Mini Bang, we expect it to be within 20% of the minimum requirement, that is to say 800 words - though we'd really prefer it to make that 1,000! For the other limitations, just ask to change what your classification is.
Is there an upper word limit for Big Bang?
Absolutely not. We love big, sprawling epics!
Why do I have to send in a summary? Can't it wait until it's posted?
The summary we ask for isn't necessarily the one you have to use to accompany your fic. This is to give the artists a brief glimpse into the different fics available to make art for. It just needs to be representative of the project so that artists can tell whether or not it is their cup of tea.
Can I tell my artists what to make me?
You can give them a small amount of guidance, such as preference of type of art you're looking for or scenes you are particularly fond of. That doesn't mean the artists have to follow your exact guidelines, however. Whilst the writing is the author's domain, the art is under the control of the artist.
What do I do when I've finished?
Feel free to post to mentalistbbvent to celebrate and encourage others to do the same. Post it on your LiveJournal under the PRIVATE setting, so nobody but you can see it. Then, talk to your artist(s) and try to figure out what posting date will be best for you. When the posting date comes around, then you can reveal all!
Artists
I'm not sure my art type qualifies...
Contact the mods here. You will most likely be fine, but they can give you peace of mind.
Is there a size limit on the art?
For Mini Bang, we ask for at least one 'reasonable' sized piece of art. For example, a wallpaper, a banner, a fanmix, a batch of at least five icons or a drawing. For Little Bang, we ask for two of the above and for Big Bang, we ask for three. There is no limit to how much you wish to make provided you have already met the above criteria. Please let your judgment guide you; authors will have been working on these fics for a considerable amount of time and we believe the art should reflect the effort put in.
For fanmixes, we ask for a minimum of five tracks. We ask that you make a youtube playlist (or similar) so that people can listen to it without having to purchase the songs. For videos/trailers, we ask that they are at least twenty-five seconds long for mini bangs, thirty-five seconds long for little bangs and forty-five seconds long for a big bang.
What about translations and podfic?
Inkeeping with The Mentalist Big Bang's ethos, both translations and podfic are welcomed as a form of artwork. These carry the same weight (and if not, more so) as the other forms of art.
How will I know what story I am working on?
We will collect summaries from the authors Friday 14th February 2014. These will be posted anonymously on Saturday 22nd February 2014 where artists can pick the summaries of the stories they would most like to work on. Shortly after, the mods will pair up artists and authors.
Do I have to host it myself?
We have hosting space, which we can offer you if you do not wish to use your own. As stated before, we ask that fanmixes come in the form of youtube playlists. Videos are also welcome to be hosted on there.
Can I sign up for more than one fic?
Like the authors, we ask that you bear in mind your own abilities and limitations when signing up. We're not going to tell you you can only do art for two stories, when you can cope with a lot more. However, with artwork, there will be a free-for-all pool going up after the initial selection period. So, if you find out you can do more after, you can select more stories there.
What do I do when I'm done?
If you wish us to host it, PM me and I'll upload it for you. We will send you the links to then post. Post it on your LiveJournal, in a PRIVATE setting until the posting date comes around. Feel free to post on mentalistbbvent to celebrate!
Betas
What will be required of me?
You can do whatever you feel comfortable with. In your signup, there will be space for you to state what you feel you are best at doing so authors can match themselves to the most appropriate author for their needs.
How do I contact an author?
Authors contact you, via the beta pool.
I didn't get picked as a beta, what do I do?
This may happen, as the beta pool is a resource for authors. If you're really interested in promoting yourself as a beta, feel free to post on mentalistbbvent to indicate your willingness and availability. Authors may notice you there.
Cheerleaders
What is a cheerleader?
Cheerleaders are people who encourage authors when they get a little stuck. This may come in the form of a brainstorming session, plot advice, or simply silly pictures to make the author smile. You are not expected to serve as a beta, but are more than welcome to sign up for that position as well.
How do I contact an author?
Reply to authors via the cheerleader pool.
There's no authors left in the cheerleader pool but I still want to cheerlead. What do I do?
If you're interested in promoting yourself as a cheerleader, feel free to promote your availability on mentalistbbvent. Authors may notice you there if they are looking for a cheerleader.
A Big Bang is where authors, artists, betas and cheerleaders all come together to create a huge volume of fanworks. At the end of it, we get a load of brand new Mentalist fanfiction and art. Which is awesome, right?
Authors are expected to write a minimum of 10,000 words for Big Bang, with no upper limit. Artists are expected to produce at least three 'quality' pieces of artwork.
What is a Little Bang?
The Little Bang is for authors who want to write a fic that is longer than 5,000 words, but don't feel ready to aim for the 10,000.
Therefore, authors are expected to write a minimum of 5,000 words to a maximum of 10,000 for Little Bang. Artists are expected to produce at least two 'quality' pieces of artwork.
What is a Mini Bang?
Mini Bang is exactly the same concept, except with slightly different requirements. Mini Bang allows authors to commit to shorter word counts and artists to less fanart. All the fun, but for less of the pressure.
Authors are expected to write a minimum of 1,000 words up to a maximum of 5,000 words for Mini Bang. Artists are expected to produce at least one 'quality' piece of artwork.
Are the sign up dates different for Big Bang, Little Bang and Mini Bang?
No! We want as many people as possible to feel able to participate. This allows people to join in whether their style is long epics or shorter, powerful pieces.
What kind of stories are allowed?
Virtually anything you can think of. This includes AUs, crossovers, sequels etc. The one exception is RPF. Sorry if that is your kind of thing. If you are unsure, please contact the mods here.
What kind of artwork is accepted?
Anything from vids to fanmixes to drawings to graphics to gifs. There are no limitations on the type of artwork you can do to accompany the fics. If you are unsure, please contact the mods here.
What are the deadlines? (The following dates are subject to revision as we see fit, this usually involves a later posting start date, if changes are made.)
Friday 15th November 2013 - Signups Open
Friday 20th December 2013 - Author Signups Close; 1st Author Check In
Friday 17th January 2014 - 2nd Author Check In
Friday 14th February 2014 - Story Summaries Due
Friday 21st February 2014 - Artist Signups Close
Saturday 22nd February 2014 - Story Selection Post goes up
Saturday 28th February 2014 - Selection Closes
Monday 3rd March 2014 - Pairings Revealed
Friday 4th April 2014 - 3rd Author Check In/1st Artist Check In
Friday 25th April 2014 - Posting Date Selection Begins
Friday 2nd May 2014 - Posting Date Selection Ends
Saturday 3rd May 2014 - Posting Schedule Posted
Monday 5th May 2014 - Posting Begins
Can I start posting early?
Yes, but only under ‘private’ on your journal. We do not want you to share your work with anyone other than your artist, beta and cheerleaders until your posting date. We understand that formatting, especially longer fics on LiveJournal can take a significant amount of time. We do ask, however, that you set the calendar date of your entry to your posting date too.
What do you mean by posting date?
To avoid an influx of fics clogging up people’s friends-list in a very short period of time, we will be having 1 fic posted a day. The author gets to choose which date this is starting from Friday 25th April 2014.
How do I post everything?
Post your finished fic/artwork to your personal journal. On your posting date, set the entry to public. Then, the author will post a master post to the community linking to the fic and artwork. It is the responsibility of the author and artist to ensure that the author has all the links required to post the master post on their selected date. After everyone has posted, a master list of both art and fiction will be compiled and posted to the community.
Can I sign up for more than one position?
Of course, but please be careful not to bite off more than you can handle.
I’ve signed up for too much! What do I do?
Let us know as soon as possible. We request that authors let us know at the latest by Friday 14th February 2014 (when story summaries are due). This is so that artists are not affected when an author drops out. Artists, we request you let us know by Friday 4th April 2014 (the first artists check in) so that we can endeavour to find a suitable replacement artist, if possible, for your author.
Authors
I started my story just before you announced Big Bang. Can I use this WIP?
If you wish to participate using a WIP, we ask a couple of things of you.
1. That it is less than 3k for Big Bang, 2k for Little Bang and 1k for Mini Bang.
2. That you add at least the minimum requirement of whichever category you sign up for to your existing word count. (1k for Mini Bang; 5k for Little Bang; 10k for Big Bang)
3. If you have already started posting it, you take it down.
Still unsure? Contact a mod.
Can I write more than one fic?
It is up to you how many fics you choose to write. But please, bear in mind your time constrictions and your own abilities. We do not want people to drop out after artists have been assigned; it's rude and unfair on the artist in question.
Whilst we endeavour to find an artist for every single fic, we cannot guarantee this. We will ensure that every author is assigned at least one artists (if you’re writing three fics, you will be guaranteed art for at least one fic).
Does my fic require beta reading?
We highly recommend having your fic beta read, but it isn't essential. If you do not have a beta, feel free to look in the beta pool and ask people in there.
Can I use my own beta?
Of course. However, if you haven't got a beta and are looking for one, please check out our beta pool.
My fic is going to be too long/short to fit into the category I originally signed up for. Can I change it?
Yes. We ask you to do this before Friday 14th February 2014, in order to ensure the fic is the right category for the artists to choose from. We don't want artists who only have time to make art for a Mini Bang fic, for example, ending up having to deal with something that is Big Bang length.
I haven't met the word check in requirements. Help?
The check in requirements aren't a hard and fast requirement. Many people write in different ways and therefore, your schedule may be vastly different to ours. These are also just our way of making sure that people are still with us and haven't dropped out for one reason or another.
I haven't quite made the word count. Does this mean I'm disqualified?
For a Mini Bang, we expect it to be within 20% of the minimum requirement, that is to say 800 words - though we'd really prefer it to make that 1,000! For the other limitations, just ask to change what your classification is.
Is there an upper word limit for Big Bang?
Absolutely not. We love big, sprawling epics!
Why do I have to send in a summary? Can't it wait until it's posted?
The summary we ask for isn't necessarily the one you have to use to accompany your fic. This is to give the artists a brief glimpse into the different fics available to make art for. It just needs to be representative of the project so that artists can tell whether or not it is their cup of tea.
Can I tell my artists what to make me?
You can give them a small amount of guidance, such as preference of type of art you're looking for or scenes you are particularly fond of. That doesn't mean the artists have to follow your exact guidelines, however. Whilst the writing is the author's domain, the art is under the control of the artist.
What do I do when I've finished?
Feel free to post to mentalistbbvent to celebrate and encourage others to do the same. Post it on your LiveJournal under the PRIVATE setting, so nobody but you can see it. Then, talk to your artist(s) and try to figure out what posting date will be best for you. When the posting date comes around, then you can reveal all!
Artists
I'm not sure my art type qualifies...
Contact the mods here. You will most likely be fine, but they can give you peace of mind.
Is there a size limit on the art?
For Mini Bang, we ask for at least one 'reasonable' sized piece of art. For example, a wallpaper, a banner, a fanmix, a batch of at least five icons or a drawing. For Little Bang, we ask for two of the above and for Big Bang, we ask for three. There is no limit to how much you wish to make provided you have already met the above criteria. Please let your judgment guide you; authors will have been working on these fics for a considerable amount of time and we believe the art should reflect the effort put in.
For fanmixes, we ask for a minimum of five tracks. We ask that you make a youtube playlist (or similar) so that people can listen to it without having to purchase the songs. For videos/trailers, we ask that they are at least twenty-five seconds long for mini bangs, thirty-five seconds long for little bangs and forty-five seconds long for a big bang.
What about translations and podfic?
Inkeeping with The Mentalist Big Bang's ethos, both translations and podfic are welcomed as a form of artwork. These carry the same weight (and if not, more so) as the other forms of art.
How will I know what story I am working on?
We will collect summaries from the authors Friday 14th February 2014. These will be posted anonymously on Saturday 22nd February 2014 where artists can pick the summaries of the stories they would most like to work on. Shortly after, the mods will pair up artists and authors.
Do I have to host it myself?
We have hosting space, which we can offer you if you do not wish to use your own. As stated before, we ask that fanmixes come in the form of youtube playlists. Videos are also welcome to be hosted on there.
Can I sign up for more than one fic?
Like the authors, we ask that you bear in mind your own abilities and limitations when signing up. We're not going to tell you you can only do art for two stories, when you can cope with a lot more. However, with artwork, there will be a free-for-all pool going up after the initial selection period. So, if you find out you can do more after, you can select more stories there.
What do I do when I'm done?
If you wish us to host it, PM me and I'll upload it for you. We will send you the links to then post. Post it on your LiveJournal, in a PRIVATE setting until the posting date comes around. Feel free to post on mentalistbbvent to celebrate!
Betas
What will be required of me?
You can do whatever you feel comfortable with. In your signup, there will be space for you to state what you feel you are best at doing so authors can match themselves to the most appropriate author for their needs.
How do I contact an author?
Authors contact you, via the beta pool.
I didn't get picked as a beta, what do I do?
This may happen, as the beta pool is a resource for authors. If you're really interested in promoting yourself as a beta, feel free to post on mentalistbbvent to indicate your willingness and availability. Authors may notice you there.
Cheerleaders
What is a cheerleader?
Cheerleaders are people who encourage authors when they get a little stuck. This may come in the form of a brainstorming session, plot advice, or simply silly pictures to make the author smile. You are not expected to serve as a beta, but are more than welcome to sign up for that position as well.
How do I contact an author?
Reply to authors via the cheerleader pool.
There's no authors left in the cheerleader pool but I still want to cheerlead. What do I do?
If you're interested in promoting yourself as a cheerleader, feel free to promote your availability on mentalistbbvent. Authors may notice you there if they are looking for a cheerleader.