MOD POST - FAQ and Rules August 2007 Ficathon
***READ ME! IMPORTANT INFO FOR ALL rt_challenge PARTICIPANTS!***
Hi all! We're thrilled everyone is excited about the next challenge. The prompts are going to be up in the next 24 hrs (we haven't forgotten!), but first things first.
If you participated in the last ficathon, we made you read the FAQ post before we gave you posting access. DO NOT PANIC - you still have that access. We've added a bit to the FAQs but we'd like you to read all of it and refresh your memory.
If you did not participate in the last ficathon and/or are a new member, you do not have posting access (yet). In order to receive posting access, you must read the following FAQs and follow the directions..
Welcome to rt_challenge! The basics of how the ficathon works are still outlined in the userinfo, but hopefully we can answer any other questions you have here.
Last updated: Aug 07
What’s this all about?
1. To encourage both established and new Remus/Tonks authors to write and share fics that are better…stronger…faster.
2. To flood the fandom, or at least your f-list, with Remus/Tonks lovin’ goodness. Every day. For a whole month!
How do I join in on all the fun?
1. Join the community.
2. Finish reading this page and follow the instructions at the bottom so you can be given posting access.
3. Wait for the ficathon to start!
How does the ficathon work?
There is one prompt for each day. On each day, you can post a fic/drabble/art that is inspired by that day's prompt. Usually the prompt numbers line up with the date. For example, Prompt 1 will be posted August 1, and Prompt 31 on August 31.
You may use old prompts, but you cannot skip ahead with prompts. (For example, if it's Day 15, you can still do Prompts 1-14, but you can't use any prompts from 16th or later yet.)
The Prompt List is being provided ahead of time in case you want to get a head start on writing your fics, or to plan what days you need to cut classes/work ;)
There are only two restrictions concerning submissions:
1. It MUST center around Remus/Tonks as a pairing
2. It MUST have something to do with the prompt.
That’s it. Other than that, the only limit is your imagination :) You are free to interpret each prompt however you wish, and write as much or as little as you want. We’re really flexible like that. You can post a fic for every single prompt (and enter our Hall of Fame), or just pick and choose the ones you want to do. Some people have done a drabble every day, others have done something different for each prompt they did. You can even write one big fic at the end incorporating all the prompts, you overambitious Slytherin showoff! It’s entirely up to you.
***All posts must follow this format:***
Title:
Author:
Format & Word Count: [Drabble/Fic/skit/interpretive dance/whatever you're posting + word count]
Rating:
Prompt:
Warning: [ex: sex, character death, clown porn, etc]
Summary:
Author's Note: [if desired]
< lj-cut > YOUR FIC HERE < /lj-cut > [remember to remove the spaces or it won't work]
Please tag all posts with your username and the prompt number. For example:
Tags: yourname, prompt 1
All fics are expected to have proper grammar, spelling, and punctuation. We highly recommend having a beta reader proofread your work, especially if GS&P is not your strong suit. Even the best stories will get poor reviews if the reader is too distracted by technical mistakes.
It won't let me add/edit my tags. What do I do?
If you have never posted to rt_challenge before and LJ isn't letting you add/edit tags, or if you are having any other issues with tagging your posts, you must let a mod know at THIS POST so we can sort that out for you.
I’m still not sure if I’m doing this right.
Feel free to browse through previous ficathons so you can get a feel for how it works!
Can I sign up for Prompt X?
You do not need to sign up beforehand for specific prompts. This is not like every other ficathon where you sign up for one single prompt. We are flexible--you can do one, you can do every single one of them, you can pick and choose. You can change your mind halfway through the ficathon. We don't care.
I live in a time zone on the edge of the earth far ahead of everyone else. Can I post at the crack of midnight?
No. The mods realize that everyone lives in different time zones, which is why we announce (“open”) each new prompt every day to officially signal the start of a new rt_challenge posting day for everyone. Please try not to jump ahead of the Prompt Posts, even if it's already a new day where you live. This is to keep things unified, fair for all, and to keep in the spirit of a daily ficathon. Otherwise, what's the point?
Can I post my fic late?
There’s no problem with posting fics late. You don’t have to announce that it’s late or let us know about it, just post as you normally would.
Can I post a fic that uses more than one prompt?
Sure! Just make sure you wait until all the prompts you want to use have been “opened” (see above).
Can I post my fic at a site such as ff.net and just post the link in the community?
No. All fics must be in a post to the rt_challenge community-no “fake cuts” or links allowed. You can advertise your fic wherever you wish however, and of course you are free to do whatever you want with your fics after the ficathon is over.
Can I post in a language other than English?
There’s no reason why you can’t, other than that you might not get much feedback on your fic if most of the community can't read it. (It's fine to post a link for people you know who will want to read it in your language, but remember many here will want to read it too.) You might think about maybe posting your fic in the language you want, and then provide the English translation underneath. This way we can all enjoy.
Where can I find mp3s for the music lyric prompts? I want to hear the song!
Whenever possible, we have always provided a link to the mp3 file in the prompt post. If you click on the song title under the lyrics, it will take you to it (see Exhibit A). However, until we can find someplace more permanent to upload our mp3 files, the links only work for about a week. (This is one of the reasons we post all prompts beforehand for you.) We're working on improving that.
I just thought of a really great prompt! Where can I submit my idea?
YAY! We're always looking for good ideas. The best time to let us know is inbetween ficathons, when we are compiling the next prompt list. We also have been known to do open calls for prompt ideas. Be aware that we actually get a LOT of prompt suggestions from the community, far more than we can actually ever use, so please don't be upset if your ideas don't get picked. Here are some tips on how to improve your chances:
(a) Images! We don't get many image prompt suggestions sent to us, yet they seem to be popular prompts.
(b) No Celine Dion, Evanescence, "Can't Fight the Moonlight" or anything like that. Leave the cheese for ff.net.
(c) Originality is key. We love things that are new and different. Don't you?
(d) We're up to our noses in Shakespeare prompts. We heart the old bard, and try to squeeze some into every ficathon, but see (c).
People aren't reading/reviewing my fics. Woe!
Unfortunately, there is no way to force people to leave reviews, and we know that reviews are the only way you really know your fics are being read. Our suggestions:
1. Put in your Author's Notes that you're looking for feedback, and be specific about what areas you are looking for critique on
2. Try advertising your latest rt_challenge masterpiece on your journal or elsewhere
3. Are you writing about "Nymphie", "Remmy" and their furry mutant children?
4. Leave reviews for others!
I keep getting bad reviews!
Someone is flaming me!
Constructive criticism, discussion of a fic's strengths and weaknesses, and tactful sharing of opinions are encouraged at rt_challenge. Flaming is not. Here's the difference:
CONCRIT (good):
"I think your characterization is a little off; I'm not really sure that's something that Tonks would do."
"Actually, in canon it says..."
"The sudden switching of different points of view is confusing."
FLAMING (bad):
"Are you an idiot? Never write any R/T again!"
"OMG THIS FIC SUX! I WAN 2 VOMIT!!!!"
Anyone who feels they have been flamed should contact a mod (if we haven't caught it first). Anyone who feels they have been concritted should take it maturely.
We encourage all members to use betas (there are many beta-reading communities available) but since this is a drabble community, that is not necessary. We also encourage the entire community to provide good, constructive criticism to authors but it is the choice of the author to ask (or not ask) for it.
Can I post a fic where Tonks morphs to look like Sirius because that’s the only reason heartbroken, gay Remmie will sleep with her?
Go ahead. Try. But be warned that you should expect horrific reviews and/or a visit from our trained attack monkeys. Just a friendly warning.
I'm brand new to LJ and don't know how to post to a community.
rt_challenge is a fic writing community, not an LJ tutorial community. By joining the community, you are expected to already be familiar with LiveJournal and how it works. If you don't know how to post, what "tags" are, or what "posting access" even means, we highly recommend reading the LiveJournal FAQs and becoming familiar with LJ and rt_challenge before applying for said posting access. We loff you but it is not our job to teach you how to use LJ.
Can I advertise my community/post a question/post something that has nothing to do with this challenge?
Fic/art posts, prompt posts, and mod posts are the ONLY posts allowed in this community. All other posts will be considered spam and will be deleted by a mod. If you have a question for the mods, you may email us directly, IM us, or post a comment to any mod post or prompt post and we’ll be happy to get back to you ASAP.
I love your community and want to start one just like it!!
That's awesome--we're very flattered! We're not opposed to having sister/affiliate comms, however you must talk to us mods about it first. We've had a bad experience in the past with someone completely stealing things from our community word-for-word, so we are being very protective. We have worked very hard to create this community from scratch and make it what it is, and while imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, plagiarism is not cool. (Yes, we know there's some irony in fighting plagiarism in, uh, fanfiction.)
I love this community! Who are the mods so I can thank them?
jadeddiva, sparkly_stuff, claireydid, and joely_jo are the current mod squad.
This community sucks! Who do I complain to?
Your mom.
What if I have a really important question I need answered ASAP and I will die if it's not answered?
We have an AIM screenname - it's rtcmod. While you should usually get a mod to answer that oh-so-important question, there may be a delay, especially around August 1. We apologize for that inconvenience.
Am I likely to be spoiled for what happens in Deathly Hallows if I read fic/look at art posted here?
In a word, yes. We are going to assume that everyone has finished DH by the start of the ficathon. While some writers and artists may chose to be considerate, no-one is going to be required to put a spoiler warning on their posts.
Finally, We, the mods, reserve the right to delete any posts that break any of the rules in any way, or ban any individual from the community. Luckily, we've never had to so far, and we like it that way.
These Rules & FAQs are a constant work in progress and can be changed/updated at any time. We're still figuring things out as we go along so we'll keep adding things here as things come up. If you have any questions that aren't mentioned here you are always more than welcome to ask a mod.
~*~
TO GAIN POSTING ACCESS so you can post to the ficathon, comment to this post with the phrase "TOO OLD" somewhere in your comment (so that we know you at least skimmed this and can follow basic directions). Once you are granted posting access, you have it permanently; you don't have to do this again next time.
Any suggestions on what else we could add or improvements we could make are welcome!