Big Bang Challenge 2016!

[lorafantastory]

Welcome to Big Bang 2016!

It’s that time of year again! Now that everyone is finally getting a chance to recover from the holidays, it’s time once again for the That Guy With The Glasses Big Bang Challenge, yayyy! This is Lora’s first year hosting, so we’re pretty much going to be sticking to the classic way of doing things, since it’s worked pretty well so far. Dates are different from previous years, so be sure to check them out below.

One other note: It's very probable that the main tgwtg_fic comm will be moving over to Dreamwidth during this challenge. For simplicity's sake, we're going to keep the Big Bang comm right here until the challenge is over so nobody gets lost in the move. Once the Treehouse (or whatever we're going to call it) is settled in Dreamwidth, then we'll move this comm over for the next challenge. Any updates that happen during or after the Treehouse move will be reposted on Dreamwidth and link back here. So at least up through May, this is where you'll go for all your Big Bang Challenge needs. :)

Schedule:

Sunday Jan 10th: Sign-ups open (writers, artists & mixers, pinch-hitters)

Sunday Feb 7th: Writer sign-ups close

Sunday March 6th: Writer check-in

Wednesday April 6th: Drafts due

Sunday April 10th: Claiming (artist & mixer sign-ups close)

Sunday May 1st: Artist & mixer check-in

Sunday May 15th: Art & mixes due

Friday May 20th: Posting begins


For authors:

• The goal is to write a complete, 10,000 word fic. Everyone who completes the challenge on time will be rewarded with a soundtrack/fanmix or fanart made especially for their fic. 10,000 words is the minimum requirement, but writing more is absolutely encouraged.

• Stories can be het, gen, slash, AU, anything goes. Crossovers with other fandoms are permitted, but the main focus and/or pairing must be from this fandom.

• You can submit more than one story, but the minimum word count per story is still 10,000 words. You can't submit more than 3 entries.

• The goal is to write new fanworks, but you can use your old ideas or drafts, as long as the fic hasn't been previously published. Writing sequels to existing verses or works is allowed, but please remember that not all artists/mixers have knowledge of the previous works.

• Co-writing is absolutely allowed, and the collaborative word count minimum is still 10,000 words.

• Sign-ups for authors will open on Jan 10th and close on Feb 7th. If you absolutely want to participate as a writer after the sign-ups have closed, shoot me a message and you can probably play.

• Writers may also sign up to be fanmixers or artists. Sign-ups for fanmixers and artists are open from Jan 10th to April 10th, the day of the claiming. You can also sign up to be a pinch-hitter; the pinch-hitter sign-ups are open from Jan 10th to May 1st.

• There is one mandatory check-in for writers on March 6th. The check-in is simply there to monitor who intends to complete the challenge and who might want to drop out. You can use the chatter post at other times to talk to others and cheer each other on.

• On April 6th, the completed fic must be emailed to the mod so that it can be assigned to a fanmixer or artist. The fic has to be over 10,000 words and has to be completed. You can still edit and change it, but it has to be in such stages that there won't be any major alterations or additions.

• Mixers/artists will then claim a fic/fics based on anonymous summaries; the claim post will appear on April 10th and remain open until April 13th or when all fics have been claimed thrice, whichever comes first. The claiming will be anonymous, but after that, you are permitted to get in touch with the artist/mixer, if you wish. It's up to you how much interaction there will be.

• Writers can drop out at any time before the draft deadline on April 6th and everything will be cool.

• On May 15th, all final fic versions and all fan art and fan mixes are due, and posting begins on May 20th. To avoid a flood of fics, writers will be assigned a posting day, and you're also responsible for posting the art/mix with the fic.

For artists and mixers:

• The goal is to draw a finished piece of art or make a fanmix based on the story/stories you claim.

• Fan mixes should be at least 10 songs. Cover art is not required, but if you want to include it, awesome! The mix should be in a downloadable .zip format (via Skydrive/4shared/etc.), or as a playlist in YouTube/8tracks/Grooveshark/etc. You may also include lyrics to the songs with passages that inspired you.

• Artists are only required to create one piece of art. The artwork can be traditional or digital, and the work must be finished quality; lineart only/a sketch is not permitted.

• Sign-ups for fanmixers and artists will open on Jan 10th and remain open until April 10th, the day of the claiming.

• You can also sign up as both artist/mixer and writer, if you wish! The sign-ups for writers are from Jan 10th to Feb 7th.

• You will claim a fic/fics based on their summaries; the claim post will appear on April 10th and remain open until the 13th or when all fics have been claimed thrice, whichever comes first. The fic(s) you claim might undergo some changes, but it must have already reached 10,000 words and be completed, so you can work with it.

• The summaries in the claiming will be anonymous, but after claiming you are permitted to get in touch with the author, if you wish. It's up to you how much interaction there will be.

• You have five weeks to complete your art/mix, from April 10th to May 15th.

• A mandatory check-in is on May 1st. If you wish to drop out, this is the last chance to do so.

• If you're extra-nice, you can also sign-up to double as a pinch-hitter, i.e. the one who makes the last minute art/mix should it be needed. This is not obligatory by any means, nor is claiming more than one fic, but it would reduce the stress levels of the mod.

• On May 15th, all final fic versions and all fan art and fan mixes are due, and posting begins on May 20th. To avoid a flood of fics, writers will be assigned a posting day, and they're also responsible for posting the art/mix with the fic.

For pinch-hitters:

• Pinch-hitters are heaven sent, beautiful creatures artists and mixers who will pick up a story, should the original artist/mixer drop out. A story will only be sent to a pinch-hitter if it has no other artists/mixers -- if a work has three claims and one artist/mixer drops out, a pinch-hitter won't be needed.

• Because of the nature of the job, pinch-hitters have to work fast, but you'll be showered in praise in return for this.

• Sign-ups for pinch-hitters will open Jan 10th and remain open until May 1st. There is a check-in for artists/mixers on May 1st, so the potential drops will hopefully become clear there.

• You can also sign up to be a writer or an artist/mixer in addition to pinch-hitting, or sign up only as a pinch-hitter.

The rules regarding art and mixes are the same for pinch-hitting; please see the section for artists and mixers for that! The preferable deadline for all fic and art is still May 15th, but this is negotiable for pinch-hitting.

Other things:

• There are no prompts/themes/restrictions for the challenge, but if you're completely lost for inspiration, you can always search the Kink Meme prompt post (or the Unfilled prompt archive) and see if anything strikes your fancy. You can also check out what people wrote previous years ( 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015).

• The chatter post for venting about your stories, art and mixes, asking for advice, and cheering each other on is right here. Just pick off where we left last year!

• The beta post is here. If you're willing to beta someone's story or if you're looking for someone to beta your story, chat away!

• If you have any questions or things to discuss privately, you can send me a PM or email at tgwtgbigbangchallenge [at] gmail dot com.

Happy writing, y’all!