jain
in
jdrama_remix
Sign-up Post 2009
Sign-ups for the Japanese Drama Remix Exchange are closed; the challenge will not be taking place this year due to a lack of interest. We'll try again next year!
What's this all about?
* Ever read a fic and think, wow, what a fascinating story, but if I had written it, I would have... Well, now here's your chance to do just that. Rewrite someone else's story, tell somebody else's tale. Take the work of another person and wrap it up in your vision and style, just like a remixer does to songs.
So just take another person's story and change everything?
* Yes and no. You can do whatever you like to the story--change POV, dialogue, mood, characterization, make it longer or shorter, whatever--except for three things: pairing(s), setting(s), and the basic plotline. The objective here isn't to write a new story, but to reinterpret a story that's already been told.
Two important qualifications: first, with the settings, people may take non-AU stories and make them AUs only if the plot remains almost exactly the same.
Second, if the person to whom you're assigned only writes incest pairings and you're not comfortable writing that, you may remix the story as gen rather than as slash, femslash, or het. (You'd still have to write about the same characters, though, and you couldn't write those characters into new pairings that didn't exist in the original author's story.)
All right. So then we can choose any story we want to rewrite?
* Not just any story. Each participant will be assigned a writer (who will be a fellow participant and chosen at random, but matched by fandom--every participant will have one fandom in common with their assigned remixee) and must choose a story from that writer. You can choose any story written by the person you are assigned except for works in progress, previous remixes that have been designated safe stories, and stories that are nothing more than smut. Not that you can't choose a smutty story to rewrite, just not one that is one long sex scene. After all, where's the challenge in rewriting that?
Fandoms eligible for remixing include all Japanese dramas, though if you happen to write in a more obscure one, please try to convince some of your friends from that fandom to participate, as well. Otherwise I won't be able to match you with anyone else in the exchange.
Also, note that there is no matching on pairing or genre (i.e., slash, femslash, het, or gen), so if you only write het, for example, or only write a particular pairing or character, you probably don't want to sign up, because there is no guarantee you'll get someone who matches on those requirements.
I'm still confused. We're just writing someone else's story?
* Rewriting. Don't just change a line here and there. Be creative. Have fun. Make a mess if you want. Remember, it's a challenge. Don't make it too easy on yourself. For examples of how a remix challenge works in practice, check out remixredux08 or jentfic_remix.
I've only written a few Japanese drama stories. Can I still play?
* Yes, as long as you have a minimum of three stories in a Japanese drama fandom that fit either of the following criteria:
A) three stories in the same Jdrama fandom: consisting of two stories of at least 500 words each plus one story of at least 100 words
or
B) three stories in more than one Jdrama fandom: consisting of three stories, all of which are at least 500 words each
Works in Progress, crossovers, and PWPs are not eligible!
What is a "safe story"?
* If you've written one or more Japanese drama remixes, you can designate any or all of those remixes as "safe stories" in your sign-up, meaning that the person to whom you're assigned won't be able to remix those stories in this exchange. Only remixes are allowed to qualify as safe stories.
What if I've co-written with someone?
* If you have someone you co-write with regularly and the two of you wish to sign up for the challenge together, you will be counted as one participant and only the stories you have written together are eligible. If you regularly co-write with someone but only one of you signs up, then your co-written stories are off-limits. The same goes if both of you sign up but separately.
Do I have to have a website?
* Either a website or some other publicly accessible index of your stories. Stories posted to LiveJournal are okay as long as you have an index post or well-organized memories/tags that makes them easy to find. Stories posted only to friends-only LJs or LJ communities, message boards, and/or mailing lists are ineligible because access to those is too limited.
Are there any length requirements for the remix I write?
* Each remix must have a minimum word count of 1,000 words. There is no maximum word count.
The person I'm assigned to remix participated in last year's exchange and has already had a remix written of one of her stories. Am I allowed to write another remix of the same story?
* Sure. Most people choose to remix a story that hasn't been remixed previously, but if you've got a great idea for that particular story that you really want to explore, feel free to remix it again. Just make sure that you're remixing the original story, and not the remix.
What about if the person I'm assigned to remix has written a Japanese drama remix and she hasn't designated it a safe story? How should I go about remixing it if that's the story I'm most interested in retelling?
* In that case, you'll want to be especially careful that you're remixing the remix and not the original story. You might consider not (re-)reading the original story when you're reading the remix in preparation for writing your own remix, just to be safe.
I participated in the exchange last year but didn't turn in my story. Can I try again this year?
* Yes, with the following restrictions. First, your story will be due a week sooner than everyone else's, on August 18th, with no extensions. Second, if you can't get your story to me by August 18th, then you won't be allowed to participate next year.
Are there any sort of deadlines?
* Absolutely. Here are the important dates to remember:
Sign-ups: June 15th - June 24th
Assignments sent out: June 25th
Stories due for last year's defaulters: August 18th
Stories due for everyone else: August 25th
Stories posted: No later than August 30th. The more people get their stories in on time, the earlier the stories will be up for everyone to enjoy.
How do I play?
* Please comment here with the following information:
* your preferred pseudonym
* your preferred contact email address
* the URL for your website or the index of your stories
* the titles of previous Jdrama remixes you've written that you'd like to designate as safe stories (optional)
* the qualifying fandom(s) in which you've written 500 word stories, and the number of stories you've written in each fandom
* the qualifying fandom(s) in which you've written a 100 word ficlet (if you don't have enough full-length stories in your qualifying fandom(s))
* the top three fandoms (if you've got more than one) in which you are most eager to write
* other fandoms you're willing to write in (if any)
* are you willing to pinch hit (i.e., write a fill in story, usually on short notice, for someone who has defaulted on their assignment), and in what fandom(s)?
For example, my sign up would look like this:
Your name: Jain
Your email address: jain7856 [at] gmail.com
Your website/fic index: http://jain.mediawood.net/
Fandoms in which I've written 500 word stories (and the number of stories I've written in each fandom): Nobuta wo Produce (8), Akihabara@deep (1)
Top Three Fandoms I'd like to write in: Akihabara@deep, Nobuta wo Produce, Hanazakari no Kimitachi e
Other fandoms I would write in: Kurosagi, My Boss My Hero, One Pound Gospel, Stand Up!
Pinch hit? Yes (and fandoms in which you are willing to pinch hit)
I'll be in touch by June 25th with your assignment and more instructions.
Pinch Hitting
* Pinch hitters are the oft-unsung heroes of every ficathon. We adore pinch hit remixers, and are always happy to add you to the list. If you cannot participate due to not meeting the requirements or other ficathon commitments, but would be willing to get a frantic email and turn around a story in two or three days' time (or sometimes more, since some people are conscientious even in dropping out), please leave a comment here to that effect, as well, listing the fandoms in which you are willing to pinch hit in. Please put "Pinch hitter" in the subject line of your comment, and please include a contact email so I can get hold of you when the time comes.
If you have any further questions, please comment here.
Text borrowed liberally from remixredux.
What's this all about?
* Ever read a fic and think, wow, what a fascinating story, but if I had written it, I would have... Well, now here's your chance to do just that. Rewrite someone else's story, tell somebody else's tale. Take the work of another person and wrap it up in your vision and style, just like a remixer does to songs.
So just take another person's story and change everything?
* Yes and no. You can do whatever you like to the story--change POV, dialogue, mood, characterization, make it longer or shorter, whatever--except for three things: pairing(s), setting(s), and the basic plotline. The objective here isn't to write a new story, but to reinterpret a story that's already been told.
Two important qualifications: first, with the settings, people may take non-AU stories and make them AUs only if the plot remains almost exactly the same.
Second, if the person to whom you're assigned only writes incest pairings and you're not comfortable writing that, you may remix the story as gen rather than as slash, femslash, or het. (You'd still have to write about the same characters, though, and you couldn't write those characters into new pairings that didn't exist in the original author's story.)
All right. So then we can choose any story we want to rewrite?
* Not just any story. Each participant will be assigned a writer (who will be a fellow participant and chosen at random, but matched by fandom--every participant will have one fandom in common with their assigned remixee) and must choose a story from that writer. You can choose any story written by the person you are assigned except for works in progress, previous remixes that have been designated safe stories, and stories that are nothing more than smut. Not that you can't choose a smutty story to rewrite, just not one that is one long sex scene. After all, where's the challenge in rewriting that?
Fandoms eligible for remixing include all Japanese dramas, though if you happen to write in a more obscure one, please try to convince some of your friends from that fandom to participate, as well. Otherwise I won't be able to match you with anyone else in the exchange.
Also, note that there is no matching on pairing or genre (i.e., slash, femslash, het, or gen), so if you only write het, for example, or only write a particular pairing or character, you probably don't want to sign up, because there is no guarantee you'll get someone who matches on those requirements.
I'm still confused. We're just writing someone else's story?
* Rewriting. Don't just change a line here and there. Be creative. Have fun. Make a mess if you want. Remember, it's a challenge. Don't make it too easy on yourself. For examples of how a remix challenge works in practice, check out remixredux08 or jentfic_remix.
I've only written a few Japanese drama stories. Can I still play?
* Yes, as long as you have a minimum of three stories in a Japanese drama fandom that fit either of the following criteria:
A) three stories in the same Jdrama fandom: consisting of two stories of at least 500 words each plus one story of at least 100 words
or
B) three stories in more than one Jdrama fandom: consisting of three stories, all of which are at least 500 words each
Works in Progress, crossovers, and PWPs are not eligible!
What is a "safe story"?
* If you've written one or more Japanese drama remixes, you can designate any or all of those remixes as "safe stories" in your sign-up, meaning that the person to whom you're assigned won't be able to remix those stories in this exchange. Only remixes are allowed to qualify as safe stories.
What if I've co-written with someone?
* If you have someone you co-write with regularly and the two of you wish to sign up for the challenge together, you will be counted as one participant and only the stories you have written together are eligible. If you regularly co-write with someone but only one of you signs up, then your co-written stories are off-limits. The same goes if both of you sign up but separately.
Do I have to have a website?
* Either a website or some other publicly accessible index of your stories. Stories posted to LiveJournal are okay as long as you have an index post or well-organized memories/tags that makes them easy to find. Stories posted only to friends-only LJs or LJ communities, message boards, and/or mailing lists are ineligible because access to those is too limited.
Are there any length requirements for the remix I write?
* Each remix must have a minimum word count of 1,000 words. There is no maximum word count.
The person I'm assigned to remix participated in last year's exchange and has already had a remix written of one of her stories. Am I allowed to write another remix of the same story?
* Sure. Most people choose to remix a story that hasn't been remixed previously, but if you've got a great idea for that particular story that you really want to explore, feel free to remix it again. Just make sure that you're remixing the original story, and not the remix.
What about if the person I'm assigned to remix has written a Japanese drama remix and she hasn't designated it a safe story? How should I go about remixing it if that's the story I'm most interested in retelling?
* In that case, you'll want to be especially careful that you're remixing the remix and not the original story. You might consider not (re-)reading the original story when you're reading the remix in preparation for writing your own remix, just to be safe.
I participated in the exchange last year but didn't turn in my story. Can I try again this year?
* Yes, with the following restrictions. First, your story will be due a week sooner than everyone else's, on August 18th, with no extensions. Second, if you can't get your story to me by August 18th, then you won't be allowed to participate next year.
Are there any sort of deadlines?
* Absolutely. Here are the important dates to remember:
Sign-ups: June 15th - June 24th
Assignments sent out: June 25th
Stories due for last year's defaulters: August 18th
Stories due for everyone else: August 25th
Stories posted: No later than August 30th. The more people get their stories in on time, the earlier the stories will be up for everyone to enjoy.
How do I play?
* Please comment here with the following information:
* your preferred pseudonym
* your preferred contact email address
* the URL for your website or the index of your stories
* the titles of previous Jdrama remixes you've written that you'd like to designate as safe stories (optional)
* the qualifying fandom(s) in which you've written 500 word stories, and the number of stories you've written in each fandom
* the qualifying fandom(s) in which you've written a 100 word ficlet (if you don't have enough full-length stories in your qualifying fandom(s))
* the top three fandoms (if you've got more than one) in which you are most eager to write
* other fandoms you're willing to write in (if any)
* are you willing to pinch hit (i.e., write a fill in story, usually on short notice, for someone who has defaulted on their assignment), and in what fandom(s)?
For example, my sign up would look like this:
Your name: Jain
Your email address: jain7856 [at] gmail.com
Your website/fic index: http://jain.mediawood.net/
Fandoms in which I've written 500 word stories (and the number of stories I've written in each fandom): Nobuta wo Produce (8), Akihabara@deep (1)
Top Three Fandoms I'd like to write in: Akihabara@deep, Nobuta wo Produce, Hanazakari no Kimitachi e
Other fandoms I would write in: Kurosagi, My Boss My Hero, One Pound Gospel, Stand Up!
Pinch hit? Yes (and fandoms in which you are willing to pinch hit)
I'll be in touch by June 25th with your assignment and more instructions.
Pinch Hitting
* Pinch hitters are the oft-unsung heroes of every ficathon. We adore pinch hit remixers, and are always happy to add you to the list. If you cannot participate due to not meeting the requirements or other ficathon commitments, but would be willing to get a frantic email and turn around a story in two or three days' time (or sometimes more, since some people are conscientious even in dropping out), please leave a comment here to that effect, as well, listing the fandoms in which you are willing to pinch hit in. Please put "Pinch hitter" in the subject line of your comment, and please include a contact email so I can get hold of you when the time comes.
If you have any further questions, please comment here.
Text borrowed liberally from remixredux.