FAQ
General
What is the Puckurt Big Bang?
A big bang is a writing and art challenge pairing authors and artists to complete a long work of fiction. The Puckurt Big Bang is centered around the romantic pairing of Noah Puckerman and Kurt Hummel, with a minimum word count requirement of 15,000.
How do I sign up?
To participate as a writer, sign up at the Author Sign Up Post. Sign ups begin February 15th and run through March 15th. To participate as an artist, sign up at the Artist Sign Up Post. Artist sign ups begin February 15th and run through April 15th.
Can I sign up as both an author and an artist?
You may sign up in both categories, but please be aware of your ability to balance your workload. Signing up as an artist is a commitment to the writer you claim that you will produce artwork for their story. Signing up as a writer is a commitment to the artist that claims you that you will produce a finished story to accompany that artwork.
Where is the schedule?
The schedule for this festival can be found here. If there are any questions or issues surrounding the schedule, please direct them to the mod contact post.
When and how do artists claim stories?
The Artist Claim Post will go up on May 16th. In order to submit your story for an artist claim, you must be at least halfway finished with your draft (7500 words). Authors will post their story summaries to the Artist Claim Post, and artists will comment on the summaries to claim the story. All artist claims are first come, first served.
Where will the stories and artwork be posted?
All stories and their accompanying art should be posted to Archive of Our Own, with a header linking to your story posted at puckurtbigbang. Please notify the mods when you have finished your works; you will be assigned a date and time to post your works to AO3 and the linked header to LJ. You will be responsible for posting your own story/header at your assigned time.
If you do not have an AO3 account, please contact the mods for an invite code.
Please do not cross-promote your works until the bang is completed.
Authors
What is the minimum word count? Is there a maximum word count?
The minimum word count required for this festival is 15,000 words. There is no maximum word count.
Can I use a story I'm already writing?
The goal of a big bang is to create a new work of long fiction within a specific time frame. As such, stories you have begun prior to the start of the bang cannot be used. Planning, preparing, and outlining prior to the bang is allowed; beginning your story before the bang starts defeats the purpose of the challenge.
Can I write more than one story?
Signing up for more than one story is allowed, but discouraged due to the high word count requirement. You are the best judge of your writing pace, so please only sign up for what you feel is realistically achievable. Remember that submitting a summary to the Artist Claim Post is a commitment to your artist to complete your story or stories.
Where can I sign up as an author?
Please sign up using the Author Sign Up Post, beginning on February 15th. Sign ups end on March 15th.
Is cowriting permissible?
You may sign up with one coauthor for any given story. You may also sign up for an additional story with a different cowriter, if you desire.
Are crossovers with another fandom permissible?
Crossovers are permitted, as long as the central narrative focuses on Puck and Kurt.
Will my story definitely have art?
Due to the higher ratio of authors to artists in most big bangs, we cannot guarantee that all stories will have accompanying art. This is why we require that stories be halfway completed for submission to the Artist Claim Post. Completing half your draft by May 15th and writing an interesting summary will increase your chances of being claimed by an artist.
When are the check-ins, and how many words are required for each one?
The full Puckurt Big Bang schedule, including check-in dates, can be found here. Check-ins are an opportunity to touch base with your artist, the other authors, and the mods, but no specific word count is required. In order to submit your story for an artist claim, however, you must have a word count of at least 7500 words by the second check in, May 15th.
What if I don't finish my story?
You may drop from the Puckurt Big Bang at any time prior to receiving an artist claim without penalty. If you drop after receiving your artist claim without prior contact with the mods, you may not be allowed to participate in next year’s Puckurt Big Bang.
Is a beta required for my story?
Your story must be beta-read at least once before submission. We will offer a beta post to help you find a beta-reader if you do not already have one.
What pairings are allowed for this big bang?
The main pairing must be Puck/Kurt. There are no restrictions on side-pairings. Pairings involving Noah Puckerman or Kurt Hummel prior to the Puck/Kurt pairing are also permissible, but the main pairing must still be Puck/Kurt. No OT3/polyamorous groupings involving Puck/Kurt are allowed.
Can I submit my story early?
You may submit your completed story at any time, as long as it has been beta read and you have received all your artwork. This does not change the posting date/time for your story, however. Please do not post your story to AO3 or LJ before your assigned posting date/time.
Do I have a Livejournal/AO3 account to participate as an author?
All authors must have a Livejournal account and an AO3 account (or access to one) in order to post your finished works. LJ accounts are free and easy to set up. The PKBB have plenty of AO3 invite codes, so no waiting in the queue is necessary; simply leave a request on the mod contact post or contact pkbb_mods for an AO3 invite code.
We apologize if this is inconvenient, but previous bangs have had difficulty with posting format and consistency (long posts outside of LJ cuts, authors unable to edit their works) and this seems like the best solution to allow authors to maintain control over their own work and keep the bang running smoothly.
Artists
What are the art requirements for the Puckurt Big Bang?
The Puckurt Big Bang allows a wide array of art, with requirements based on the media. Artists providing a graphics package should include at least one icon, a banner in two sizes, and a piece of cover art. Artist submitting a fanmix should include a downloadable mix of at least five songs with front and back cover art. Artists submitting traditional or digital artwork should include 2+ pieces of artwork.
The summaries posted to the Artist Claim Post will include a note on any types of artwork an author prefers to receive/not to receive. Some authors may be uncomfortable with certain content (eg. nudity) or formats. Please do your best to make an artist claim that will best suit both you and your writer.
How do I claim a story?
The Artist Claim Post will go up on May 16th. Only stories with drafts of at least 7500 will be posted in the claim post, and all claims will be first come, first served.
Can I claim more than one story?
Please claim only one story in the first Artist Claim Post. If we still have unclaimed stories, we will post a second claim post later in the bang. If you have completed your arts for your first claim at that time, you may claim a second story.
What do I do when I'm finished?
When you have completed your art, please contact your author to determine the best method for sharing your artwork.
Any graphics or traditional/digital art should be embedded within the story, which requires the artwork be uploaded somewhere. There is no requirement for where the artwork be uploaded (imgur.com is a popular service). If you are posting your art to the LJ photo album, please make sure the images are set to public. Graphic/traditional/digital artists may also make an art masterpost on AO3; please do not post your art to AO3 until your artist’s posting date/time.
Artists creating a fanmix for their stories should post the link to the fanmix, along with the accompanying cover art, to LJ or AO3; your writer will include a link to the fanmix in the header of their work.
Do I have a Livejournal/AO3 account to participate as an artist?
No, a Livejournal or AO3 account is not required to participate as an artist. Your works can be hosted in any location mutually desirable to you and your author, and embedded/linked within the work in the most appropriate fashion. We do need a way of contacting you, but email is fine.
Betas
How can I offer my services to authors for this festival?
There will be a beta post where you can advertise your services and/or respond to pleas for help. If you are a beta, please consider tracking the beta post.
Any other questions?
Please direct all questions to the mod contact post, and we will respond as quickly as possible.
What is the Puckurt Big Bang?
A big bang is a writing and art challenge pairing authors and artists to complete a long work of fiction. The Puckurt Big Bang is centered around the romantic pairing of Noah Puckerman and Kurt Hummel, with a minimum word count requirement of 15,000.
How do I sign up?
To participate as a writer, sign up at the Author Sign Up Post. Sign ups begin February 15th and run through March 15th. To participate as an artist, sign up at the Artist Sign Up Post. Artist sign ups begin February 15th and run through April 15th.
Can I sign up as both an author and an artist?
You may sign up in both categories, but please be aware of your ability to balance your workload. Signing up as an artist is a commitment to the writer you claim that you will produce artwork for their story. Signing up as a writer is a commitment to the artist that claims you that you will produce a finished story to accompany that artwork.
Where is the schedule?
The schedule for this festival can be found here. If there are any questions or issues surrounding the schedule, please direct them to the mod contact post.
When and how do artists claim stories?
The Artist Claim Post will go up on May 16th. In order to submit your story for an artist claim, you must be at least halfway finished with your draft (7500 words). Authors will post their story summaries to the Artist Claim Post, and artists will comment on the summaries to claim the story. All artist claims are first come, first served.
Where will the stories and artwork be posted?
All stories and their accompanying art should be posted to Archive of Our Own, with a header linking to your story posted at puckurtbigbang. Please notify the mods when you have finished your works; you will be assigned a date and time to post your works to AO3 and the linked header to LJ. You will be responsible for posting your own story/header at your assigned time.
If you do not have an AO3 account, please contact the mods for an invite code.
Please do not cross-promote your works until the bang is completed.
Authors
What is the minimum word count? Is there a maximum word count?
The minimum word count required for this festival is 15,000 words. There is no maximum word count.
Can I use a story I'm already writing?
The goal of a big bang is to create a new work of long fiction within a specific time frame. As such, stories you have begun prior to the start of the bang cannot be used. Planning, preparing, and outlining prior to the bang is allowed; beginning your story before the bang starts defeats the purpose of the challenge.
Can I write more than one story?
Signing up for more than one story is allowed, but discouraged due to the high word count requirement. You are the best judge of your writing pace, so please only sign up for what you feel is realistically achievable. Remember that submitting a summary to the Artist Claim Post is a commitment to your artist to complete your story or stories.
Where can I sign up as an author?
Please sign up using the Author Sign Up Post, beginning on February 15th. Sign ups end on March 15th.
Is cowriting permissible?
You may sign up with one coauthor for any given story. You may also sign up for an additional story with a different cowriter, if you desire.
Are crossovers with another fandom permissible?
Crossovers are permitted, as long as the central narrative focuses on Puck and Kurt.
Will my story definitely have art?
Due to the higher ratio of authors to artists in most big bangs, we cannot guarantee that all stories will have accompanying art. This is why we require that stories be halfway completed for submission to the Artist Claim Post. Completing half your draft by May 15th and writing an interesting summary will increase your chances of being claimed by an artist.
When are the check-ins, and how many words are required for each one?
The full Puckurt Big Bang schedule, including check-in dates, can be found here. Check-ins are an opportunity to touch base with your artist, the other authors, and the mods, but no specific word count is required. In order to submit your story for an artist claim, however, you must have a word count of at least 7500 words by the second check in, May 15th.
What if I don't finish my story?
You may drop from the Puckurt Big Bang at any time prior to receiving an artist claim without penalty. If you drop after receiving your artist claim without prior contact with the mods, you may not be allowed to participate in next year’s Puckurt Big Bang.
Is a beta required for my story?
Your story must be beta-read at least once before submission. We will offer a beta post to help you find a beta-reader if you do not already have one.
What pairings are allowed for this big bang?
The main pairing must be Puck/Kurt. There are no restrictions on side-pairings. Pairings involving Noah Puckerman or Kurt Hummel prior to the Puck/Kurt pairing are also permissible, but the main pairing must still be Puck/Kurt. No OT3/polyamorous groupings involving Puck/Kurt are allowed.
Can I submit my story early?
You may submit your completed story at any time, as long as it has been beta read and you have received all your artwork. This does not change the posting date/time for your story, however. Please do not post your story to AO3 or LJ before your assigned posting date/time.
Do I have a Livejournal/AO3 account to participate as an author?
All authors must have a Livejournal account and an AO3 account (or access to one) in order to post your finished works. LJ accounts are free and easy to set up. The PKBB have plenty of AO3 invite codes, so no waiting in the queue is necessary; simply leave a request on the mod contact post or contact pkbb_mods for an AO3 invite code.
We apologize if this is inconvenient, but previous bangs have had difficulty with posting format and consistency (long posts outside of LJ cuts, authors unable to edit their works) and this seems like the best solution to allow authors to maintain control over their own work and keep the bang running smoothly.
Artists
What are the art requirements for the Puckurt Big Bang?
The Puckurt Big Bang allows a wide array of art, with requirements based on the media. Artists providing a graphics package should include at least one icon, a banner in two sizes, and a piece of cover art. Artist submitting a fanmix should include a downloadable mix of at least five songs with front and back cover art. Artists submitting traditional or digital artwork should include 2+ pieces of artwork.
The summaries posted to the Artist Claim Post will include a note on any types of artwork an author prefers to receive/not to receive. Some authors may be uncomfortable with certain content (eg. nudity) or formats. Please do your best to make an artist claim that will best suit both you and your writer.
How do I claim a story?
The Artist Claim Post will go up on May 16th. Only stories with drafts of at least 7500 will be posted in the claim post, and all claims will be first come, first served.
Can I claim more than one story?
Please claim only one story in the first Artist Claim Post. If we still have unclaimed stories, we will post a second claim post later in the bang. If you have completed your arts for your first claim at that time, you may claim a second story.
What do I do when I'm finished?
When you have completed your art, please contact your author to determine the best method for sharing your artwork.
Any graphics or traditional/digital art should be embedded within the story, which requires the artwork be uploaded somewhere. There is no requirement for where the artwork be uploaded (imgur.com is a popular service). If you are posting your art to the LJ photo album, please make sure the images are set to public. Graphic/traditional/digital artists may also make an art masterpost on AO3; please do not post your art to AO3 until your artist’s posting date/time.
Artists creating a fanmix for their stories should post the link to the fanmix, along with the accompanying cover art, to LJ or AO3; your writer will include a link to the fanmix in the header of their work.
Do I have a Livejournal/AO3 account to participate as an artist?
No, a Livejournal or AO3 account is not required to participate as an artist. Your works can be hosted in any location mutually desirable to you and your author, and embedded/linked within the work in the most appropriate fashion. We do need a way of contacting you, but email is fine.
Betas
How can I offer my services to authors for this festival?
There will be a beta post where you can advertise your services and/or respond to pleas for help. If you are a beta, please consider tracking the beta post.
Any other questions?
Please direct all questions to the mod contact post, and we will respond as quickly as possible.