FAQ/THE RULES/SCHEDULE
Schedule
January 15 - June 14: Sign-ups for writers.
January 15 - July 15: Sign-ups for artists/vidders/mixers.
April 1: Halfway check-point.
June 15: Rough drafts and Summaries are due.
June 18-July 15: Artists/vidders/mixers claim fic summaries.
August 1: Final drafts due from writers.
August 7: Artists/vidders/mixers' submissions due.
August 15: Posting begins.
What type of stories are allowed?
Any stories that deal with the experience of being queer. For the purpose of this fest, that includes stories about lesbian, gay, bisexual, pansexual, genderqueer, asexual, intersex, and transgender characters.
Themes can include stories about coming out, figuring out sexual orientation or gender identity, figuring out your place in the lgbt community, the politics or social structures involving queer individuals in fictional worlds, or dealing with prejudice just to name a few. I'm a big believer in the idea that being queer is just a part of who you are and that it's not always a defining feature. So anything to do with the queer experiencing. Even if it's from an outsider's point of view is fine.
As long as at least one of the characters is queer, and their being queer defines/affects the plot in a major way it counts
What fandoms are allowed?
All fandoms, crossovers, and original fiction is allowed, including RPF. With one exception. I'm sure you've all heard it before, but since this is a challenge that's at least partially based on sexual orientation, I'm just going to re-iterate.
All underage characters can be in romantic relationships, but you're story cannot involve a sexual relationship between underage characters, or an underage character and an adult.
INFO FOR WRITERS
The only requirements are that the stories be over 10,000 words, written in a manner that qualifies it as queer centric, according to the WHAT TYPE OF STORIES ARE ALLOWED section above and have never been posted before, whether wholly or in part (snippets are okay, but not a WIP that you've been posting in chapters). RPF and FPF, AUs and crossovers are all totally fair game.
Kink is also acceptable as long as warnings are used.
Co-writing is fine. Writing more than one story is fine. Co-writing and writing a fic on your own is also fine. Just don't take on more than you can handle!
The rough draft you send in on June 15 does not have to be finished or polished or betaed in any way; it just needs to be over 10,000 words and finished enough that your artist/mixer has something to work with.
When you send in your rough draft, please also send in a summary of your fic (with warnings, if any). These don't have to be what you stick in the header once you post your fic, but these are what the mixers/artists will be seeing, and hence what they'll be basing their claims on. The summaries will go up on a post anonymously and assigned a number, so mixers/artists won't know whose story they're claiming (to avoid author bias) until they're sent the story.
Once you send in your final draft, you will be given an assigned posting date and your art/mix. You can coordinate with your artist/mixer so that their art/mix is posted on their own journal and you just link to it in your fic post, or you can post the mix/art in your own journal in case your schedules/time zones don't align quite right.
INFO FOR MIXERS
Mixes should have a minimum of 10 songs and a maximum of about 15 - we're not going to be sticklers about this, but don't get crazy. If you've got personal hosting space, you can upload your mix there, but otherwise please upload them onto Megaupload or Mediafire (other links tend to expire too quickly). You can upload them onto other sites as mirrors, but at least one link should be MU or MF. You can upload your mix as a zip or as individual songs.
When you send in your mix, please format the subject line of the e-mail this way: username - fic # - mix. For example: austen - fic 7 - mix
INFO FOR ARTISTS
Art can be in any medium. You can sketch, you can paint, you can make a manip, you can combine all of these things. No limits on size, just make sure it's postable. Please include a rating with your art, and any warnings if applicable.
When you send in your art, please format the subject line of the e-mail this way: username - fic # - art. For example: austen - fic 7 - art
INFO FOR VIDDERS
Videos (or trailers) should be relatively short - the length of a good song, or shorter. Anything that goes over five minutes is probably too long. If you have personal hosting space, you can also upload it there, but if not, YouTube is acceptable as well.
When you send in your vid or link to, please format the subject line of the e-mail this way: username - fic # - vid. For example: austen - fic 7 - vid
FAQ
Can I claim more than one fic for art and/or mixing?
Yes, but you need to finish your first claim before you can claim the second.
Can more than one artist/mixer claim the same fic?
Yes, but only once every fic has already been claimed once.
If I'm already writing a story, can I also create a mix or art? Can I sign up both as a mixer and an artist?
Absolutely, as long as you're not claiming your own story. You can also do both art and a mix, but NOT for the same fic, and you can only do one at a time. So, if you claimed fic 21 for a mix, you need to finish that mix before you can claim fic 16 for art.
Do we post our fics/mixes/art directly to this community or do we just link them?
Since there is a very high probability that fics will exceed the LJ character limit and span multiple posts, we'd prefer it if you posted your fic to your own journal and just linked it in one post from here. As for mixes and art, those should also be linked from the fic post to keep everything together.
Can my fic be the sequel to something else I've written?
As long as it can stand alone. Please link to the original story in the header.
If I've made my own art/soundtrack for my story, can I include it?
Go right ahead.
What if I need to drop out?
Please let us know as soon as you can, and if at all possible please drop out before you are matched with a writer/artist.
I still have a question
Please comment here with any questions you might have and I'll do my best to answer them as soon as possible.
January 15 - June 14: Sign-ups for writers.
January 15 - July 15: Sign-ups for artists/vidders/mixers.
April 1: Halfway check-point.
June 15: Rough drafts and Summaries are due.
June 18-July 15: Artists/vidders/mixers claim fic summaries.
August 1: Final drafts due from writers.
August 7: Artists/vidders/mixers' submissions due.
August 15: Posting begins.
What type of stories are allowed?
Any stories that deal with the experience of being queer. For the purpose of this fest, that includes stories about lesbian, gay, bisexual, pansexual, genderqueer, asexual, intersex, and transgender characters.
Themes can include stories about coming out, figuring out sexual orientation or gender identity, figuring out your place in the lgbt community, the politics or social structures involving queer individuals in fictional worlds, or dealing with prejudice just to name a few. I'm a big believer in the idea that being queer is just a part of who you are and that it's not always a defining feature. So anything to do with the queer experiencing. Even if it's from an outsider's point of view is fine.
As long as at least one of the characters is queer, and their being queer defines/affects the plot in a major way it counts
What fandoms are allowed?
All fandoms, crossovers, and original fiction is allowed, including RPF. With one exception. I'm sure you've all heard it before, but since this is a challenge that's at least partially based on sexual orientation, I'm just going to re-iterate.
All underage characters can be in romantic relationships, but you're story cannot involve a sexual relationship between underage characters, or an underage character and an adult.
INFO FOR WRITERS
The only requirements are that the stories be over 10,000 words, written in a manner that qualifies it as queer centric, according to the WHAT TYPE OF STORIES ARE ALLOWED section above and have never been posted before, whether wholly or in part (snippets are okay, but not a WIP that you've been posting in chapters). RPF and FPF, AUs and crossovers are all totally fair game.
Kink is also acceptable as long as warnings are used.
Co-writing is fine. Writing more than one story is fine. Co-writing and writing a fic on your own is also fine. Just don't take on more than you can handle!
The rough draft you send in on June 15 does not have to be finished or polished or betaed in any way; it just needs to be over 10,000 words and finished enough that your artist/mixer has something to work with.
When you send in your rough draft, please also send in a summary of your fic (with warnings, if any). These don't have to be what you stick in the header once you post your fic, but these are what the mixers/artists will be seeing, and hence what they'll be basing their claims on. The summaries will go up on a post anonymously and assigned a number, so mixers/artists won't know whose story they're claiming (to avoid author bias) until they're sent the story.
Once you send in your final draft, you will be given an assigned posting date and your art/mix. You can coordinate with your artist/mixer so that their art/mix is posted on their own journal and you just link to it in your fic post, or you can post the mix/art in your own journal in case your schedules/time zones don't align quite right.
INFO FOR MIXERS
Mixes should have a minimum of 10 songs and a maximum of about 15 - we're not going to be sticklers about this, but don't get crazy. If you've got personal hosting space, you can upload your mix there, but otherwise please upload them onto Megaupload or Mediafire (other links tend to expire too quickly). You can upload them onto other sites as mirrors, but at least one link should be MU or MF. You can upload your mix as a zip or as individual songs.
When you send in your mix, please format the subject line of the e-mail this way: username - fic # - mix. For example: austen - fic 7 - mix
INFO FOR ARTISTS
Art can be in any medium. You can sketch, you can paint, you can make a manip, you can combine all of these things. No limits on size, just make sure it's postable. Please include a rating with your art, and any warnings if applicable.
When you send in your art, please format the subject line of the e-mail this way: username - fic # - art. For example: austen - fic 7 - art
INFO FOR VIDDERS
Videos (or trailers) should be relatively short - the length of a good song, or shorter. Anything that goes over five minutes is probably too long. If you have personal hosting space, you can also upload it there, but if not, YouTube is acceptable as well.
When you send in your vid or link to, please format the subject line of the e-mail this way: username - fic # - vid. For example: austen - fic 7 - vid
FAQ
Can I claim more than one fic for art and/or mixing?
Yes, but you need to finish your first claim before you can claim the second.
Can more than one artist/mixer claim the same fic?
Yes, but only once every fic has already been claimed once.
If I'm already writing a story, can I also create a mix or art? Can I sign up both as a mixer and an artist?
Absolutely, as long as you're not claiming your own story. You can also do both art and a mix, but NOT for the same fic, and you can only do one at a time. So, if you claimed fic 21 for a mix, you need to finish that mix before you can claim fic 16 for art.
Do we post our fics/mixes/art directly to this community or do we just link them?
Since there is a very high probability that fics will exceed the LJ character limit and span multiple posts, we'd prefer it if you posted your fic to your own journal and just linked it in one post from here. As for mixes and art, those should also be linked from the fic post to keep everything together.
Can my fic be the sequel to something else I've written?
As long as it can stand alone. Please link to the original story in the header.
If I've made my own art/soundtrack for my story, can I include it?
Go right ahead.
What if I need to drop out?
Please let us know as soon as you can, and if at all possible please drop out before you are matched with a writer/artist.
I still have a question
Please comment here with any questions you might have and I'll do my best to answer them as soon as possible.