2014 Quick Big Bang - FAQ
General
What is the Quick Big Bang?
A big bang is a writing and art challenge pairing authors and artists to complete a long work of fiction. The Quick Big Bang is centered around the romantic pairings of Quinn Fabray and Noah Puckerman, with a minimum word count requirement of 10,000.
How do I sign up?
To participate as a writer, sign up at the Author Sign Up Post. Sign ups begin May 1, 2014 and run through May 15, 2014. To participate as an artist, sign up at the Artist Sign Up Post. Artist sign ups begin May 1, 2015 and run through June 15, 2014.
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 July 17. In order to submit your story for an artist claim, you must be at least halfway finished with your draft (5000 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 quickbigbang. 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.
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 5000 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 use a kink meme prompt?
As most kink meme prompts aren't designed to inspire a full length story, we would prefer that participants write their stories from their own ideas, and not from kink meme prompts.
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 May 1. Sign ups end on May 15.
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 Quinn Fabray and Noah Puckerman.
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 July 15 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 Quick Big Bang schedule, including check-in dates, can be found here 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 5000 words by the second check in, July 15.
What if I don't finish my story?
You may drop from the Quick Big Bang at any time prior to receiving an artist claim without penalty. Dropping after art claims is unfair to your artist. 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 Quick Big Bang or other gleekmods-run bangs.
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 Quinn Fabray/Noah Puckerman. There are no restrictions on side-pairings. Other pairings involving Quinn Fabray and/or Noah Puckerman prior to the Quinn Fabray/Noah Puckerman pairing are also permissible, but the main pairing must still be Quinn Fabray/Noah Puckerman. This bang does not allow OT3/OT4+/poly pairings.
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, other than allow you to claim your time slot earlier. 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 and AO3 accounts are free to set up and easy to use.
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 Quick Big Bang?
The Quick 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 piece of cover art, and a banner/header in two sizes (which can be a modified version of the cove 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, though one piece can be a banner/header or a piece of cover art. Artists submitting a fanvid should include at least one video of at least one minute in length.
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 July 17. Only stories with drafts of at least 5000 words will be posted in the claim post, and all claims will be first come, first served.
The Artist Claim listings will be anonymous (no author(s) names) and will include the pairing.
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. Fanmixes must be downloadable (no 8Tracks mixes, please).
Artists creating a fanvid should post their video to YouTube, preferably with a link to the author's story in the notes.
Do I have to 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. We cannot allow sign-ups with Tumblr addresses, so please anticipate using an email address.
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 Quick Big Bang?
A big bang is a writing and art challenge pairing authors and artists to complete a long work of fiction. The Quick Big Bang is centered around the romantic pairings of Quinn Fabray and Noah Puckerman, with a minimum word count requirement of 10,000.
How do I sign up?
To participate as a writer, sign up at the Author Sign Up Post. Sign ups begin May 1, 2014 and run through May 15, 2014. To participate as an artist, sign up at the Artist Sign Up Post. Artist sign ups begin May 1, 2015 and run through June 15, 2014.
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 July 17. In order to submit your story for an artist claim, you must be at least halfway finished with your draft (5000 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 quickbigbang. 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.
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 5000 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 use a kink meme prompt?
As most kink meme prompts aren't designed to inspire a full length story, we would prefer that participants write their stories from their own ideas, and not from kink meme prompts.
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 May 1. Sign ups end on May 15.
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 Quinn Fabray and Noah Puckerman.
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 July 15 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 Quick Big Bang schedule, including check-in dates, can be found here 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 5000 words by the second check in, July 15.
What if I don't finish my story?
You may drop from the Quick Big Bang at any time prior to receiving an artist claim without penalty. Dropping after art claims is unfair to your artist. 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 Quick Big Bang or other gleekmods-run bangs.
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 Quinn Fabray/Noah Puckerman. There are no restrictions on side-pairings. Other pairings involving Quinn Fabray and/or Noah Puckerman prior to the Quinn Fabray/Noah Puckerman pairing are also permissible, but the main pairing must still be Quinn Fabray/Noah Puckerman. This bang does not allow OT3/OT4+/poly pairings.
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, other than allow you to claim your time slot earlier. 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 and AO3 accounts are free to set up and easy to use.
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 Quick Big Bang?
The Quick 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 piece of cover art, and a banner/header in two sizes (which can be a modified version of the cove 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, though one piece can be a banner/header or a piece of cover art. Artists submitting a fanvid should include at least one video of at least one minute in length.
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 July 17. Only stories with drafts of at least 5000 words will be posted in the claim post, and all claims will be first come, first served.
The Artist Claim listings will be anonymous (no author(s) names) and will include the pairing.
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. Fanmixes must be downloadable (no 8Tracks mixes, please).
Artists creating a fanvid should post their video to YouTube, preferably with a link to the author's story in the notes.
Do I have to 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. We cannot allow sign-ups with Tumblr addresses, so please anticipate using an email address.
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.