Cheerleading: what is it, and how is it going to work?
Hi, everybody! It's been great meeting some of you over at the Meet & Greet post - if you haven't dropped by already, come say hello!
I've been looking at the responses to the poll I put up a few days ago (which you can still respond to now if you missed it before!) and I thought I should give you an update on what the plan is for that side of things. Firstly, due to time constraints and a division of duties, it will be me that's running the whole cheerleading business around the comm, so any questions or concerns you don't want to leave in a comment somewhere on the comm, do drop me a note! You can either PM me (emisolde) or you can drop us an email over at our joint mod email account: recast.your.mods@gmail.com
A quick low-down: cheerleading is simply the act of encouraging someone to keep going with their story/art/whatever, and go on being amazing! Everyone hits stumbling blocks occasionally, or needs to let off steam when things just won't go right - or maybe you just want people to celebrate with you when you've moved past all that and it's going brilliantly!
Before I say anything more, please comment on this post if:
- you're an author or an artist who knows that they do not want a cheerleader assigned to them.
- you're an author who is (going to be) writing a lot of their bang now or in the near future, and would like a cheerleader assigned to you ASAP.
(Please read below for details on the above points; I just wanted to make sure they were above the 'read more')
Now, over the course of this big bang, there're going to be two ways that cheerleading will happen:
1. Regular drop-in posts
Roughly weekly (although I can't promise any exactness!), I'll be making a post where people can drop by and chat about how things are going, can ask for help with something they're stuck on, and can basically talk about anything at all, even if it's not related to the bang. This is a big bang community, after all, so let's focus on that community part just as much as the bang! It doesn't matter if you've not started yet, you can still come say hello and see how everyone else is doing, maybe cheer on a few souls. Equally, if you don't want to take part in the drop-in posts, it's not a requirement!
The mandatory check-ins will be different to this; drop-ins will just be for anyone who wants to chat. This allows everyone taking part in whatever way (authors, artists, beta readers, visitors, excited potential readers...) to collectively cheer each other on. It's informal, no pressure, and you can take part as much or as little as you like.
2. Assigned cheerleaders
According to the response from the poll, quite a few people would like to have an 'official' cheerleader assigned to help them along. So, in a few days, I'll be opening cheerleader sign-ups. Anyone will be able to sign up, even if they're already taking part in the bang in some other way. Sign-ups will be screened, and then I will match up pairs whose fandoms and tastes seem to best coincide. Fear not, you will definitely be asked to give us a list of any triggers or squicks, of which I will make your partner aware. If they are certain (or think it's possible) that something on your list will appear in their story, I will rearrange until everyone is as happy as possible.
How you approach this sort of cheerleading is up to you! The basic idea is that you chat to your partner (usually via email, but if you wish to restrict yourself to PMing or some other form of contact, that's cool too. Snail mail might be a little hard to organise, but if that's how you roll...) and squee with them, let them rant at you when the characters won't behave, and encourage them if they get down in the dumps about things. We all understand that people have lives outside the internet, so you don't have to be in touch daily - work around your schedule, but do try to let your partner know if you're going to disappear for a while! :D
To finish off, a couple of important points:
- remember, if you are an author or an artist taking part in the big bang and do not wish to be assigned a cheerleader, please comment on this post. This is absolutely fine, and no one will judge you! (I know I said this before, but it is really important so that I can take you off the list straight away)
- both authors and artists will be assigned cheerleaders, but the sign-ups will run at different times. You can sign up to
cheer on as many different people as you like, as long as you have the time.
Authors' cheerleaders will be assigned first, since artists won't be able to start work on the bang until the claims post goes up. Authors, I'll see how things go, but there's a likelihood I won't be matching you up with cheerleaders until the author sign-ups close, to make sure everyone is accounted for, but if you are an author who expects to be writing a lot of your bang in the near future, and would like a cheerleader sooner, please let me know. I'll definitely make sure to accommodate you!
Phew, I think that's everything! Thanks so much for reading everything - further details will follow in the sign-up post, but I wanted to make sure everyone knew what was happening! :)
♥ GOOD LUCK ♥
I've been looking at the responses to the poll I put up a few days ago (which you can still respond to now if you missed it before!) and I thought I should give you an update on what the plan is for that side of things. Firstly, due to time constraints and a division of duties, it will be me that's running the whole cheerleading business around the comm, so any questions or concerns you don't want to leave in a comment somewhere on the comm, do drop me a note! You can either PM me (emisolde) or you can drop us an email over at our joint mod email account: recast.your.mods@gmail.com
A quick low-down: cheerleading is simply the act of encouraging someone to keep going with their story/art/whatever, and go on being amazing! Everyone hits stumbling blocks occasionally, or needs to let off steam when things just won't go right - or maybe you just want people to celebrate with you when you've moved past all that and it's going brilliantly!
Before I say anything more, please comment on this post if:
- you're an author or an artist who knows that they do not want a cheerleader assigned to them.
- you're an author who is (going to be) writing a lot of their bang now or in the near future, and would like a cheerleader assigned to you ASAP.
(Please read below for details on the above points; I just wanted to make sure they were above the 'read more')
Now, over the course of this big bang, there're going to be two ways that cheerleading will happen:
1. Regular drop-in posts
Roughly weekly (although I can't promise any exactness!), I'll be making a post where people can drop by and chat about how things are going, can ask for help with something they're stuck on, and can basically talk about anything at all, even if it's not related to the bang. This is a big bang community, after all, so let's focus on that community part just as much as the bang! It doesn't matter if you've not started yet, you can still come say hello and see how everyone else is doing, maybe cheer on a few souls. Equally, if you don't want to take part in the drop-in posts, it's not a requirement!
The mandatory check-ins will be different to this; drop-ins will just be for anyone who wants to chat. This allows everyone taking part in whatever way (authors, artists, beta readers, visitors, excited potential readers...) to collectively cheer each other on. It's informal, no pressure, and you can take part as much or as little as you like.
2. Assigned cheerleaders
According to the response from the poll, quite a few people would like to have an 'official' cheerleader assigned to help them along. So, in a few days, I'll be opening cheerleader sign-ups. Anyone will be able to sign up, even if they're already taking part in the bang in some other way. Sign-ups will be screened, and then I will match up pairs whose fandoms and tastes seem to best coincide. Fear not, you will definitely be asked to give us a list of any triggers or squicks, of which I will make your partner aware. If they are certain (or think it's possible) that something on your list will appear in their story, I will rearrange until everyone is as happy as possible.
How you approach this sort of cheerleading is up to you! The basic idea is that you chat to your partner (usually via email, but if you wish to restrict yourself to PMing or some other form of contact, that's cool too. Snail mail might be a little hard to organise, but if that's how you roll...) and squee with them, let them rant at you when the characters won't behave, and encourage them if they get down in the dumps about things. We all understand that people have lives outside the internet, so you don't have to be in touch daily - work around your schedule, but do try to let your partner know if you're going to disappear for a while! :D
To finish off, a couple of important points:
- remember, if you are an author or an artist taking part in the big bang and do not wish to be assigned a cheerleader, please comment on this post. This is absolutely fine, and no one will judge you! (I know I said this before, but it is really important so that I can take you off the list straight away)
- both authors and artists will be assigned cheerleaders, but the sign-ups will run at different times. You can sign up to
cheer on as many different people as you like, as long as you have the time.
Authors' cheerleaders will be assigned first, since artists won't be able to start work on the bang until the claims post goes up. Authors, I'll see how things go, but there's a likelihood I won't be matching you up with cheerleaders until the author sign-ups close, to make sure everyone is accounted for, but if you are an author who expects to be writing a lot of your bang in the near future, and would like a cheerleader sooner, please let me know. I'll definitely make sure to accommodate you!
Phew, I think that's everything! Thanks so much for reading everything - further details will follow in the sign-up post, but I wanted to make sure everyone knew what was happening! :)
♥ GOOD LUCK ♥