Assignments will be going out SOON!
Assignments for spn_summergen will be going out any day now! A new post will be made in this community once all assignments have gone out. Please don't contact the mods asking where your assignment is until after that post goes up.
YOU MUST REPLY TO YOUR ASSIGNMENT EMAIL TO LET THE MODS KNOW YOU HAVE RECEIVED IT.
If you don't reply, and we can't contact you when we chase it up, we'll be assuming you are in default before you start.
We've got 72 participants this year. Welcome and thank you to all those taking part in Summergen for the first time!
The assignment email will tell you who your recipient is, what her prompts are and give you a link to her journal.
About the match-ups: The matching is done based mostly on positives, not negatives. That is, we look at what you've said you can do, not what you say you can't. This does not mean you won't receive a prompt or two for characters or genres you didn't include. We wish it were possible to give everyone a perfect match for their offerings and prompts, but it's not. You should receive at least two prompts that match what you offered to write.
Some prompts are very short and cryptic. Where a short prompt doesn't specify a genre, we haven't made assumptions. Where a long-ish prompt doesn't specify a genre, we've used our best guess but your interpretation of the prompt might be very different.
Other prompts are pretty detailed. In these cases, we've tried to match character and time more than genre, on the understanding that the writer who gets it could choose to take the prompt in a different direction from what the promptee intended. You can also put your own spin on many prompts: a prompt for a casefic, for example, could be written as hurt/comfort, darkfic, comedy, angst, deathfic...anything that might blend well with the case.
So not all prompts are going to perfectly fit what you've asked for. What we try to do where people asked for particular consideration was to give prompts you can spin that way. So, for example, if JaneQ said she really wanted to get a Hurt!Dean prompt, we might have given her a set that includes, say, "Sam and Dean are trapped in a snowstorm." We figure JaneQ can throw Hurt!Dean into that situation easily.
What NOT to write
There's this section in your assignment headed "Scenarios and stories I would rather NOT receive". The key word here is "NOT". Some participants have used that section to say more about what they do like; while that is allowed, it is the "I don't want" part we are asking you to respect. We hope everyone will do their best to write a story their recipient will love, but that's not always possible and the only rule is don't give them something you know they'll hate.
Because these came up for several people in the "do not want" part, here are some explanations of terms:
POV and tenses
First person means writing as "I" - I woke up, I got dressed...
Second person means writing "you" - You woke up that morning and got dressed...
Third person means writing "he" or "she" - Dean woke up and got dressed...
Present tense means writing like everything is happening now: "He wakes up and gets dressed..."
Past tense means writing that something already happened: "He woke up. He got dressed."
"Past perfect" tense, also known as "passive voice" is when you use a sort of doubled past tense: "He had woken up that morning..."
"Character bashing"
It makes us sad that so many people feel they have to say "no character bashing" in their requests. It makes us sad that has to be said at all. So for those who don't get it, here's what that means. "No character bashing" does not mean evil characters can't be evil. Azazel, Lilith, Ruby, Dick Roman - they're bad guys. Of course they can do bad things. John Winchester - not the world's greatest dad and it's okay to portray him like that. What is not okay, if your recipient has specified no character bashing, is to take any character and write them as evil, cruel, abusive, drunk or whatever if it's out of character for them to be so.
It means it's not okay to write women characters as evil bitches just because you don't like them. If someone has given a prompt about Jo, or Becky or Lisa it's a fair bet the recipient likes that character and won't appreciate a character assassination.
It means it's not okay to write Sam or Dean as a serial rapist or mass murderer. Not unless you've got a prompt that says so. Same for Castiel, John, Bobby...you get the picture, right?
"Character bashing" is NOT one character thinking bad thoughts about another - especially if they dislike each other in canon. It's not a character thinking bad things about themselves. It's not a character being bad. It's a character being portrayed as consistently evil, dark or sometimes just plain stupid without good reason.
Most important of all:
Sex. Not in this exchange, okay? Absolutely no explicit sex. No hinted romance between characters unless the relationship is canon or very, very close to being canon.
This means Dean/Lisa, John/Mary, Sam/Ruby and suchlike are acceptable. It also allows for various women the boys have hooked up with for one episode BUT even with canon relationships, you can't write anything stronger than a "PG-13" and the "ship" cannot be the focus of the story you write. It can be a component, but just around the edges.
Summergen is a GEN fiction exchange! Just like it says on the tin.
Some advice for when you receive your prompts
We know that, while we're all excited to receive our assignments, sometimes when we finally open that email, our first reaction is something along the lines of OMG I can't do any of these! And then we panic. So we want to offer some tips for how to handle it if your assignment isn't as perfect and wonderful as you're hoping for :-)
The first thing to do is glance over the prompts you've been given. Is there anything there that immediately sparks an idea? Anything that looks interesting? Remember that you are not obliged to stick to the prompt word-for-word: it's there to prompt you. Some prompts read like story summaries; others are brief - a phrase, an image. If the prompt gives you a whole plot there's no reason you have to follow that idea to the letter. Sometimes a prompt will send your imagination off in an odd direction - this is completely okay. Read the prompts with a "can do" spirit in mind, and for now, ignore the parts you can't.
Next, take a look at the "do not want" list - this is the part that says Scenarios and stories I would rather not receive. This is the only part of your assignment you absolutely have to stick to. This is a gift exchange; if someone has said she doesn't want death fic, it's not very nice to write her a story in which her favorite character dies horribly. That said, some "do not want" lists are pretty vague; if you don't understand what's being said, you should ask (see below for how to ask questions of your recipient).
Third, take a deep breath and read over it again. You've got until 02 July to write your story and it only has to be 1,000 words: there's no reason to panic right away. If you still don't have an idea, read over the prompts again. Look for any bits and pieces in there that work for you. Here's an example list (totally made up, BTW!):
1. (Grey's Anatomy Crossover) Season one: Sam's headaches and visions might be a brain tumour. They go to Seattle Grace to get it checked out.
2. Sam and Dean are trapped by a cave-in. Dean is hurt (a broken leg or something that means he can't get out easily), but Sam's on the other side of the rockfall and his air is running out.
3. Post 5.22 - Sam escapes from the Cage (without help from Castiel or Crowley). He's not Lucifer, but he's not human any more, either.
4. Dean is cursed: he's convinced he's pregnant. Can be real or not - author's choice.
If none of those story ideas appeals to me straightaway, I'd try to break down what my recipient likes from the list. Prompt 1 is season 1 fic about Sam. Prompt 2 looks like she's after some heavy angst, and 4 is pure crack. Prompt 3 is post-S5, and sounds quite dark and twisted, but there's potential for that to go any way. "Not human" doesn't necessarily mean evil.
The other thing I notice is this person has a taste for what I think of as "dark" themes - 1 and 2 could both be deathfics, even 4 could be written as very angsty: it's a curse, after all. But her character choices are all Sam and Dean, she hasn't even mentioned Bobby, so I'm thinking this recipient might not appreciate a focus on minor characters.
Now...what can I do with all that?
After some thought, I'm gonna look at prompt 3. The prompt is about Sam, but that story could go anywhere - Sam might encounter Dean, but it could just as easily be solo!Sam or post-Hell-Sam encountering Bobby or Castiel. Or all of them. I could go for darkfic - Sam is demonic and evil - or an angsty fic with a happy ending as he's reunited with Dean. Reborn!Sam might even be angelic...the prompt only says "not human". Good Heavens, I could make him a cuddly bunny! Or how about combining 3 with 2: maybe escaping from the cave-in is how Sam discovers he's not human any more. Yeah, I like that idea, and it will allow me to write a happy-ish ending even though the fic is heavy on the angst.
Can you see what I'm doing there? Dig out the different elements in the prompts until you find something you can work with. Check the recipient's "do not want" list to make sure you're not completely off-track...and go! If you're not certain what your recipient will think of your idea, you can always ask.
The other thing to bear in mind is that prompts don't necessarily limit your character choices. A prompt about Sam, like 3 in the example, can lead to a fic that involves Sam with Dean, Bobby, Castiel, a demon or two, maybe even Lisa and Ben. It's an AU prompt, so I could even resurrect a few dead characters if I wanted to. Heck, it could even be a story about Dean searching for not!human!Sam, with Sam barely appearing, though if I were to write that version, I would be conscious it's probably not what my recipient was looking for.
Mix and match prompts, take elements that suit you and twist the parts that don't. The only part if the assignment you have to follow to the letter is the part that says "Stories and scenarios I would rather not receive". Anything else is fair game.
Any questions?
If you have any questions about the prompts do not ask your recipient directly. This is supposed to be an anonymous exchange, remember? Contact the mods at supernatural @ summergen . co . uk (remove the spaces) and we will contact the recipient on your behalf, and pass her answer back to you. Yes, it's a bit awkward to do it that way, but it preserves the anonymity of the exchange. Be prepared to wait a day or two for a response.
Alternatively, you can do a little research of your own. This is our "Dear Summergen Writer" collection - if your recipient has dropped a link there it will tell you a bit more about the kind of fic she will enjoy. You are not obliged to follow the suggestions in a 'dear writer' letter - it's not part of your assignment. But you might find it helpful.
You'll also have a link to your recipient's LJ - take a look at her journal or profile and see if you can get a feel for the kind of stories she'll like.
Most importantly, we want you to have fun. Write/create what you're happy writing or creating.
Most of all, if you get a prompt set you dislike or can't work with, we beg you not to post publicly about it. Think how your recipient will feel if she sees a post like that. If the mods have screwed up a match-up, it's OUR fault. Complain to US. Better still, don't complain, but let us know you can't do it. You might not be the only one. Sometimes we can arrange a trade and if that's not an option, we WILL find a solution for you.
If you need help
If you find you need to freak out about what you've been given, or you want a bit of help thinking through an idea, anything like that, feel free to contact the mods at supernatural @ summergen . co . uk (remove the spaces). We'll be happy to play sounding board or help in any way we can.
If you need a beta for your story, visit our willing to beta post. There will be a new post for this in the community shortly.
If you find you need to drop out of Summergen, it's very important that you let us know as soon as possible. Don't leave it until the last minute - that makes it harder to find a pinch-hitter to cover for you. Email us at supernatural @ summergen . co . uk (without the spaces) to let us know.
Pinch Hitters
Our sister community spn_genpinchhit is where we co-ordinate the pinch-hit assignments for this Summergen. Pinch-hitters are writers willing to step in and take over for anyone who has to drop out of the challenge. They are the heroes who help make sure everyone who signed up gets a gift in return.
If you are willing and able to pinch-hit, please join that community. All pinch-hit requests will be posted there.
Essential Links:
Rules, Schedule and FAQ
.
YOU MUST REPLY TO YOUR ASSIGNMENT EMAIL TO LET THE MODS KNOW YOU HAVE RECEIVED IT.
If you don't reply, and we can't contact you when we chase it up, we'll be assuming you are in default before you start.
We've got 72 participants this year. Welcome and thank you to all those taking part in Summergen for the first time!
The assignment email will tell you who your recipient is, what her prompts are and give you a link to her journal.
About the match-ups: The matching is done based mostly on positives, not negatives. That is, we look at what you've said you can do, not what you say you can't. This does not mean you won't receive a prompt or two for characters or genres you didn't include. We wish it were possible to give everyone a perfect match for their offerings and prompts, but it's not. You should receive at least two prompts that match what you offered to write.
Some prompts are very short and cryptic. Where a short prompt doesn't specify a genre, we haven't made assumptions. Where a long-ish prompt doesn't specify a genre, we've used our best guess but your interpretation of the prompt might be very different.
Other prompts are pretty detailed. In these cases, we've tried to match character and time more than genre, on the understanding that the writer who gets it could choose to take the prompt in a different direction from what the promptee intended. You can also put your own spin on many prompts: a prompt for a casefic, for example, could be written as hurt/comfort, darkfic, comedy, angst, deathfic...anything that might blend well with the case.
So not all prompts are going to perfectly fit what you've asked for. What we try to do where people asked for particular consideration was to give prompts you can spin that way. So, for example, if JaneQ said she really wanted to get a Hurt!Dean prompt, we might have given her a set that includes, say, "Sam and Dean are trapped in a snowstorm." We figure JaneQ can throw Hurt!Dean into that situation easily.
What NOT to write
There's this section in your assignment headed "Scenarios and stories I would rather NOT receive". The key word here is "NOT". Some participants have used that section to say more about what they do like; while that is allowed, it is the "I don't want" part we are asking you to respect. We hope everyone will do their best to write a story their recipient will love, but that's not always possible and the only rule is don't give them something you know they'll hate.
Because these came up for several people in the "do not want" part, here are some explanations of terms:
POV and tenses
First person means writing as "I" - I woke up, I got dressed...
Second person means writing "you" - You woke up that morning and got dressed...
Third person means writing "he" or "she" - Dean woke up and got dressed...
Present tense means writing like everything is happening now: "He wakes up and gets dressed..."
Past tense means writing that something already happened: "He woke up. He got dressed."
"Past perfect" tense, also known as "passive voice" is when you use a sort of doubled past tense: "He had woken up that morning..."
"Character bashing"
It makes us sad that so many people feel they have to say "no character bashing" in their requests. It makes us sad that has to be said at all. So for those who don't get it, here's what that means. "No character bashing" does not mean evil characters can't be evil. Azazel, Lilith, Ruby, Dick Roman - they're bad guys. Of course they can do bad things. John Winchester - not the world's greatest dad and it's okay to portray him like that. What is not okay, if your recipient has specified no character bashing, is to take any character and write them as evil, cruel, abusive, drunk or whatever if it's out of character for them to be so.
It means it's not okay to write women characters as evil bitches just because you don't like them. If someone has given a prompt about Jo, or Becky or Lisa it's a fair bet the recipient likes that character and won't appreciate a character assassination.
It means it's not okay to write Sam or Dean as a serial rapist or mass murderer. Not unless you've got a prompt that says so. Same for Castiel, John, Bobby...you get the picture, right?
"Character bashing" is NOT one character thinking bad thoughts about another - especially if they dislike each other in canon. It's not a character thinking bad things about themselves. It's not a character being bad. It's a character being portrayed as consistently evil, dark or sometimes just plain stupid without good reason.
Most important of all:
Sex. Not in this exchange, okay? Absolutely no explicit sex. No hinted romance between characters unless the relationship is canon or very, very close to being canon.
This means Dean/Lisa, John/Mary, Sam/Ruby and suchlike are acceptable. It also allows for various women the boys have hooked up with for one episode BUT even with canon relationships, you can't write anything stronger than a "PG-13" and the "ship" cannot be the focus of the story you write. It can be a component, but just around the edges.
Summergen is a GEN fiction exchange! Just like it says on the tin.
Some advice for when you receive your prompts
We know that, while we're all excited to receive our assignments, sometimes when we finally open that email, our first reaction is something along the lines of OMG I can't do any of these! And then we panic. So we want to offer some tips for how to handle it if your assignment isn't as perfect and wonderful as you're hoping for :-)
The first thing to do is glance over the prompts you've been given. Is there anything there that immediately sparks an idea? Anything that looks interesting? Remember that you are not obliged to stick to the prompt word-for-word: it's there to prompt you. Some prompts read like story summaries; others are brief - a phrase, an image. If the prompt gives you a whole plot there's no reason you have to follow that idea to the letter. Sometimes a prompt will send your imagination off in an odd direction - this is completely okay. Read the prompts with a "can do" spirit in mind, and for now, ignore the parts you can't.
Next, take a look at the "do not want" list - this is the part that says Scenarios and stories I would rather not receive. This is the only part of your assignment you absolutely have to stick to. This is a gift exchange; if someone has said she doesn't want death fic, it's not very nice to write her a story in which her favorite character dies horribly. That said, some "do not want" lists are pretty vague; if you don't understand what's being said, you should ask (see below for how to ask questions of your recipient).
Third, take a deep breath and read over it again. You've got until 02 July to write your story and it only has to be 1,000 words: there's no reason to panic right away. If you still don't have an idea, read over the prompts again. Look for any bits and pieces in there that work for you. Here's an example list (totally made up, BTW!):
1. (Grey's Anatomy Crossover) Season one: Sam's headaches and visions might be a brain tumour. They go to Seattle Grace to get it checked out.
2. Sam and Dean are trapped by a cave-in. Dean is hurt (a broken leg or something that means he can't get out easily), but Sam's on the other side of the rockfall and his air is running out.
3. Post 5.22 - Sam escapes from the Cage (without help from Castiel or Crowley). He's not Lucifer, but he's not human any more, either.
4. Dean is cursed: he's convinced he's pregnant. Can be real or not - author's choice.
If none of those story ideas appeals to me straightaway, I'd try to break down what my recipient likes from the list. Prompt 1 is season 1 fic about Sam. Prompt 2 looks like she's after some heavy angst, and 4 is pure crack. Prompt 3 is post-S5, and sounds quite dark and twisted, but there's potential for that to go any way. "Not human" doesn't necessarily mean evil.
The other thing I notice is this person has a taste for what I think of as "dark" themes - 1 and 2 could both be deathfics, even 4 could be written as very angsty: it's a curse, after all. But her character choices are all Sam and Dean, she hasn't even mentioned Bobby, so I'm thinking this recipient might not appreciate a focus on minor characters.
Now...what can I do with all that?
After some thought, I'm gonna look at prompt 3. The prompt is about Sam, but that story could go anywhere - Sam might encounter Dean, but it could just as easily be solo!Sam or post-Hell-Sam encountering Bobby or Castiel. Or all of them. I could go for darkfic - Sam is demonic and evil - or an angsty fic with a happy ending as he's reunited with Dean. Reborn!Sam might even be angelic...the prompt only says "not human". Good Heavens, I could make him a cuddly bunny! Or how about combining 3 with 2: maybe escaping from the cave-in is how Sam discovers he's not human any more. Yeah, I like that idea, and it will allow me to write a happy-ish ending even though the fic is heavy on the angst.
Can you see what I'm doing there? Dig out the different elements in the prompts until you find something you can work with. Check the recipient's "do not want" list to make sure you're not completely off-track...and go! If you're not certain what your recipient will think of your idea, you can always ask.
The other thing to bear in mind is that prompts don't necessarily limit your character choices. A prompt about Sam, like 3 in the example, can lead to a fic that involves Sam with Dean, Bobby, Castiel, a demon or two, maybe even Lisa and Ben. It's an AU prompt, so I could even resurrect a few dead characters if I wanted to. Heck, it could even be a story about Dean searching for not!human!Sam, with Sam barely appearing, though if I were to write that version, I would be conscious it's probably not what my recipient was looking for.
Mix and match prompts, take elements that suit you and twist the parts that don't. The only part if the assignment you have to follow to the letter is the part that says "Stories and scenarios I would rather not receive". Anything else is fair game.
Any questions?
If you have any questions about the prompts do not ask your recipient directly. This is supposed to be an anonymous exchange, remember? Contact the mods at supernatural @ summergen . co . uk (remove the spaces) and we will contact the recipient on your behalf, and pass her answer back to you. Yes, it's a bit awkward to do it that way, but it preserves the anonymity of the exchange. Be prepared to wait a day or two for a response.
Alternatively, you can do a little research of your own. This is our "Dear Summergen Writer" collection - if your recipient has dropped a link there it will tell you a bit more about the kind of fic she will enjoy. You are not obliged to follow the suggestions in a 'dear writer' letter - it's not part of your assignment. But you might find it helpful.
You'll also have a link to your recipient's LJ - take a look at her journal or profile and see if you can get a feel for the kind of stories she'll like.
Most importantly, we want you to have fun. Write/create what you're happy writing or creating.
Most of all, if you get a prompt set you dislike or can't work with, we beg you not to post publicly about it. Think how your recipient will feel if she sees a post like that. If the mods have screwed up a match-up, it's OUR fault. Complain to US. Better still, don't complain, but let us know you can't do it. You might not be the only one. Sometimes we can arrange a trade and if that's not an option, we WILL find a solution for you.
If you need help
If you find you need to freak out about what you've been given, or you want a bit of help thinking through an idea, anything like that, feel free to contact the mods at supernatural @ summergen . co . uk (remove the spaces). We'll be happy to play sounding board or help in any way we can.
If you need a beta for your story, visit our willing to beta post. There will be a new post for this in the community shortly.
If you find you need to drop out of Summergen, it's very important that you let us know as soon as possible. Don't leave it until the last minute - that makes it harder to find a pinch-hitter to cover for you. Email us at supernatural @ summergen . co . uk (without the spaces) to let us know.
Pinch Hitters
Our sister community spn_genpinchhit is where we co-ordinate the pinch-hit assignments for this Summergen. Pinch-hitters are writers willing to step in and take over for anyone who has to drop out of the challenge. They are the heroes who help make sure everyone who signed up gets a gift in return.
If you are willing and able to pinch-hit, please join that community. All pinch-hit requests will be posted there.
Essential Links:
Rules, Schedule and FAQ
.