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house_bigbang2008-01-13 04:17 pm
zulu.livejournal.com) wrote in house_bigbang2008-01-13 04:17 pm
[admin] FAQ POST
Several among you have asked very pertinent questions! Here's our attempt to answer them. If you have any further questions or need clarifications after reading this, then you can comment and the post will be edited to include answers. If you have super-duper sekrit questions that modesty forbids you from asking in the community, once again we remain your housebigbangmods@gmail.com, and we can answer them privately--but if the question has already been answered here, we will say, "DID YOU READ THE FAQ POST?" in a very pointed and huffy manner. So read the FAQ first.
FAQ
General
Wow, the FAQ is really long. That's a lot of rules! Why you gotta hate? Are you The Man?
We regret to inform you that for the purposes of this challenge, we are, indeed, The Man.
Do I have to read the whole thing?
Only the parts that apply to you.
1. All Participants
I need to drop out! What do I do?
Let the mods know at housebigbangmods@gmail.com, and please tell us the lj name you signed up under; it makes it easier for us to find you and take you off our contact list.
I'm a writer. I missed the February 15 deadline for complete drafts, but now I've got a finished story on time for the March 15 deadline for final drafts! Can I still participate?
No. The deadline is a deadline.
I'm a writer. I handed in my complete draft before February 15, but I won't be able to finish my final draft by March 15 and I need to drop out! What happens?
If your story has already been assigned an artist, then the complete draft as you handed it in will be posted in the archive. If your story has not yet been assigned to an artist, then you will be considered a drop out and you will not have a story in the archive or any art made for you.
I'm an artist. It's after February 15 and I've already signed up to make art for a story, but I need to drop out! What happens?
We will look at you VERY STERNLY. This situation would require that we find a pinch-hit artist, and we don't want to have to do that! If you can't commit to creating ONE piece of art in ONE month, between February 25 and March 25, then drop out BEFORE February 15 by emailing us at housebigbangmods@gmail.com.
2. Writers
Do I need a beta?
YES. Please see The Complete Draft for more details.
My story is a fusion/crossover/has a threesome/involves tentacle porn. Is that okay?
Yes.
My story is a fusion/crossover/has a threesome/involves tentacle porn. Should I have warnings or other headers on it?
1. Fusions and crossovers: In your headers, provide a complete disclaimer AND indicate the timeline or spoilers for your fusion or crossover fandom.
2. Threesomes/Moresomes: Indicate the threesome or grouping in your headers under "Pairing".
3. Tentacle porn/rape/non-con/character death: The headers will not have a separate section for warnings and they are NOT necessary. If you would like to include them, please put them under "Author's Notes". The mods reserve the right to edit Author's Notes for length; please be BRIEF.
I have a co-writer. Is that okay?
Yes. Please ensure that we have both writers' contact information.
3. Art
Will I get art?
Yes, IF you hand in a complete draft by February 15.
What kind of art will I get?
That's up to the artist who chooses to create art for your story.
But I wanted specific art, that shows scene Y from chapter Z of my story!
Your artist may ask for consultation or inspiration. If this happens, you can make suggestions, which the artist can use or not, as they choose. The final decision is up to the artist.
Why are the stories anonymous when the artists choose them?
That way, the artists will choose stories based on the summaries and excerpts, instead of based on the relationship they have with the writers.
Artist X already wants to make art for my story! What should I do?
All artists will have the same opportunity to choose stories, and selection is FIRST COME, FIRST SERVED. The artist who chooses your story first receives the assignment. Once ALL STORIES have artists assigned to them, then we may open up selection again, and at this point, artists may choose a second story if they wish. If Artist X wants to make art for your story, Artist X must sign up for it first. Otherwise, Artist X will be assigned their second choice. If Artist X wants to make art for two stories, they may choose your story in the second round.
I'm an artist. How do I know which story I'm making art for?
When the story summaries and excerpts are posted on February 16, read them. Hopefully there will be two or three that excite you. Comment with your top two or three choices that you feel you could make art for, in order of preference. The mods will reply to tell you which story you have been assigned.
Once you have received a confirmation that you have been assigned your story choice, the mods will send you the writer's complete draft of the story. This is mainly for inspiration purposes; please read as much of it as you can, in case there is ONE ULTIMATE MOMENT somewhere near the end calling out for art! However, whether you illustrate a particular moment--or any moment--from the story is completely up to you.
I didn't get my first choice of story. Or my second. Do I still have to make art?
The mods will be crossing off stories as they are assigned. If both your selections have already been assigned, you will be asked to choose another story. Please be open about the story you end up making art for; remember that this is a challenge. If you believe that not getting your top choice means that you won't want to make art at all, then please drop out of the challenge BEFORE February 15.
4. The Complete Draft
What information should be included with the complete draft?
1. Your livejournal name and your pen name, if they are different.
2. Headers as described here. This information was also sent to you in an email with the subject line, "HOUSE BIG BANG CHALLENGE - Important Questions".
3. Your excerpt should be at the top of the document, clearly marked as such, separate from the rest of the text.
I want to change my summary/title/pairing/author's notes after I hand in my complete draft!
No.
But why?
The idea is to spread out the coding of the website over a longer period of time, instead of rushing in the final two weeks. (The final two weeks are for rushing to code the artists' submissions instead!) During that month, we will be creating story pages and indices with all the headers and links. We don't want to create amazingstory.html, link it everywhere it needs to be linked on the site, and then have to redo the page and links a second time as superduperstory.html.
Will you be checking every story to see if they meet the requirements of the challenge?
Yes.
1. We will run a word-count to make sure the stories are longer than 20 000 words.
2. We will skim your story to get a general idea if it is a complete story and the ending is, in fact, the ending. Stories that have large chunks missing or that cut off at the end with no resolution will not be accepted. Stories that the mods believe don't feel complete based purely on their modly sensibilities will have some leeway. The mods will email you if they have concerns about the story's completeness.
3. If it is evident because of poor grammar, bad spelling, and random punctuation that you have not had your story betaed, we will email you with our concerns. Stories MUST be betaed. Spelling, grammar, and punctuation all count.
You mean, even if I finish a complete draft and get it in on time, you might reject my story?
This is very unlikely. We love you and want you to succeed. HOWEVER, it is a possibility, though a very remote one. Your complete draft, of course, will not have these problems...right? You will get a preliminary beta, you will ensure that your draft is complete, and you will make sure your story is over 20 000 words. RIGHT?
...right?
No story will be rejected out of hand. The mods will email you if they have concerns. Be aware, however, that these problems will cause hassles for both us and you. So do your best to make your complete draft as good as possible, so that these issues don't arise.
So what's the extra month for, if not to fix my grammar and spelling?
Typos.
Really. In 20 000 words, you will probably have a lot of typos. Even after betaing. We are giving you time to find them all. This extra month is for FINE-TOOTHED COMBING.
No, wait! You said we could revise, as long as our plots stayed the same! I'm counting on that month for revisions! Whaddaya mean, just typos?
We are strongly encouraging everybody to be at the fine-toothed combing-for-typos stage with their complete draft. This might not be feasible for you, and you can certainly revise as much as necessary during the final month. We encourage revisions! Please, make your story the best that you know how! The hope is, however, that by the end of February you will have all your revisions in place and you will be typo-hunting.
5. The Final Draft
I just read about The Complete Draft, and it seemed pretty final to me! What's the big difference between the complete draft and the final draft?
The complete draft is perfect. The final draft is UBER-PERFECT and you would not be ashamed to have it ENGRAVED ON YOUR TOMBSTONE, because its perfection is LIKE UNTO GODLINESS.
Well, my complete draft is as perfect as it's going to get. Can't we just call it my final draft and be done with it?
Yes. If you submit your story with the title FINAL DRAFT, and if you write, "I understand the difference between complete and final and this is FINAL," and if we say, "Really? Final?" and you say, "Yes, yes, a thousand times yes, FINAL," then we will take you at your word. This will be the draft that is put in the archive.
Your final draft MUST follow the guidelines under File Format for Story Submission.
I won't have a final draft in on time, and I think my complete draft sucks! Can I drop out?
Your complete story has already been assigned an artist, who has already put in work on your behalf. If you drop out after the complete draft deadline--February 15--then your complete draft will be the text placed in the archive.
It's after March 15 and I handed in my final draft on time...but I just noticed a typo about 18 000 words into my story! Will you fix it?
No.
But mods for other challenges (who are nicer than you!) would fix my typos if I asked politely. Why can't you?
We're sorry, and we do sympathize. However, we have a very short window to create the archive--and at this point, we are coding entirely by hand. We don't have the manpower or the time to fix your typos before the archive goes live. This is why you have a month between your complete draft and your final draft. Get a beta reader. Read your story out loud. Remember that it's its. Take those typos out.
After the archive goes live, and your mods have had some time to rest up, probably they will be more open to your request.
My final draft is done and it's well before March 15! Can I hand it in early?
Please do! But be sure to follow the guidelines for File Format For Story Submission. Your mods will love and appreciate and reward you for handing in your final draft early!
Love, appreciate, and reward, huh? What's the prize for handing in our final drafts early?
Find out under Feedback.
6. File Format for Story Submission
How should my COMPLETE DRAFT be sent to the mods?
Send your COMPLETE DRAFT to housebigbangmods@gmail.com in a PLAIN TEXT document, observing the following formatting:
1. There should be NO SMART QUOTES. That means your apostrophes and quotation marks should not be curly or slanted.
2. An m-dash should be two hyphens, like this: --
3. An ellipsis should be three dots, like this: ...
Whoa, whoa...m-dash? Ellipsis?
M-dashes and ellipses are punctuation. The m-dash is a dash; the ellipsis is a dot-dot-dot. Word will turn them into a special characters if you have your autoformatting options turned on, and often these special characters are unreadable in HTML. We suggest turning your autoformatting options off, but saving in plain text should fix them.
How should my FINAL DRAFT be send to the mods?
Send your FINAL DRAFT to housebigbangmods@gmail.com in a PLAIN TEXT document, observing the following formatting:
1. There should be NO SMART QUOTES. That means your apostrophes and quotation marks should not be curly or slanted.
2. An m-dash should be two hyphens, like this: --
3. An ellipsis should be three dots, like this: ...
4. If your story is divided into PARTS or CHAPTERS, please indicate that at the beginning of the text and be consistent throughout. We would prefer PART ONE, PART TWO, PART THREE, etc., but as long as you are clear and consistent, we will understand.
But I like my Chapter 1, Chapter Two, Ch. 3, Part 4, Part Five structure. Why do you want to hem me in?
The stories will each appear on an individual page. That's a lot of text all at once. We want to link to each part within the page, so there will be a list at the top of the story that says Part One, Part Two, Part Three, etc. These links will jump the reader down to that part of the story. It will be easier for us to make these links if all your parts are labeled the same and stand out.
7. What about my HTML?
What about my italics, bold, and other HTML?
Okay, this part gets complicated, so we'll try to break it down.
To start with, if you know you aren't comfortable with HTML, then please send your final draft in an email saying that you need help with coding. Use the same format for your final draft that you used for your complete draft, BUT also include your ITALICS and BOLD tags in HTML.
1. Italics with <I> and </I>
2. Bold with <B> and </B>
If you can code your story yourself, this would be a great help to us, but if you can't--or if you're not sure--we will do it for you.
I'm pretty good with HTML, and I'd like to help as much as possible! What needs to happen?
We want the archive to be as accessible as possible, so we'll be using emphasis and strong tags instead of italics and bold.
1. Italics should be indicated by <em> and </em>
2. Bold should be indicated by <strong> and </strong>
Scene breaks, that is, *** or ellipses, will be indicated by a solid line.
3. Scene breaks should be indicated by <HR />
The website, unlike livejournal, doesn't make paragraphs automatically, so we'll need to indicate those as well.
4. Paragraphs should begin with <P> and end with </P>
I'm with you so far, but that's a ton of coding for 20 000 words. HELP!
The find & replace tool is your friend.
1. Find & replace <I> with <em> and </I> with </em>
2. Do the same to replace <B> and </B> with strong tags <strong> and </strong>
3. Find your scene breaks (however they look currently) and replace them with <HR />
Paragraphs get tricky. This might be simple for some, but in case it's not, we're going to explain a little more.
If your text is formatted the same way it would be for livejournal, that is, if your paragraphs have a white line between them, like this:
Then you have two "enters" or carriage returns between paragraphs. The "enters" are invisible in your text file, but the Find & Replace tool (which is your friend!) knows that they look like this: ^p. That's ^p with a small p, not a capital P. We'll be getting rid of the double-enter here, and this is how:
4. FIND ^p^p and REPLACE WITH </P>^p<P>
Now your paragraphs look like this:
Perfect.
If your text is formatted with NO white line between paragraphs, meaning that there's only one enter between paragraphs, then:
4. FIND ^p and REPLACE WITH </P>^p<P>
The result should look the same.
One last thing: make sure your PART ONE, PART TWO, PART THREE, etc., stand out and are consistent. We'll code these links in for you, but it's easier if we know how your parts are labeled.
How do I know if I've done it properly and my HTML works?
If you have a web editor like FrontPage, or a website where you can see the result of your coding, then you can take a look. Are your italics italicy? Are your bolds bold? Are all your paragraphs consistent? If so, yay! If not, try to fix it.
If you don't have access to a web editor or page, you'll have to do your best and trust yourself--and we'll check the results for you.
I'm sorry, I thought I could do the HTML myself, but all that coding and paragraph stuff completely lost me. HELP!
If this part was too hard to follow, then please send your final draft in an email saying that you need help with coding. Use the same format for your final draft that you used for your complete draft, BUT also include your ITALICS and BOLD tags in HTML.
1. Italics with <I> and </I>
2. Bold with <B> and </B>
We will do the rest for you.
8. Format for Artwork Submission
What information should be included with my art submission?
Please send an email to housebigbangmods@gmail.com with:
1. Your lj name and pen name, if different.
2. The title of your artwork.
3. The subject of your artwork. Think of this as your summary. For example, for vids, "A trailer for Story X" or for art, "Character Y and Character Z doing stuff."
4. The pairing and rating of your artwork. Remember, artwork must be the same or lower rating as the story. Artwork for a story with a pairing can always be gen.
5. The medium of your artwork: cover art, manip, illustration, vid, etc.
6. The artwork itself as described in the following questions.
How should my vid be sent to the mods?
Please upload your vid to Sendspace (or MegaDownload, or other), and send the download link to housebigbangmods@gmail.com.
Will you host my vid?
Right now the mods hope they will be able to host any and all vids.
If we have enough bandwidth, we will host your vid on the site. If we don't have enough bandwidth, then we will ask you to upload your vid to a streaming site like iMeem (or similar), and we will link to it. Please don't upload your vid to a streaming site before we ask you, or before the archive goes live.
How should my illustration/manip/cover art be sent to the mods?
Please send a small thumbnail image, 125x25 pixels; a larger preview, 250x100 pixels; and the full-size image to housebigbangmods@gmail.com.
We will use the thumbnail and preview sized images to link to your full art page on the archive, so they are necessary.
9. Volunteering
I volunteered to help! Where and when do you want me?
We will need volunteers in the second half of March, and especially between March 25 and March 29.
I've already told you I'd volunteer, right?
If you've already told the mods you can volunteer, we have your name on our list and we will be contacting you.
Wait a minute...what am I volunteering for?
Volunteers will need to have HTML skills. They will be responsible for:
1. checking story formatting
2. checking links on the website
3. miscellaneous coding as necessary
10. Archiving Stories and Artwork
Will the stories and artwork be anonymous when the archive goes live?
Nope! All stories and artwork will have names and emails attached!
What if I want my story or artwork taken out of the archive?
By participating in the Big Bang Challenge, you give us permission to keep your stories or artwork on the archive. This is because art links to stories and stories link to art, and if either were taken down, then someone's work will be all alone. And sad. You wouldn't want a story or artwork to be alone and sad, would you?
I want to repost my story or artwork to my livejournal and/or website. Can I?
Yes. It's your story or artwork! You can put it anywhere you like. We simply ask that you wait ONE WEEK after the archive goes live, until April 7, before you crosspost your story or artwork elsewhere.
10. Feedback
I'm not a participant: I just want the stories! How can I make the Big Bang Challenge even more awesome?
Send feedback to the authors and artists once the archive goes live!
I'm a participant. How will I receive comments on my story or artwork?
The timeline for the ULTIMATE DAY of the BIG BANG CHALLENGE will go like this:
1. The day before the archive opens, MARCH 29, we will ask each participant to make themselves a Feedback Post in THEIR OWN LIVEJOURNAL, and give us a link.
2. All stories and artwork will be live on the same day, MARCH 30. All stories will have a link to send email to the author or artist. They will also be linked to the author's or artist's Feedback Post.
3. Once the archive is live, the author or artist can also link directly to their story or artwork on the archive from their Feedback Post.
So...what you're saying is...the archived story/artwork will link to the creator's Feedback Post, and the creator's Feedback Post will link to the archived story/artwork!
You got it! Isn't recursivity a beautiful thing?
And I'll get my comments at my own livejournal?
The readers and viewers on the archive will have the choice of commenting at the creator's Feedback Post, or by email.
Wait, wait, wait--back in The Final Draft, you said I'd be rewarded for handing in my story early, then told me to look for details here. I WANT DETAILS.
Here's the deal:
After the archive goes live, each story will have a turn as the Spotlight Story at![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
house_bigbang. Once every few days (or every week, schedule to be determined), one of the stories in the archive will be chosen as the Spotlight Story. In the community, the mods will post with the story's headers and excerpt, and link to the story in the archive. The story's artwork will have a preview image in the community, and a link to the artwork in the archive.
The stories will be spotlighted in the order in which the authors' final drafts are received. If you hand in your final draft first, then you will have the Supreme Honour of being the author of the First Spotlight Story.
Yay!
You know it!
11. The FAQ
I have another question that isn't answered here!
Are you sure?
Yes! My question is unique and important!
Please ask it in comments or in email! We will update the FAQ with new answers as required.
FAQ
General
Wow, the FAQ is really long. That's a lot of rules! Why you gotta hate? Are you The Man?
We regret to inform you that for the purposes of this challenge, we are, indeed, The Man.
Do I have to read the whole thing?
Only the parts that apply to you.
1. All Participants
I need to drop out! What do I do?
Let the mods know at housebigbangmods@gmail.com, and please tell us the lj name you signed up under; it makes it easier for us to find you and take you off our contact list.
I'm a writer. I missed the February 15 deadline for complete drafts, but now I've got a finished story on time for the March 15 deadline for final drafts! Can I still participate?
No. The deadline is a deadline.
I'm a writer. I handed in my complete draft before February 15, but I won't be able to finish my final draft by March 15 and I need to drop out! What happens?
If your story has already been assigned an artist, then the complete draft as you handed it in will be posted in the archive. If your story has not yet been assigned to an artist, then you will be considered a drop out and you will not have a story in the archive or any art made for you.
I'm an artist. It's after February 15 and I've already signed up to make art for a story, but I need to drop out! What happens?
We will look at you VERY STERNLY. This situation would require that we find a pinch-hit artist, and we don't want to have to do that! If you can't commit to creating ONE piece of art in ONE month, between February 25 and March 25, then drop out BEFORE February 15 by emailing us at housebigbangmods@gmail.com.
2. Writers
Do I need a beta?
YES. Please see The Complete Draft for more details.
My story is a fusion/crossover/has a threesome/involves tentacle porn. Is that okay?
Yes.
My story is a fusion/crossover/has a threesome/involves tentacle porn. Should I have warnings or other headers on it?
1. Fusions and crossovers: In your headers, provide a complete disclaimer AND indicate the timeline or spoilers for your fusion or crossover fandom.
2. Threesomes/Moresomes: Indicate the threesome or grouping in your headers under "Pairing".
3. Tentacle porn/rape/non-con/character death: The headers will not have a separate section for warnings and they are NOT necessary. If you would like to include them, please put them under "Author's Notes". The mods reserve the right to edit Author's Notes for length; please be BRIEF.
I have a co-writer. Is that okay?
Yes. Please ensure that we have both writers' contact information.
3. Art
Will I get art?
Yes, IF you hand in a complete draft by February 15.
What kind of art will I get?
That's up to the artist who chooses to create art for your story.
But I wanted specific art, that shows scene Y from chapter Z of my story!
Your artist may ask for consultation or inspiration. If this happens, you can make suggestions, which the artist can use or not, as they choose. The final decision is up to the artist.
Why are the stories anonymous when the artists choose them?
That way, the artists will choose stories based on the summaries and excerpts, instead of based on the relationship they have with the writers.
Artist X already wants to make art for my story! What should I do?
All artists will have the same opportunity to choose stories, and selection is FIRST COME, FIRST SERVED. The artist who chooses your story first receives the assignment. Once ALL STORIES have artists assigned to them, then we may open up selection again, and at this point, artists may choose a second story if they wish. If Artist X wants to make art for your story, Artist X must sign up for it first. Otherwise, Artist X will be assigned their second choice. If Artist X wants to make art for two stories, they may choose your story in the second round.
I'm an artist. How do I know which story I'm making art for?
When the story summaries and excerpts are posted on February 16, read them. Hopefully there will be two or three that excite you. Comment with your top two or three choices that you feel you could make art for, in order of preference. The mods will reply to tell you which story you have been assigned.
Once you have received a confirmation that you have been assigned your story choice, the mods will send you the writer's complete draft of the story. This is mainly for inspiration purposes; please read as much of it as you can, in case there is ONE ULTIMATE MOMENT somewhere near the end calling out for art! However, whether you illustrate a particular moment--or any moment--from the story is completely up to you.
I didn't get my first choice of story. Or my second. Do I still have to make art?
The mods will be crossing off stories as they are assigned. If both your selections have already been assigned, you will be asked to choose another story. Please be open about the story you end up making art for; remember that this is a challenge. If you believe that not getting your top choice means that you won't want to make art at all, then please drop out of the challenge BEFORE February 15.
4. The Complete Draft
What information should be included with the complete draft?
1. Your livejournal name and your pen name, if they are different.
2. Headers as described here. This information was also sent to you in an email with the subject line, "HOUSE BIG BANG CHALLENGE - Important Questions".
3. Your excerpt should be at the top of the document, clearly marked as such, separate from the rest of the text.
I want to change my summary/title/pairing/author's notes after I hand in my complete draft!
No.
But why?
The idea is to spread out the coding of the website over a longer period of time, instead of rushing in the final two weeks. (The final two weeks are for rushing to code the artists' submissions instead!) During that month, we will be creating story pages and indices with all the headers and links. We don't want to create amazingstory.html, link it everywhere it needs to be linked on the site, and then have to redo the page and links a second time as superduperstory.html.
Will you be checking every story to see if they meet the requirements of the challenge?
Yes.
1. We will run a word-count to make sure the stories are longer than 20 000 words.
2. We will skim your story to get a general idea if it is a complete story and the ending is, in fact, the ending. Stories that have large chunks missing or that cut off at the end with no resolution will not be accepted. Stories that the mods believe don't feel complete based purely on their modly sensibilities will have some leeway. The mods will email you if they have concerns about the story's completeness.
3. If it is evident because of poor grammar, bad spelling, and random punctuation that you have not had your story betaed, we will email you with our concerns. Stories MUST be betaed. Spelling, grammar, and punctuation all count.
You mean, even if I finish a complete draft and get it in on time, you might reject my story?
This is very unlikely. We love you and want you to succeed. HOWEVER, it is a possibility, though a very remote one. Your complete draft, of course, will not have these problems...right? You will get a preliminary beta, you will ensure that your draft is complete, and you will make sure your story is over 20 000 words. RIGHT?
...right?
No story will be rejected out of hand. The mods will email you if they have concerns. Be aware, however, that these problems will cause hassles for both us and you. So do your best to make your complete draft as good as possible, so that these issues don't arise.
So what's the extra month for, if not to fix my grammar and spelling?
Typos.
Really. In 20 000 words, you will probably have a lot of typos. Even after betaing. We are giving you time to find them all. This extra month is for FINE-TOOTHED COMBING.
No, wait! You said we could revise, as long as our plots stayed the same! I'm counting on that month for revisions! Whaddaya mean, just typos?
We are strongly encouraging everybody to be at the fine-toothed combing-for-typos stage with their complete draft. This might not be feasible for you, and you can certainly revise as much as necessary during the final month. We encourage revisions! Please, make your story the best that you know how! The hope is, however, that by the end of February you will have all your revisions in place and you will be typo-hunting.
5. The Final Draft
I just read about The Complete Draft, and it seemed pretty final to me! What's the big difference between the complete draft and the final draft?
The complete draft is perfect. The final draft is UBER-PERFECT and you would not be ashamed to have it ENGRAVED ON YOUR TOMBSTONE, because its perfection is LIKE UNTO GODLINESS.
Well, my complete draft is as perfect as it's going to get. Can't we just call it my final draft and be done with it?
Yes. If you submit your story with the title FINAL DRAFT, and if you write, "I understand the difference between complete and final and this is FINAL," and if we say, "Really? Final?" and you say, "Yes, yes, a thousand times yes, FINAL," then we will take you at your word. This will be the draft that is put in the archive.
Your final draft MUST follow the guidelines under File Format for Story Submission.
I won't have a final draft in on time, and I think my complete draft sucks! Can I drop out?
Your complete story has already been assigned an artist, who has already put in work on your behalf. If you drop out after the complete draft deadline--February 15--then your complete draft will be the text placed in the archive.
It's after March 15 and I handed in my final draft on time...but I just noticed a typo about 18 000 words into my story! Will you fix it?
No.
But mods for other challenges (who are nicer than you!) would fix my typos if I asked politely. Why can't you?
We're sorry, and we do sympathize. However, we have a very short window to create the archive--and at this point, we are coding entirely by hand. We don't have the manpower or the time to fix your typos before the archive goes live. This is why you have a month between your complete draft and your final draft. Get a beta reader. Read your story out loud. Remember that it's its. Take those typos out.
After the archive goes live, and your mods have had some time to rest up, probably they will be more open to your request.
My final draft is done and it's well before March 15! Can I hand it in early?
Please do! But be sure to follow the guidelines for File Format For Story Submission. Your mods will love and appreciate and reward you for handing in your final draft early!
Love, appreciate, and reward, huh? What's the prize for handing in our final drafts early?
Find out under Feedback.
6. File Format for Story Submission
How should my COMPLETE DRAFT be sent to the mods?
Send your COMPLETE DRAFT to housebigbangmods@gmail.com in a PLAIN TEXT document, observing the following formatting:
1. There should be NO SMART QUOTES. That means your apostrophes and quotation marks should not be curly or slanted.
2. An m-dash should be two hyphens, like this: --
3. An ellipsis should be three dots, like this: ...
Whoa, whoa...m-dash? Ellipsis?
M-dashes and ellipses are punctuation. The m-dash is a dash; the ellipsis is a dot-dot-dot. Word will turn them into a special characters if you have your autoformatting options turned on, and often these special characters are unreadable in HTML. We suggest turning your autoformatting options off, but saving in plain text should fix them.
How should my FINAL DRAFT be send to the mods?
Send your FINAL DRAFT to housebigbangmods@gmail.com in a PLAIN TEXT document, observing the following formatting:
1. There should be NO SMART QUOTES. That means your apostrophes and quotation marks should not be curly or slanted.
2. An m-dash should be two hyphens, like this: --
3. An ellipsis should be three dots, like this: ...
4. If your story is divided into PARTS or CHAPTERS, please indicate that at the beginning of the text and be consistent throughout. We would prefer PART ONE, PART TWO, PART THREE, etc., but as long as you are clear and consistent, we will understand.
But I like my Chapter 1, Chapter Two, Ch. 3, Part 4, Part Five structure. Why do you want to hem me in?
The stories will each appear on an individual page. That's a lot of text all at once. We want to link to each part within the page, so there will be a list at the top of the story that says Part One, Part Two, Part Three, etc. These links will jump the reader down to that part of the story. It will be easier for us to make these links if all your parts are labeled the same and stand out.
7. What about my HTML?
What about my italics, bold, and other HTML?
Okay, this part gets complicated, so we'll try to break it down.
To start with, if you know you aren't comfortable with HTML, then please send your final draft in an email saying that you need help with coding. Use the same format for your final draft that you used for your complete draft, BUT also include your ITALICS and BOLD tags in HTML.
1. Italics with <I> and </I>
2. Bold with <B> and </B>
If you can code your story yourself, this would be a great help to us, but if you can't--or if you're not sure--we will do it for you.
I'm pretty good with HTML, and I'd like to help as much as possible! What needs to happen?
We want the archive to be as accessible as possible, so we'll be using emphasis and strong tags instead of italics and bold.
1. Italics should be indicated by <em> and </em>
2. Bold should be indicated by <strong> and </strong>
Scene breaks, that is, *** or ellipses, will be indicated by a solid line.
3. Scene breaks should be indicated by <HR />
The website, unlike livejournal, doesn't make paragraphs automatically, so we'll need to indicate those as well.
4. Paragraphs should begin with <P> and end with </P>
I'm with you so far, but that's a ton of coding for 20 000 words. HELP!
The find & replace tool is your friend.
1. Find & replace <I> with <em> and </I> with </em>
2. Do the same to replace <B> and </B> with strong tags <strong> and </strong>
3. Find your scene breaks (however they look currently) and replace them with <HR />
Paragraphs get tricky. This might be simple for some, but in case it's not, we're going to explain a little more.
If your text is formatted the same way it would be for livejournal, that is, if your paragraphs have a white line between them, like this:
paragraph1paragraph1paragraph1 paragraph1 paragraph1paragraph1 paragraph1 paragraph1 paragraph1paragraph1 paragraph1paragraph1paragraph1 paragraph1 paragraph1 paragraph1 paragraph1 paragraph1
paragraph2paragraph2paragraph2 paragraph2paragraph2paragraph2 paragraph2 paragraph2 paragraph2paragraph2 paragraph2paragraph2paragraph2 paragraph2 paragraph2 paragraph2 paragraph2 paragraph2
Then you have two "enters" or carriage returns between paragraphs. The "enters" are invisible in your text file, but the Find & Replace tool (which is your friend!) knows that they look like this: ^p. That's ^p with a small p, not a capital P. We'll be getting rid of the double-enter here, and this is how:
4. FIND ^p^p and REPLACE WITH </P>^p<P>
Now your paragraphs look like this:
<P>paragraph1paragraph1paragraph1 paragraph1 paragraph1paragraph1 paragraph1 paragraph1 paragraph1paragraph1 paragraph1paragraph1paragraph1 paragraph1 paragraph1 paragraph1 paragraph1 paragraph1</P>
<P>paragraph2paragraph2paragraph2 paragraph2paragraph2paragraph2 paragraph2 paragraph2 paragraph2paragraph2 paragraph2paragraph2paragraph2 paragraph2 paragraph2 paragraph2 paragraph2 paragraph2
Perfect.
If your text is formatted with NO white line between paragraphs, meaning that there's only one enter between paragraphs, then:
4. FIND ^p and REPLACE WITH </P>^p<P>
The result should look the same.
One last thing: make sure your PART ONE, PART TWO, PART THREE, etc., stand out and are consistent. We'll code these links in for you, but it's easier if we know how your parts are labeled.
How do I know if I've done it properly and my HTML works?
If you have a web editor like FrontPage, or a website where you can see the result of your coding, then you can take a look. Are your italics italicy? Are your bolds bold? Are all your paragraphs consistent? If so, yay! If not, try to fix it.
If you don't have access to a web editor or page, you'll have to do your best and trust yourself--and we'll check the results for you.
I'm sorry, I thought I could do the HTML myself, but all that coding and paragraph stuff completely lost me. HELP!
If this part was too hard to follow, then please send your final draft in an email saying that you need help with coding. Use the same format for your final draft that you used for your complete draft, BUT also include your ITALICS and BOLD tags in HTML.
1. Italics with <I> and </I>
2. Bold with <B> and </B>
We will do the rest for you.
8. Format for Artwork Submission
What information should be included with my art submission?
Please send an email to housebigbangmods@gmail.com with:
1. Your lj name and pen name, if different.
2. The title of your artwork.
3. The subject of your artwork. Think of this as your summary. For example, for vids, "A trailer for Story X" or for art, "Character Y and Character Z doing stuff."
4. The pairing and rating of your artwork. Remember, artwork must be the same or lower rating as the story. Artwork for a story with a pairing can always be gen.
5. The medium of your artwork: cover art, manip, illustration, vid, etc.
6. The artwork itself as described in the following questions.
How should my vid be sent to the mods?
Please upload your vid to Sendspace (or MegaDownload, or other), and send the download link to housebigbangmods@gmail.com.
Will you host my vid?
Right now the mods hope they will be able to host any and all vids.
If we have enough bandwidth, we will host your vid on the site. If we don't have enough bandwidth, then we will ask you to upload your vid to a streaming site like iMeem (or similar), and we will link to it. Please don't upload your vid to a streaming site before we ask you, or before the archive goes live.
How should my illustration/manip/cover art be sent to the mods?
Please send a small thumbnail image, 125x25 pixels; a larger preview, 250x100 pixels; and the full-size image to housebigbangmods@gmail.com.
We will use the thumbnail and preview sized images to link to your full art page on the archive, so they are necessary.
9. Volunteering
I volunteered to help! Where and when do you want me?
We will need volunteers in the second half of March, and especially between March 25 and March 29.
I've already told you I'd volunteer, right?
If you've already told the mods you can volunteer, we have your name on our list and we will be contacting you.
Wait a minute...what am I volunteering for?
Volunteers will need to have HTML skills. They will be responsible for:
1. checking story formatting
2. checking links on the website
3. miscellaneous coding as necessary
10. Archiving Stories and Artwork
Will the stories and artwork be anonymous when the archive goes live?
Nope! All stories and artwork will have names and emails attached!
What if I want my story or artwork taken out of the archive?
By participating in the Big Bang Challenge, you give us permission to keep your stories or artwork on the archive. This is because art links to stories and stories link to art, and if either were taken down, then someone's work will be all alone. And sad. You wouldn't want a story or artwork to be alone and sad, would you?
I want to repost my story or artwork to my livejournal and/or website. Can I?
Yes. It's your story or artwork! You can put it anywhere you like. We simply ask that you wait ONE WEEK after the archive goes live, until April 7, before you crosspost your story or artwork elsewhere.
10. Feedback
I'm not a participant: I just want the stories! How can I make the Big Bang Challenge even more awesome?
Send feedback to the authors and artists once the archive goes live!
I'm a participant. How will I receive comments on my story or artwork?
The timeline for the ULTIMATE DAY of the BIG BANG CHALLENGE will go like this:
1. The day before the archive opens, MARCH 29, we will ask each participant to make themselves a Feedback Post in THEIR OWN LIVEJOURNAL, and give us a link.
2. All stories and artwork will be live on the same day, MARCH 30. All stories will have a link to send email to the author or artist. They will also be linked to the author's or artist's Feedback Post.
3. Once the archive is live, the author or artist can also link directly to their story or artwork on the archive from their Feedback Post.
So...what you're saying is...the archived story/artwork will link to the creator's Feedback Post, and the creator's Feedback Post will link to the archived story/artwork!
You got it! Isn't recursivity a beautiful thing?
And I'll get my comments at my own livejournal?
The readers and viewers on the archive will have the choice of commenting at the creator's Feedback Post, or by email.
Wait, wait, wait--back in The Final Draft, you said I'd be rewarded for handing in my story early, then told me to look for details here. I WANT DETAILS.
Here's the deal:
After the archive goes live, each story will have a turn as the Spotlight Story at
house_bigbang. Once every few days (or every week, schedule to be determined), one of the stories in the archive will be chosen as the Spotlight Story. In the community, the mods will post with the story's headers and excerpt, and link to the story in the archive. The story's artwork will have a preview image in the community, and a link to the artwork in the archive.The stories will be spotlighted in the order in which the authors' final drafts are received. If you hand in your final draft first, then you will have the Supreme Honour of being the author of the First Spotlight Story.
Yay!
You know it!
11. The FAQ
I have another question that isn't answered here!
Are you sure?
Yes! My question is unique and important!
Please ask it in comments or in email! We will update the FAQ with new answers as required.
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Thanks, updating the FAQ now.
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Thank you, updating now.
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Thanks, updating!
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As writers, do we get to see the art for our fic before it appears on the site?
I understand that the site goes live on 30 March, but I was wondering if participants get any advance sight of the site before it gets plugged to the world at large? I'm quite intrigued as to what it might look like...
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I hope you can live with the suspense!