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house_bigbang2010-01-12 03:30 pm
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[admin] FAQ - Round Three
The FAQ for Round Three is substantially different than Round Two, especially concerning writers (see The AO3 Process), though the artists' portion is largely the same. However, dates (of course) and the process of the reveal have changed, and participants might want to take a look at those sections. 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 I'm sure I'll finish soon! Can I still participate?
No. The deadline is a deadline.
I'm a writer. I submitted my complete draft before February 15, but I won't be able to have my story betaed and word-perfect by April 1, and I need to drop out! What happens?
Stories that are not uploaded to the AO3 (or which are subsequently deleted) will be considered dropouts, and we won't require your artist to make any art for you.
If you drop out before your story has 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 25 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 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. Your story must be betaed before April 1, 2010. Please see The AO3 Process 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, 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: On the AO3, you can choose the following warning categories: Choose Not To Use Archive Warnings; No Archive Warnings Apply; Graphic Depictions of Violence; Major Character Death; Rape/Non Con; Underage. See here for more details on how to apply them. You can add more warnings in your Author's Notes if these categories aren't sufficient for your needs.
I have a co-writer. Is that okay?
Yes. Please ensure that we have both writers' contact information. When you upload your story to the AO3, one author should do the uploading, and add the second author in the "Co-authors" field. Both authors will need AO3 accounts. See The AO3 process for more details.
3. The AO3 Process
What's this about the AO3?
The Archive of Our Own is a multi-fandom archive that is set up very well to deal with challenges such as the big bang. We announced that we'd be moving to the AO3 in this post. In this section, we'll give you details on how to get an AO3 account and how to upload your story to the archive.
How do I submit my Complete Draft to the mods?
1. On or before February 15, you should send the mods at housebigbangmods@gmail.com:
(a) Your complete draft.
The complete draft must be 20 000 words or longer and it should have an ending. The complete draft will be sent to your artist(s), so it should be legible and make sense, but it does not need to be betaed.
Please send your complete draft as a .doc, .rtf, or .txt file. Again, it needs to be in a format your artist(s) can read, but how it's formatted, whether it has html, the chapter breaks, etc., are all up to you.
(b) Your headers.
This year, since you will be posting on the AO3, you will be able to edit your headers as much as you want. However, we need a draft of your headers so that the artists can pick stories. Please include the following headers for the artists' round:
Title:
Crossover fandom: If there is one.
Pairing: This is the primary pairing. You may mention secondary pairings if you wish. If your story is gen, please indicate that here, and name the primary characters.
Rating: General Audiences, Teen And Up Audiences, Mature, or Explicit.
Length: Wordcount of your complete draft.
Spoilers: Indicate the timeline of your story. If it is AU, indicate that here. If it is a crossover, include the timeline of your second fandom as well.
Summary: Summaries should be short--no longer than thirty words--and engaging, as they will draw in your readers.
(c) Your excerpt.
An excerpt of your story will serve several purposes, and MUST be included with your complete draft.
1. The excerpt will be used to help artists choose which story they would like to make art for.
2. The excerpt will be used in your post on the community pointing readers towards your story in the archive.
3. The excerpt will serve as a teaser to rev up excitement in the community for the full stories to come.
4. The excerpt should indicate the tone of your story. If your story is mainly humorous, it should be funny; if your story is mainly angsty, it should be serious.
The excerpt should be approximately 200 to 300 words long. You might want to choose a scene near the beginning of the story so as not to spoil it, but of course, this is up to your discretion.
How do I get an account at the Archive of Our Own?
After the mods have your complete draft, they will send you an invitation to the Archive of Our Own, unless you already have an account there. A link in the invitation will prompt you to make your own account. Once your account is set up, you should upload your complete draft to the House Big Bang Collection.
Is there a Final Draft Deadline?
There is no final draft deadline. Once your story is uploaded to the collection, it will appear as a "Mystery Work" until the reveal on April 1. During that time, only you, when you are logged in, will be able to see it. You can edit the headers and the text as often as you like, even after the reveal. Therefore, your story should be betaed and as finished as possible before the reveal day, because that is when it is likely to be read, but you can continue to make corrections after that.
How do I upload my story to the AO3?
You will need to follow this template.
Rating
Archive Warnings
Fandoms
Category
Pairings
Additional Tags
So far it sounds pretty straightforward. Is there a Most Important Part Ever Which I Should Pay Special Attention To?
Yes, there is!
Scroll down a little further. Now here is the VERY IMPORTANT PART.
In fact, let me repeat. THIS IS THE IMPORTANT PART.
When you are uploading your story, after you have put in your headers, make sure that you type in
house_bigbang10
into the "Collections" field. Exactly like it is in the screencap. EXACTLY.
What about the other fields in the upload form?
They are mostly self-explanatory, but here are some details to guide you.
Co-authors. If you have co-authored your fic, one of you should upload the story, and add the other person as a co-author. Both authors must have (and will get invites for) accounts on the archive. The story will show up in both your accounts as a work by you.
Recipients. Since this is not a gift-exchange challenge, you can leave this field blank. However, if you have written your story specifically for someone and you'd like to fill out this field, simply enter their AO3 account name.
Summary. Write your summary here.
Add notes. If you have an author's note, click the "at the beginning" tickybox and then write your note in the field that appears. If your author's note would be spoilery, or if you would simply prefer to have it at the end of the story, click the "at the end" tickybox and write your note in the field that appears.
If your story is a remix. Since this is a challenge for original, not remixed, stories, you can leave this field blank.
Only show your work to registered users. This challenge is public, so please leave this tickybox unchecked.
Is this part of a series? You can manage your series from your account home page. Add your story to a series if it is applicable.
Does this work have multiple chapters? If you check this tickybox, you can upload your story in as many chapters as you like.
Set a different publication date. Probably unnecessary.
Choose a language. This is generally an English-language challenge, so you can leave this field at its default.
Story text. Like a livejournal entry, you can choose to enter your story as Plain Text (with your italics and bolding indicated by HTML) or as Rich Text (no HTML, and your formatting is converted by the archive.)
Great! Then what?
Everything look good? Then click on "Preview". If everything looks right in the Preview window, scroll down and click "Post". If you want to fix something, scroll down and click "Edit". If you've already clicked Post and you want to fix something, you can edit the work at any time.
Since my story will be on the AO3, how will my art be shown?
Between March 25 and March 31, the mods will send you a paragraph of html coding that you can cut and paste at the top of your story. The code will let you see a preview of your art, and it will link back to the artist's livejournal. This code might look like this:
<a href="link to the artist's livejournal"><img src="link to the preview image"></a>
On the Reveal Day, we might send you an updated bit of code that more specifically links directly to the artist's post on the![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
house_bigbang community, which will also have a link to your story. This way, the stories and artwork will be linked in both directions.
4. Art
Will I get art?
Yes, IF you hand in a final 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.
5. The Complete Draft
What information should be included with the complete draft?
1. Your livejournal name and your pen name, if they are different.
I want to change my summary/title/pairing/author's notes after I hand in my complete draft!
You won't be able to for the artist selection process. But if you want to change any of these things on your story on the AO3, you can edit them at any time! As often as you want! Go for it!
Will you be checking every story to see if they meet the requirements of the challenge?
Yes.
1. When you submit your story to the mods, we will word-count it to make sure that it is over 20 000 words before sending you your AO3 invite.
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. Remember, your artist(s) must be able to read your complete draft! Please try to make them as clean as possible for their sakes.
So what's time between February 15 and April 1 for?
It's time for you to get your story fully and thoroughly betaed; to get rid of any typos; and to make your story the best that it can be. Also, it's time for the artists to be making art!
My complete draft is finished and it's well before February 15. Can I submit it early?
You sure can! And the sooner you do, the sooner the mods will send you your invitation to the AO3, unless you already have an account there. Consider it a reward! But that's not the only reward--see more under Feedback.
6. The Final Draft
Is there a final draft deadline?
Nope! Because of the sheer awesomeness of the AO3, your story stays a Mystery Work until the reveal day: only you can see it! You can fix it, edit it, correct typos, make small or big changes...and you can do it all in anonymity until the challenge goes live! Take your time and make it your best.
It's after February 15 and I've already uploaded my story to the archive...but I just noticed a typo about 18 000 words into my story! Will you fix it?
Nope! But you can.
I like my Chapter 1, Chapter Two, Ch. 3, Part 4, Part Five structure. Is that okay?
It sure is! When you upload your story to the AO3, you can have as many chapters with as many different titles as you like.
7. 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 .doc, .rtf, or .txt file. It should be openable and readable by your artist(s).
8. What about my HTML?
What about my italics, bold, and other HTML?
When you upload to the AO3, you will have two choices.
(a) You can paste your story into the Story Text field as "Plain Text". This means that you've written your own html. For instance, for your italics, you've written <I> and </I>. The archive will handle this just fine!
(b) You can paste your story into the Story Text field as "Rich Text". This means that you haven't written your own html. For instance, for your italics, you've written them like this. The archive will handle this just fine!
What about my paragraphs?
Your paragraphs should look like this:
How do I know if I've done it properly and my story looks the way it should?
Check the Preview of your story. Does it look the way you want? Then you're good to go! Is there a mistake? Then click on Edit and make your changes.
9. 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?
Yes, we will host your vid.
How should my illustration/manip/cover art be sent to the mods?
Please send a small thumbnail image, 125 horizontal x 25 vertical pixels; a larger preview, 250 horizontal x 100 vertical 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, so they are necessary.
How will my artwork be posted on the Reveal Day?
Your artwork will have its own post on thehouse_bigbang community. You can track this post by clicking on the thumbtack image at the top of the post, and then all comments will be emailed to you.
The preview image of your art will also be linked from the writers' stories on the AO3, and they will link back to your post on thehouse_bigbang community.
10. Volunteering
I volunteered to help! Where and when do you want me?
Are you a member ofhousebigbangers? Participants there will need cheerleaders and betas! You can offer your services or respond when a participant asks for help.
11. Archiving Stories and Artwork
Will the stories and artwork be anonymous when the archive goes live?
Nope! All the stories and artwork will be revealed on April 1 with names attached!
What if I want my story or artwork taken out of the archive?
According to the AO3's TOS, you have full control of your stories, and that means you can delete them at any time.
HOWEVER, remember that by participating in the Big Bang Challenge, 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? We strongly encourage you to leave your story up! But if you'd like your identifying information taken off your story, leaving it anonymous, you can do that. Read more about that process here.
If a writer chooses to 'orphan' their story, such that it is anonymous on the AO3, they will also have to take out the links to their artwork. Since editing their story is their responsibility, we can't do this for them, but they can certainly do it themselves.
The art posts will stay up on the community. Since the mods will be posting the art, if a writer chooses to go anonymous, we can edit the posts to take out the writer's name. However, we can't take responsibility for how an artist chooses to post their art in their own journal. The writer could contact them and request to have their name taken off, but that would be between them.
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 your story or artwork goes live, before you crosspost your story or artwork elsewhere.
12. Feedback
I'm not a participant: I just want the stories and artwork! How can I make the Big Bang Challenge even more awesome?
Send feedback to the authors and artists once the archive goes live! Remember, you don't need an AO3 accound to comment on the stories there.
I'm a participant. How will I receive comments on my story or artwork?
Writers will receive comments on the AO3. The comments will be emailed to them. Anyone can comment on the AO3: you don't need an account to comment.
Artists will receive comments on thehouse_bigbang community, in the post that shows their full artworks. If artists track the post by clicking on the "thumbtack" icon at the top of the post, comments will be emailed to them.
Wait, wait, wait--back in The Complete 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:
Each story will have a turn as the Spotlight Story athouse_bigbang. Once every few days, one of the stories in the archive will be posted and revealed 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 post.
The stories will be spotlighted in the order in which the authors' complete drafts are received. If you hand in your complete draft first, then you will have the Supreme Honour of being the author of the First Spotlight Story.
Yay!
You know it!
13. Moving the previous years' stories.
Will the previous rounds of the Big Bang be moving to the AO3?
Yes. We invite past participants with AO3 accounts to upload their stories to the appropriate collection. When you get to this portion of the upload form:
Enter house_bigbang08 for Round One stories OR house_bigbang09 for Round Two stories. If you upload your story to the wrong collection, the mods will let you know so that you can fix it.
But I don't have an AO3 account!
You can get an invitation by adding your email to the invite queue. This should only take a few days. Alternatively, the mods will do their best to acquire one for you after the current round of the challenge.
Will my story be publicly viewable?
Yes. Stories uploaded to the collections for Round One (house_bigbang08) or Round Two (house_bigbang09) are immediately viewable; they are not marked as anonymous Mystery Works.
How will my artwork be displayed?
When you upload your story to the appropriate collection, the mods will email you a block of HTML coding that you can cut and paste at the top of your story. The coding will display as a preview image of your artists' artwork that links to the fullsize images and to the artists' feedback posts.
What about past participants who don't read this FAQ?
After the current round of the challenge is finished, mods will invite authors directly (via email) to upload their stories to the AO3 collection.
What's going to happen to the current site?
At this point, nothing. There are no current plans to move or take down the site. It will be up for at least another year, and possibly longer. However, we believe that redundancy is a good thing! That's why past participants are free to repost their stories elsewhere, and why we will invite them to add their stories to the AO3 as well.
If we ever decide to change the location or existence of the site, participants will be given advance notice by email, and we will try to leave up redirects so that no one needs to change their bookmarks.
14. 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 I'm sure I'll finish soon! Can I still participate?
No. The deadline is a deadline.
I'm a writer. I submitted my complete draft before February 15, but I won't be able to have my story betaed and word-perfect by April 1, and I need to drop out! What happens?
Stories that are not uploaded to the AO3 (or which are subsequently deleted) will be considered dropouts, and we won't require your artist to make any art for you.
If you drop out before your story has 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 25 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 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. Your story must be betaed before April 1, 2010. Please see The AO3 Process 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, 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: On the AO3, you can choose the following warning categories: Choose Not To Use Archive Warnings; No Archive Warnings Apply; Graphic Depictions of Violence; Major Character Death; Rape/Non Con; Underage. See here for more details on how to apply them. You can add more warnings in your Author's Notes if these categories aren't sufficient for your needs.
I have a co-writer. Is that okay?
Yes. Please ensure that we have both writers' contact information. When you upload your story to the AO3, one author should do the uploading, and add the second author in the "Co-authors" field. Both authors will need AO3 accounts. See The AO3 process for more details.
3. The AO3 Process
What's this about the AO3?
The Archive of Our Own is a multi-fandom archive that is set up very well to deal with challenges such as the big bang. We announced that we'd be moving to the AO3 in this post. In this section, we'll give you details on how to get an AO3 account and how to upload your story to the archive.
How do I submit my Complete Draft to the mods?
1. On or before February 15, you should send the mods at housebigbangmods@gmail.com:
(a) Your complete draft.
The complete draft must be 20 000 words or longer and it should have an ending. The complete draft will be sent to your artist(s), so it should be legible and make sense, but it does not need to be betaed.
Please send your complete draft as a .doc, .rtf, or .txt file. Again, it needs to be in a format your artist(s) can read, but how it's formatted, whether it has html, the chapter breaks, etc., are all up to you.
(b) Your headers.
This year, since you will be posting on the AO3, you will be able to edit your headers as much as you want. However, we need a draft of your headers so that the artists can pick stories. Please include the following headers for the artists' round:
Title:
Crossover fandom: If there is one.
Pairing: This is the primary pairing. You may mention secondary pairings if you wish. If your story is gen, please indicate that here, and name the primary characters.
Rating: General Audiences, Teen And Up Audiences, Mature, or Explicit.
Length: Wordcount of your complete draft.
Spoilers: Indicate the timeline of your story. If it is AU, indicate that here. If it is a crossover, include the timeline of your second fandom as well.
Summary: Summaries should be short--no longer than thirty words--and engaging, as they will draw in your readers.
(c) Your excerpt.
An excerpt of your story will serve several purposes, and MUST be included with your complete draft.
1. The excerpt will be used to help artists choose which story they would like to make art for.
2. The excerpt will be used in your post on the community pointing readers towards your story in the archive.
3. The excerpt will serve as a teaser to rev up excitement in the community for the full stories to come.
4. The excerpt should indicate the tone of your story. If your story is mainly humorous, it should be funny; if your story is mainly angsty, it should be serious.
The excerpt should be approximately 200 to 300 words long. You might want to choose a scene near the beginning of the story so as not to spoil it, but of course, this is up to your discretion.
How do I get an account at the Archive of Our Own?
After the mods have your complete draft, they will send you an invitation to the Archive of Our Own, unless you already have an account there. A link in the invitation will prompt you to make your own account. Once your account is set up, you should upload your complete draft to the House Big Bang Collection.
Is there a Final Draft Deadline?
There is no final draft deadline. Once your story is uploaded to the collection, it will appear as a "Mystery Work" until the reveal on April 1. During that time, only you, when you are logged in, will be able to see it. You can edit the headers and the text as often as you like, even after the reveal. Therefore, your story should be betaed and as finished as possible before the reveal day, because that is when it is likely to be read, but you can continue to make corrections after that.
How do I upload my story to the AO3?
You will need to follow this template.
Rating
- General Audiences, Teen And Up Audiences, Mature, or Explicit
Archive Warnings
- Choose whichever ones are appropriate to your story, or else choose not to warn.
Fandoms
- House M.D.
- If your story is a crossover and has more than one fandom, separate them by commas, e.g. House M.D., Stargate Atlantis
Category
- Choose from among the following: f/f, f/m, gen, m/m, multi, or other
Pairings
- You can write your pairings however you like. "House/Cuddy", "Cuddy/House", "Huddy", "Lisa/Greg", etc, are all 'synonyms' of each other, and somebody searching the archive for "House/Cuddy" will get results with all of those tags.
- However, "canonical" or "official for the archive" pairings are written with full names, alphabetically by last name, e.g. Gregory House/James Wilson or Lisa Cuddy/Gregory House, etc.
- If you have more than one pairing, separate them by commas, e.g. Gregory House/James Wilson, Lisa Cuddy/Gregory House
- Threesomes or moresomes should be done the same way, e.g. Lisa Cuddy/Gregory House/James Wilson; however, tags longer than 100 characters won't fit, so you may need to abbreviate. Cuddy/House/Wilson is a synonym for Lisa Cuddy/Gregory House/James Wilson, and someone searching for one term will get all the stories listed under both.
Additional Tags
- Is your story about tentacle rape? Sandwiches? Angst? Romance? Kidfic? Mpreg? Penguins? Backstory? Futurefic? All of the above? Add any and all tags that you want in this field, separated by commas.
So far it sounds pretty straightforward. Is there a Most Important Part Ever Which I Should Pay Special Attention To?
Yes, there is!
Scroll down a little further. Now here is the VERY IMPORTANT PART.
In fact, let me repeat. THIS IS THE IMPORTANT PART.
When you are uploading your story, after you have put in your headers, make sure that you type in
house_bigbang10
into the "Collections" field. Exactly like it is in the screencap. EXACTLY.
What about the other fields in the upload form?
They are mostly self-explanatory, but here are some details to guide you.
Co-authors. If you have co-authored your fic, one of you should upload the story, and add the other person as a co-author. Both authors must have (and will get invites for) accounts on the archive. The story will show up in both your accounts as a work by you.
Recipients. Since this is not a gift-exchange challenge, you can leave this field blank. However, if you have written your story specifically for someone and you'd like to fill out this field, simply enter their AO3 account name.
Summary. Write your summary here.
Add notes. If you have an author's note, click the "at the beginning" tickybox and then write your note in the field that appears. If your author's note would be spoilery, or if you would simply prefer to have it at the end of the story, click the "at the end" tickybox and write your note in the field that appears.
If your story is a remix. Since this is a challenge for original, not remixed, stories, you can leave this field blank.
Only show your work to registered users. This challenge is public, so please leave this tickybox unchecked.
Is this part of a series? You can manage your series from your account home page. Add your story to a series if it is applicable.
Does this work have multiple chapters? If you check this tickybox, you can upload your story in as many chapters as you like.
Set a different publication date. Probably unnecessary.
Choose a language. This is generally an English-language challenge, so you can leave this field at its default.
Story text. Like a livejournal entry, you can choose to enter your story as Plain Text (with your italics and bolding indicated by HTML) or as Rich Text (no HTML, and your formatting is converted by the archive.)
Great! Then what?
Everything look good? Then click on "Preview". If everything looks right in the Preview window, scroll down and click "Post". If you want to fix something, scroll down and click "Edit". If you've already clicked Post and you want to fix something, you can edit the work at any time.
Since my story will be on the AO3, how will my art be shown?
Between March 25 and March 31, the mods will send you a paragraph of html coding that you can cut and paste at the top of your story. The code will let you see a preview of your art, and it will link back to the artist's livejournal. This code might look like this:
<a href="link to the artist's livejournal"><img src="link to the preview image"></a>
On the Reveal Day, we might send you an updated bit of code that more specifically links directly to the artist's post on the
house_bigbang community, which will also have a link to your story. This way, the stories and artwork will be linked in both directions.4. Art
Will I get art?
Yes, IF you hand in a final 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.
5. The Complete Draft
What information should be included with the complete draft?
1. Your livejournal name and your pen name, if they are different.
I want to change my summary/title/pairing/author's notes after I hand in my complete draft!
You won't be able to for the artist selection process. But if you want to change any of these things on your story on the AO3, you can edit them at any time! As often as you want! Go for it!
Will you be checking every story to see if they meet the requirements of the challenge?
Yes.
1. When you submit your story to the mods, we will word-count it to make sure that it is over 20 000 words before sending you your AO3 invite.
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. Remember, your artist(s) must be able to read your complete draft! Please try to make them as clean as possible for their sakes.
So what's time between February 15 and April 1 for?
It's time for you to get your story fully and thoroughly betaed; to get rid of any typos; and to make your story the best that it can be. Also, it's time for the artists to be making art!
My complete draft is finished and it's well before February 15. Can I submit it early?
You sure can! And the sooner you do, the sooner the mods will send you your invitation to the AO3, unless you already have an account there. Consider it a reward! But that's not the only reward--see more under Feedback.
6. The Final Draft
Is there a final draft deadline?
Nope! Because of the sheer awesomeness of the AO3, your story stays a Mystery Work until the reveal day: only you can see it! You can fix it, edit it, correct typos, make small or big changes...and you can do it all in anonymity until the challenge goes live! Take your time and make it your best.
It's after February 15 and I've already uploaded my story to the archive...but I just noticed a typo about 18 000 words into my story! Will you fix it?
Nope! But you can.
I like my Chapter 1, Chapter Two, Ch. 3, Part 4, Part Five structure. Is that okay?
It sure is! When you upload your story to the AO3, you can have as many chapters with as many different titles as you like.
7. 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 .doc, .rtf, or .txt file. It should be openable and readable by your artist(s).
8. What about my HTML?
What about my italics, bold, and other HTML?
When you upload to the AO3, you will have two choices.
(a) You can paste your story into the Story Text field as "Plain Text". This means that you've written your own html. For instance, for your italics, you've written <I> and </I>. The archive will handle this just fine!
(b) You can paste your story into the Story Text field as "Rich Text". This means that you haven't written your own html. For instance, for your italics, you've written them like this. The archive will handle this just fine!
What about my paragraphs?
Your paragraphs should look 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
How do I know if I've done it properly and my story looks the way it should?
Check the Preview of your story. Does it look the way you want? Then you're good to go! Is there a mistake? Then click on Edit and make your changes.
9. 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?
Yes, we will host your vid.
How should my illustration/manip/cover art be sent to the mods?
Please send a small thumbnail image, 125 horizontal x 25 vertical pixels; a larger preview, 250 horizontal x 100 vertical 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, so they are necessary.
How will my artwork be posted on the Reveal Day?
Your artwork will have its own post on the
house_bigbang community. You can track this post by clicking on the thumbtack image at the top of the post, and then all comments will be emailed to you.The preview image of your art will also be linked from the writers' stories on the AO3, and they will link back to your post on the
house_bigbang community.10. Volunteering
I volunteered to help! Where and when do you want me?
Are you a member of
housebigbangers? Participants there will need cheerleaders and betas! You can offer your services or respond when a participant asks for help.11. Archiving Stories and Artwork
Will the stories and artwork be anonymous when the archive goes live?
Nope! All the stories and artwork will be revealed on April 1 with names attached!
What if I want my story or artwork taken out of the archive?
According to the AO3's TOS, you have full control of your stories, and that means you can delete them at any time.
HOWEVER, remember that by participating in the Big Bang Challenge, 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? We strongly encourage you to leave your story up! But if you'd like your identifying information taken off your story, leaving it anonymous, you can do that. Read more about that process here.
If a writer chooses to 'orphan' their story, such that it is anonymous on the AO3, they will also have to take out the links to their artwork. Since editing their story is their responsibility, we can't do this for them, but they can certainly do it themselves.
The art posts will stay up on the community. Since the mods will be posting the art, if a writer chooses to go anonymous, we can edit the posts to take out the writer's name. However, we can't take responsibility for how an artist chooses to post their art in their own journal. The writer could contact them and request to have their name taken off, but that would be between them.
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 your story or artwork goes live, before you crosspost your story or artwork elsewhere.
12. Feedback
I'm not a participant: I just want the stories and artwork! How can I make the Big Bang Challenge even more awesome?
Send feedback to the authors and artists once the archive goes live! Remember, you don't need an AO3 accound to comment on the stories there.
I'm a participant. How will I receive comments on my story or artwork?
Writers will receive comments on the AO3. The comments will be emailed to them. Anyone can comment on the AO3: you don't need an account to comment.
Artists will receive comments on the
house_bigbang community, in the post that shows their full artworks. If artists track the post by clicking on the "thumbtack" icon at the top of the post, comments will be emailed to them.Wait, wait, wait--back in The Complete 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:
Each story will have a turn as the Spotlight Story at
house_bigbang. Once every few days, one of the stories in the archive will be posted and revealed 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 post.The stories will be spotlighted in the order in which the authors' complete drafts are received. If you hand in your complete draft first, then you will have the Supreme Honour of being the author of the First Spotlight Story.
Yay!
You know it!
13. Moving the previous years' stories.
Will the previous rounds of the Big Bang be moving to the AO3?
Yes. We invite past participants with AO3 accounts to upload their stories to the appropriate collection. When you get to this portion of the upload form:
Enter house_bigbang08 for Round One stories OR house_bigbang09 for Round Two stories. If you upload your story to the wrong collection, the mods will let you know so that you can fix it.
But I don't have an AO3 account!
You can get an invitation by adding your email to the invite queue. This should only take a few days. Alternatively, the mods will do their best to acquire one for you after the current round of the challenge.
Will my story be publicly viewable?
Yes. Stories uploaded to the collections for Round One (house_bigbang08) or Round Two (house_bigbang09) are immediately viewable; they are not marked as anonymous Mystery Works.
How will my artwork be displayed?
When you upload your story to the appropriate collection, the mods will email you a block of HTML coding that you can cut and paste at the top of your story. The coding will display as a preview image of your artists' artwork that links to the fullsize images and to the artists' feedback posts.
What about past participants who don't read this FAQ?
After the current round of the challenge is finished, mods will invite authors directly (via email) to upload their stories to the AO3 collection.
What's going to happen to the current site?
At this point, nothing. There are no current plans to move or take down the site. It will be up for at least another year, and possibly longer. However, we believe that redundancy is a good thing! That's why past participants are free to repost their stories elsewhere, and why we will invite them to add their stories to the AO3 as well.
If we ever decide to change the location or existence of the site, participants will be given advance notice by email, and we will try to leave up redirects so that no one needs to change their bookmarks.
14. 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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Does this mean that the author's name for the art on the bigbang site would also have to be redacted to maintain the author's anonymity?
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The art posts will stay up on the community. Since the mods will be posting the art, if a writer chooses to go anonymous, we can edit the posts to take out the writer's name. However, we can't take responsibility for how an artist chooses to post their art in their own journal. The writer could contact them and request to have their name taken off, but that would be between them.
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Yes. Stories uploaded to the collections for Round One (house_bigbang08) or Round Two (house_bigbang10) are immediately viewable; they are not marked as anonymous Mystery Works.
Isn't Round Two "house_bigbang09"?
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I'm starting up my own big bang over at
Thank you!!
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