Rating (If you think this could change put the possible rating in parenthesis next to what you have already)
Archive Warnings
Major Tags
Any explicit/major side pairings (other than D/C/J that has to be the main)
Summary While this doesn’t have to be the final version of your summary you need to make it as detailed as possible because all of this info is what will be posted for the artists to view in order to make claims. If you have any questions as what you may or may not want to include see this post.
Include your draft either as a word document or as a link to a Google document.
Out of 32 authors we only had 28 check in with us. If you are one of the four that did not check in and still wish to participate submit your summary and draft to us.
Unless you contact us and make arrangements, any author that has not submitted a draft and summary by the deadline (Feb, 24 11 am EST) will be dropped from the bang and are welcome to participate again in the future. We must do it this way to be sure all available summaries are posted for authors to choose from.
We look forward to hearing from all you wonderful authors!
Remember if you have any issues do not hesitate to contact us, communication is key!!
Hey, I have a question about the summaries/art claim bits. Do artists claim on the basis of a summary, and do I need to include what's going to happen in the story in the summary? My summary right now is kind of baiting readers without telling where it's going, but I can make a more elaborate one if necessary?
For this question we highly suggest that you read this post on info for a summary that is being presented to artists.
What you are submitting to us is not for readers. What you are submitting to us is a summary that will entice the artist to want to pick your fic over everyone else’s. As it says in the post linked, you should include as much information as is relevant, as well as visually enticing elements that will draw the artist to your fic.
A more elaborate summary is a good idea if only to let the artist know what they have available in the fic. You may have something that the artist isn’t comfortable creating for, on the other hand you may have something that an artist is dying to create for and you just happen to have it in your fic.
The more detailed the better. Read that post and if you still have questions, let us know! Remember that communication is key!
So for the rough draft submission, I know having the whole thing entirely written would be ideal, but if it's not quite there, would "mostly done, with outlines/detailed plans for what's not" be okay? (Uh, asking for a friend who got sick and lost writing time... 🤒)
Thanks for the ask. You can let your “friend” know that it is okay if it isn’t finished by summary submission. We just need a detailed summary submission for the art claims and what ever you have written along with the rest of the outline. No need to stress. What is most important for draft and summary submission is the summary.
The summary and rating info along with tags and relationships will be posted for artists to see to make choices for the fic they wish to do art for.
We hope that this answered your questions. If not feel free to submit another ask or email us! Remember communication is key!
So, I was going over the schedule (again) and I kinda realized I'm not entirely comfortable submitting to a rating by Feb 21, so: Is it allowed/possible to maybe list a high rating that later might get down graded (or the other way 'round) or is it a done deal by that time?
Sorry we haven’t had much time to get to this. Thank you for the question, if you think that your fic would need a higher (or lower) rating when you submit your summary just add the current rating and add that it will possibly be higher or lower like this:
Rating: Teen (possibly Mature or Explicit)
or
Rating: Mature (possibly Teen or General)
That way the artist will know what is possible before choosing. It is best to let the artists know before they choose that way you don’t surprise them with a rating that they are not comfortable creating art for.
I hope that this answered your question, if not, let us know! Remember, communication is key!
While a li'l, sweet meet-cute in a new, fun, alternate universe is a totally fine thing, we believe there’s nothing like a good, ol’ piece of a canon-based fic, where all your characters are exactly as you remember them, and the plotlines keep exploring the depths of the world and mythology we all know so well from our favorite show.
Don’t you agree?
Is your head, too, overflowing with ideas for new Monsters of the Week, for finely weaved intricacies of another Apocalypse, or just for the simple, quiet moments of human interaction in-between the bouts of running for one’s life and saving the world?
Or maybe you can’t get out of your head the images of haunted mansions and sharp teeth, postcards from long, winding, American roads, or the scrapbooks of pictures of your otp falling in (or out of) love in all the familiar settings?
If the answer is HELL YEAHS! (or just “yes” is fine), this Big Bang is for you!
So don’t wait! Sign up for Supernatural Canon Big Bang 2017 today (or at some point in February) and join in on the fun of carrying on the fading tradition of canon-based fics!
Authors, make sure to sign-up before March 1st! The rough drafts are due May 17th.
Artist sign-ups will remain open (but hey, why not get it over with right away?)
Once you sign up, you’ll get a confirmation e-mail within a few days. If after a week you still don’t get one, let us know.
For the full schedule, follow this link. (Note: we’ve implemented small changes into the schedule, which will hopefully let the whole process run smoother.)
Also, please, read the rules, so everything goes nicely and fair.
If you have any questions, hit us up in our askbox or via email: spncanonbigbang@gmail.com
Signal boosts are super appreciated: even if you don’t plan on participating, please reblog to spread the word and give others a chance to join :)
We are also emailing the form to every author that has not checked in up to this point. So if you don’t see this in time it should be in your email that you provided.
If by some chance you miss the check in but still which to participate e-mail us! This is not the end all be all of this challenge. We just need you to check in with us to let us know where you are in the writing process and how you are feeling.
We have a close date for artist sign ups. We will be closing sign ups on February 18, 2017. This is one week before the summaries are posted for viewing. If you have been on the fence about signing up as an artist you have until Feb. 18th at 11 pm EST to decide if you want to.
We have:
30 Authors
30 Betas
And as of right now we have:
20 Artists
If you know any artists that may be interested in creating art for a story please reblog and tag them in it so they know we are looking!
We are also emailing the form to every author that has not checked in up to this point. So if you don’t see this in time it should be in your email that you provided.
If by some chance you miss the check in but still which to participate e-mail us! This is not the end all be all of this challenge. We just need you to check in with us to let us know where you are in the writing process and how you are feeling.
Hello, I would like to know if it's possible to add time stamps or even a part two after the Big Bang is over?
This is an excellent question, especially for those who are participating in a bang for the first time.
Remember this is your work. If you want to post a sequel or time stamps to it after you post it you absolutely can. It is yours to do with as you please.
The only rule we have about it is to post your story in it’s entirety on your posting day. No serial posting.
As a reminder this is what we have stated in the rules about posting:
Remember this is your work, your rights, you can post it anywhere you wish after initial submissions and postings are made.
If you wish to post it somewhere else and want to include the art please contact your artist for approval of posting on that platform. Kindly remember: not all artist are comfortable with their work being posted everywhere.
On your posting date you must post your entire fic on every platform on which you release it.
Other than that, feel free to add to, edit, or create sequels as you see fit.
We hope that this answered your question. If not please let us know and we will do our best to clarify. Remember, communication is key.
Hi again! Would it be okay if my fic ended up Dean/Cas/Jimmy/Sam? If not I can alter it, but it's definitely heading in that direction right now.
That is an excellent question, I do not believe that we have addressed this in a public manner before.
While the DCJ Big Bang is meant to be endgame Dean/Cas/Jimmy, we do not mind if you add more people to their relationship. I spoke with one participant who is adding more than one person to their story.
You can ADD to the DCJ ship, you just can not SUBTRACT from the DCJ ship.
We had a question about starting DCJ and ending with Dean/Cas and Jimmy/Amelia. That is not in the spirit of the bang. If that person wanted to ADD Amelia to the ship and they were all one big happy foursome poly, sure. Just do not separate the boys.
I hope that clears things up. If not, send us another ask or email us!
Attention authors! It is that time, your first check in with us.
You have until the 14th to check in with us, if you have any issues, you need to upgrade/downgrade, you need to drop, or have any concerns, now is the time to voice them to us.
So if you would please, follow the link and check in with us that would be swell.
Attention authors! It is that time, your first check in with us.
You have until the 14th to check in with us, if you have any issues, you need to upgrade/downgrade, you need to drop, or have any concerns, now is the time to voice them to us.
So if you would please, follow the link and check in with us that would be swell.
Attention authors! It is that time, your first check in with us.
You have until the 14th to check in with us, if you have any issues, you need to upgrade/downgrade, you need to drop, or have any concerns, now is the time to voice them to us.
So if you would please, follow the link and check in with us that would be swell.
Attention authors! It is that time, your first check in with us.
You have until the 14th to check in with us, if you have any issues, you need to upgrade/downgrade, you need to drop, or have any concerns, now is the time to voice them to us.
So if you would please, follow the link and check in with us that would be swell.
Attention authors! It is that time, your first check in with us.
You have until the 14th to check in with us, if you have any issues, you need to upgrade/downgrade, you need to drop, or have any concerns, now is the time to voice them to us.
So if you would please, follow the link and check in with us that would be swell.
So, just to confirm... the rough draft due this month doesn't have to be the complete story? Here I was thinking the whole story was due and freaking out about it.
That is correct. The entire fic is not required to be finished by Feb. 21st. It does however need to be finished before April 1st. Ideally at least 50% would be written. But if it is not we understand. If you are having issues please come to us and talk. We encourage that completely. We want to work with every bang participant in order to ensure that everything is moving along comfortably and no one is stressed over this. This is supposed to be fun.
rough drafts need to be close to 50 percent? so ideally i could hand in a 2500 word fic, while being signed up for the mini bang, and if it somehow ends up being 15000 words there won't be a problem? i have been unable to write anything for the past three or so months and have nothing written, and i don't want to drop out.
That is a good question. We do not want to see anyone drop out, believe us, our goal here was to get more D/C/J out into the world and make people more aware. However we also understand that it does happen. We won’t be upset if authors end up dropping.
Now as far as the drafts go, it would be idealto have about 50% done by the time Feb. 21st rolls around. We do need to know at that time what size bang you plan on having your story. For art claims the artists need to know. If you are unsure, pick one and let us know that it is a possibility that it will be larger or smaller. Like, Mini Bang (possibly upgraded to Big Bang), that way the artist is aware.
Once your fic is claimed by an artist it is up to the two (or three if you are an author collaborating with another author) to communicate so that things are clear and efficient between all involved. Communication is key.
We understand that sometime people get into a funk when it comes to writing, we will never penalize you for that, however we do ask that you are sure that you will be able to continue with the bang before artist claims go up. We currently have a limited amount of artist, some who are willing to take on more than one fic, so if an author know they are unable to compete their fic and need to drop, we ask to give us a heads up before art claims.
We do know that things come up unexpectedly as well, we will communicate with participants on a case by case basis as if and when they come up.
So, tl;dr, yes, submit what you have, let us know what bang you are planning and if it is possible that it will become a different one. If you need to talk to further on this do not hesitate to message @formidablepassion or e-mail us to allow for a better means of communication.
We have a close date for artist sign ups. We will be closing sign ups in three weeks on February 18, 2017. This is one week before the summaries are posted for viewing. If you have been on the fence about signing up as an artist you have until Feb. 18th at 11 pm EST to decide if you want to.
We have:
32 Authors
30 Betas
And as of right now we have:
20 Artists
If you know any artists that may be interested in creating art for a story please reblog and tag them in it so they know we are looking!
We have a close date for artist sign ups. We will be closing sign ups in three weeks on February 18, 2017. This is one week before the summaries are posted for viewing. If you have been on the fence about signing up as an artist you have until Feb. 18th at 11 pm EST to decide if you want to.
We have:
32 Authors
30 Betas
And as of right now we have:
20 Artists
If you know any artists that may be interested in creating art for a story please reblog and tag them in it so they know we are looking!
We have a close date for artist sign ups. We will be closing sign ups in three weeks on February 18, 2017. This is one week before the summaries are posted for viewing. If you have been on the fence about signing up as an artist you have until Feb. 18th at 11 pm EST to decide if you want to.
We have:
32 Authors
30 Betas
And as of right now we have:
20 Artists
If you know any artists that may be interested in creating art for a story please reblog and tag them in it so they know we are looking!
We have a close date for artist sign ups. We will be closing sign ups in three weeks on February 18, 2017. This is one week before the summaries are posted for viewing. If you have been on the fence about signing up as an artist you have until Feb. 18th at 11 pm EST to decide if you want to.
We have:
32 Authors
30 Betas
And as of right now we have:
20 Artists
If you know any artists that may be interested in creating art for a story please reblog and tag them in it so they know we are looking!
We have a close date for artist sign ups. We will be closing sign ups in three weeks on February 18, 2017. This is one week before the summaries are posted for viewing. If you have been on the fence about signing up as an artist you have until Feb. 18th at 11 pm EST to decide if you want to.
We have:
32 Authors
30 Betas
And as of right now we have:
20 Artists
If you know any artists that may be interested in creating art for a story please reblog and tag them in it so they know we are looking!
We have a close date for artist sign ups. We will be closing sign ups in three weeks on February 18, 2017. This is one week before the summaries are posted for viewing. If you have been on the fence about signing up as an artist you have until Feb. 18th at 11 pm EST to decide if you want to.
We have:
32 Authors
30 Betas
And as of right now we have:
20 Artists
If you know any artists that may be interested in creating art for a story please reblog and tag them in it so they know we are looking!
Hi! I was just wondering how much of the rough draft needs to be done by the 21st?
That is an excellent question! Since we have answered that already here we hope that you don’t mind that we are cutting and pasting that answer.
As far as summaries go I suggest reading over this post here because it has wonderful information about how you should write your summary and what should be included in it to really grab the attention of an artist. These are things to start thinking about since art claims are right around the corner! (Feb. 26th!)
The following is our previous ask about this, we hope that this answers your question! Don’t forget to contact us any time you have a question, remember communication is key!
Sorry in advance for the potentially stupid question. Should I have an *entire* rough draft completed by the 21st of February? 50%? 75%? What’s expected percentage wise in the schedule isn’t clear to me.
This question was submitted by an author when they signed up for the bang. We are sorry for not clarifying for you about the drafts, we will go fix that. Summaries are due on February 21, 2017 and must include: rating, all Archive Warnings, major tags, and a description of the work. Any explicit/major side pairings should also be listed We also include that drafts are to be sent to us at the email (dcjbigbag at gmail) as far as the completion of the fic.
Ideally the author would have as close to 50% of the rough draft finished by this point since final drafts are due on April 1, 2017. However we recognize that all writers have their own way of writing a fic. If any of the authors are worried about their fic at this point, just talk to us. We are flexible and willing to work with everyone. This is supposed to be fun for everyone involved.
If you don’t have 50% of your fic done by that point, submit your summary and draft anyway, as long as you are sure that you will have your final draft complete by April 1, 2017.
Again, we are always willing to work with everyone. We can not stress enough the importance of communication here. If there is something that you are worried about, or have a question about and can’t find it already answered in the FAQ tag, ask us, on or off anon. We will always get back to you.
Remember: As with every relationship, this one included, communication is key. Please do not hesitate to come to us, we will do our best to help you figure out the best solution to what ever issue there may be with the DCJ Big Bang.
We have a close date for artist sign ups. We will be closing sign ups in three weeks on February 18, 2017. This is one week before the summaries are posted for viewing. If you have been on the fence about signing up as an artist you have until Feb. 18th at 11 pm EST to decide if you want to.
We have:
32 Authors
30 Betas
And as of right now we have:
20 Artists
If you know any artists that may be interested in creating art for a story please reblog and tag them in it so they know we are looking!
We have a close date for artist sign ups. We will be closing sign ups in three weeks on February 18, 2017. This is one week before the summaries are posted for viewing. If you have been on the fence about signing up as an artist you have until Feb. 18th at 11 pm EST to decide if you want to.
We have:
32 Authors
30 Betas
And as of right now we have:
20 Artists
If you know any artists that may be interested in creating art for a story please reblog and tag them in it so they know we are looking!
We have a close date for artist sign ups. We will be closing sign ups in three weeks on February 18, 2017. This is one week before the summaries are posted for viewing. If you have been on the fence about signing up as an artist you have until Feb. 18th at 11 pm EST to decide if you want to.
We have:
32 Authors
30 Betas
And as of right now we have:
20 Artists
If you know any artists that may be interested in creating art for a story please reblog and tag them in it so they know we are looking!
We have a close date for artist sign ups. We will be closing sign ups in three weeks on February 18, 2017. This is one week before the summaries are posted for viewing. If you have been on the fence about signing up as an artist you have until Feb. 18th at 11 pm EST to decide if you want to.
We have:
32 Authors
30 Betas
And as of right now we have:
20 Artists
If you know any artists that may be interested in creating art for a story please reblog and tag them in it so they know we are looking!
We have a close date for artist sign ups. We will be closing sign ups in three weeks on February 18, 2017. This is one week before the summaries are posted for viewing. If you have been on the fence about signing up as an artist you have until Feb. 18th at 11 pm EST to decide if you want to.
We have:
32 Authors
30 Betas
And as of right now we have:
20 Artists
If you know any artists that may be interested in creating art for a story please reblog and tag them in it so they know we are looking!
We have a close date for artist sign ups. We will be closing sign ups in three weeks on February 18, 2017. This is one week before the summaries are posted for viewing. If you have been on the fence about signing up as an artist you have until Feb. 18th at 11 pm EST to decide if you want to.
We have:
32 Authors
30 Betas
And as of right now we have:
20 Artists
If you know any artists that may be interested in creating art for a story please reblog and tag them in it so they know we are looking!
We have a close date for artist sign ups. We will be closing sign ups in three weeks on February 18, 2017. This is one week before the summaries are posted for viewing. If you have been on the fence about signing up as an artist you have until Feb. 18th at 11 pm EST to decide if you want to.
We have:
32 Authors
30 Betas
And as of right now we have:
20 Artists
If you know any artists that may be interested in creating art for a story please reblog and tag them in it so they know we are looking!
We have a close date for artist sign ups. We will be closing sign ups in three weeks on February 18, 2017. This is one week before the summaries are posted for viewing. If you have been on the fence about signing up as an artist you have until Feb. 18th at 11 pm EST to decide if you want to.
We have:
32 Authors
30 Betas
And as of right now we have:
20 Artists
If you know any artists that may be interested in creating art for a story please reblog and tag them in it so they know we are looking!
We have a close date for artist sign ups. We will be closing sign ups in three weeks on February 18, 2017. This is one week before the summaries are posted for viewing. If you have been on the fence about signing up as an artist you have until Feb. 18th at 11 pm EST to decide if you want to.
We have:
32 Authors
30 Betas
And as of right now we have:
20 Artists
If you know any artists that may be interested in creating art for a story please reblog and tag them in it so they know we are looking!
We have a close date for artist sign ups. We will be closing sign ups in three weeks on February 18, 2017. This is one week before the summaries are posted for viewing. If you have been on the fence about signing up as an artist you have until Feb. 18th at 11 pm EST to decide if you want to.
We have:
32 Authors
30 Betas
And as of right now we have:
20 Artists
If you know any artists that may be interested in creating art for a story please reblog and tag them in it so they know we are looking!
We have a close date for artist sign ups. We will be closing sign ups in three weeks on February 18, 2017. This is one week before the summaries are posted for viewing. If you have been on the fence about signing up as an artist you have until Feb. 18th at 11 pm EST to decide if you want to.
We have:
32 Authors
30 Betas
And as of right now we have:
20 Artists
If you know any artists that may be interested in creating art for a story please reblog and tag them in it so they know we are looking!
I’m struggling with a summary for SPN Horror Minibang and that reminded me I wanted to share my thoughts on fic summaries for claims.
In any challenge with blind claims, your summary is the only piece of information an artist has about you – the writer – and your fic.
Depending on the size of the challenge, you might be competing against 100+ other writers for an artist’s attention. Artists don’t know your name, or your style, or what you usually write. They don’t know if you’ve written fifty stories or if this is your first. They literally have a handful of sentences to go on, and that’s it.
The goal isn’t to convince someone to read your story; you need to convince someone to make art for it. Write your summary with visual elements in mind. Don’t be coy. Give an honest overview of your fic. This isn’t a time to worry about spoilers, but only provide what’s necessary. (If you can’t figure out how to include critical visual elements in the summary itself, add a second paragraph and list a few. Eg. Visual elements that might interest an artist include a Doo-wop beachfront motel and a dragon.)
Spelling and grammatical mistakes are red flags. If your summary has mistakes, what does that say about your draft? (Your draft might be flawless! but an artist doesn’t know that.)
And warn sufficiently. Don’t shock an artist with surprise MCD or a side pairing. Again, this is not the time to worry about spoilers. Be up front with artists about sensitive content they will encounter in your fic so they can make an informed decision about whether they can comfortably work with you.
Every artist has a different priority list when they’re looking at a summary, but I usually have a process when I’m selecting from a challenge with 20 or more summaries:
Does the summary (or tags if the challenge has a tags field for the summary) tell me what genre or era the fic is set in? I look for fic that hit the spot of what I’d be interested in drawing (e.g. noirs, or sci-fi, or 50s-era spy fic).
If a fic is heavily based on an episode/idea from canon, include the reference point/inspiration. If your fic is heavily based around an episode that I loved or didn’t care for, that’s important information for your artist. It may also help your artist understand your visual language. Did you choose a really stylish episode? That might be a selling point to an artist.
Does the summary evoke a particular kind of mood? Funny, sad, melancholy, inspirational, angsty etc. I like to draw for fic that’s on the sad/horror/this fic will suck your soul out of your eyeballs and replace it with tears, so I look for summaries that capture that tone.
Does the summary actually include visual elements in it? This is catnip for me. If your summary says stuff about long vistas, or landscapes, or other kind of beautiful imagery, I’m down for that. If your bang doesn’t ask authors to include these, consider talking to your mod about adding them. Visual elements are the single best way for artists to connect to your fic without actually reading your draft.
List all of your pairings/warnings. It’s rare that I would choose not to claim a fic because it had a pairing that I wasn’t interested in (as I draw mostly gen art anyway), but other artists may feel differently.
It’s never okay to surprise your artist with things like untagged non-con or untagged MCD. Your artist is going to be spending a lot of time with your story, and creating alongside you. Be respectful, and err on the side of over-tagging for claims.
In the past, I’ve participated in a lot of bangs where authors listed their visual elements, and I selected based on that. Or they listed their AU inspiration, and I selected because the AU itself had inspiring visuals that I could connect with.
Lots of thanks to @braezenkitty for passing this great and informative piece along to us.
Anyone who is interested in knowing more about what artists look for in summaries, take a look at this and definitely take it into consideration when writing your summaries for the upcoming art claims.
We have a close date for artist sign ups. We will be closing sign ups in three weeks on February 18, 2017. This is one week before the summaries are posted for viewing. If you have been on the fence about signing up as an artist you have until Feb. 18th at 11 pm EST to decide if you want to.
We have:
32 Authors
30 Betas
And as of right now we have:
20 Artists
If you know any artists that may be interested in creating art for a story please reblog and tag them in it so they know we are looking!
We have a close date for artist sign ups. We will be closing sign ups in three weeks on February 18, 2017. This is one week before the summaries are posted for viewing. If you have been on the fence about signing up as an artist you have until Feb. 18th at 11 pm EST to decide if you want to.
We have:
32 Authors
30 Betas
And as of right now we have:
20 Artists
If you know any artists that may be interested in creating art for a story please reblog and tag them in it so they know we are looking!
I know it's not time for the authors first check in yet but I wanted to ask what is it that we need to do to check in?
Good question! When the first author check in comes around next week (Feb. 10-14, 2017!!) we will be posting a link to a google doc for all authors to check in with us. It will be your first opportunity to upgrade or downgrade (mini BB, big bang, mega bang) and a chance to tell us where you’re at with your fic. It will even have an option to let us know if you are dropping from the challenge (we know that things happen and we absolutely encourage you to do whatever you need to do for your life and will never be upset or hold it against you for dropping, we just ask that you let us know).
We hope that this answered your questions and if you have any other please drop us an ask or email! Remember that communication is key!
Hey guys, forgive me if this is an obvious question, but I'm a little unsure what you're expecting from our summaries. I've seen examples for big bangs that were short and sweet, more a hook than anything, and others that were basically bullet pointing out the whole fic. What are you hoping for? Any examples us big bang newbies could peek at? Thanks lovely people.
Alright, again, apologies for the late response. As far as summaries go we are looking for something with as much detail as you want. The summary that you submit to us will be for the artists to decide which fics they want to claim. The more detail, and clearer, the better for your fic and it’s chances of getting picked. A good detailed summary along with warnings, tags, rating, and any side pairings will help artists which fics to pick when claims come around.
We will try to get some example summaries and post them for everyone to see. The mods here are still fairly new to the big bang game honestly. We’ve never run one before now and have participated in very little bangs in the past. Please bear with us and we thank each and every one of you for your patience and understanding as we all go through this together this first time around!
We truly hope that answers any questions and if it does not please feel free to drop us another ask or email us. Remember communication is key!
I’m interested in the kinds of fanwork that goes on in the production of fanfiction; there’s more than we usually articulate, and I’ve often felt like we haven’t got the language to differentiate between the different kinds of beta work that goes on behind the scenes. So I’ve given a shot at articulating and classifying the various kinds of beta reading I’m familiar with.
SPAG Beta. Spelling, punctuation and grammar. This is your basic line edit. This is the person who catches your typos and silly mistakes.
Dropped Words Beta. Some people might be both a SPAG and a dropped words beta, but I feel this one deserves pulling out. I don’t know about you, but I can’t write a damn sentence without dropping at least a word or two. I think the word is there, I can practically see it there, but it’s not there. Many (if not most) people will add the lost at or an or the in there for you in their minds and not notice, but the laser eyes of a dropped word beta will put you to rights again. To be a dropped words beta you need to be able to look at the text without getting drawn into the story, and that’s both a special skill and a sacrifice for someone who actually likes your story. So anyone who can do this: you are a treasure, a gift, and made of gold.
Plot Beta. This is work that happens at the very beginning, as well as throughout a story. A plot beta is the person you talk your story out with, she’s your sounding board in the creation process. She may not be into SPAG or dropped words, and might not be a britpicker or formatting genius, but that doesn’t matter. Your plot beta’s not really there to worry about your word choice. She’s there to help birth a story with you. I write very long stories, so plot betas come in early go through my outline with me as I construct it. A plot beta is one of the few who end up beta reading an outline, in my experience. Many betas I’ve worked with don’t want to know what’s going to happen next in a story. They don’t want to be spoiled. So you can keep the spoiling conversations between you and your plot beta, and keep surprising a SPAG and formatting beta.
Research beta. This person works with you to help you pin down the bizarre facts you need to get your story right. Like a plot beta, they can act as a sounding board and help you construct the fine details.
Character Beta. This is someone who will act as a north star for you on a particular character. This is helpful if you’re writing about a character you don’t feel entirely certain about, or you just want someone to argue with you about the actions of a particular character so you can feel confident that s/he is at least close to being in character. It’s actually hard to keep the canon core of a character in your mind as you morph and change him/her, so having someone around who isn’t off on your flights of fantasy with you can be helpful in that respect.
Emotional Flow Beta. This is someone who reads your story for its emotional flow. Is it working? Does it ring true? They’re not there to debate whether the characters are OOC, just to tell you if the actions you’re describing feels real. This is related to a plot beta, and can be related to a character beta, but is different than both. Your emotional flow beta might have no idea where you’re story is headed and is just reacting to what’s on the page right now, which is useful. (hiddenlacuna suggests: whump!beta.)
Settings and Location Beta. This is someone who is attuned to the places you’re setting your stories, works well with Google Maps, and is anal retentive enough to correct you if you say it takes forty minutes to walk to that Tesco when it actually takes about twenty-five. This person is often also your Britpicker, but this is a separate service, I’d say.
Britpicker. Everyone knows what a Britpicker is, right? The person who tells you you’ve used the word “gotten” again, and that “recognize” doesn’t have a z in it in the UK. Also it’s a lift for God’s sake, not an elevator! In other fandoms, you may need an Americanpicker or other. (I’ve yet to be asked to act as a Canuckpicker, much to my disappointment.)
*-picker. You can call in an expert on anything, really. If you have violins in your story, call in a violin expert! Cricket? The inner workings of the BBC? Find a picker for that! It never hurts to call in someone with specialist knowledge.
Smut Beta. The person who helps you sort out those insanely complicated sex scenes. This is someone you trust not to laugh their bums off at you as you stumble through this terrifying territory.
Canon Beta. Someone whose inner knowledge of the canon in question is exquisite, and who can make sure you haven’t made any egregious mistakes.
Formatting Beta. This is a person who makes sure your code is clear to be posted. In more complicated stories, this might be a bigger deal than usual.
One person can be many of these things; obviously they’re not mutually exclusive. I think you could merge a few of the pieces and end up with a sort of sounding board beta you talk to before and during the writing, and then the person with the laser eyes you call in once you have something to actually look at. But these are (at least some) of the work that is behind the scenes of a fanfiction story.
If you are someone who would like to be someone’s sounding board, but you don’t really want to be responsible for line editing, you can still offer to beta. It’s just a different kind of relationship, and different expectations on both sides! All kinds of betas are welcome, useful, and intensely valuable!
Did I miss any?
If you were ever wondering what kind of beta work you want/need, or what kind of beta you are. This is a pretty good list to refer to.
We have a close date for artist sign ups. We will be closing sign ups in three weeks on February 18, 2017. This is one week before the summaries are posted for viewing. If you have been on the fence about signing up as an artist you have until Feb. 18th at 11 pm EST to decide if you want to.
We have:
32 Authors
30 Betas
And as of right now we have:
20 Artists
If you know any artists that may be interested in creating art for a story please reblog and tag them in it so they know we are looking!
We have a close date for artist sign ups. We will be closing sign ups in three weeks on February 18, 2017. This is one week before the summaries are posted for viewing. If you have been on the fence about signing up as an artist you have until Feb. 18th at 11 pm EST to decide if you want to.
We have:
32 Authors
30 Betas
And as of right now we have:
20 Artists
If you know any artists that may be interested in creating art for a story please reblog and tag them in it so they know we are looking!
We have a close date for artist sign ups. We will be closing sign ups in three weeks on February 18, 2017. This is one week before the summaries are posted for viewing. If you have been on the fence about signing up as an artist you have until Feb. 18th at 11 pm EST to decide if you want to.
We have:
32 Authors
30 Betas
And as of right now we have:
20 Artists
If you know any artists that may be interested in creating art for a story please reblog and tag them in it so they know we are looking!
We have a close date for artist sign ups. We will be closing sign ups in three weeks on February 18, 2017. This is one week before the summaries are posted for viewing. If you have been on the fence about signing up as an artist you have until Feb. 18th at 11 pm EST to decide if you want to.
We have:
32 Authors
30 Betas
And as of right now we have:
20 Artists
If you know any artists that may be interested in creating art for a story please reblog and tag them in it so they know we are looking!
We have a close date for artist sign ups. We will be closing sign ups in three weeks on February 18, 2017. This is one week before the summaries are posted for viewing. If you have been on the fence about signing up as an artist you have until Feb. 18th at 11 pm EST to decide if you want to.
We have:
32 Authors
30 Betas
And as of right now we have:
20 Artists
If you know any artists that may be interested in creating art for a story please reblog and tag them in it so they know we are looking!
We have a close date for artist sign ups. We will be closing sign ups on February 18, 2017. This is one week before the summaries are posted for viewing. If you have been on the fence about signing up as an artist you have until Feb. 18th at 11 pm EST to decide if you want to.
We have:
30 Authors
30 Betas
And as of right now we have:
20 Artists
If you know any artists that may be interested in creating art for a story please reblog and tag them in it so they know we are looking!
I think I need to ask yet another less than bright question: What does the "Author's first check in" Feb 10-14 entail? And how does it differ from the deadline on Feb 21?
First, apologies for the late response, we’ve been rather busy. We do try to answer these in a timely manner but it may not always end up that way when life happens.
Next, there is no such thing as a “less than bright” question! Every question is important and this is a good one.
The first check in for authors is simply to let us know where you are at (if you’ve even started, have an outline, already done, have a rough draft and waiting for a beta, etc.) and let us know if you have any questions or concerns. We do this a week before the draft submission as a way to see if there is anyone that intends to drop before draft and summary submissions and before art claims and we use this check in as a reminder as well. We know that some people get busy with life or forget things, or whatever else that may keep them from writing, so we like to give a reminder in a way of checking in to see where every one stands.
The Feb 21st deadline is draft and summary submissions. This is the time that you will be submitting a copy of what you’ve got so far with an outline for the rest, along with as detailed a summary as possible, major tags (if it is explicit please be sure to tag top/bottom), ratings, archive warnings, and characters and side pairings that appear. We ask for as detailed a summary as possible because this is the summary that will be posted for artist claims and we want the artist to be well informed before making selections, no one likes surprises in the form of unexpected squicks.
The 21st will also be your first opportunity to upgrade or downgrade your fic. If you signed up for a mini bang and found out that you’re actually going to be doing a Big Bang, now is the time to let us know, same if you signed for a mega bang and found out it will not quite meet those word count requirements, just tell us you need to downgrade.
We hope that this answered your questions. If you have any others please do not hesitate to contact us, remember, communication is key!
hey, could i use one of my [probably secondary] fics for the poly bingo? I have a deancasjimmy square and I was wondering if it's allowed. thank you. :)
hi, my ask may have been eaten by tumblr earlier :) just wondering, can i combine the spn poly bingo with this challenge? i have a deancasjimmy square in that one. thank you!
Hey there anon! Your ask did not get eaten up, we’ve just been super busy. Sorry about that.
While we would love for you to create separate works for each one because we want to see as much DCJ out there as possible, if you wish to use the DCJ Big Bang as one of your spn poly bingo squares absolutely go for it. The same posting rules apply though.
As long as it is okay with the mod at @spnpolybingo for you to do it (Which we are pretty sure Christy will be alright with it) then you are good to go!
If you have any other questions don’t hesitate to ask. It might take a day or two but we will absolutely get to them because communication is key!!
Forgive me for being slow... but I saw the beta list email and was wondering... what am I supoosed to do with it? I'm an author, so do I just randomly ask one of them to beta for me? How do I know if someone's already asked them?? HELP
Anon, this is not an unusual thing, especially if you are a participating in a bang for the first time.
We do require your story to beta’d. We do not require you to use the list provided. That is there for you to use if you want to.
If you choose to use one of the people on the beta list go through the list and take notice of the rating of fic that they are willing to beta, then look at the list of things that they provided that they will not beta (such as A/B/O or non con, or major character death, etc) and find someone that is compatible with the story you are writing.
Once you locate one or two people get their preferred contact info and shoot them a message telling that that you got their info from the beta list for the dcjbb and were wondering if they were able to beta. They should let you know if they can or can’t, if they can’t, wash rinse, repeat!
We hope that this has been helpful if you still have questions do not hesitate to talk to us. Send us another ask or even an e-mail. Remember, communication is key!