Schedule and Info

[vtsuion]

 It's time to start brainstorming!

Schedule:

• Sign-ups: June 1st - 30th
• Check-in #1: July 17th
• Claims Sign-up (optional): August 1st-7th
• Check-in #2: August 14th
• Claims (optional): August 14th-September 5th
• Check-in #3: September 11th
• Check-in #4: October 2nd
• Rough Drafts Due: October 16th
• Final Works Due/Posting Claims: November 1st
• Posting Begins: November 6th

This is an all-inclusive original fiction challenge! Any original work you want to complete is welcome, whether you’re halfway there and just need a push, have been sitting on the idea for years, or just dreamed it up yesterday. It can be of any size and in any medium; a written story, a comic, a drawing of an original setting or character, a podcast, a short film, etc... The goal is just to get it out into the world at the end of 5-6 months!
 

Claims: What could be better motivation for completing your work than the possibility of posting it with accompanying fanworks?

Claims are entirely optional for all creators. If you want your work to go through claims, you just have to complete the claims sign-up form, including a description of the work, a brief snippet or small sketch, and any requests you may have (including medium). I will compile all of the information provided about each of the works into a Tumblr post that will include a claims sign-up.

Anyone, already signed up for the challenge or otherwise, can participate in claims, and you can offer to complete an accompanying work of any medium. I recommend that you provide at least three top picks to maximize your chances of being matched with someone. I will assign matches and they will all be sent out by email at the end of claims. Because of the nature of original works, it’s expected that all matched creators will communicate and work closely together. If you’re having any trouble getting in touch with your claims partner, please let me know.

Disclaimer: I cannot guarantee that all works will be claimed and, as this is a new challenge, have no idea how much interest there will be in claiming original works, so please sign up for claims only if you will be okay with your work not being claimed.

Check-ins: Just to keep tabs on how many people are still on board and how it’s going, I will be sending out regular check-in forms. One way to break up the long process of finishing your work is to complete one quarter of it before each check-in, but that’s not a requirement, and there is no penalty for not checking in. If you’re concerned that you might not be able to complete the challenge, check-in is also a good time to let me know.

Prompts: Over the course of the challenge, the associated Tumblr, Twitter, and DreamWidth accounts will be open to prompt submissions from participants and others alike. Prompts are an optional way to get some extra inspiration for your work if you’re feeling stuck, and a reminder that there are people out there eager to read your story. If you do fill a prompt, you can give a shout out to the person whose prompt you filled when your work is posted.

Posting: When final drafts are due, we will have posting-date claims, so that everyone’s work has its day to shine. There’s some flexibility in when you actually post your work, but that’s the day it will be promoted as part of the challenge on Tumblr, Twitter, and DreamWidth, so it needs to be posted by then so that I can link to it.

There isn’t really one perfect place for posting original works, so it’s entirely up to you where you want to put your work, from just posting it on Tumblr or Dreamwidth, to self-publishing a novel on Kindle and promoting the link. Unless it has a fandom connection, original work cannot be posted on Archive of Our Own, but Fanfiction.net has a sister site, FictionPress, that’s for original fiction, and there’s also Wattpad. I’m sure everyone who does visual art is more familiar with the platforms available for that than I am. If there’s enough interest, I can create a specially dedicated site just for hosting works for the challenge.

According to the United States Copyright Office (laws will, of course, vary by country), copyright protection is automatic from the moment a work is created. If you wish to register your work (which is necessary if you end up wanting to sue someone for infringement), you can do so for a fee: https://www.copyright.gov/registration/types-of-works/. You can also put it under a creative commons license: https://creativecommons.org/. I am not a copyright lawyer, and each participant is responsible for the copyright of their own work, but if you have any questions or concerns, I’m happy to work through them with you.

What if I can’t complete my work on time: No worries, it happens to everyone. Life sometimes gets in the way, and even in the best of times, writing has a way of not happening. Just let me know if that’s the case, and there will be no penalty or anything. If you were matched with another creator in claims, please be sure to let me know as soon as possible so that I can get in touch with your partner.

If you end up completing your work after posting is over, just let me know, and I can still promote it!