Finish-a-thon Signups
Aug. 14th, 2006 10:32 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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multificAnnouncing... finish-a-thon 2006! Yes, we're doing it again.
ETA: Note: sign-ups are now closed!
Remember all those poor, neglected plot bunnies that have been starving from lack of attention, because all those ficathons kept on having higher priority? The stories you wish you could finish, if only you could find the time? Well, fear not, the finish-a-thon is coming to the rescue!
The finish-a-thon is a ficathon, with all the ficathon-like things like deadlines and fellow volunteers to encourage you, but with this ficathon, you write your own ideas. But since part of the encouragement of a ficathon is writing things for other people, what we're going to do, is vote for which story ideas people should write.
The way it works is this:
1) Sign up.
In your sign-up comment, list a short description all the plot bunnies, unfinished stories (apart from other ficathon stories) and vague ideas that you are putting up for voting on. Say what universe(s) it's in, a very brief description, and some idea of what rating and type (gen,het,slash) you think it will be, to give people a good idea of what they'd be voting for.
Also give your voting preference, whether you wish your story to be voted on by participants only, or all interested parties.
2) Join or friend![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
multific, so that you will recieve assigments, important notices, and reminders. I am NOT going to notify people individually.
3) A poll is made, each "question" consists of the potential stories of one participant.
4) We vote for which story we want each person to finish.
The winning story in each section is the one which that author has to work on.
5) Each writer works on their winning story, and finishes it by the deadline. They then put it up on the web somewhere, either in their journal, or on a website.
6) I will post a master-list of all the stories, so that people can find them.
7) Everyone rejoices!
Dates
Australia and New Zealand:
(Australian Eastern Standard Time)
Sign-ups begin: 14th August 2006
Sign-ups end: 6am, 26th August 2006
Poll is put up: 26th/27th August 2006
Voting ends: 6am, 31st August 2006
Stories finished: 6am, 28th October 2006
The Rest of the World (yes, that includes America):
(Greenwitch Mean Time)
Sign-ups begin: 14th August 2006
Sign-ups end: 10pm, 25th August 2006
Poll is put up: 26th/27th August 2006
Voting ends: 10pm, 30th August 2006
Stories finished: 10pm, 27th October 2006
Sign-up Template
Name:
Livejournal:
Voting preference: participants only/anyone
For each plot-bunny...
Fandom(s):
Description:
Type: het/gen/slash
Rating:
Questions
What do you mean, not other ficathon stories?
Unfinished stories from other ficathons already have a ficathon for them. This is the Home For Lost Plot-Bunnies that don't have a ficathon of their own.
What if I want to use this story for fanfic100?
(or crossovers100 etc)
Well, this is supposed to be for stories not associated with other ficathonish things... but if it so happens that after you've written it, you find that it fits into your Big Table, well, those challenges aren't averse to using stories from other sources, are they?
Are there any restrictions? This isn't an anti-slash thing, is it?
No restrictions. They're your own ideas, hence, your responsibility. Just let people know, in the descriptions, what kind of story you think it will be, so that they can vote wisely.
What about sequels? Can I include bunnies for those?
Sure. Just give a link to where we can find the previous story or stories. To make it easier for me, just give the URL(s) without the HTML markup -- that makes it easier to cut-and-paste the information when I'm making the polls.
What if my story is a huge epic that I'll never be able to finish in 8 weeks?
We want to encourage story writing, so, if a story is an epic, still put it on the list, but commit to writing 10,000 words of it, or finishing it, whichever is shorter.
10,000 words? You gotta be joking!
I did say "epic", didn't I? It's not as hard as NaNoWriMo.
Last year, a participant committed to writing 15,000 words towards her epics. At least two participants wrote stories which were more than 10,000 words long. You can do it.
Is there a minumum number of bunnies required?
Yes. Three. We need something to vote on, after all.
Is there a maximum number of bunnies allowed?
Yes. Ten. Otherwise we'll never be able to decide. Just pick the bunnies you most want to write.
Who gets to vote on what I write?
When you sign up, say what you would prefer:
(a) other participants only
(b) all and sundry (that is, get your friends to vote so you get a better idea of what your peers want)
I will put a note as part of your poll entry as to what your preference is. I won't be able to enforce the preferences, but we can hope that people will be considerate.
What if I don't know what story to vote for?
Try. It is possible to not answer a poll question. But please do try to pick one story from everybody if you possibly can.
What about my own stories? Do I pick one of mine as well?
Nup. The point is to find out what other folks here wish you to write.
What if there's a tie in the votes? Which story would I write?
Toss a coin. If you can't toss a coin, I'll toss one for you -- just ask.
Arrgh! I never thought people would vote for *that* story!
People will surprise you. They'll vote for *anything*, however unlikely you think it. So be prepared to write *any* of the story ideas you put up, don't assume that people won't vote for the wierd one that you put there half-jokingly.
Is there a minimum length requirement?
Unless you committed to writing 10,000 words of an epic, no. However, it seems a bit pointless to waste an 8-week ficathon on a drabble. But I don't want you to be sweating over length requirements. Stories have natural lengths; try to pick story ideas which would naturally fit into more than a drabble.
Is there a maximum length requirement?
No, but do remember you've only got 8 weeks.
I didn't finish! Can I have an extension?
No. If you have a Real Life reason for not being able to finish (like "my computer died" or "my mother broke her hip") then you can have an exemption. After all, it's your story, you will finish it later.
Otherwise:
(A) post what you've managed to write so far, indicating that it isn't finished. You will then get a week's grace period in which to finish or revise the story. Note that those who do not post anything by the deadline will NOT get a grace period.
OR
(B) Write me a nice note saying, "sorry, I couldn't finish". The flimiser the excuse, the more grovelling required. You get a gold star for participating.
OR
(C) Drop out without a word or excuse. This will get you banned from participating next time.
I finished my story, but it isn't betaed!
As with unfinished stories, if you post something by the deadline, you get a week's grace in which to revise. If you don't post anything, you do not get the grace period. Do not treat the grace period as an extension to the deadline. It is not.
I didn't finish my story last time. Can I still sign up?
If you gave it a go, sure. If you bailed out for no reason and didn't even bother contacting me, no.
Edited To Add:
Please note: this does NOT mean that if you didn't finish last time you can't participate. I wasn't intending on naming names, but I guess I'll have to. The only people who are disqualified from participating this year are![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
ladyjanelly, alicamel and wizefics.
ETA: Note: sign-ups are now closed!
Remember all those poor, neglected plot bunnies that have been starving from lack of attention, because all those ficathons kept on having higher priority? The stories you wish you could finish, if only you could find the time? Well, fear not, the finish-a-thon is coming to the rescue!
The finish-a-thon is a ficathon, with all the ficathon-like things like deadlines and fellow volunteers to encourage you, but with this ficathon, you write your own ideas. But since part of the encouragement of a ficathon is writing things for other people, what we're going to do, is vote for which story ideas people should write.
The way it works is this:
1) Sign up.
In your sign-up comment, list a short description all the plot bunnies, unfinished stories (apart from other ficathon stories) and vague ideas that you are putting up for voting on. Say what universe(s) it's in, a very brief description, and some idea of what rating and type (gen,het,slash) you think it will be, to give people a good idea of what they'd be voting for.
Also give your voting preference, whether you wish your story to be voted on by participants only, or all interested parties.
2) Join or friend
multific, so that you will recieve assigments, important notices, and reminders. I am NOT going to notify people individually.3) A poll is made, each "question" consists of the potential stories of one participant.
4) We vote for which story we want each person to finish.
The winning story in each section is the one which that author has to work on.
5) Each writer works on their winning story, and finishes it by the deadline. They then put it up on the web somewhere, either in their journal, or on a website.
6) I will post a master-list of all the stories, so that people can find them.
7) Everyone rejoices!
Dates
Australia and New Zealand:
(Australian Eastern Standard Time)
Sign-ups begin: 14th August 2006
Sign-ups end: 6am, 26th August 2006
Poll is put up: 26th/27th August 2006
Voting ends: 6am, 31st August 2006
Stories finished: 6am, 28th October 2006
The Rest of the World (yes, that includes America):
(Greenwitch Mean Time)
Sign-ups begin: 14th August 2006
Sign-ups end: 10pm, 25th August 2006
Poll is put up: 26th/27th August 2006
Voting ends: 10pm, 30th August 2006
Stories finished: 10pm, 27th October 2006
Sign-up Template
Name:
Livejournal:
Voting preference: participants only/anyone
For each plot-bunny...
Fandom(s):
Description:
Type: het/gen/slash
Rating:
Questions
What do you mean, not other ficathon stories?
Unfinished stories from other ficathons already have a ficathon for them. This is the Home For Lost Plot-Bunnies that don't have a ficathon of their own.
What if I want to use this story for fanfic100?
(or crossovers100 etc)
Well, this is supposed to be for stories not associated with other ficathonish things... but if it so happens that after you've written it, you find that it fits into your Big Table, well, those challenges aren't averse to using stories from other sources, are they?
Are there any restrictions? This isn't an anti-slash thing, is it?
No restrictions. They're your own ideas, hence, your responsibility. Just let people know, in the descriptions, what kind of story you think it will be, so that they can vote wisely.
What about sequels? Can I include bunnies for those?
Sure. Just give a link to where we can find the previous story or stories. To make it easier for me, just give the URL(s) without the HTML markup -- that makes it easier to cut-and-paste the information when I'm making the polls.
What if my story is a huge epic that I'll never be able to finish in 8 weeks?
We want to encourage story writing, so, if a story is an epic, still put it on the list, but commit to writing 10,000 words of it, or finishing it, whichever is shorter.
10,000 words? You gotta be joking!
I did say "epic", didn't I? It's not as hard as NaNoWriMo.
Last year, a participant committed to writing 15,000 words towards her epics. At least two participants wrote stories which were more than 10,000 words long. You can do it.
Is there a minumum number of bunnies required?
Yes. Three. We need something to vote on, after all.
Is there a maximum number of bunnies allowed?
Yes. Ten. Otherwise we'll never be able to decide. Just pick the bunnies you most want to write.
Who gets to vote on what I write?
When you sign up, say what you would prefer:
(a) other participants only
(b) all and sundry (that is, get your friends to vote so you get a better idea of what your peers want)
I will put a note as part of your poll entry as to what your preference is. I won't be able to enforce the preferences, but we can hope that people will be considerate.
What if I don't know what story to vote for?
Try. It is possible to not answer a poll question. But please do try to pick one story from everybody if you possibly can.
What about my own stories? Do I pick one of mine as well?
Nup. The point is to find out what other folks here wish you to write.
What if there's a tie in the votes? Which story would I write?
Toss a coin. If you can't toss a coin, I'll toss one for you -- just ask.
Arrgh! I never thought people would vote for *that* story!
People will surprise you. They'll vote for *anything*, however unlikely you think it. So be prepared to write *any* of the story ideas you put up, don't assume that people won't vote for the wierd one that you put there half-jokingly.
Is there a minimum length requirement?
Unless you committed to writing 10,000 words of an epic, no. However, it seems a bit pointless to waste an 8-week ficathon on a drabble. But I don't want you to be sweating over length requirements. Stories have natural lengths; try to pick story ideas which would naturally fit into more than a drabble.
Is there a maximum length requirement?
No, but do remember you've only got 8 weeks.
I didn't finish! Can I have an extension?
No. If you have a Real Life reason for not being able to finish (like "my computer died" or "my mother broke her hip") then you can have an exemption. After all, it's your story, you will finish it later.
Otherwise:
(A) post what you've managed to write so far, indicating that it isn't finished. You will then get a week's grace period in which to finish or revise the story. Note that those who do not post anything by the deadline will NOT get a grace period.
OR
(B) Write me a nice note saying, "sorry, I couldn't finish". The flimiser the excuse, the more grovelling required. You get a gold star for participating.
OR
(C) Drop out without a word or excuse. This will get you banned from participating next time.
I finished my story, but it isn't betaed!
As with unfinished stories, if you post something by the deadline, you get a week's grace in which to revise. If you don't post anything, you do not get the grace period. Do not treat the grace period as an extension to the deadline. It is not.
I didn't finish my story last time. Can I still sign up?
If you gave it a go, sure. If you bailed out for no reason and didn't even bother contacting me, no.
Edited To Add:
Please note: this does NOT mean that if you didn't finish last time you can't participate. I wasn't intending on naming names, but I guess I'll have to. The only people who are disqualified from participating this year are
ladyjanelly, alicamel and wizefics.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
Tricking myself.
Date: 2006-08-21 04:54 pm (UTC)So here I go again. Same deal as last year. I am notorious for writing immensely long fanfics that I never finish. So what I am committing to is to write 15,000 words of a fic out of these 10. Some of these fanfics will probably be finished within 15,000 words, and some won't. Most of the fanfics have already been published in part, so I will include links if they have. All of these are alternate universes that break off from the fandom's canon somewhere. Not the exact same list as last year.
1. Only Human (http://www.alara.net/trek/oh.html)
Fandom(s): Star Trek TNG
Description: Q lost his powers in "Deja Q" and then never got them back. Three years later he tries to kill himself.
Type: Het.
Rating: Going to go NC-17.
Likely to finish in 15,000 words?: Hell no.
2. Working In Groups (http://www.alara.net/trek/groups.html)
Fandom(s): Star Trek TNG
Description: This is Deja Q, the anti-deus-ex-machina remix. What if the Q Continuum had not intervened in any way after Q's selfless act?
Type: Gen
Rating: PG
Likely to finish in 15,000 words?: Maybe.
3. Twin Poles: Journeyman of Magnetism (http://www.alara.net/xbooks/twin.html)
Fandom(s): X-Men Comics
Description: My version of the origin of the character Joseph.
Type: Mostly gen.
Rating: PG-13.
Likely to finish in 15,000 words?: Maybe.
4. Burning Time (http://alara-works.livejournal.com/5461.html#cutid1)
Fandom(s): Star Trek TNG
Description: Sequel to Guidance, an AU to "Only Human" above. Soran from "Generations" kidnaps Q. Is scheduled to have Picard, Guinan, and Kirk in major roles, as well as angst, torture, sacrifice, and entirely one-sided sexual fantasies.
Type: Slash.
Rating: R.
Likely to finish in 15,000 words?: Probably not.
5. Seventeen Things That Might Have Happened To Q: (http://www.alara.net/trek/17things.html)
Fandom(s): Star Trek
Description: Along the lines of the "Five Things" meme.
Type: Het *and* gen *and* slash.
Rating: PG-13.
Likely to finish in 15,000 words?: Yes.
6. The Prince In Winter (http://www.alara.net/ajer/amnesty/prince.html)
Fandom: X-Men Comics
Description: Joseph deals with Rogue's death.
Type: Het
Rating: PG
Likely to finish in 15,000 words?: Yes.
7. Beauty or the Beast (http://www.alara.net/ajer/amnesty/beautybeast.html)
Fandom: X-Men Comics
Description: Genderswap of Magneto's clone Joseph, and how a twenty-something amnesiac *woman* with Magneto's powers and fragments of his memories would have been seen very differently by the X-Men.
Type: Femslash.
Rating: PG-13.
Likely to finish in 15,000 words?: Maybe.
8. Do It Again 4: That Only A Mother (http://www.livejournal.com/users/alara_r/82666.html)
Fandom(s): Star Trek
Description: Do It Again is a series of stories set in an AU deliberately created by Q, in which Q's appearance is female. The fourth story involves Q and Tasha Yar immediately after Yar's death.
Type: Mostly gen.
Rating: PG-13 or R.
Likely to finish in 15,000 words?: Yes.
9. Judgement Day: (http://www.alara.net/trek/judgement_day.html) Churchill's Black Dog
Fandom(s): Star Trek
Description: Judgement Day is a series of stories set in an AU where Q's side lost the civil war in the Continuum, and humanity was confined to Earth. This, the only of the pieces here that has actually not been begun, is Picard's story.
Type: Gen.
Rating: PG-13.
Likely to finish in 15,000 words?: Yes.
10. The Wolf and the Hound (http://www.alara.net/ajer/amnesty/wolfhound.html)
Fandom: X-Men Comics
Description: After Xavier's apparent death during Magneto's trial, Magneto and Scott Summers end up being co-headmasters of the New Mutants.
Type: Gen, maybe het
Rating: PG
Likely to finish in 15,000 words?: Maybe.
Woops, forgot.
Date: 2006-08-21 04:56 pm (UTC)