Rules and FAQ
Apr. 14th, 2011 07:00 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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spn_summergenIt's almost time! Sign-ups for this year's SPN Summergen will open TOMORROW and will close on April 30th.
For now, here's theboring slightly less exciting part: the rules and FAQ. Please make sure you read this post before you sign up.
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spn_summergen is an anonymous gen gift exchange.
If you sign-up, you will be assigned to write a fanfic for another participant based on a selection of prompts, and somebody else will be assigned to write something for you. You must be willing and able to write a story based on somebody else's prompts and preferences as described in their sign-up request.
The identities of the creators will be kept secret at first, and we (the mods) will post all of the stories. Note: this means you can't write a story that will implicitly identify you, such as a fic set in a 'verse you've created.
All offerings and requests must be gen. By "gen" we simply mean stories that do not focus on romantic or sexual relationships, although those relationships may be a small component of the story. If you're not sure your idea fits, comment and ask, or take a look at last year's master list to get an idea about what's appropriate.
In previous years, we've had a firm rule inspn_summergen that RPF (real-person fic) is not allowed. In view of recent events in Supernatural season six, we are modifying that rule slightly. Prompts and stories related to real people will be allowed only if a fictional version of that real person has appeared in SPN canon (e.g. Misha) or played a key role in it (e.g. Samuel Colt). Yes, that includes Jared and Jensen, but only as portrayed in that episode.
All other types of stories and genres are welcome: angst, crack, past-fic and future-fic, case files, brotherly bonding, AUs, character studies, monster studies, monster-of-the-week adventures and character studies, comedies and tragedies and everything in between.
Your requests:
When you sign up you must give at least three (3) prompts and a maximum of six (6) prompts for your assignee to write a story for you. You can include any canon characters in your prompts - not just Sam and Dean but minor and obscure characters too, if you like.
Prompts for fic can be as general or as specific as you like but remember that the purpose is to give your author an idea of what you enjoy while still leaving her some leeway to write a good story. And please do remember that prompts must be gen.
You can request a crossover, but please limit yourself to one crossover prompt only. Ghostfacers is still not a crossover :)
Minimum requirements:
You will be required to write one story based on the prompts assigned to you. You are are not required to follow the prompts to the last detail; there is always room for flexibility and interpretation.
Your story must be new, created specifically for this exchange, not something you've posted anywhere before.
All stories must be at least 1000 words in length, and they must be spell-checked and proofread for grammar and punctuation. If you can't do that yourself, find a beta who can. A "willing to beta" post will be available when assignments are sent out. There is no maximum story length, but the story must be complete by the deadline.
We reserve the right to send stories riddled with errors and mistakes back to the authors for cleaning up. This is an exchange, and we want to make sure everybody receives the best possible story.
Submission guidelines will be announced later.
If you need to withdraw/default:
Once assignments have been sent out, everyone who has signed up and received an assignment is expected to submit a story, because someone else is working hard to create something for you. But we understand that unexpected things happen and some people may be unable to finish their fic by the deadline. If this is you, please, please, please contact us sooner rather than later. We may be able to offer a limited extension and if that's not going to help then we need as much time as you can give us to find a pinch-hitter so your recipient won't lose out.
If you need to withdraw from the exchange at any time after you've signed up, you must contact the mods by email to supernatural @ summergen . co . uk (remove the spaces).
The sign-ups will open on April 15 and close on April 30. Information about how to sign up will be posted then.
Assignments will be sent out around May 15. You must provide a working email address in order to receive your assignment.
Stories will be due 1st July.
Story posting will begin on 11 July and will end when we run out of stories.
The day after the last story is posted, a master list will go up revealing the authors' names. At that point, all authors are free to post their stories elesewhere.
One week later, the fall-free-for-all begins: all the prompts will be posted for anyone to grab one and write a fic.
*As always, the schedule is subject to change if disaster strikes, but we're going to do our very best to stick to the above.
Q: Can I sign up if I defaulted/withdrew in a previous Summergen?
A: If you withdrew properly (i.e. you emailed the mods to let us know you weren't able to complete your submission), yes you can. If you just vanished without a trace, or you didn't contact us until after we assigned a pinch-hitter, of course you can't sign up again. Why should we trust you not to do that again?
Q: Can I request stories about minor and recurring characters, not just the Winchesters?
A: Absolutely, yes. Please do!
Q: Will there be a separate sign-up post for pinch-hitters?
A: No. All pinch hits go through our pinch-hit community,spn_genpinchhit. If you're interested in pinch-hitting, please join that community. Note: you have to join, not just watch, because all pinch-hit requests will be locked.
Q: Can I sign up if I don't have a livejournal?
A: Yes. The sign-up form asks for your LJ name (there's a good reason for this) but if you don't have one you can still sign up. You do need a valid email address.
Q: How do I sign up as an artist/vidder?
A: Sorry, you can't. We tried allowing art and vids for two years, but there wasn't enough demand to make it worth the extra difficulty of matching three different types of fanworks to prompts.
Q: Are we allowed to write our recipient multiple fics based on their scenarios/prompts, or only one fic?
A: You can submit only one fic for your recipient as part of the anonymous exchange. It can be as long as you like (the minimum length is 1,000 words), and you can use multiple prompts for one fic, but you can submit only one story for the challenge.
If you want to write more than one story, you can save the extras for the free-for-all period after the main challenge is over. Though if you really think you'll have time to write more than one fic, please sign up as a pinch-hitter. These are the people who step in to write/create for any participants who have to drop out: if you pinch-hit you'll get a new set of prompts to choose from, and you'll be a hero!
Any further questions, please comment.
For now, here's the
The Rules
spn_summergen is an anonymous gen gift exchange.If you sign-up, you will be assigned to write a fanfic for another participant based on a selection of prompts, and somebody else will be assigned to write something for you. You must be willing and able to write a story based on somebody else's prompts and preferences as described in their sign-up request.
The identities of the creators will be kept secret at first, and we (the mods) will post all of the stories. Note: this means you can't write a story that will implicitly identify you, such as a fic set in a 'verse you've created.
All offerings and requests must be gen. By "gen" we simply mean stories that do not focus on romantic or sexual relationships, although those relationships may be a small component of the story. If you're not sure your idea fits, comment and ask, or take a look at last year's master list to get an idea about what's appropriate.
In previous years, we've had a firm rule in
spn_summergen that RPF (real-person fic) is not allowed. In view of recent events in Supernatural season six, we are modifying that rule slightly. Prompts and stories related to real people will be allowed only if a fictional version of that real person has appeared in SPN canon (e.g. Misha) or played a key role in it (e.g. Samuel Colt). Yes, that includes Jared and Jensen, but only as portrayed in that episode.All other types of stories and genres are welcome: angst, crack, past-fic and future-fic, case files, brotherly bonding, AUs, character studies, monster studies, monster-of-the-week adventures and character studies, comedies and tragedies and everything in between.
Your requests:
When you sign up you must give at least three (3) prompts and a maximum of six (6) prompts for your assignee to write a story for you. You can include any canon characters in your prompts - not just Sam and Dean but minor and obscure characters too, if you like.
Prompts for fic can be as general or as specific as you like but remember that the purpose is to give your author an idea of what you enjoy while still leaving her some leeway to write a good story. And please do remember that prompts must be gen.
You can request a crossover, but please limit yourself to one crossover prompt only. Ghostfacers is still not a crossover :)
Minimum requirements:
You will be required to write one story based on the prompts assigned to you. You are are not required to follow the prompts to the last detail; there is always room for flexibility and interpretation.
Your story must be new, created specifically for this exchange, not something you've posted anywhere before.
All stories must be at least 1000 words in length, and they must be spell-checked and proofread for grammar and punctuation. If you can't do that yourself, find a beta who can. A "willing to beta" post will be available when assignments are sent out. There is no maximum story length, but the story must be complete by the deadline.
We reserve the right to send stories riddled with errors and mistakes back to the authors for cleaning up. This is an exchange, and we want to make sure everybody receives the best possible story.
Submission guidelines will be announced later.
If you need to withdraw/default:
Once assignments have been sent out, everyone who has signed up and received an assignment is expected to submit a story, because someone else is working hard to create something for you. But we understand that unexpected things happen and some people may be unable to finish their fic by the deadline. If this is you, please, please, please contact us sooner rather than later. We may be able to offer a limited extension and if that's not going to help then we need as much time as you can give us to find a pinch-hitter so your recipient won't lose out.
If you need to withdraw from the exchange at any time after you've signed up, you must contact the mods by email to supernatural @ summergen . co . uk (remove the spaces).
Schedule*:
The sign-ups will open on April 15 and close on April 30. Information about how to sign up will be posted then.
Assignments will be sent out around May 15. You must provide a working email address in order to receive your assignment.
Stories will be due 1st July.
Story posting will begin on 11 July and will end when we run out of stories.
The day after the last story is posted, a master list will go up revealing the authors' names. At that point, all authors are free to post their stories elesewhere.
One week later, the fall-free-for-all begins: all the prompts will be posted for anyone to grab one and write a fic.
*As always, the schedule is subject to change if disaster strikes, but we're going to do our very best to stick to the above.
F.A.Q.
Q: Can I sign up if I defaulted/withdrew in a previous Summergen?
A: If you withdrew properly (i.e. you emailed the mods to let us know you weren't able to complete your submission), yes you can. If you just vanished without a trace, or you didn't contact us until after we assigned a pinch-hitter, of course you can't sign up again. Why should we trust you not to do that again?
Q: Can I request stories about minor and recurring characters, not just the Winchesters?
A: Absolutely, yes. Please do!
Q: Will there be a separate sign-up post for pinch-hitters?
A: No. All pinch hits go through our pinch-hit community,
spn_genpinchhit. If you're interested in pinch-hitting, please join that community. Note: you have to join, not just watch, because all pinch-hit requests will be locked.Q: Can I sign up if I don't have a livejournal?
A: Yes. The sign-up form asks for your LJ name (there's a good reason for this) but if you don't have one you can still sign up. You do need a valid email address.
Q: How do I sign up as an artist/vidder?
A: Sorry, you can't. We tried allowing art and vids for two years, but there wasn't enough demand to make it worth the extra difficulty of matching three different types of fanworks to prompts.
Q: Are we allowed to write our recipient multiple fics based on their scenarios/prompts, or only one fic?
A: You can submit only one fic for your recipient as part of the anonymous exchange. It can be as long as you like (the minimum length is 1,000 words), and you can use multiple prompts for one fic, but you can submit only one story for the challenge.
If you want to write more than one story, you can save the extras for the free-for-all period after the main challenge is over. Though if you really think you'll have time to write more than one fic, please sign up as a pinch-hitter. These are the people who step in to write/create for any participants who have to drop out: if you pinch-hit you'll get a new set of prompts to choose from, and you'll be a hero!
Any further questions, please comment.
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