SPN SUMMERGEN

Okay, people, we're already getting submissions, so I guess it's time to make this post! Don't freak out--you still have until July 15 to complete your Summergen story, but I know some of you are early birds (yay!), you've already written that sucker and are eager to send it in, so here's the how:

Submission Guidelines

-You must submit your story in .txt or .rtf format. We cannot accept .doc or .docx files.

-Your story must already be formatted for posting on lj, including all necessary html tags (such as for centering, bolding, etc.). Here's a cool post that will tell you how to do that.

-If your fic is longer than 9,000 words, you'll have to split it up into sections, each of which is 9,000 words or fewer, because lj has a word limit. Please send the sections to us as separate files or indicate very clearly within your story where you want the split(s). Remember, your story must be at least 1,000 words, but there is no upward limit; it can be as long as you like.

-No fancy formatting such as special fonts or colors, lest they be unreadable for others due to their journal style or the device they're reading on. The other usual formatting options lj allows, such as bold, italics, or font size, are fine, though. It might be a good idea to first test your coding by posting it as a private entry on your own lj exactly as you plan to submit it--this will give you a chance to fix any errors before it's too late.

-You may include art with your fic! Send us the file in .jpg, .png, or .gif format (but send the whole file, not just a link to it), and clearly indicate where each image should go in your story.

-Please have your fic betaed! Stories riddled with errors will be returned.

-Do not code web-bugs or counters into your story.

-You must include the following header in both your story document and in the e-mail you send to us. Here is the header information to include:

Title:
Author: (We'll remove this before your work is posted, but we still need you to include it.)
Recipient:
Rating:
Warnings: (not optional - see note below)
Author's Notes: (optional)

Summary:

Ratings: you can use any rating system you like, as long as the meaning is clear.

Warnings are at your discretion. You can choose not to warn, but do include the field--just say "choose not to warn," or "none" if you don't feel your fic requires any warnings. Some people nowadays are also putting warnings behind a spoiler cut (here's how to do that) if they feel the warnings or other tags might spoil parts of the fic; feel free to do that, too.

If you're having a hard time coming up with your summary, you can use the prompt you're working from, use a quote from the work, etc., but please do include something in the summary field.

You can include more fields if you like. Just remember not to reveal your identity. For example, if you feel naming your beta will give away who you are, please don't!

Also, please give your story file a name a bit more unique than "summergenfic.txt". You wouldn't believe how many files of the same name we get each year! It really makes downloading them all a pain in the butt. (Yes, I know, it's easy to change the file name. But we have 90 files--you've got one. Be nice, okay?)

You can only submit your fic once, so make sure it's right before you send it in! That said, the earlier the better--it'll be easier on the mods if we don't get all the fics on deadline day, and we'd like to start posting fics as soon as possible. We will e-mail you to let you know when we've received your story, but if you submit on or close to the deadline, don't expect to receive that acknowledgement instantly--we're going to be busy!

Once again, a link to the FAQs. Any other questions? Ask in the comments, or e-mail us at supernaturalsummergen @ gmail . com (remove the spaces).

Do you feel that? That's the approach of the start of Summergen fic posting--it's getting closer! YES!