FAQ

[galerian-ash.livejournal.com]

How do I determine if a fandom has no fics? Must I look absolutely everywhere, including old personal websites and zines?

The general guideline is to check AO3 and fanfiction.net, and doing some quick googling. The latter is just to make sure there isn't a fandom-specific archive hiding in plain sight. If none of those bring up any results, then you're in the clear. I don't expect you to spend hours digging through the dark corners of the net, don't worry!

All in all, we're operating under the honor system here. I trust your judgment when it comes to your chosen fandom, and will not go double-checking anything. If there's a mistake made and a couple of fics do exist after all, well, it's not the end of the world :)

What is the minimum/maximum word length?

There is none! Your story can be however long or short it needs to be.

Where should I post my completed fic?

Anywhere you want! I'll create a collection here on AO3 where you can post your fics. Said collection will be hidden until the deadline/reveal date, and is totally optional. I'll also post a list on the DW community with all the fics, regardless of where they're hosted.

How much time will I have to write?

Two months. The AO3 collection will close at 23.59 GMT on the 20th of April. It'll go live — and I'll round up links for all fics in the community — at 00.01 GMT on the 22nd of April.

When is the deadline for signing up?

There won't really be one, actually. I'm sure we've all been bummed out over discovering some awesome exchange or challenge just days after sign-ups closed. I wanted to avoid that here, by simply not having a cut-off date. So if you stumble upon this challenge the day before the reveal, and still want to take part? Write like the wind, buddy!

I can't decide what fandom to write for!

Then pick two! Which is to say, you can submit up to two fics for this challenge — just as long as they're for different fandoms (since otherwise one of them wouldn't be the first, y'know?). ETA: As per requests and subsequent voting, this limit has now been raised to four!

What if someone else writes a fic for my chosen fandom in the interim between signing up and the deadline?

Then that doesn't count. So even if there are suddenly ten fics posted after you've signed up, they won't affect you. Just keep working on your story and don't worry about it.

Can I write for a franchise, where some parts have fics and others don't?

That depends a bit... If the parts are separate enough to basically be different series, then yes, that's perfectly fine. But if they're very closely connected — with the same set of characters and continuing plot — then it's not really suitable for this challenge, sorry.

There are fics for my fandom, but only in Japanese/German/some other language.

For this challenge only fics written in English count, so go right ahead and ignore those.

I have an old WIP that I started writing ages ago, but never finished or posted anywhere. Is it okay to continue working on that for this challenge?

Yup! :Db

The fandom I'm thinking about has fanfiction, but not for the particular characters/pairing I'd like to write about. Is that okay?

I'm sorry, but no. This challenge is specifically to write the first fic for a rare fandom.

Can I combine this with another writing challenge, such as Yuletide's NYR?

Sure thing!

Fanfic exists for my chosen fandom, but it's a crossover. Does that mean I can't write for it?

That depends on a lot of different things (like which fandom is in focus), and as such the answer is on a case-by-case basis. Please ask and we'll talk about it.

Can I write a crossover?

If none of the fandoms have any fics, then yes (it'll be a double win in terms of you being the first!). Otherwise, for now, the answer is no.

Can I write RPF?

By definition that would be more about people, than a specific series. So it's the same as wanting to write for rare characters — and the answer is the same, too. Sorry. ETA: It turns out that a few people had their hearts set on writing RPF, and felt that my view on it was wrong. I don't want to disappoint anyone, so I'll rescind the rule and trust your judgment when it comes to this.

I don't have a DW account, can I still take part in the community?

Oh yes, absolutely. You can either post anonymously, or with OpenID. The latter enables you to use some other social-media account you may have, such as Twitter.

I'd like to post my finished fic to the AO3 collection, but I don't have an account.

Let me know and I'll do my best to get you an invite.

I have another question/problem/suggestion/comment.

Please comment on the FAQ post or drop me an email at galerian.ash@gmail.com, and I'll get back to you as soon as I can!

Comments

[ride_4ever]

I've been lurking on this comm for a while without yet participating. I'm hoping to finally participate this year and I'm wondering what constitutes a flash round like what was just announced as opposed to a "regular" round.

Also, there are no fanworks specifically for the movie I have in mind for which I want to write fic, but several years ago in AO3 someone posted a big collection of icons featuring one specific actor and at least two icons -- possibly three -- are images taken from that movie. Can it still be a "be the first" for me?

[galerian_ash]

Hi there, I'm happy to hear you're thinking about participating! The only difference between the flash round and the normal one is the writing time; two weeks instead of two months. That's why I've been posting reminders, so that those who want to take part but aren't keen on the shorter time can get started in advance.

And yes, absolutely! You don't need to worry about those icons at all. The only thing that would count against you is a fic in English (and even that might be okay, if it's a certain type of crossover).

[ride_4ever]

Excellent! I've been wanting to fic or vid for this movie for years with the attraction being that it's a no-fanworks movie adjacent to my primary fandom (has actors who are in my primary fandom). If I don't get it done in flash-round time then I'll aim for the next regular round. I am all the excite to have this comm be my incentive to proceed on this!

[galerian_ash]

Awesome! I know what it's like to have something you've been meaning to write fic for for ages, so I'm thrilled if this challenge can be an incentive for you! I look forward to seeing which movie it is (it's always fun when actors from a canon you love is in something else you like too), whether it's this flash round or the regular one next year!

[ride_4ever]

My primary fandom is due South and there are so many adjacent fandoms that it spawned a fandom OF adjacent fandoms (originally called "Six Degrees of due South" and now called "Canadian Six Degrees").

[galerian_ash]

Oh, I see! I've been meaning to check out Due South for ages, but I had no idea that the actors did other things together.

[ride_4ever]

The cast and the crew from due South have done so many other things together over so many years that the country of Canada is considered a fandom. Here's a link to the Canadian Six Degrees page on Fanlore.