Person of Interest Fanworks Community

Schedule

June 18th -- Signups Open for Writers and Artists

July 18th -- Signups Close for Writers

August 30th -- Rough Drafts (5k) and Summaries Due

August 31st -- Art Claims Open (Summaries)

September 7th -- Signups Close for Artists

September 8th -- Art Claims Close

September 22nd -- Writers & Artists Check-in

October 6th -- Writers & Artists Claim Joint Posting Date

October 20th -- Final Drafts (10k) & Art Due

November 1st -- Posting Begins

Writer Signups | Artist Signups | Cheerleader Post | Beta Post

AO3 Collection | Tumblr

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a Big Bang?
It's a type of fandom challenge which involves longer fanfics (at least 10,000 words) plus accompanying artwork. It can help motivate writers to finish their WIPs when they know others in the fandom are working towards a shared deadline. Knowing there will be fanart created especially for that fic is another great incentive. For everyone, creators and readers, there will be another explosion of new PoI fanworks to enjoy, just like with the exchange.

 

Has there ever been a PoI Big Bang before?

Yes, in 2013! You can see the results in their AO3 collection HERE. (The 2018 Big Bang will post in a new collection HERE.) They also used 10,000 words as their minimum. As you can see, some works met that target, and others turned out much longer. The fandom has changed a lot in the last five years and we think now is the perfect time for another Big Bang challenge.

Why can we only sign up on Dreamwidth?

We want to keep all the signups in one place, to make it easier for the mods. AO3 unfortunately doesn't have a ready-made signup form which is suitable for Big Bangs like it does for exchanges. Messages can get lost on tumblr very easily. If you already have a LiveJournal account, you can log into Dreamwidth with it using OpenID (the link is next to Account name on the top right of this page. Otherwise you can create a free Dreamwidth account HERE. We apologise for the inconvenience, but it really doesn't take that much time to set one up, and participants will need to use Dreamwidth to comment on entries over the next five months.

Can the fic we create for the Big Bang be a continuation, or an instalment in a series?

Yes. You choose, any story. If you're going to add at least 10,000 words to it between now and the deadline (October 20th), it counts. It could be a brand new idea. It could be something you started brainstorming ages ago. It could be something you've already started posting on AO3. If it is an existing work, we ask that you put it on hold in terms of posting new chapters, until November. And if you choose to work on a WIP with us, it must be a complete work by the deadline to be eligible to be included in the Big Bang. Adding 10k to an incomplete fic and then leaving it incomplete afterwards is not what we're hoping for.

What kinds of art can I create?

Anything that is inspired by the fanfic you're paired with. This includes traditional and digital art, cover art, banners/headers, podfic (an audiobook of the fanfic), fanmixes (playlist of songs), fanvids (like fic trailers!), gifsets or iconsets (at least six pieces for a set).

What happens if there's an uneven number of writers and artists?

Artists may create for more than one fic.

Can I sign up as both a writer and an artist?

Yes! Please be sure you can handle both commitments.

Can I make art for my own fic?

We'd prefer that you collaborate with another creator. It's part of the fun!

What is pre-matching?

Say you have an artist friend who is also into PoI, and you already know you'd work well as a team. You can sign up together and be left out of the official matching process which will happen the first week in September. What this means is, you can collaborate from the very beginning, for a few extra months, which gives you an advantage. By doing this you're basically making a pact with your friend that you'll both finish the challenge. You'll both sign up separately on the relevant posts and mention each other in your comments. (If you're pre-matched to someone but interested in creating art for other writers too, please let the mods know we can expect to match you during art claims.)

Is there a maximum wordcount?

Nope. However many words your story needs, go for it. But, if it's not basically complete by the deadline (October 20th), it can't be posted as part of the Big Bang, so try to manage your ambition.

When do we start writing?

Whenever you're ready. We'll be checking in later to assess your progress, but part of this challenge is managing your own time.

What are the three mandatory check-ins?

The first one will be August 30th. On this date we'll expect an email ([email protected]) from all writers with their rough draft (which must be at least 5,000 words long) as an attachment. This is so we can be reasonably sure you're on the way to finishing on time. In the body of the email, you'll include a short summary of the fic. The following day these summaries will be posted to poi_fanworks by a mod so that artists can claim them as part of the matching process. If you don't submit your rough draft and summary, you cannot be matched with an artist, so please don't miss that check-in. We'll email you to chase summaries if necessary.

The second one will be September 22nd. This is for both writers and artists. This will require a comment reply to a Dreamwidth entry, letting us know how it's going.

The third one will be the deadline on October 20th. For this, both writers and artists will need to email the mods ([email protected]) their final drafts (10,000 words minimum) and artwork. If you're not quite done, please still send us what you have. By this point you will have already claimed your joint posting date, so you'll know how much time you have left to tinker. We're hoping that needing to turn in work ahead of time will make everyone more likely to meet their posting date. Again, we'll chase you up if we don't hear from you.

How will posting work?

Unlike the exchange, not all works will be revealed on the same day. Each writer + artist team will claim a posting date on October 6th. From this, we'll build a staggered posting schedule starting on November 1st. Works will be posted daily until we run out of participants. Art may be embedded alongside the fic on AO3 (if someone has illustrated a particular scene, for example). AO3 gives you the option to add the names of co-creators. Otherwise, art can be posted in a separate work on AO3 and linked using the 'inspired by' function. You'll decide within your teams what's the best option for you. Unlike the exchange, there'll be no Mystery period. As soon as you post to AO3, your works will be visible, and part of the collection. Each day the mods will link to posted collabs on our tumblr, so they can be signal boosted.

What if I change my mind / need to drop out?

You can edit or remove your signup until July 18th, at which point writer signups close and we'll assume you're committed. After this date, you'll need to contact a mod to notify us you're dropping out. Ultimately there's no penalty for not finishing, but if you quit after matching (September 8th), you'll be disappointing your artist, which is sad for both of you.

How can I stay informed about Big Bang announcements and check-ins?

While logged into your Dreamwidth account, go HERE. Tick the box next to Someone posts a new entry to poi_fanworks. Also tick the relevant box under Also notify me by Email. Click Save.

(This post will be updated as more questions come in.)