Authors, now is your chance to sign up for Round 7 of the White Collar Big Bang.

The relevant dates for authors to take note of:

Sign Ups Open for Authors and Artists: May 1
Author Check In (not mandatory): July 1
Sign-Ups Closed: August 1
Last Day for Author Drop-Out: August 1
Author Rough Drafts Due (mandatory): August 1
Author Summaries Due: August 10
Summaries Posted for Artist Selection: August 15
Artist Selection: August 20, continues for ten days
Authors may claim their own unclaimed stories for art: August 30
Posting Date Selection: September 15
Challenge Closes, Finished Fics and Art Due: October 1
Posting Starts: October 15
Posting Ends: Depending on the number of stories to be posted, approximately the first week in November

Author Signup Form (select and copy/paste into your comment entry):

<B>LJ User Name</b>: <b>Username:</b> <b>Email address:</b> _____ [at] _________ <b>An idea of what you might write</b> (This can be changed at any time) <b>Type of Fic - Gen, Het, Slash:</b> (This can be changed at any time) <b>Possible Pairings:</b> (This can be changed at any time) <b>Your favorite moment of White Collar from this or any season:</b> (Just because we're interested) <B>Am I already working with an artist?:</b> Yes/No <B>Have I joined the community?</b> Yes/No

WRITING REQUIREMENTS

What type of requirements are there for a fic? Starting with Round 7, the White Collar Big Bang Challenge will be divided into three tiers:

● Mini Bang: 7,500 Words Minimum
● Big Bang: 10,000 Words Minimum
● Super Big Bang: 20,000 Words Minimum

If you sign up for a Mini Bang and end up going Super Big Bang, that’s fine. If you sign up for a Super Big Bang and find that your muse only allows you to write a Mini Bang, that’s fine, too. There are no penalties or deadlines for scaling up or scaling back. We want authors to be challenged, not stressed.

I've already been writing a fic, can I use that one? Yes, as long as it hasn’t been published anywhere as a work in progress. If you have a previously published WiP plot bunny that’s eating your brain and you HAVE to write that story, please contact the mods.

What if I want to expand on a completed fic I’ve already published? Sequels and continuations are different from works in progress. If you have to incorporate an already-published story into your Big Bang, you need to add at least the minimum amount of new words to that story. Also, the story you write for this challenge needs to stand alone and not require reading of the prior stories.

NFR7I have a few ideas for the same 'verse, but none of them will be very long, can I write an interconnected series of stories?: Yes. If you have a collection of ideas in a 'verse, and they are vignettes or interconnected, but not part of a single continuous narrative arc, and you can link them together, this will qualify for a big bang, provided the collection meets the minimum word count.

What genres/warnings are allowed? You may write a White Collar story for whichever genre of fic you choose that works with the artwork you’ve claimed. The only exception to this is that this challenge excludes RPS/RPF. There is a detailed section in the FAQ/Rules on Warnings.

Can I write with someone else? Co-writing is allowed and there is no “surcharge” (no extra words required) for having a co-writer.

Will my fic be archived anywhere? No, where the story is posted will be up to you, the author.

Does my fic have to be complete when I submit it the “final draft”?, Can I post my story as a WIP? No, as said above, stories have to be completed at the time of posting. We do allow stories to be posted as a part of an author’s existing series or ‘verse, as long as they are able to stand on their own. If you are having trouble completing your story in time please let us know and we will try to work with you. We would rather arrange for a delayed posting date than have an incomplete fic posted. However, if we find out an author posted an incomplete work while leading us to believe it was complete, that author will not be allowed to participate in the next round of the challenge.

I’ve written an epic, can I post over a period of days? We recognize that many authors in the White Collar fandom embrace the epic format (which is why we’ve added the Super Big Bang Challenge) and posting a multi-part fic on a single day can be stressful. If and when your story exceeds the 20,000 word mark and wish to post over consecutive days, please let the mods know. There will be more detailed rules about how to post over consecutive days as we approach posting time.

The rule of thumb is that stories should be kept under wraps until the assigned posting date, but if you need three or four days to post, you can start posting on day you are assigned and continue posting on your journal until the story is complete. Your post on the White Collar Big Bang Comm should be a Master Post with the art and links to all of the parts of the story, which you should update as those parts go live.

Can I write a crossover or fusion story? Of course, bearing in mind that if you do a crossover, that your fic center more on the White Collar then the crossed-over fandom. For example, if you write a White Collar/Supernatural fic, the entire fic cannot be about Sam and Dean fighting demons and in the last thousand words, Peter arrives to deal with the cleanup. White Collar characters have to have the primary role in the plot of any crossover fic.

Like crossovers, fusions are allowed. Fusions have the characters of one fandom replace the characters of another, or the characters are set in another story’s universe. An example of a fusion would be the White Collar characters set in the Star Wars universe – Peter is a bounty hunter chasing Neal Caffrey and his short, hairless Wookie companion, Mozzie, across the galaxy. Or Peter is a Jedi Knight and Neal is his Padewan. The opportunities for fusions are endless.

But not without limitation. Because White Collar is very much a character-driven show, for this challenge, fusions where the story focuses non-White Collar characters are set in the White Collar universe are not allowed. For example, a Star Trek fusion story where you substitute Spock for Peter Burke and Jim Kirk for Neal Caffrey would not be allowed because the fandom is about the characters as much as the setting (although your mods would be very happy to read that story otherwise).

Also, please keep in mind that there is no way to guarantee potential artists will know the crossed over fandom. We will do our best to see that every story gets artwork, but the preferred fandoms of our artists are out of the mods control, and there may be the possibility that there isn’t an artist with the resources to provide the crossover artwork. In that case, the mods will work with the author and provide more generic cover art.



You can find the complete rules, schedule and FAQ at the whitecollar_bb community Profile Page

As always, if you have any questions, please contact your mods:

elrhiarhodan - Email at elrhiarhodan1@gmail.com
theatregirl7299 - Email at theatregirl7299@gmail.com

Or you can PM or email the comm at whitecollar.bb.mods@gmail.com