cap_ironman | 2022 Cap-IM Big Bang Guidelines for Writers

Guidelines for Writers

Remember to read through our Big Bang Guidelines for All Participants, as well as the writer's guidelines outlined below and take note of our General Event Guidelines.

Completed stories must be a minimum of 25,000 words. There is no upper limit, but stories must be complete at the time of posting.

Your story must be a self-contained story written specifically and exclusively for the Cap-Iron Man Big Bang and therefore can't be a sequel to an existing story or a part of an existing WiP that has been posted online. If you have an unposted WiP that has not been shared (in full or in part) anywhere, then it's eligible as a Big Bang entry if it fits all the other requirements.

You can sign up alone or as part of a co-writing team of writers (the minimum word count remains the same).

You can submit a draft for claims if it's at least 20K or over, but story drafts must be complete if you want to opt into being claimed by a podficcer.

There is no penalty-free dropping out after your summary has been claimed.

As you're working on your story, please keep in mind that summaries are posted anonymously during claims. We urge you to be tactful and try not to promote which summary is yours during the pre-claim period.

If you don’t have an idea for an entry yet, you might want to check out our Prompt Post and past Tumblr inspiration posts. You can also brainstorm with other writers in our discord. Don't forget to ask for the Big Bang role by indicating that you're planning to work on a draft. Join our Discord here.

Draft Requirements and Submissions

To officially enter the 2022 Big Bang, simply submit your entry and some details (listed below) to cap.im.events@gmail.com at any time from now until submissions close at the end of Wednesday, 14 September (on the last timezone).

Drafts need to be at least 20K of the required 25K minimum word count. Drafts of less than 20K will not be accepted. The important thing is that you feel confident you can finish the story in time before you send in the draft.

It is fine if you have skeleton scenes, parts that still exist in outline form, or scenes that are not more than a sentence in your outline as a placeholder, but the majority of your draft needs to be prose. The draft must include an outlined ending (bullet points are fine) so that after claiming, your partner(s) have a clear idea of where you’re taking the story.

If you would like to opt into being claimed by a podficcer, please note that the above does not apply and you must submit a complete story, so that your podficcer has enough time to create their accompanying podfic.

Because this is a collaborative event, there is no penalty-free dropping out after your story is claimed, so keep that in mind before sending in a draft.

To submit your entry, please, fill out our Sign-Up Form

Don't forget to upload your draft file or email it to us at cap.im.events@gmail.com and use "BB 2022 ROUGH DRAFT" and the username you want to sign up with as the subject line. You will only count as fully signed-up once we get your draft.

The form will ask for the following information:

Username:
Discord name (optional):
Language:
Word Count:
Genre:
Universe(s):
Characters/Pairings other than Steve/Tony:
Warnings: (common warnings like non con, mpreg, and anything you want your artist to be aware of)
Rating:
Summary: (no more than 100 words)
Text snippet: (to showcase your writing style. Please keep to 1-2 short paragraphs)
Do you want to opt OUT OF second claims? (y/n)
Do you want to opt INTO being claimed by a podficcer and is your story complete at time of sending? (y/n)
Do you want to opt INTO being claimed by a manip, fanmix or gif artist? (y/n)

Summary for Claims

Please keep the length of your summary to a maximum of 100 words. It can be as detailed or spoilery as you like. Be honest and straightforward; artist claims will be based entirely on summaries and your fic snippet. If you're unsure how to write a good summary for the matching, we have a How to Write A Big Bang Summary Guide.

Trigger warning

Be clear and thorough about trigger and content warnings so that creators know what they are signing up for. You must put any and all warnings in this version of your summary, even if you choose to use an "author chooses not to warn" tag later. We don't want anyone to be surprised by the story they claim, so we require warnings for common triggers like noncon, dubcon, excessive or graphic violence, underage sex, incest, character death, and anything else you feel appropriate.

Claiming Process

After you submit your draft and it's been approved by the mods, it will be available for claims on September 17th.

Anonymous Claims

Claims are done anonymously. Creators will be claiming stories based solely on the summary, snippet and story details. Out of fairness to all participants and stories, please don't reveal which story is yours until after all claims are over.

We don’t allow pre-formed teams, and we expect all participants to be open to working with new people.

Double Claims

If claims go quickly, a second round of claims will be opened to give more creators a chance to participate. This means that your BB story will potentially be double claimed—claimed by two creators—and you'll be coordinating with two partners. If you'd like to opt out of having your work double claimed, please let the mods know when you submit your draft.

We cannot guarantee that every story will be double claimed.

If you are double claimed, you will collaborate as a team of three "creators" (remember that your team may consist of co-creators who are working together to write or create an accompanying fanwork) that post on the same day. The two creators that independently claimed your work can choose to create separate works or co-create them, but that's up to them, and there must be a minimum total of two accompanying works created for your story.

We understand that if you are double claimed, you may enjoy working with one of your partners more than the other. However, we expect that you value them both and recognise their works equally in public. If you don't think you can do this, please do not put your work up for double claiming.

Creation Period and Posting

Once your work has been claimed and you've been teamed up with your creating partner(s), all that's left is to finish your BB story and keep in touch!

Posting Period and Date Claims

The posting period begins in November, and we will be in touch before then with instructions on how to claim a posting date and post your entry.

Beta Reading

While it's not compulsory, we encourage writers to have their stories beta read before posting— check out our list of active Steve/Tony beta readers to find one.

Posting

Each participating creator is responsible for posting their work on their scheduled posting day by noon Eastern Time. A challenge-fulfilling work must be posted all at once, and it should be complete as a stand-alone. We require you to link to your partner's work when your team has posted.

On your chosen posting day, ONE member from your entire team is required to send through your team's links and posting information by filling out the Masterpost Information Form. Full Information on Posting can be found in our Posting Guideline.

Have a look at our Big Bang FAQ post for more information. Have more questions? Please email the BB mods at cap.im.events@gmail.com or check our other contact methods here.