fic_rush | Introduction, Q&A, Rules

fic_rush is a two-day, multi-fandom ficathon. Unlike other ficathons, there are no claims, prompts, or deadlines. There are just two days where you'll spend as much of your time as possible writing. It is literally a ficathon: a fanfiction marathon.

Here's how it works. Every hour on the hour, for two days, there will be a check-in post (in a second community, so don't worry about flist-flooding). There, you post anything and everything about what you're writing right then: what you accomplished last hour, goals for the next hour, what your fic is, how bad a caffeine headache you've got, problems you've hit, encouragement, anything. You spend the first few minutes of the hour replying and conversing there, then you spend the rest of the hour writing.

So, Question #1: Two whole days? I have a job, seven kids, and a clinical need for nine hours of sleep a night!

The ficathon runs for 48 hours. You don't have to participate for 48 hours. You're free to start and finish at any time, as long as you tell us so in the hourly posts. Just be here for as long as you can, as often as you can. If you can stay up for two days, that's great! Try not to go blind. If you can only be around for an evening, we'd love to have you for that time.

That said, it's a marathon. You're supposed to do it for a long time, not one or two hours.

Questions About the Ficathon Itself

Signing up, signing in, signing out. How's it work?

Signing up: Sign ups are really informal. Go to the current sign-up post and reply to it. If you join us in the middle of a round, skip this step. Nobody will be kicked out for not signing up.

Signing in: This happens during the round. When the round begins (or when you get here), go to the latest hourly post in

fic_rush_48 and say hi. After all, there's no point in doing the ficathon at the same time if we don't have any contact with each other while we do it.

Signing out: When the round ends (or when you leave), tell us in the latest hourly post. Don't forget to say how much you've written!

You can sign in/out multiple times, if for example you need to go to work or get some sleep in the middle of a round.

What if I go get lunch? Does that count as leaving?

Not unless it takes you a couple hours.

Is it okay to start conversations in the sign-up and hourly posts, or are they strictly business?

Conversations are good. The point of

fic_rush is to feel like we're all doing this together. The more we talk to each other, the better it works. Just don't get so distracted talking that you don't write any fic.

Questions About Your Fic

Can I write more than one fic per round?

Yes! If you want to write 48 hours worth of drabbles, or your muse really thinks you should switch projects, go right ahead. As long as you keep writing something, you're okay.

Can I write less than one fic per round?

Yes! You can spend the ficathon writing chapter 37 of your WIP, or start something you know you won't have time to finish. If you do that, try to set smaller word or chapter goals you can finish, so you don't get discouraged and quit early.

Can I work on something from another ficathon?

Yes!

Porn?

Yeah, you can write porn. But the community is open to all ages, so don't post excerpts or detailed descriptions of your X-rated scenes.

What fandoms are allowed?

Everything. At least one of your mods seriously disapproves of RPF, but even that is still allowed.

Where can I post my fic_rush fic?

Anywhere. It's your fic, not ours. You can't post it to this community (see next question), but you're encouraged to post a link to it in the Fic Gallery.

Do feel free to brag about it in the hourly post when you finish something during fic_rush.

Misc Questions, Inner Workings

Why doesn't fic get posted here?

Multiple reasons, flist spam being a big one -- with no fandom or genre, odds are that most of the fic won't interest most of the readers. But mainly it's because

fic_rush isn't about the goal (specific fics) but rather the journey (time spent writing fic).

How do I figure out when the ficathon starts in my timezone?

Time Zone Converter.

We're usually midnight to midnight GMT.

Further questions can be posted here or in the catch-all ask a mod post. There's no real difference, except that comments there are screened and comments here are not.

A disclaimer: all of this post is subject to change after the first round, based on what works, what doesn't, and feedback.

Last edit: January 5, 2010. (Just clarified stuff.)