BW Fanfiction Ezine

I know we've been absent for an extended period of time now, but we're gearing up to dive back in with both feet. If you've stopped by my BloodWrites LJ page, you probably already know all about our little subscription drive. In fact, the initial push that you guys gave us was phenomenal, and our numbers are rapidly on the rise. Now, to add to that incentive, we have some very cool new prizes in store...

On November 25th, we'll be holding a raffle, with every subscriber automatically entered to win. We have Bones t-shirts, Castle mugs, Hawaii Five-0 keychains, AND, most exciting of all, we are working through lulu.com to create paperback, professionally bound, real-live novel versions of some of your favorite fics. I'll be throwing a couple of mine in the ring, and hope that you'll submit a few nominations for fics you'd love to have on your bookshelf. We're shooting for fics with word counts that fall between 45- and 85,000 words - once we have your nominations, we'll go to the authors to see if they're interested in participating. We'll be making 5 copies of each book, with a couple of those copies set aside for the authors, and the rest being raffled off to lucky winners. The grand prize winner of our raffle gets a copy of each book, plus a BW t-shirt and keychain featuring the fandom of their choice.

So... It really is an exciting time, all things considered. The more subscribers we get, the more advertisers we can attract, which in turn means the better we can make the magazine (and the more awesome SWAG we can offer). Your job?

You guessed it! Keep circulating the Subscription Drive banner below. Follow us on Twitter. For more chances to win in the raffle, "Like" us on Facebook and come up with the correct answer to our daily Random Fandom Quote - the first correct answer of the day earns an additional shot at winning the grand prize.

And now, without further ado, here's our banner:


And finally... Let us know which 45- 85,000 word fics you would love to add to your bookshelf. Any fandom, any rating. We'll design the cover, professionally typeset and edit the novel, and have a finished product to rival the best Grisham novel out there. Sound like a plan? We thought so!

So, it seems we're starting to see some progress on the great book club project - hooray! Here are the nominations we have thus far:

BONES

Atonement, by Labsquint. 94,419 words, rated T. Booth makes a serious procedural error resulting in the release of a serial killer. How will he and the team handle it when fresh victims start to appear?

Faith Enough to Fall, by Ayiana. 67,518 words, rated M. Set between seasons 5 and 6. Sometimes it's all about the journey.

Servare Vitas, by newscaper. 99,138 words, rated T. Brennan helps Booth try to lay old ghosts to rest as he becomes a sniper for the FBI, a decision with life and death consequences that could change everything.

The Beauty and the Tragedy, by BrainySmurf6. 125,701 words, rated T. Brennan surrounded herself with memories of Booth, determined not to lose him completely. In the mean time, she was losing herself" Booth's fake death continues on for over a month, and Brennan begins to unravel.

Underneath My Being Is a Road That Disappeared, by Sunsetdreamer. 66,977 words, rated T. With each passing week she feels less prepared. She marvels at the paradox while he tries to carry confidence for both of them. Eventually, they'll get it right. They always do. It would be nice, though, if it happened sooner rather than later.

HAWAII FIVE-0

Set Fire to This Card House, by zarah5. 74,563 words, rated M. AU. An absorbing read that takes the essence of these characters firmly in hand and keeps them completely recognizable in an AU setting.  (thanks to doc_3  for the synopsis!)

PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN

At World's End, by fried_flamingo. 100,000 words+, rated T. AU. A re-interpretation/re-telling of At World's End.

Soooo... Anyone have anything else they'd like to throw in there? Remember, we'll be doing this more than once, so if you're fic isn't chosen this month, it may well be next time around. We'll vote on all the nominees at the end of this week. Thanks again to everyone who responded - I think this will be lovely fun!

Okay, so... We're back, after a few days of chillaxin' after the big deadline. I'm working on getting the word out on this month's big fanfic contest, and hope you will do the same! We've got our fandoms, we've got our prompts, we've got our pencils sharpened and our typing skills finely honed. Here's the skinny on our September issue: 

The fandoms are, by popular vote: 

 

ANGEL

BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER

FIREFLY

GILMORE GIRLS

THE X-FILES

Here are your prompts:

1. First day of school
2. Apples
3. Neil Diamond song, September Morn

Bonus points if you are able to integrate all three into the story!

Maximum rating: We’re sticking with T, kids

Deadline: August 20, 2011

Check out our submission guidelines to find out max word count and details on how to submit your story.

All entries should receive notification that their story has been received within twenty-four hours of having sent their e-mail. Winners will receive a special BW virtual medallion to display on their blogs, and will be featured in the pages of the BW E-Zine.

Hey kiddos,

As July is winding down (thank gawd - I am so not a summer girl), I thought it would be wise to recap a few of the impending deadlines for BW. Haven't written anything yet, but dying to try? DO! You've got like four days to finish something... FOUR DAYS. That's plenty of time. Pick up your pens, and commence to scribblin'. Now, as promised, here are our deadlines.

July 23: FAN ART from BONES, CASTLE, FRINGE, HAWAII FIVE-0, or THE GOOD WIFE. Manips, collages, heart-stopping arm! or chest!porn, pretty little bits you think the rest of the world would enjoy. Since this is a magazine format we're going with, high res is definitely the way to go. 300 dpi, and the more pixels the better. And if you have any non-fan-art that are simply high res photos that are pleasing to the eye from any of the aforementioned fandoms, let me know. I can definitely use them! E-mail all submissions to jen@bwfanficezine.com, along with how you would like to be recognized in the magazine (real name, first name only, screen name, Anonymous User 4226, etc.)

July 25: FANFIC from BONES, CASTLE, FRINGE, HAWAII FIVE-0, or THE GOOD WIFE. The prompt is here, as are the submission guidelines. Don't be shy. We're not out to change the world with our fanfic here... We're just looking for a good read. And I know you guys are more than capable of delivering on that.

If you haven't nominated your favorite novel-length fanfic in any fandom for our BW Book Club, it's not to late to do that. Just head over here and fill out the handy-dandy form.

And, if we haven't featured any of your favorite fanvids yet, you can nominate your fan video of choice by filling out this handy-dandy form.

We're all about the handy-dandy forms 'round here.

If you want to subscribe to BW but haven't had a chance yet, you should definitely take a second or two and do so. You'll get our weekly newsletter as well as the free digital magazine at the first of the month, delivered handily to your e-mail inbox.Let me know if you have any questions, and be sure to join our BW Livejournal community to take part in polls, writerly and readerly conversations, and all sorts of other tomfoolery. Thanks, F-List!

So... I'm working on a new article for the BW blog, focusing on the big S. Sex. Smut. Smuff. Whatever you want to call it, the point is that at one point or another in our illustrious fanfic writing careers, we all have to face it. To write the smut, or not to write the smut? That is the question. And if we do decide to go forth in those treacherous waters, what's the best approach? I thought it best to ask you fine fellow fic writers and readers, your thoughts on the matter. So... A few questions.

First, what are your all-time favorite fics celebrating sexy times? Any fandom, any pairing, slash or het... Whatever you want. But I'd love to have a chance to look at some of your recs on the subject.

What makes for bad fic sex? How graphic do you like it? How long should it last? That's right... We're talking specifics here, kids. What's an absolute turnoff, and what's guaranteed to get you hot under the collar? And, finally, how do you approach writing The Sex? Is it something you look forward to writing, or do you dread it? Is it more difficult than you thought it would be? Is it a turn-on? John Updike has gone on the record as saying the only way he knows he's writing sex well, is if he can get his rocks off to it (I'm paraphrasing there, FYI)... I personally have found that the first flush of writing a sex scene definitely gets my blood flowing, while by the time I've revised and choreographed and edited the thing, I can't imagine anything less arousing. That's just me, though. What about you? 

September may seem like miles away for the rest of the world, but for we lonely souls at BW, it's just around the corner. Which means it's time to vote for the fandoms you'd like to see in our September issue. This fall, we're going Back to the Future, with five fandoms from shows we've sadly lost over time. As last month, just vote for your top five choices. Don't see a fandom you'd love to read or write for? Write it in. We're incredibly accommodating here at BW. Honestly. Ask us to jump off a bridge, and we'd probably at least consider it. And now... (Drumroll please)... Your choices for September!

Hey Folks! There have been some exciting developments with the BW Fanfiction E-Zine of late, and I thought I'd stop by here and update everyone. First off, we now have a website, which you can find here. There are daily Fan Vids, entertainment news updates, writing tips, a Fanfic Book Club (you can nominate your choice for our first read here), contests, and all the other things that make our Fan world go 'round.

I also wanted to let people know that the prompt for our first month's fanfic contest has been amended a bit - in that it's been... Well, simplified. If you've already started or completed a fic based on the original prompt, have no fear - they will still, obviously, be welcomed with open arms. For those who may have been turned off by quite so many stipulations, however, here is the amended prompt for our August issue:

Again, we're working with these five fandoms: 

1. Bones
2. Castle
3. Fringe
4. Hawaii Five-0
5. The Good Wife

And for our revised prompt, writers should integrate one of the following three prompts into the fic. Bonus points if you can find a way to include all three.

1. Heat (fire, steam, summer, etc.)
2. Blue (color, mood, part of a phrase, etc.)
3. Cypress (Hill, trees, Street, etc)

Bonus points if you are able to integrate all three into the story. If you have already written something based on the previous prompt, no worries – it will definitely still be taken into consideration.

Maximum rating: Nothing steamier than T for our debut

Deadline: July 25, 2011

Our deadline has also been extended, so if you're having trouble getting started, this gives you a little more time to kick your Muse into gear. You can find submission guidelines and all that good stuff, right here.

Let me know if you have any questions, thoughts, suggestions, concerns, or niggling doubts. I will do my best to address them all! :-)

July is here! Which means I have loads of exciting information for folks who have expressed an interest in the brand new BW Fanfic E-Zine, which premieres on August 1st. Haven't subscribed yet? Don't know what I'm talking about it? You can get the details and subscribe here. Once you've got your subscription in order, mosey on back to this post for critical information on our first competition to find the writers and fics featured in BW's premiere issue.

In this post, you'll find:

1. Fandoms featured in the August issue
2. The August 1 writing prompt
3. Submission guidelines
4. How featured fics are chosen, and what featured writers will receive
5. (Free!) Advertising for Writers in BW

How's that for organization, eh? I know. I'm dazzling myself, here. So, let's start from the top, shall we?

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INTRODUCING BW FANFICTION E-ZINE

I've been thinking a lot recently about how vast my network of fanfiction friends and acquaintances has become over the past two or three years, and how much I value not only the great fanfic I've found through those friends and acquaintances, but also the friendships that have developed. A few months ago, I had an idea about doing a fanfic zine, and over the course of the months that followed, that idea eventually evolved into BW - A Free Multi-Fandom Fanfiction Ezine delivered to subscribers via email on the first of each month, featuring quality fanfic from five different fandoms each issue, as well as tips on writing, interviews with authors, writing prompts, and general Fanfic Frivolity.
 
A PLATFORM FOR WRITERS OF FANFIC AND ORIGINAL FICTION ALIKE

In addition to being a very cool way to gather some of the greatest minds in the FF 'verse, I'm using BW as a platform through which writers trying to make the leap from fanfic to original fiction can reach a receptive audience. So, those who write both fanfic and original fiction and have a book or ebook they would like to promote, can do so with a free ad in the pages of BW. Have a book you're trying to sell? Consider writing a short story featuring the characters from your original fiction, and submitting it to BW. 

MONTHLY SUBMISSION GUIDELINES FOR FIC WRITERS

Naturally, this whole endeavor relies on my ability to find great fanfic every month. To that end, on the first of each month I'll be posting a prompt at bw_fanfic_ezine , along with a list of the five fandoms we'll be choosing from. Fanfic writers then have until the 15th of the month to submit a story of no more than 2500 words, based on that prompt. I'll be looking for evocative prose, strong dialogue, scenes that remain true to the characters therein. Something original, something hilarious, something sexy... Whatever - this is fanfic, not Dostoevsky. Play as you will. Enjoy what you write. That's what we do best, after all. :-)

You'll note that in the next section I have a poll listing possible fandoms for the first issue, and you'll no doubt notice that many, many shows are missing. For our first time out, I'm focusing on only shows that are currently airing. In the future, there will be issues devoted to the best and brightest fandoms of the past, but this time out I thought we'd stay current. If you would like to vote for a show currently airing that's not on the list, by all means, do so - there's a little area for just that, or you can leave a comment if you prefer. Now... Spread the word! Sign up for the bw_fanfic_ezine  forum. Subscribe to the e-zine. Drop a line, and let me know what you're thinking. I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to this!
 
A POLL FOR THE BW PREMIERE ISSUE, COMING AUGUST 1ST