Hello Wonderful Participants!

Welcome to the final check-in! You can check in via email (pod.together@gmail.com), dreamwidth comment (comments on this post are screened), or with a discord message to klb, shmaylor, or minnabird. Please try to check-in within 48 hours. We will send a follow-up email to all those we haven't heard from at that time. If you signed up as a group and did not opt in to check-ins, you obviously aren't required to check-in, but are certainly welcome to if you would like!

In addition to the check-in, today is also the deadline to post your text to the AO3 collection. If you haven't already done so, please follow these posting instructions to post to the collection.

Podficcers, when you check in, please let us know what’s going well, any concerns you have, and where you are in regards to meeting the August 25th deadline (2 weeks from now).

Writers, as long as your podficcer checks in, you’re not required to, but if you’re up for it we’d love to hear about any particular parts of your experience you want to share. The positive will make us smile, and the negative will give us an opportunity to offer help or give us valuable feedback that will help us tweak next year’s challenge to be better!

Some important notes/reminders:

Remember to share any edited audio you have with your partner(s), and let them know what you’ve accomplished so far.

Once your podfic is complete, you should follow the posting instructions to add your podfic to the collection! Please let us know when your project is fully finished and ready for reveals! :D

Podficcers, please make sure you have given your writers some love about the work that they’ve done. Tell them what you think is great about their words. Sometimes in the rush to get things done, this step gets skipped, but it’s so important to everyone having a good experience! (Writers, once you hear the podfic, make sure you give your partners some love as well.)

The Early Podfic submission date is Wednesday, August 21st. After the podfic deadline, mods will create a schedule for revealing completed projects, evenly distributed across a ten-day posting period. Projects that meet the Early Writing AND Early Podfic submission deadlines will be posted first, followed by projects that meet the Early Writing OR Early Podfic submission deadline, followed by all other projects.

If you think it would enhance your podfic to have multiple voices contribute, feel free to let us know and we’d be happy to signal boost a search for volunteers!

shmaylor

It's time for our second check-in! You can check in over email (pod.together@gmail.com), dreamwidth comment (comments on this post are screened), or via discord message to klb, shmaylor, or minnabird. Please try to check-in within 48 hours. We will send a follow-up email to all those we haven't heard from at that time. (If you've already turned in your writing and received confirmation from the mods, you don't need to check in but you're welcome to!)

The complete writing is due in one week, on July 28th. You can find more information in our FAQ about what it means for writing to be complete. Writers can either email us a link to a shared version of their text that their podficcer has access to (for example a shared Google Doc) or post the text to the Pod_Together 2024 collection on AO3. The collection is moderated and set to "unrevealed" so the stories will show as "mystery" works until the mods reveal them on the scheduled posting day. If your podficcer is not included as a co-creator on the AO3 post, please contact a mod when you submit your writing to confirm that your podficcer has access to the completed text. You can find full posting instructions here.

The Early Writing deadline is this Wednesday, July 24th. At the end of the challenge, mods will create a schedule for revealing completed projects, evenly distributed across a ten-day posting period. Projects that meet the Early Writing AND Early Podfic submission deadlines will be posted first, followed by projects that meet the Early Writing OR Early Podfic submission deadline, followed by all other projects.

If you're feeling confident in your ability to finish the writing on time, we look forward to hearing about it and we always love to hear about what's going well in your partnerships. If you are having problems in your partnership, we're also happy to hear about those and help suggest ideas for troubleshooting!

If you're not feeling confident in your ability to finish the writing within the next 7 days, please let us know and we can talk about:

The possibility of an extension. Please note our extension policy: "Each participant can receive a maximum extension of 7 days past their deadline. If you request an extension, please tell us how long you would like that extension to be. Up to 3 days will be granted automatically to everyone, and extensions of up to 7 days will be granted automatically to those who used Group Sign Ups. For those who used Match Maker Sign Ups, if an extension of 4–7 days is needed, please include a plan for how you intend to finish within that time."

The possibility of getting a beta or cheerleader.

The possibility of getting a co-writer.

The possibility of writing a shorter version of your original story plan for your podficcer to begin recording (which is able to stand alone in case a life emergency stops you from writing more) with the agreement that if there is time and interest by both parties, you might create additional scenes later to add on.

The possibility of (with your partner's approval) leaving some areas of the script for podficcer ad-lib.

The possibility of additional scheduled accountability check-ins, if that will help keep you motivated and not stressed!

Also, please remember to share what you've written so far with your partner. This means not just an update of your progress but sharing your draft itself. The minimum requirement is once per check-in!

Finally, if you're realizing that what you really need in order to take care of yourself is to drop out, that's fine. Yay self-care! Please let us know as soon as possible though, so we can offer your partner a pinch hitter.

Comments are screened.

shmaylor

Projects must be posted to AO3 by Check-in #3, on Sunday August 11th. If the written component is already completed, feel free to post the text to AO3 sooner!

Post your work in the Pod Together 2024 Collection, either by following this link, or by listing Pod_Together2024 in the “Post to Collections/Challenges” field.

Be sure to hit "Post" when done; the challenge is set to unrevealed, so the project will show as a "Mystery Work" to anyone but the co-creators and mods. If you save the project as a draft, the mods will not be able to view it to confirm it meets word count and/or that the podfic links are working, and the project will automatically delete itself after a month.

You may post the text and podfic together in a single post or in two separate posts.

If you decide to have a single post for both the text and podfic, make sure to add all your group members as co-creators, so all creators have editing access and credit for their work!

If you decide to have the text and podfic in separate posts, the post for each part should link to the other part prominently at the top of the post, with an explanation that the two parts were created as a collaboration. This means that the text post will link to the podfic post prominently at the top, and vice versa. This should be more than using AO3's "inspired by" function to connect the two posts (although you're welcome to do that as well!). The link and explanation can be either in the body of the post or in a note at the beginning.

PODFIC-SPECIFIC INSTRUCTIONS

If the two parts of the project are in a single post, the completed podfic should be included at the top of the post. If the podfic and text are separate chapters, the podfic chapter should come first.

If the two parts of the project are in separate posts, see above for how to link the two posts to each other.

If you'd like additional support with how to post a podfic to AO3, this text guide or this video guide helpful.

Your podfic must be available for listening in both streaming and mp3 download formats. A streaming player directly on the AO3 post is highly recommended, but not required. If you need some help with hosting options or with streaming, you can check out this post or ask for support on the Pod_Together Discord! The mods are also happy to host your audio for you at parakaproductions.com. If you'd like us to do that, just email us your audio file and let us know you'd like to use our hosting, and we'll send you back a link to the hosted audio!

rockinham

Today's questions should help springboard you into the creation period, letting you start proposing ideas and thinking about how you want to shape your project.

What are some ideas you have for how this collaboration could be specifically created for voice?

What are some ideas you have for how to practice antiracism* while making this collaboration? (if you're stuck on this question, you can check out some of the resources linked at our content moderation policy post for a starting place, or ask the Discord community for ideas.)

How do you feel about the idea of bringing additional people on board to create your project? If it’s something you’re interested in, would you want to bring them in at this early creation stage, or just bring them on during the podficcing process to add additional voices? (Please feel free to contact the mods for assistance if you do decide you’d like to add more creators to your project—or feel free to reach out to friends on your own!)

*According to author/professor/activist/historian Ibram X Kendi, all actions are either racist or antiracist, and cannot be neutral. We're drawing from that framework with the question. In this case, practicing antiracism would mean (in the words of participant bluedreaming) "creation with an active consideration and recognition of conscious and subconscious racism in writing and other portrayals, with a concerted effort to learn and do better, and an openness to critique and suggestion."

This is our last icebreaker, we hope that groups have found them informative and helpful! Quick reminder, the first check in is on July 7th but, as always, you're welcome to contact the mods at any time for whatever reason.

klb

Today's questions dig a little deeper into group work!

Suggest ways that the podficcer(s) might be involved in the writing process that would work well for you.

Suggest ways that the writer(s) might be involved in the podficcing process that would work well for you.

Tell your partner(s) about a good and a bad group work experience you've had, either in fandom or at school or work (or other). What made the good one good? What made the bad one bad? What did you learn about what makes group work successful for you?

What's one thing your partner(s) could say or do that would feel really good to you? (For example, compliment your fanwork, offer to help with organization/beta/cheerleading, reach out to you to say hi every few days, etc.)

If one or more group members become unhappy or uncomfortable with how the collaboration is going, what are your preferences for how it be handled? (For example, a preference that your partner(s) tell you right away if something bothers them, a preference that they give you some time after telling you something heavy for you to process and respond, etc. Please note that for any conflict that cannot be resolved within a single conversation, we STRONGLY ENCOURAGE coming to the mods for support and not allowing things to escalate! Participants should also all feel welcome and encouraged to come straight to the mods without having talked to their partner first if that feels safer/better!)

We also encourage you to talk with your partner about your practical limits. What is the maximum project length that works for you? Is there a period of time where your partner will not be able to contact you for many days? Is there anything else along these lines that you want to let your partner know about in advance?

klb

Hello again,

We're at the halfway point of icebreaker week!

If you're finding that you're not able to answer the whole set of questions within a day but think they'd be valuable to go through, please feel free to spread the five days of icebreaker questions out across more than 5 days to fit your schedule.

This next set of questions is geared towards helping partners get more familiar with each other's work and creative process.

Why do you create fanworks? What does it mean to you?

What wishes and expectations do you have in how your fanwork is treated? If you have a blanket statement/dear author letter/other policy, you may want to link your partner to it and discuss it.

Share a piece of a fanwork you're particularly proud of (a page or so of a written work, a few minutes of an audio work) and explain why you're proud of it.

Read/listen to your partner's shared fanwork, and give feedback about what works for you about it.

shmaylor

Day 2's icebreaker questions are related to group work!

What strengths will you bring to the group?

What things do you struggle with when it comes to group work? (And, if you want, how can your partner help you with these things?)

Have you ever collaborated on a fanwork with someone before? If so, describe what it was like, which things worked for you, which things didn't work as well.

What are you hoping for from this collaboration experience? What would your dream version of pod_together collaboration look like?

klb

Hello lovely participants,

The start of a partnership is always so exciting as you and your partner(s) figure out how you'd like to work together! Icebreaker week is designed to support that process, with a combination of fun and helpful getting-to-know-you questions. They've started some incredibly useful and productive conversations in the past, and we hope they'll do the same for you now!

These exercises are optional, but we hope they'll help both those groups that were assigned and the ones that formed on their own. We encourage group members to stay in contact with each other this week, answering as many questions as they are comfortable with.

Today's questions are geared towards helping group members learn a bit more about each other, personally and fannishly.

Most Useful Questions:

Name as many books, movies, TV shows, animes, comics, celebrities, etc. that you can think of that you have felt or feel fannish about.

List 5 things you enjoy in stories (e.g. a kind of trope, story line, etc.). List 5 things that you do not enjoy in stories.

What communication methods and interaction level did you put in your sign-up, and why did you choose them? (If you did group sign-ups, you may want to look at those questions on our matchmaker sign-up form and then answer them for your partner). It could also help to describe the communication level you don't want——what sort of communication patterns would feel uncomfortably high/uncomfortably low for you, and why?

Extra Bonus Fun Questions:

If you could be any fannish character for a day, who would it be any why?

If you could have any super power, what would it be and why?

If you were stuck on a deserted island what 3 fanworks would you want with you?

What are 3 facts about yourself (fannish or otherwise) that you haven’t already mentioned?

klb

Before signing up, please take a moment to review the Rules, FAQ, and Content Moderation Policy

There are 2 kinds of sign-ups.

For those looking to be matched up into a partnership or group, go to our Match Maker Signups Airtable form.

If you would like to see who else has signed up to be matched into a group, please follow this link. Note that all email addresses and "MOD EYES ONLY" comments will be kept private. Participants may also choose to make their whole signup private if they prefer!

For those who already have a complete group, go to our Group Signups Airtable form.

Thinking about participating, but would prefer not to commit to the check-in schedule or length requirements? Consider putting together a Party Favor project.

If you're on the fence and have questions, or want to try to scout a group before signing up, we have a section of our Discord open just for that. Click this invite link to join!

If you have questions for the mods that you prefer to ask privately, you can always message us directly in the Discord server, or email us at pod.together@gmail.com

All sign-ups close Saturday, June 15th.

klb

Frequently Asked Questions

( What’s the difference between Match Maker Sign-ups and Group Sign-ups? )

( Will all groups have just one writer and one podficcer? )

( What's a Party Favor? )

( What's the modding style like? )

( I've gotten my assignment, now what?, or 'What is icebreaker week? )

( What happens in the Pod-Together Discord server, and do I need to join it? )

( What should I do if a deadline is approaching and I don't think I'll be ready? )

( How finished does my work need to be at the deadline? )

( If my group creates a multi-chapter work, do we have to post all the chapters at once? )

( May we post the audio and text in separate AO3 posts? )

( How do we hand in our finished creations? )

( What happens if my group meets the Early Writing and/or Early Podfic Submission Deadlines? )

( What does a work written specifically to be podficced look like? )

( Are translations of pre-existing works allowed? )

( I am new to this sort of collaboration. How exactly will it go? )

pod_together is multi-platform! You can follow us on Dreamwidth (

pod_together), twitter (

pod_together) tumblr (

pod-together), and/or join our Discord server.

If you have any further questions please feel free to ask here or email us at pod.together@gmail.com.

klb

Welcome to

pod_together, a challenge where writers and podficcers create together—the writer creating text specifically intended for audio, and the podficcer creating the audio.

While we encourage participants to read the FAQ, here are the basic rules you need to know going in:

( Basic Rules )

Timeline

Friday May 31st Sign-ups open.
Saturday June 15th Sign-ups close.
Sunday June 16th Assignments go out to everybody from Match Maker Sign-ups.
Monday June 17th through Friday June 21st Icebreaker week.
Sunday July 7th Check-in #1.
Sunday July 21st Check-in #2.
Wednesday July 24th Early writing submission date.
Sunday July 28th All writing due.
Sunday August 11th Check-in #3; text must be posted to AO3 collection.
Wednesday August 21st Early podfic submission date.
Sunday August 25th All podfic due.
Thursday August 29th Reveals start.
Saturday September 7th Reveals end, Party Favors due.
Sunday September 8th Party Favors revealed.
Saturday September 14th through Sunday September 15th Weekend Jamfest listening and commenting event.

( Notable changes from previous years of this challenge )

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Icebreaker Week Day 1

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Pod-Together 2024 FAQ

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