(no subject)

[clarahow]

Hey writing peeps...I've got a question and I don't even know where it might be appropriate to ask so I'm just gonna shoot and tag a few lovelies who might have answers...

Do you think it's better to drop out of a Bang (or two) that you're not sure you can finish? At the beginning of the summer I was totally confident I could finish both the Marvel and NCIS bangs, but now I've got a few fests and bingos going on too, and this coming week I actually have a take-home exam of four essays on a book I haven't finished yet due, and I've had writer's block, and basically everything's due either the end of July or the first few days of August and I really don't know...and then I also have a brilliant idea for the Cap/IM bang, which would be way different than and about characters I'm (slightly) less connected than those of the Marvel Bang, not to mention more than twice as long, but also including another (small) fandom I've been getting back into???

I don't know what to do with myself. Is dropping out of comms also in order? There are a couple I know I will not leave (and one that is actually going on hiatus pretty soon) but otherwise...I like them all but I feel like I've signed on for way too much, especially with being in school now and quite possibly continuing in the fall.

badly_knitted naemi femme_slash_fan pretty pls be my fandom moms (parents?) and help me

(other friends/comm buddies welcome to comment too, ofc)

Comments

[swan-secrets.livejournal.com]

Yes, it sounds like you should definitely cut back a bit on the banging (so to speak), file the brilliant ideas away and do them next time the bang comes around.

Comms tend to be easier to drip in and out of, most should be good with you temporarily slowing down or stopping while you have other stuff going on and welcome you back with hugs and kisses when you're good to go again.

[naemi.livejournal.com]

It's absolutely okay to drop out of a big bang. Most, if not all, mods have it rather you tell them early than see you struggle later, possibly when already paired with someone. Some comms have rules about dropping out when matched with your artist already, so be sure to read them; they're often like, hey, if you drop out super late/let someone else hanging, you can't participate next round. Some comms give you the possibility to not submit something for art claims/rough drafts and still post your fic if you manage to finish, without art or with your own. (We do that.) In any case, if you decide to drop out, let your mods know sooner rather than later.

I dropped out of the NCIS Big Bang every year since I was a mod … ahem =D

As for comms … I guess you're talking about sort of continuous games like card games or the like? I have no experience with these, but they should all have rules or at least a friendly mod you can contact and share your doubts/fears/whatevz with. I'm pretty sure they are also happy to hear from you before you simply vanish. I think some communities give the opportunity to simply go on a hiatus for a while and then return.

Of course, with every weekly challenge community, you don't have to do anything—you participate or you don't. But I'm pretty sure that was not the question, haha.

I hope this helped.

[bk_forever]

It's no good overstretching yourself, and you woyuldn't be the first (or last) to drop out of something you've signed up for but now don't have the time to complete. Sometimes you jut have to be realistic and drop what you know you're not going to gt finished rather than stressing yourself by trying to fit everything in.

It's the same with communities, you can always re-join at a later date if you choose to, but whittling things down to something you can manage is often the best course of action. You're not letting anyone down, it's just that at present your priorities have changed, real life is taking precedence over fandom life and there are only so many hours in the day.

*hugs*