Inception Remix Challenge

A quick reminder that remix drafts are due on Sunday, April 16. Email them to this iremixmods at gmail with the subject line: Remix Draft Submission.

Authors should post their finished stories to Ao3 in the Inception Remix Round 1 Collection on Sunday, April 23. If you finish your story (including a review by a beta reader) before that date, you may post your story to the collection in advance. It will be held in the moderation queue until Sunday, when it will be approved and appear in the collection with the other stories.

If you know you will NOT be able to post on that Sunday for whatever reason, please plan to post your story earlier in the week so you won't be late.

Here are instructions for how to post your story:
1. Go to this URL: https://archiveofourown.org/collections/Inception_Remix_Round_1

2. Click on the button at the top right that says, "Post to Collection"

3. Fill out the fields including ratings, warnings, etc. Also be sure to check the box next to "This work is a remix, a translation, a podfic, or was inspired by another work" and include a link to the original work you're remixing. If you're remixing a story that's on Ao3, all you need to fill out is the URL and the rest of the fields will be autofilled. If it's not on Ao3, manually type in the title and other information.

4. I recommend Previewing the post to check for any typos or formatting issues.

Once you hit post, it will be submitted to the queue for one of the moderators to approve. It will automatically be posted with the author listed as 'Anonymous.'

The authors will remain anonymous for five days so everyone has a chance to read the stories on their own merits without being influenced by author names. We recommend everyone leave comments in addition to kudos for the stories they read and enjoy during this time.

On Friday, April 28, the author names will be revealed.



Here's the schedule for the rest of the challenge:
Sunday, April 16 - Story drafts due
Sunday, April 23 - Stories posted anonymously to Ao3 Inception Remix Collection
Friday, April 28 - Authors will be revealed

A quick reminder that remix drafts will be due in about three weeks, on Sunday, April 16.

You should email them to this iremixmods at gmail with the subject line: Remix Draft Submission. You can either copy and paste the draft into the text of the email or include it as an attachment. If you finish your draft early, feel free to send it in before the due date.

Please copy and paste this template into your email and fill out all the information:

Ao3 Name:
Email:
Ao3 Name of the person you're remixing:
Title of the piece you're remixing:
Link to the piece you're remixing:
Rating:
Description: (optional)

A quick clarification on what's expected for the remix: a remix should contain most of the basic plot points of the original and/or the premise. It should be Arthur/Eames, for this round. But the ending does not need to be the same, nor any other elements. Since this isn't a gift exchange geared towards pleasing a recipient, we're looking for authors to use their imagination to create something bold and interesting based on the original work.

Here's the schedule for the rest of the challenge:
Sunday, April 16 - Story drafts due (six weeks)
Sunday, April 23 - Stories posted anonymously to Ao3 Inception Remix Collection
Friday, April 28 - Authors will be revealed

Remix assignments have been sent out. Hopefully everyone has had the opportunity to read through their assigned authors' Arthur/Eames works and get some ideas about what they'd like to remix.

A few thoughts about remixes from Fanlore:

Remixing techniques include (but are not limited to): retelling the same events from a different character's point of view, switching the narrative voice (e.g. from first to third person), changing the tone of a story, focusing on a different point in time in the same sequence of events, covering a smaller or larger scope of events, or writing an AU. Writers sometimes incorporate the dialogue or description of the original work into their remix story.

The word 'remix' to describe this rewriting and re-telling practice was chosen as a riff on the practice of remixes in pop music, where the vocal and instrumental tracks of a song are rearranged in time, speed, duration, or possibly entirely replaced.

Remix titles aren't necessary for this challenge, but in case you'd like some fun ideas and possibilities from current musical remixes:

Bob Marley - 'Is This Love' (LVNDSCAPE & Bolier Remix)
Drake & Rihanna - 'Too Good' (Lured & NGO Remix) (Conor Maynard & Sarah Close Cover)
Calvin Harris & Rihanna - 'This Is What You Came For' (Kiso Remix) (Jillea Cover)
Alicia Keys - 'In Common' (Black Coffee Remix)
Bryson Tiller - 'Rambo' (The Weeknd Remix)
Kanye West - 'Real Friends' (Erykah Badu Remix)
Bryson Tiller - 'Don't (WSTRN Remix)'
Yo Gotti Feat. Nicki Minaj - 'Down In The DM' (Remix)

Here's the schedule for the rest of the challenge:

Sunday, April 16 - Story drafts due (six weeks)
Sunday, April 23 - Stories posted anonymously to Ao3 Inception Remix Collection
Friday, April 28 - Authors will be revealed

Please reply to this post if you didn't receive your assignment or have questions.

All remix assignments have been sent out. As a reminder, please keep your assignment to yourself (and your beta) as fics will be posted anonymously to Ao3.

Here's the schedule for the rest of the challenge:
Sunday, April 16 - Story drafts due (six weeks) Sunday, April 23 - Stories posted anonymously to Ao3 Inception Remix Collection
Friday, April 28 - Authors will be revealed

Please email iremixmods at gmail if you didn't receive your assignment or have questions.

Authors will be expected to remix/write a fic based on a story previously written by your assigned author. There is no minimum word count.

Remix assignments will be randomly assigned and emailed privately by Sunday, March 16. The last day to sign up for the first round of this remix is Sunday, February 26.

REQUIREMENTS TO PARTICIPATE:
To participate, you must have written at least two complete Arthur/Eames stories (see more details below*). The more the merrier, but two is the minimum. In future rounds, we may open the field to other pairings or gen, but to keep things simple in the first round of we're limiting it to Arthur/Eames.

Your stories must also be available online on Ao3, your own web site, LiveJournal etc. There must be a way to quickly find all the stories through tags, memories, an index post, etc. If you have more than a few stories, be sure that you include pairing information to help remixers sift quickly through sometimes large archives to find fics they want to remix.

You must have written your stories yourself. Co-authored stories are allowed in two cases: if you are signing up as a partnership, or if your co-author offers permission. Co-writing teams are allowed to enter.

*Stories must be finished. WIPs will not count towards the minimum of two finished stories. They must also be longer than a drabble (100 words). So 101 words is okay--what we're looking for is enough story for a remixer to grab on to.

For more detailed rules, click here. To learn more about remixes in general, click here.

To sign up, simply fill out the form here. If you'd prefer not to sign up through the Google form, you may comment on this entry listing your LJ username, email address, and link to your stories online.

List of Participants so far: bauble, sibilant, bookshop, QueenThayet, swtalmnd, okaykatie, kedgeree11, homesickblues, earlgreytea68, Pinky's Creature Feature, oceaxe, VIII_XIII, Somedrunkpirate, teacuphuman, dasyatidae

Everyone who wishes to participate MUST join and watch the community, to ensure they do not miss important deadlines or updates to the challenge. Also recommended is the TRACKING feature (the pin icon in the tool bar) so you'll be emailed updates when new entries are posted in the community.

How does it work?

Interested participants sign up. They will then be shuffled, and randomly assigned another fandom author (who is also participating in the remix challenge). Each participant can then choose one of the stories of that author to rewrite.

In rewriting, the participant can change any stylistic element they like - point of view, structure, mood, length, language style, etc. The characters should still be present, at least some of the storyline should remain the same, but aside from that, writers are free to exercise their creativity.

All stories will be posted to the Inception Remix Round 1 Collection on Ao3 anonymously. They will remain anonymous for a week to give readers time to review the stories and judge them on their own merits without being attached to a particular author's reputation.

After a week, the author of each fic shall be revealed, which will conclude the first round of the challenge.

Remix Schedule:

Sunday, February 26 - last day to sign up
Sunday, March 5 - Author assignments will be emailed to everyone
Sunday, April 16 - Story drafts due (six weeks)
Sunday, April 23 - Stories posted anonymously to Ao3 Inception Remix Collection
Friday, April 28 - Authors will be revealed

Who can sign up?
To participate, you must have written at least two finished Arthur/Eames stories (see more details below). The more the merrier, but two is the minimum. In future rounds, we may open the field to other pairings or gen, but to keep things simple in the first round of Inception Remix we're limiting the field to Arthur/Eames.

Your stories must also be available online on Ao3, your own web site, LiveJournal etc. There must be a way to quickly find all the stories through tags, memories, an index post, etc. If you have more than a few stories, be sure that you include pairing information to help remixers sift quickly through sometimes large archives to find fics they want to remix.

You must have written your stories yourself. Co-authored stories are allowed in two cases: if you are signing up as a partnership, or if your co-author offers permission. Co-writing teams are allowed to enter.

STORY REQUIREMENTS:
-Stories must be finished. WIPs will not count towards the minimum of two finished stories.
-Stories must be longer than a drabble (100 words). So 101 words is okay--what we're looking for is enough story for a remixer to grab on to.

When I receive my assigned author, what can I remix?
You can remix any of your assigned author's finished Arthur/Eames stories. Only stories will be remixed this round.

Do the remixes need to have funky remix subtitles?
No, but they can if you want. An example:
Original fic title: A Love Crime
Remixed title: A Love Crime (The Good Times Remix)

Should I keep my author assignment and fic secret?
Yes, as the stories will be posted anonymously and we don't want to spoil the fun before the reveals!

Should I get my fic betaed?
Yes, we highly recommend you do. Please try to keep your fic private between you and your beta(s).






If you have more questions about remixes...
If you've never encountered a remix, or read a remixed fic before, we recommend reading this Fandom Wiki article and taking a look at past Remix Challenges. There are a number of different fandoms linked in the article and you can get a sense of how remixed fics usually look.

cupidsbow invited people to talk about their experiences writing for a remix challenge here and here.

musesfool has collected some more meta posts about remixing in her memories here.

If you have other questions, please comment to this post.

In a remix challenge, the moderators assign to each writer another participant's work. Each writer selects and rewrites at least one of their assigned participant's stories, with the expectation that another participant will do the same to one of the writer's own stories. Some fanfiction authors permit or encourage other writers to remix their stories at any time, without the structure of an organized challenge. Other fanfiction authors believe that unauthorized remixes are a violation of their moral rights as an author. Remixes should not be confused with a certain type of responsefic.

Remixing techniques include (but are not limited to): retelling the same events from a different character's point of view, switching the narrative voice (e.g. from first to third person), changing the tone of a story, focusing on a different point in time in the same sequence of events, covering a smaller or larger scope of events, or writing an AU. Writers sometimes incorporate the dialogue or description of the original work into their remix story.

The word 'remix' to describe this rewriting and re-telling practice was chosen as a riff on the practice of remixes in pop music, where the vocal and instrumental tracks of a song are rearranged in time, speed, duration, or possibly entirely replaced. - from https://fanlore.org/wiki/Remix

Keep an eye on this space. More details on how the first round of Inception Remix will function to come.