Welcome to the insanity!
I am Michelle. I have performed in my school's non-audition band, audition band, and marching band on the flute. I am in both the non-audition band and audition band currently, and participated in this year's marching season. When I was in middle school, we did after school jazz band for two months, and I played alto saxophone. I have been playing the flute for almost seven years now and have absolutely loved it. I loved playing alto while it lasted.
Band means a lot to me. Gosh, I'm tearing up right now. Without band, I don't know where I'd be in life. When I had nothing, I had band. Band is what has gotten me through life. When Covid-19 shut down my school, it was one of the worst times of my life. School was horrible, only two of my teachers did video conferences, the rest said I had to learn everything on my own. I was given more work than I have ever been given. I would work non-stop from 8 to at least 5 every day, not even stopping to eat most days. Many of the things that help me cope with stress were ripped away from me. I could no longer go to band. I could not see my friends (while I could text/call/etc, I need hugs from my friends to function). I could not attend my church meetings. All of that was taken away from me. My life finally started to get a little bit better when marching band started. Thankfully, I have lived in an area where there aren't as many cases, so in June we could begin our competitive season. I had not realized how much I had missed band. I was seeing my band-family again, and I was playing with others again, and we were readying ourselves for performances. I finally had hope. Marching band got me through the summer. We have been in-person for the most part, but marching band was not affected the couple times we went to hybrid or online. Band and fanfiction was what got me through the brief periods of online school or hybrid schedules. Just barely, we got to perform for a live audience for the first time. I am so glad that I got to have a final festival season concert. We didn't get to have one last year. My final first concert was in 2019, as was my final Christmas concert. Four concerts were taken from me by something as small as a virus. Don't ever take band for granted. Someday, everyone of us will have to leave it behind. We all must leave high school eventually. And 2020 has shown that crazy things can steal this from us. We will all have to experience life without high school band. None of us will be truly ready for it. So don't take for granted what you have now. Cherish it. Cherish the skills you'll gain, the friends that are like family to you, the teachers that care for you.
Sorry for the emotional stuff there. If it weren't for my dehydration, I would have cried.
In dedication to my love for band, I have decided to create this book. I love band, and I love fandom. Why not combine them? Why not make high school band AUs?
That's exactly what we got going on here. I don't know how many one-shots I'll put in here myself, and I don't plan on writing any for a while. But you are all welcome to submit one-shots of your own!
Below is instructions and a Q&A. Please read those! Lots of vital information there!
Instructions to Submit One-Shots:
1. Write your High School Band AU one-shot.
2. Make sure you edit and proofread your one-shot! Get rid of as many spelling and grammar errors as you can, and make certain your one-shot says what you want it to say and how you want it said.
3. Send your one-shot to cowboysrappin.
4. I will edit and proofread the one-shot myself as well. This does not mean you don't have to do it yourself! I am simply running through it, making sure there aren't mistakes. Sometimes a new set of eyes can do wonders in the editing process. But I don't have time to edit and proofread the raw material.
5. I will publish your one-shot, dedicate the chapter to you, and tag you.
Q&A:
Q: Is there a minimum/maximum word count?
A: Nope! Write as little or as much as you like!
Q: Can I send one-shots with multiple parts?
A: Sure! Within reason, of course. Five is the limit of one-shots that can tell the same story. If you want more than five, you should publish your own book! There is no limit to the number of one-shots that you can make that exist in the same universe if they do not come together to tell a story. For example, you can write six one-shots about Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes going at each other as they do in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier if not all six are connected. They can reference other one-shots, but only reference. You can also write multiple one-shots based on the same fandom that do not exist in the same universe, so to speak.
Q: Is there a limit to how many one-shots I can submit!
A: Nope! I would ask that you don't bombard me, but send as many as you would like!
Q: How do I send my one-shot to you?
A: You can private message me through Wattpad, Quotev, or Tumblr. My username on all three sites is cowboysrappin. If there are any issues, PM me. If that is not possible, comment here. Before you send me your one-shot, send a mini introduction. Follow this format:
[Message saying you are submitting a one-shot for Band Kids.]
Permission to Publish
Title:
Fandom:
Characters:
Ships:
Triggers:
Description:
Put N/A for Ships and Triggers if these categories are non-applicable. Remember, even high school band AUs can be triggering to some. For examples, depictions of mental illness may be triggering. Label your triggers. I may add a few triggers when I publish if I feel it is necessary. The description does not have to be lengthy. It can be something as simple as: "Chaos ensues when Sam and Bucky can't get along as drum majors."
Q: What do you mean, you will edit and proofread submissions?
A: I will run through and check for spelling and grammar errors. I will break up paragraphs where necessary (many authors on Wattpad do not break up paragraphs when they should). This will make your writing easier to read. I may come across a part of your one-shot that seems off and can't be fixed through proofreading. If so, I will contact you and show you the area that I find off and offer suggestions to fix it. I do not want to change your writing. I will only contact you if a section of your one-shot is making it hard to read and understand your work. Even if I don't like or disagree with a section of your writing, I will not ask for change unless it is hindering the readers' ability to understand. Even still, I will not change your writing unless you give me permission to. You can either choose to change it yourself, or you can ask me to change it. I would ask that you edit yourself so that the style is more consistent. If large chunks need editing, I will ask that you edit. Every step of the way, I will inform you of what is happening. If I make changes while proofreading, you will know. You will have the final say during the editing process. I am not your secondary author. I am the publisher, and I will act as such.
Q: How soon will you publish my one-shot?
A: ASAP. Once all proofreading and editing is done, I will put it up. I will message you, tag you, and dedicate the chapter to you.
Q: Will you include the fandom, lists of characters, ships, and triggers, and the description in the chapter?
A: Absolutely. It is common sense to list such things. Keep this in mind when writing descriptions. You don't want to spoil anything!
Q: Can I write crossovers?
A: Yes! Just list all fandoms when you submit.
Q: Can I only submit for certain fandoms?
A: No, do whatever you please. I may decline submissions from some fandoms if I have a serious issue with it. But I can in no way make a comprehensive list of those fandoms here, so just ask if you are wondering if I may have an issue with a fandom.
Q: Can I swear in my one-shot?
A: NO. Part of my religion is that I can not swear. Due to this, I will not publish anything that swears. All swearing in my published works are direct quotes from canon, and even then there are certain lines I will not bring into my works. You may put in "f***" or "$%^&" as replacements for swear words. You can also use "heck," "darn," "crap," etc. But no straight swearing allowed.
Q: Do my one-shots have to be in English?
A: Yes. At least for now. I am not fully decided, so for now I am sticking with only English. But this may change in the future.
Q: Can my one-shot contain R rated material?
A: NO! This book is targeted towards minors, so absolutely no mature content is allowed. Mature content includes: sex, nudity, sexual touching, extreme violence, etc. I also will not allow depictions of alcohol use, tobacco use, vaping, or drug use of minors. Consult me on the "extreme violence" part. This is a hard thing to navigate, so I will tell you what I am comfortable publishing.
Q: What types of triggering content can I write?
A: Off the top of my head, there is nothing I can think of that I will absolutely forbid. Some examples of triggering content I can see possibly finding its way here are: depression, anxiety, sexual abuse/assault/harassment, and child abuse. These are topics we should carefully navigate. Sexual abuse/assault cannot be depicted here, but it can be mentioned or eluded. Please remember to be respectful when writing about these topics.
Q: You keep talking about triggers and stuff? Can I write just a cute, fun one-shot?
A: Absolutely! The content I write myself here will probably be like this. Just a few people screwing around at pep band.
Q: If I do not feel confident in my writing skills but have an idea, can I send a request?
A: Sure, but there is no guarantee that I will write it. I have never seen Doctor Who, so I can't exactly write Doctor Who fanfiction, can I? Or I may feel uncomfortable writing about a certain topic. Or I could just not have the time to do it. I reserve the write to decline any request. Also, if any of you reading this are down to write for requests, comment here. I will give credit for both the author and the one with the idea.
Q: You kept saying "band" earlier. What about orchestra/color guard/etc?
A: Any part of a high school instrumental department can be included. Concert band, marching band, orchestra, pep band, pit orchestra, percussion, drum line, color guard, etc. Y'all are welcome. I just said band a lot because that's what I'm in.
Q: Can two or more co-write a one-shot?
A: Yeah. Have one person submit and list all authors.
Q: Will you co-write with me?
A: Probably not. Don't have the time. There may be exceptions, but don't count on it.
Q: Where will my one-shot be published?
A: I will have this book published on Wattpad, Quotev, and Archive of Our Own. You must give me permission to publish. If you only want this on Wattpad, then it will only be on Wattpad. I would appreciate having your one-shot on all three sites, but you have the last say.
Q: Can this be based off of real life events?
A: At least one of mine will be. So, yes, go for it.
Q: Can I publish my one-shot on my own while it is published here?
A: Yeah. It's your writing. Go for it.
Q: Can I ask you to take down my one-shot.
A: Yeah. It's your writing. You control it.
Q: Will you contact me if there are comments/votes?
A: No. You have to check that yourself?
Q: Is there anything you won't allow?
A: I will not publish anything offensive to one's race, religion, gender, sexuality, health, etc.
Q: What is your stance on politics in fanfiction?
A: Normally? I don't care. But I want to keep this as unpolitical as possible. No endorsements of legislation or candidates. Political issues may be key in some one-shots (a black character experiencing racism). This is fine. But I don't want bashing of political views of purely political writing. Please. We have enough politics surrounding us. We need a break. Please.
If you have any questions, please ask! I'll answer ASAP
Have fun!