about #ficwip

#ficwip was born in January 2018. It was a driving-to-work idea that evolved from a weekly author chat called Coffee Shop Sunday that I ran as part of the Spock Prime Big Bang in 2014. On Sundays, authors would share excerpts from their fics, vent frustrations, and answer random writing questions. You might recognize the formula.From the start, #ficwip has welcomed writers from all fandoms. The original #ficwip, a Twitter event where writers shared an excerpt from any fic they were working on, ran weekly until the summer of 2020. It's now an occasional event.Our Discord launched in September 2019. During the pandemic, we took our favorite procrastination game #wordgamewednesday to Twitter. It turned out to be popular, so we've kept it up ever since! In 2020, we held our first event: the #ficwip 5k, an all-fandoms AU challenge! It runs annually along with Hey, Sweetheart, a Valentine's Day fest. Level Up! joins the ranks in 2024.We may have started life on Twitter, but we've moved beyond our life as a hashtag. We've got a foothold on tumblr and expanded to bluesky mid-2023!

—muse

_{carrd | bluesky | tumblr | twitter | ao3 | ko-fi}

FAQs

How do you pronounce #ficwip?It's pronounced "fic + whip." The hashtag is silent. 😌.How is it formatted?Just like you see it: #ficwip or ficwip (or @ficwip, if you're talking about our social media).It's not Ficwip, ficWip, FicWip, FicWIP, ficWIP, or FICWIP (not anymore—just in our early hashtag days). And definitely not Fic Wip..Do you really allow all fandoms and ships?We do! We've been inclusive from the start. All writers deal with similar struggles, so even if we don't read each other's work, we can support each other's creativity.

ongoing & upcoming events

#wordgamewednesday

Wednesday afternoons on social media & discordKeep an eye on our social media for the word of the week. It usually posts around noon ET. Find the word in your draft and share the sentence containing it (ideally without adding extra context).on tumblr
Play however you want! Reply, reblog, stick it in the tags, tag ficwip in a new post, or keep it private. the wgw tagon bluesky + twitter
Post the sentence or share a screencap (please consider using alt text!). If you use the #ficwip or #wordgamewednesday tags, please keep the excerpts G to Mature. And if any ships are obvious, give people a head's up so they can filter.discord members
Play in the #writing channel

3-sentence fic

monthly on blueskyA microfiction challenge exclusive to bluesky! Craft a complete story in just 3 sentences that contains an opening, a pivot or change in perspective, and an ending. Look for prompts on the first of the month.prompt feed
ao3 collection

Level Up!

April & May 2024It’s easy to get stuck in our comfort zones. This April & May, we challenge you to learn a new aspect of writing craft or art. This isn’t about making a masterpiece; it’s about trying something new. A public event for anyone 14 & upEvent info →

The 5k

June - August 2024The challenge: Write an AU for any fandom using no more than 5,000 words.Event info →

The All-Ships Ship Week

October 21-27, 2024The ship week for all ships, every last one of them! Info & prompts coming later this year.

past events

the #ficwip 5k

2020 Round: AO3 collection2021 Round: AO3 collection | complete list (gallery) | complete list (grid)2022 Round: AO3 collection | complete list (grid)2023 Round: AO3 collection

hey, sweetheart

The event where we challenge you to use the pet name “sweetheart” in fic or art! A public event for anyone 14 & up2022 round: complete list | ao3 collection2023 round: complete list | ao3 collection2024 round: complete list | ao3 collection

The Fic That Haunts You

Complete something that has haunted you for a while but that you’ve never finished writing. The original TFTHY was a sixth-month challenge in 2021. It then ran year-round on the #ficwip discord through April 2023. Fic and original fiction were welcome; posting was optional. (Muse is determined to bring this event back!!)the ao3 collection

Rise of the Dead Fandoms

Bringing fandoms back from the dead! A one-time public event that ran in November 2021. Creators made any type of fanwork for one of the approved fandoms. This may return as a discord event in the future.2021 round: complete list | ao3 collection

Dark & Cozy

Putting dark spins on cozy tropes. A discord-based event.2022 round: ao3 collection

tiny ship fleet fest

Celebrating non-canon rare pairs and crack ships! This event ran on discord in 2022 and 20232022 round: ao3 collection2023 round: ao3 collection

Multifandom Match

A Fluff vs. Angst collaborative team event that ran on discord.2023 round: ao3 collection

Make Me (Crack) Ship It

A crack ships event that ran on discord.2023-4 round: ao3 collection

Server invitations are paused while we overhaul the discord for the 5k! Please check back later.