Two polls, and my thoughts about writing your fic exchange prompts.

[kate]

sga_santa is live! I'll be putting up my request soon, but I was planning to post this before they went live. Whoops. It's here now, though. Losers folk, take a look at the poll further down pretty please?

DISCLAIMER: Clearly everyone is different as to the level of detail and direction they like, so there is no way you can write your prompts/request/letter to please everyone. However, here are a few directions to help you make your prompts as widely helpful and non-offensive as possible. (Also, see the poll below to see what other people think of as helpful in their Dear Author/Artist letters.)

DO:

I like Cuddy/Chase best, but I also enjoy House/Foreman, Thirteen/Taub, and Chase/Wilson/Cuddy. Indicating your top preference is great – then your gift-giver will have no doubt as to what your favorite is, if they can provide it. If they can’t, though, the second part is essential – give them some more to work with. Same goes for genres, ratings, kinks or hotbuttons. Listing what you love is great, but giving a few alternatives may save your gift-giver’s sanity. Remember you’re going to be on the other end of a prompt or request! (Corollary to this: Only ask for what you’d really enjoy receiving. Bending over backwards to be accommodating if you aren’t going to like the end result just means your author/artist will have worked hard to give you something you don’t really want.)

Here are a few ideas but don’t feel the need to stick to them. Some gift-givers want lots of detailed guidance – some only want a shove in the right direction. By outlining a few scenarios that you’d like to see (a variety here would be helpful), but indicating that these are just suggestions, you give the detail person something to go on and the not-detail person an idea of what types of stories you’d like.

I like schoolgirl uniforms, and I would love it if you could dress Garcia and Morgan up in them. Don’t be ashamed of what you want! Your author/artist wants to give you a present made just for you. Don’t make yourself or your gift-giver feel bad by making your post self-flagellatory. There is no shame in owning your desires. Ask for your scenarios like you mean it!

Be encouraging. You were a scared first-time participant once upon a time. You were a newbie writer/artist/vidder/podficcer once upon a time. A little encouragement will help your gift-giver feel like doing their best, which is good for you in turn, since you’ll be the recipient of their efforts.

DO NOT:

Leave your prompt space blank, or write ‘I like anything!’ 1.) Do you really like anything? Really? So that epic Gollum/Dobby shmoopy love story is right up your alley? You want Kaylee the serial killer who murders her whole crew? How about Starbuck in clown school debating marrying a red squeaky nose? Maybe an introspective piece where John McClane philosophizes on the nature of plant intelligence? If you would really be happy with a story like that, then take your chances and leave your prompts vague or non-existent. If not, give your gift-giver a little guidance. 2.) Ever had writer’s block? Ever stared at the cursor at the top of the page and wondered what to put there? Looked at an empty page of your sketchbook and wondered where to make the first stroke? Empty prompts can induce that same sort of deer-in-the-headlights paralyzing fear. Even people who really can come up with something from no more than a pairing won’t have their story suffer from a little push in the right direction.

I hate x, y, or z. It’s Christmas. Be charitable, even to characters you don’t like. Saying ‘I think Lassiter’s the devil!’ is probably not the best way to indicate you’d prefer a Shawn/Gus/Jules story.

No squicky things. You are the only person who knows your squicks. Rule number 1: elaborate. Your author/artist cannot read your mind, so you must tell them specifically what your squicks are (and remember the golden rule here: assumptions make an ass out of you and umption – saying ‘no het, and all the icky kinks that go with het, like scatplay and incest’ really just shows your own lack of knowledge). Rule number 2: remember that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. The last thing you want to do is alienate your gift-giver by saying ‘No watersports! That’s icky and wrong and gross!’ when that happens to be their number one ironclad kink. A simple, “No friendship or cuddling, please,” is plenty.

No OOC. The good writers/artists already know. The bad writers/artists are not going to learn from your request post, so just let it go. If there is a certain genre that tends to change characterization in a way you don’t like, then just say you wouldn’t like it. “No crack or episode fics, please.” Don’t forget the please. This person is giving you a gift. The least you can do is be polite about your requests. ETA: busaikko points out that this was a point of contention recently, and she's very much right. See, what constitutes OOC is totally subjective. So, if there's some thing you don't think is in character, then simply include it in your list of 'DO NOT WANT.' Politely. Because there are people who will think it is totally in character, so you're not going to do anything but alienate your dwircle (if you have to post your letter/request, for example) or annoy your writer/artist (which is probably not good for the gift you're looking to receive).

I love my OC, and I’d love to see a story someone else wrote about them! Of course you love your OC, because they’re yours. But your gift-giver may not even know your OC, and to ask them to read your fic and then write in your universe when they signed up for a gift exchange based on a mutually agreeable canon is just plain tacky.

I want Spock/Sulu, where Spock is a garbage man and Sulu is a dog walker, and Sulu’s dog chases the garbage truck down the road, and then they meet and Sulu buys Spock a coffee for being so nice to the dog and Spock turns out to be allergic to something in the coffee so Sulu has to take him to the hospital where Spock almost dies and Sulu takes care of them and… Scenarios good, outlines bad. If you have that detailed an idea of what you’d like, write it yourself.

My SGA SeSa request from last year, as an example. I write fairly widely and read even more widely, so don’t take my enormous amount of ‘things I love’ to mean you have to offer your gift-giver everything under the sun. Keep your list to strict dislikes, and as many likes as you can muster. Positive reinforcement is better than negative.

Things I'd like: I would really love a John/Rodney story this Christmas. I love a lot of other pairings and characters, but I miss them lately, and I would love a John/Rodney present just for me. If John/Rodney is absolutely not your cup of tea, I’d like a gen ensemble piece or teamfic, or maybe a slashy rarepair like Radek/Ronon, Radek/Lorne, Teyla/Elizabeth, Teyla/Kate Heightmeyer, or Cadman/Katie Brown. I’m feeling the need for something heartwarming, but that doesn’t mean no angst or nothing bad happens – on the contrary, hope at the end of a dark story is love. I love AUs, crossovers, fusions, and canon. I love fluff, angst, romance, action, h/c, pwp, fairy tales, kink, dub-con, deathfic and crack, and any rating is just fine. Tell me the story where they’re cell phones or car parts or animals on the savannah, or tell me of John the princess that falls in love with Rodney the lowly scribe, or Teyla and Ronon’s adventures while the rest of Atlantis was Earthside in the Return, or the epic seduction of Elizabeth by Teyla in first season or Radek saving the day offworld with Lorne’s team. I will like it more if you love writing it than if you try to write something to any specification I’ve given here.

Things I wouldn't like: No mpreg, non-con, humiliation, or scatplay, please. I haven't seen SG-1 so a major crossover with it would be lost on me, unfortunately (though I have basic mental sketches of the characters, so don't feel like you need to exclude them).

Poll #4567 What do you prefer to get for prompts in your gift exchanges?

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 21

View Respondents

What is your favorite kind of prompt?

View Answers

A long, detailed, outlined story idea.
3 (14.3%)

A list of likes and dislikes.
13 (61.9%)

A couple of vague words.
1 (4.8%)

A longish ramble with lots of different bits and bobs.
14 (66.7%)

It doesn't matter; I go by their journal/fics/recs/something else.
4 (19.0%)

An idea of what style of story works best.
8 (38.1%)

A single definitive pairing.
2 (9.5%)

A list of characters/pairings they like.
13 (61.9%)

Definitive list of must haves.
3 (14.3%)

Vague list of things that might work.
10 (47.6%)

Something else you're not thinking of! (Comments always open!)
1 (4.8%)

Poll #4568 The Losers Winter Fic Exchange

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 22

View Respondents

Losers winter fic exchange?

View Answers

Yes
17 (85.0%)

No
0 (0.0%)

Maybe
3 (15.0%)

If there are enough people interested
2 (10.0%)

As long as I don't have to run it
5 (25.0%)

You're bonkers, aren't you?
1 (5.0%)

I was planning on writing Losers for Yuletide
2 (10.0%)

Would you participate?

View Answers

I'd write for it
18 (85.7%)

I'd pinch hit
10 (47.6%)

I'd read it
15 (71.4%)

I'd help mod it
3 (14.3%)

I'd advertise it
10 (47.6%)

I'd ignore it
0 (0.0%)

Due when?

View Answers

December - I like making it holiday-ish
6 (33.3%)

November - I like not having stuff conflict with Yuletide or my other challenges
2 (11.1%)

January - there's too much going on before then
11 (61.1%)

Some other time, I may or may not mention below
0 (0.0%)

When, if not November, December, or January?

View Answers

Which media?

View Answers

Movie
2 (9.5%)

Comics
0 (0.0%)

Both
19 (90.5%)

Must have ticky!

View Answers

Ticky loves winter exchanges!
10 (50.0%)

Ticky loves The Losers!
17 (85.0%)

Ticky loves carols and hot chocolate!
7 (35.0%)

Ticky loves snow!
9 (45.0%)

TICKY LOVES BOOOOOOOOM.
18 (90.0%)

Comments

[kate]

I agree. I also like general genre of story - I mean, if someone actually would like darkfic, I wish they'd say so, because I can write the hell out of that. But if they don't, there's no way to know if they'd like it and I will always go for safe, not sorry.

[trobadora]

Yes, that's a great point too.

Ironically, the person I'm currently writing a fic for did indicate genre preferences, but I'm not sure if I can write it. Thankfully there's plenty of time left ... *g*

[kate]

You can do it! \o/

I have complete faith in you. <3

[trobadora]

Thanks! *hugs*

My writing brain's not really working at the moment, bah. Need something to jump-start it ... Any thoughts?

[kate]

Do you do 750words? I hate the guy and I don't want to use it, but it totally worked for me when I was using it. :(

Or how about something like 15_minute_ficlets? Sometimes the only thing to do is find something to inspire yourself with, and then hope it rolls into what you really want to do.

Other than that, I've got nothing. A christmas/holiday exchange, maybe?

[trobadora]

Heh. lavvyan just suggested 750words to me. It sounds fabulously useful, and it's really annoying the guy seems to be such a douchebag. :(

I looked at several comms of the 15minutes/bingo/etc. variety, but I've never been able to write to prompts that vague. I need something more specific. Maybe if 750words doesn't work out, I'll just ask my flist for prompts or something. *sighs*

(I'm signed up for one exchange already, and I'm definitely going to do Yuletide as well, but the way things are going at the moment I'm going to end up writing my fic the day of the deadline. And not a word before then. I'd really rather not. *g*)

[kate]

Yeah, 750words is really shiny. It's worth looking at, and using - I just recommend not giving the guy money.

Ah, I can do vague prompts, but I prefer not to. I'd rather have something that really sparks an idea - that's why I like fic exchanges.

That's how I did my intoabar last year - I liked the end result, but I could not force myself to do it until the day it was do. And honestly, my Match fic this year was a slog too; the story I wanted to write wasn't really appropriate for the Match, so I ended up writing the story I did (which I like well enough, but which was way huger than I originally wanted it to be, because the whole time it was pulling teeth).

Well, no matter what, good luck. This is just one of those things, you know? I think everyone finds their way out of stuff like this, and while suggestions can help, there's no way to know what'll work until it happens.

[trobadora]

I'm giving it a try! No money, I hear you on that. :)

I know it'll go away at some point; it always grabs me again eventually. But the annoying thing is that I currently have fic I really REALLY want to be writing. So I'm hoping one of the suggestions I got will shake something loose.

(I hope you still had fun with the Match! *hugs*)

[kate]

<333 Good luck! I hope it works for you!

I had a fabulous time with the Match, of course I did! It wasn't mostly about the fic-writing anyway - I loved my team and watching the stuff come live and doing recs... I loved it. Had a fabulous time, will play again. <3

[trobadora]

Had a fabulous time, will play again. <3

Yay! We've already made Plans for next year. (Yes, they deserve the capital P. *g*)

[kate]

OooooooOoooOooOOOooooooooooooooooh. :D