Attention, all ye writing lads and lasses!
There's a chill is in the air, lights are strung throughout the town, and shoppers are clamoring over one another in panicked delight for deals at the local market. And that can only mean one thing: It's time for....
THE THIRD ANNUAL SEKRIT SOLSTICE SCI-FI/FANTASY STORY SWAP!
I can't NOT post this gif.
That's right, gang, we are once again at the threshold of the greatest event in human history*!
For those who have not participated in the SS-SFF-SS in the past, this is a writer-focused word party wherein folks gift stories to their fellow authors based on prompts provided by the giftee. Please review last year's SS-SFF-SS Thread to get a feel for what's involved.
That said, because NaNo just finished and the holidays are soon upon some of us, we decided to give folks enough time to rest before jumping back into the story-making process. As such, we're aiming for a delivery date around mid-to-late February. This not only helps kill time during the Dark Ages (Jan-Mar), but…actually, that’s about it.
Basically, the gist of the event is this:
Not this:
If this sounds like your kind of playground, here are the rules and such.
The Rules and Such:
1) There are two primary ways of participating: RECEIVING and GIVING. See Rule #6 for The Beta Option.
First, let's talk about RECEIVING.
Signing up to RECEIVE a gift means signing up to GIVE a gift. No exceptions. Since the spirit of this event is giving, you ask for treasures, you have to give treasures. The Sign-Up List of AWesome** is located at the bottom of this post.
2) When you sign up to RECEIVE, please include a prompt that provides parameters for your gift. This can be anything: a word, a quote, an author name, an idea, a theme, etc. Just give your gifter a direction in which to run.
Also, please specify themes/topics that you are okay with/not-okay with, i.e. boo to violence, sex, swearing, gore; yah to kittens, marshmallows, and smexy emo teen vampires.
Unless otherwise specified, gifters will assume all bets are off.
mwahahaha
Example:
Golly, CM, this sounds like the greatest event in human history! Of COURSE I’ll participate. Sign me up to both give and receive.
Prompt: I'd like a light, humorous Sci-Fi-Fant-UF-Western-Zombie-Erotica-Self-Help story, please. Nothing dark or with gratuitous violence/smexy times. Kittens a plus.
I am willing to write anything, even smexy emo teen vampires***.
While the above is (kind of) a joke, please keep in mind that broad/vague prompts tend to give your gifter more latitude. That said, it's your prompt, so if you really WANT a light, humorous Sci-Fi-Fant-UF-Western-Zombie-Erotica-Self-Help story, by all means, ask for it!
Also, I'd read that.
Final Prompting Note: If there are topics you absolutely don’t want to write about, please include that as well. Similarly, if you're both GIVING and RECEIVING and a prompt really excites you, rep me and I'll try my best to
accommodate you. Otherwise, it’s fair game for me to assign you to a prompt.
But CM, what if I don't want to RECEIVE a story, but DO want to GIVE one?
3) I'm glad you fake-asked, fake participant! Should you so desire, you may absolutely sign up to GIVE a gift, but not RECEIVE one. If you’re the benevolent type that loves to give and give, I’ll forward you a copy of my Wish List. I’ll also hook you up with a giftee. Please let me know if you want to give a story in general or for a specific prompt that inspires you so I can match you appropriately.
4) If there is someone you don't want to write for, no matter the reason, please rep me with your request. I will do my best to honor it.
5) Once the sign-up thread closes, you'll have approximately 6-8 weeks of writing time to create your masterpiece. As always, if you hit a snag or have questions/concerns, you can contact me via the e-mail that I'll send your prompt from. Or you can reach out here on AW. Either way, please keep me in the loop and I'll do my best to assist you.
6) The Beta Option: This is the tangential way to participate since beta volunteers are always welcome. If you're not interested in giving or receiving, but would like to play as a beta, let me know via Rule #10. Just don’t use this to your advantage when we open the guessing thread! Authors may also seek out betas as they desire.
7) There is no limit to story length. We’ve seen everything from 2k to 20k. A good story is a good story, so don't fret the word count. Just the deadline****.
8) When it’s time to deliver your story to me and my team of Story Elves, please make sure to include a 200-400 word section (pasted directly into the e-mail) that you feel best represents your tale of wonders. I’ll use this for the guessing thread. For those unfamiliar, here is a link to last year's Guessing Thread.
9) The author of the story owns the story. The prompt is merely a motivating tool, but does not transfer ownership of the story to the giftee in any way. Everyone who participates in this event agrees to this.
10) To ensure you have read ALL THE RULES, including this one, please rep me (on this post) a statement that says you have read and agree to all the rules AND that you swear to give your gift by the deadline. Please also provide an email in the rep, even if you've played in the past, so the Story Elves and I can send you your gift when it’s time. Addresses change from time to time, so I don't want to send prompts to the wrong folks.
I also ask that you please avoid PMing me. My inbox is stuffed with messages as far back as 2010 that I'm in the process of cleaning out.
No, seriously, I'll do it. Eventually.
Here ends The Rules and Such.
The Timeline of Excellence:
December 1st: Sign-ups open. Masses flock to this thread. Hope reigns supreme.
December 21st*****: Sign-ups close. Late-comers reap a harvest of sorrow.
December 25th: Assignments are...uh...assigned. Hooray! Presents for everyone!
All hail last year's winner: TAMaxwell!
TAM ruled fairly and with a gentle hand, but will this season's winner do so as well? Only time will tell.
Personal Note: This is hands-down my favorite writing event. There’s something magical about writing specifically for another person using their prompt because it often takes you outside your comfort zone or helps you explore a genre you never considered before. The more people who participate, the more fun we have, so feel free to tell your friends, family, kids, cats, or even that strange neighbor who mows the yard in nothing but a sheen of sweat and a smile.
And now, without further ado....
The Official Proclamation:
The 2014-2015 SS-SFF-SS season is now officially open!
Let's get this party started!
The Sign-Up List of AWesome:
Name: | Both Give and Receive(B)/Give Only(G)
1) TAMaxwell: B
Note: How fitting that last year's Supreme Guessinator is the first one in?
2) aliwood: B
3) ShadowFlame: B
4) tianaluthien: B
5) Bobo The Bard: B
6) Sage: B
7) eyeblink: B
8) SianaBlackwood: B
9) Sian: B
10) zanzjan: B
11) hillaryjacques: B
12) Friendly Frog: B
13) tjwriter: B
14) Marlys: B
15) AshleyEpidemic: B
16) amergina: B
17) Hoplite: B
18) Tamlyn: B
19) Lillith1991: B
20) mrsmig: B
21) Muppster: B
22) Katrina S. Forest: B
23) tiddlywinks: B
24) Blinkk: B
25) CobraMisfit: B
26) Albedo: B
27) CheG: B
28) phantasy: B
29) PEBKAC: B
30) Layla Lawlor: B
31) Michele AKA Twig: B
32) Niccolo: B
The Beta Options:
1) Little Anonymous Me: BETA ONLY.
2) Ari Meermans: BETA ONLY
[the sign-up list is still lonely. it only wants to love you. won't you let it?]
ORGANIZER'S NOTE: It's easier to list what I need from folks, so I'm putting everyone in the Sign-Up List of AWesome and what items are missing. I've also moved Beta-ers to their own list and will do the same if/when we get Givers Only. That helps keep the list neat.
*individual experiences may vary. Void where prohibited.
**see what I did there? See?! Aw, never mind.
***except, I really don't want to write smexyemoteens. Please don't make me.
****don't fret too much. That deadline date is carved in orange Jell-O.
*****that's right, gang, we're giving you all a FULL THREE WEEKS to get in on the fun. Let the streets fill with joyful hordes!
******as always, the due date will shift if folks need more time.
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