The 2017-2018 Sekrit Solstice Sci-Fi Fantasy Story Swap

Maggie Maxwell · Mar 13, 2018

paddismac said:
You WILL join us next year, 'cause, like the Cantina, once you check in you can never leave.

Yeaaahhh, pretty much. The annual events around here get addictive. It starts with the Sisyphus, then the Beta Project, next thing you know you're spending all December writing flash fiction and then January and February writing another for someone and then prepping a novel for the BP and you never get a break and you love it.

Ari Meermans · Mar 13, 2018

One more week to givin' and gittin' pressies. :snoopy:

CobraMisfit · Mar 13, 2018

Tazlima said:
If you're a fast writer and want to pick a prompt and write a story-gift for the prompter, I bet Cobra would be willing to add your excerpt to the guessing thread (you'd have to double-check with Cobra about that, though).

I'd be okay with it, but the Sisyphus is about the participants, so we'd need to check with everyone before doing so.

If you want to beta-read, there's always somebody looking for a fresh pair of eyes.

If you just want to wait and guess who wrote what, you can do that too. Any AW member can guess, whether they participated or not, and you get recognition and glory for guessing correctly.

Finally, if you just want to hang around and enjoy the vibe, you can do that too!

All of these, too!

KateSmash said:
Livin' it up in the Hotel Sisyphus-ia. Such a lovely boat, such a lovely goat.

Aaaaaaaand song bombed.

THANKS, KATE!

Maggie Maxwell · Mar 13, 2018

CobraMisfit said:
I'd be okay with it, but the Sisyphus is about the participants, so we'd need to check with everyone before doing so.

*shrug* It'd be as if someone signed up to be a Giver really, really late. I doubt anyone's gonna complain about an extra story.

Aggy B. · Mar 13, 2018

Well, I mean, yeah, extra stories. But part of the thing about the gift exchange is that normally everyone gets and gives one story. And, I know that this year some folks are just writing extra stories because they want to and I'm okay with that. But, if we do away with the structure of the swap then I think it could get a little lopsided and it would defeat the purpose of being matched. (Since it's not *completely* random. Cobra matches folks based in part on what they want to write with what folks want to receive.)

Maggie Maxwell · Mar 13, 2018

Aggy B. said:
Well, I mean, yeah, extra stories. But part of the thing about the gift exchange is that normally everyone gets and gives one story. And, I know that this year some folks are just writing extra stories because they want to and I'm okay with that. But, if we do away with the structure of the swap then I think it could get a little lopsided and it would defeat the purpose of being matched. (Since it's not *completely* random. Cobra matches folks based in part on what they want to write with what folks want to receive.)

Well, remember, there's the Giving option. It almost never gets picked, but it's always been there. People have gotten extra stories from givers in the past. it's not changing the structure of the swap, it's always been a part of it.

1b) GIVING ONLY: 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 (or more than one if you so fancy). Please let me know if you want to give a story in general or for a specific prompt so I can match you appropriately.

Aggy B. · Mar 13, 2018

Yes. But even with giving only things are still usually balanced out. I would really hate to be the person that only got one story because all the spur of the moment givers picked someone else's prompt.

Maggie Maxwell · Mar 13, 2018

It's impossible to balance with any givers, though, because all the receivers are giving too. Say there are 50 boths and 2 give onlys at the beginning, that's 52 people writing stories and only 50 receiving. Two people will get extras.

paddismac · Mar 13, 2018

AARRGGHH!! One. More. Scene. I can't believe I'm so close! The universe is bound to be messin' with me...

Still haven't chosen my excerpt. Gotta check back on last year's email to Cobra. I forget how that was formatted.

rusoluchka · Mar 13, 2018

Maggie Maxwell said:
It's impossible to balance with any givers, though, because all the receivers are giving too. Say there are 50 boths and 2 give onlys at the beginning, that's 52 people writing stories and only 50 receiving. Two people will get extras.

Ah, ah, achoo!

Sorry, I'm allergic to numbers. Word count and consistent page numbering is as far as I go. Don't ask me to Math. I English.

themindstream · Mar 13, 2018

Maggie Maxwell said:
Yeaaahhh, pretty much. The annual events around here get addictive. It starts with the Sisyphus, then the Beta Project, next thing you know you're spending all December writing flash fiction and then January and February writing another for someone and then prepping a novel for the BP ...

Tell me more?

Lillian_Blaire · Mar 13, 2018

KateSmash said:
Livin' it up in the Hotel Sisyphus-ia. Such a lovely boat, such a lovely goat.

This will be stuck in my head forever.

Maggie Maxwell · Mar 13, 2018

themindstream said:
Tell me more?

The Beta Project! It's Sage's baby, and it's meant to pair writers and beta readers. People submit the first 750 words to Sage along with a hook (miniquery), wordcount, and what you're looking for in a beta. She posts these anonymously and assigns everyone participating three projects to critique the hook and first 750 of. Then, if any of them appeal to you, you let Sage know, and she'll let the writer know so they can reach out in they're interested in having you as a beta. It's a great way to hook up with dependable readers and to find great stories to beta.

Kjbartolotta · Mar 13, 2018

Maggie Maxwell said:
The Beta Project! It's Sage's baby, and it's meant to pair writers and beta readers. People submit the first 750 words to Sage along with a hook (miniquery), wordcount, and what you're looking for in a beta. She posts these anonymously and assigns everyone participating three projects to critique the hook and first 750 of. Then, if any of them appeal to you, you let Sage know, and she'll let the writer know so they can reach out in they're interested in having you as a beta. It's a great way to hook up with dependable readers and to find great stories to beta.

That sounds amazing! If didn't have more beta readers than I do things to beta, I'd be so down. But, for the moment, iz writing.

CobraMisfit · Mar 14, 2018

Just to close the loop on the idea I tossed out there, while I 100% agree with Maggie about the Giving Option, it's also rather late in the game. Therefore, I recommend that for this season, we table the idea and re-engage with it in December. Not that I want to deny anyone the opportunity to jump aboard the Sisyphus Train, but with Monday as the approaching deadline, it might be easier to simply let it pass for now.

Thoughts?

Also, a note about Monday: Since we always operate off of midnight as the deadline, stories won't be due until the END of Monday. I'll spend most of Tuesday sending them out and, with luck, have the Guessing Thread operational by COB. Sound like a plan?

E.F.B. · Mar 14, 2018

CobraMisfit said:
Just to close the loop on the idea I tossed out there, while I 100% agree with Maggie about the Giving Option, it's also rather late in the game. Therefore, I recommend that for this season, we table the idea and re-engage with it in December. Not that I want to deny anyone the opportunity to jump aboard the Sisyphus Train, but with Monday as the approaching deadline, it might be easier to simply let it pass for now.

Thoughts?

Also, a note about Monday: Since we always operate off of midnight as the deadline, stories won't be due until the END of Monday. I'll spend most of Tuesday sending them out and, with luck, have the Guessing Thread operational by COB. Sound like a plan?

I agree on all points.

Justobuddies · Mar 14, 2018

CobraMisfit said:
Just to close the loop on the idea I tossed out there, while I 100% agree with Maggie about the Giving Option, it's also rather late in the game. Therefore, I recommend that for this season, we table the idea and re-engage with it in December. Not that I want to deny anyone the opportunity to jump aboard the Sisyphus Train, but with Monday as the approaching deadline, it might be easier to simply let it pass for now.

Thoughts?

Also, a note about Monday: Since we always operate off of midnight as the deadline, stories won't be due until the END of Monday. I'll spend most of Tuesday sending them out and, with luck, have the Guessing Thread operational by COB. Sound like a plan?

Could you define when Monday ends? As we have a global community here, are we ending Monday at 2359 GMT or 2359 Baker Island Time after Monday everywhere in the world ends?

KateSmash · Mar 14, 2018

We usually operate on the idea of the end of your own particular Monday. :Shrug:

CobraMisfit · Mar 14, 2018

Justobuddies said:
Could you define when Monday ends? As we have a global community here, are we ending Monday at 2359 GMT or 2359 Baker Island Time after Monday everywhere in the world ends?

KateSmash said:
We usually operate on the idea of the end of your own particular Monday.

This.

I'm US Eastern, so that tends to be my cut-off. But, like JoB points out, we have a global community. So long as all the stories are ready to go when I get up on Tuesday, get (a lot of) coffee in me, and figure out where the "On" button is on the laptop, we're all good.

Justobuddies · Mar 14, 2018

KateSmash said:
We usually operate on the idea of the end of your own particular Monday.

Sometimes life is nothing but a never-ending Monday.

Aggy B. · Mar 14, 2018

CobraMisfit said:
Just to close the loop on the idea I tossed out there, while I 100% agree with Maggie about the Giving Option, it's also rather late in the game. Therefore, I recommend that for this season, we table the idea and re-engage with it in December. Not that I want to deny anyone the opportunity to jump aboard the Sisyphus Train, but with Monday as the approaching deadline, it might be easier to simply let it pass for now.

Thoughts?

Also, a note about Monday: Since we always operate off of midnight as the deadline, stories won't be due until the END of Monday. I'll spend most of Tuesday sending them out and, with luck, have the Guessing Thread operational by COB. Sound like a plan?

I'm not opposed to expanding the overall SSSFFSS, but I do think part of the fun is the event community so figuring out how to handle late-to-the-party folks needs some discussion.

As for the rest, I'm looking forward to reading my story, but also... busy with everything else so it's likely to be a pleasant surprise.

rusoluchka · Mar 14, 2018

Justobuddies said:
Sometimes life is nothing but a never-ending Monday.

AnnieColleen · Mar 14, 2018

Justobuddies said:
Could you define when Monday ends? As we have a global community here, are we ending Monday at 2359 GMT or 2359 Baker Island Time after Monday everywhere in the world ends?

I read this as “after the world ends”. That’s one way to enforce a deadline.

paddismac · Mar 14, 2018

AnnieColleen said:
I read this as “after the world ends”. That’s one way to enforce a deadline.

Finding this a lot funnier than I probably should at this point... :roll:

Justobuddies · Mar 14, 2018

AnnieColleen said:
“after the world ends”

^Is the name of my new zombie themed, goth metal band.

The 2017-2018 Sekrit Solstice Sci-Fi Fantasy Story Swap

Making Einstein cry since 1994

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Making Einstein cry since 1994

Not as sweet as you think

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Stories, stories everywhere

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this was a triumph

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Not as sweet as you think

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