Fic gift-giving for sensitive souls

[Glory1863]

Honeybee suggested that we start our own thread, so I'll do just that. It occurs to me - and maybe to you, too - that there is nothing to preclude the "sensitive souls" (or those of us who try to follow Dirty Harry's advice to know our limitations) from checking out the "want list" and picking something "in our range" if it's there. So that person gets an unexpected 2-fer; that's a true holiday surprise. We have fun doing it with no pressure of obligation or "going beyond our means", we aren't expecting anything in return and nobody need be left out. There's also nothing (yet) to preclude general posts to the board. Those fic are like the windows at Field's (oops, Macy's). Anyone/Everyone can enjoy a look. Sounds like a holiday win-win to me.

[Honeybee]

Hi Glory!

Aquarius and I totally support the idea of a separate fic gift system for those who don't want the challenge element - but what I don't want is the people who have taken on a challenge and are perhaps writing outside their comfort zone to feel in competition with those who are picking and choosing what they wish to write.

If you can come up with a different prompt system or different set of ideas - I'll gladly make it an official sticky thread and completely totally support it. Heck, I'll even sign up to do both.

But I want everyone to be happy - those who enjoy the challenge exchange and those who prefer the less restrictive version - and so I'd like to see them kept separate.

May I suggest the following as an alternative - based more on the drabble game system.

Each player requests a prompt word. Such as Holiday. They also say whether they read smut (if they don't if you request their prompt, no smut).

Each person can call ONE prompt by pm-ing the listkeeper. The listkeeper gives the call to the first person and keeps a tally of those prompts that are taken.

Something along those lines - loose, fun and non-restrictive. That way, people can do the gift thing without being intimidated.

What does everyone think? Again, I'm trying to make everyone happy - and totally think having two games going at once will be fine. But I'd like them to be separate.

[Kathy Rose]

While I can see both sides of this, I'm personally in favor of no picking or choosing. I fear that with picking what you want to write, a few people's requests might get left out in the cold, so to speak, if no one wanted to write them. Or there could be resentment engendered if "all the good ones" were picked by the time a person is able to make his/her selection.

Agreeing to write whatever you are assigned, no matter the pairing, etc., would make it especially important, however, that those participating follow through, no matter what. I've participated in a few ficathons of a similar nature, and am proud to say I have always been able to complete a story on time. Sad to say, however, the last one I was in, I never received my requested story. I was very disappointed. So if we do it this way, don't feel bad if you don't want to participate. No hard feelings. Better to know up front you might not want to write a story you get than to get an assignment and then decide you can't do it.

A separate prompt-style game is a good idea, especially if the only limitations are the prompt and smut/no smut. So we don't have two projects that would be time-consuming for those who want to do both, perhaps a word limit on the prompt-style game? Something longer than a drabble, but no longer than a thousand words, or even five hundred words? As opposed to the challenge fic, which lists likes and dislikes, a prompt-only would be much easier to limit in length. Or maybe a minimum length, like it has to be more than 500 words, but no upper limit?

Another thought about a prompt-style gift exchange: Would there be a way to hold the fics until a certain date, then post them all at once? It would be more like a RL gift exchange that way, and writers wouldn't be influenced by what was already posted.

[Honeybee]

I would totally be open to holding all the fics until a certain date, if the group decides on a separate prompt exchange.

If the new archive is live, we could certainly accept them but not make them live until a certain date. (I'm optimistic that by Christmas the archive will be open to all.)

[entkayjay]

Only a word prompt and smut/no smut? No other information?

It's not like anyone doesn't know my first love. But I like me some other pairings too, and friendship stories. There are some that wouldn't hit my kink. If it's a gift, shouldn't it have a few more parameters?

[Honeybee]

The problem is that people were not comfortable with the restrictions of the other fic exchange - and trying to pair people off with what they will do and won't with people who want this and that will be a nightmare for the person trying to pair people off and it is bound to leave someone in the cold - which is why Aquarius was a little reticent to start accepting various restrictions.


So, I wanted to suggest something very, very simple for the alternative exchange for those who just want to write to their muse.

[entkayjay]

Okay, then it seems to me that it's not a gift for someone, it's simply a writing prompt. Which is fine, but not quite the same intent as the main challenge.



I guess I would like to take part in giving someone what they would like to have, as a gift, without taking me down an unwanted road with potential triggers. The main exchange/challenge is not appropriate for me, totally my responsibility for that, and I'll pass but still offer beta services for some stories, because at least then I'm doing something to make someone happy at this time of year.

Maybe the alternative exchange will evolve into something uplifting, as well as fun, that I can do for the holidays.

Hopefully another challenge will come up later on that I can handle and participate in, because I really would like to write/read with a different audience than I've had in the past -- new (to me) blood makes it exciting and helps to expand my writing horizons. This board has felt like a safe place to do so, and I hope it continues.

[Aquarius]

I feel some clarification is in order here.

Aside from writing a gift for someone (which was the "benefit" part), the entire point of the the activity was to give up control and write what someone else wanted.

If anyone detected me getting a little frustrated yesterday--they were right. There's nothing much more frustrating than trying to come up with a cool activity for people, and having a couple of people miss the point and ask for a change. You're either up for it or you're not. This isn't the only activity we'll ever do--unless planning them and executing them becomes so cumbersome because everyone wants a loophole. In which case I'll say "screw it" and pull the plug.

My frustrations are kind of borne out of the seeming lack of regard for all the effort it takes to plan and execute something like this. The point wasn't to keep you all in your comfort zones. The point also was not to let select individuals cherry-pick. You either surrender control, or you don't--for just this one activity.

As I said, there will be other opportunities. We'll do a bromance thing. We'll do a Porthos thing. We'll do LOTS of things.

Okay, then it seems to me that it's not a gift for someone, it's simply a writing prompt. Which is fine, but not quite the same intent as the main challenge.

Exactly. And nothing will be, because either way, you're not doing the original challenge, you're doing something else. Even if there is a challenge element, it's not the same intent because you've deviated from the original challenge, which was to give up control, be selfless, and write what someone else wants. If you have really good personal reasons for not doing certain things, fine, I can respect that--but please don't make me be unfair to the people who signed on for the challenge by telling them "you can ask for what you want but we don't have to give it to you"--totally not the spirit of the challenge.

But because not everyone was happy with my activity, Honeybee is generously offering up her time to run a SECOND activity--which she has to take out of her time and deal with. Again, someone needs to plan and execute it, and we're volunteers, so it has to be realistically within her means to do so. I think that's more than fair, considering there's already another challenge going on and the holidays are such a busy time for people.

I'm not trying to alienate anyone. I'm not trying to make anyone feel left out. I'm just trying to explain my position so everyone knows the score. I don't want anyone to feel bad but in the process that shouldn't leave me feeling bad for trying to offer a meaty challenge through an exercise of giving.

[Honeybee]

And I have to say, that suddenly I'm regretting even offering to do a second challenge because it's become clear that it will be impossible to run these things on committee and there will always be people unhappy with the rules of any challenge.

It's starting to feel a bit thankless. There is work involved in this - and Aquarius and I do not have the luxury of worrying only about ourselves - we have to worry about all our members - and we do. But when different members want different things, we're the ones left having to navigate that.

[entkayjay]

I apologize.

I missed that the point was the challenge instead of the gift aspect, which is why I was seeking clarifications in the first place. I hope my misreading won't cause anyone more trouble.

Some of us haven't participated on a board environment before, especially one that's so geared to writing. There are bound to be mistakes.