Rockin' Around the Holidays

The author reveal is now live!

After a week of nail-biting suspense, you can now see who wrote which stories for this year's exchange :)

All authors are now also welcome to re-post and archive their stories elsewhere as they wish.

I want to thank everyone again for taking part this year, especially our wonderful pinch-hitters and also those who volunteered to write stories without asking for anything in return. Y'all made this year run more smoothly than ever and for that I'm eternally grateful.

Cheers!

Hello all!

As we launched the archive one day early this time around, I'll be making the author-reveal live tomorrow (at some point during the day). So today is your last chance to leave any feedback on the stories this year before the reveal, though of course you're welcome to continue to do so at any time after that.

I'm also going to be working on adding a "complete" index to the archive for all stories from all three years so far, so it can be browsed through at any time by author, band, or recipient. That'll probably be added at some point before the end of this month.

Once again, I'd like to thank everyone who took part this year and made xmas_rocks such a fun challenge to run. After the reveal I'll have our annual suggestion/bitch/feedback post up as well, if anyone has any comments to make on how we can do it even better next time around.

And it's a day early! But thank our wonderful pinch-hitters for getting things in all on-time!

Main archive

2009 Stories by Fandom/Pairing

2009 Stories by Recipient

All recipients will soon receive an email with a direct link to their story/stories, in case they miss the announcement here.

Also, we're opening up an irc channel today (and, if I'm around, tomorrow) for anyone who'd like to hang out and chat about the stories. It's at #xmasrocks and you can use the instructions below the cut to get there:

( IRC instructions )

Anyway, please go forth and enjoy everyone's hard work - and if there are ANY problems/goofs/missing links, PLEASE let me know right away as I can get to fixing it :)

Hello everyone! This is just a quick status update as we get closer to this year's archive opening.

As noted previously, all authors should have received by now a preview copy of their story to review. If you have not, please let me know.

We have just a couple last-minute & pinch-hit stories to come in, but the good news is that no one should be without a story on January 5 (unless I've made some huge bonehead error and then you can publicly flay me for that).

I'll still accept any stocking stuffers, up until Jan 3, if you get inspired as everything else is pretty much ready to go and looking good.

And a final reminder or two: remember, please keep your identity as an author a secret until after the author reveal on January 12. After January 12, you may repost any stories you wrote wherever you wish, link people to them, etc. But until then we don't want to ruin the surprise.

Also, every story in the archive will have a link so you can leave comments on it, either signed or anonymously. Be sure to take the time to thank the person who wrote your story for you--and feel free to comment on any other stories you read and enjoy! Many of our authors have really pushed themselves to write outside their usual "comfort" zones in order to meet others' requests, so be sure to let them know their work is appreciated.

That's all for now...next post here from me will be to announce the archive opening!

Yo ho ho, everyone.

This is just an update that everyone who submitted a story on or close to on-time should soon be receiving a "preview" copy of their work, as it will appear in the archive. Please check your mailboxes later tonight for that. If all looks well, you do not have to get back to me. But if you notice any problems in formatting, any last minute typos that you caught but I missed, please let me know so I can get things fixed before the archive launch.

I must say there are some GREAT stories coming this year so I'm really looking forward to being able to share them with you all!

Hey everyone,

Well, the good news is I heard from everyone this year about their assignments - most got done on time, a couple are running late but should be taken care of, and pinch-hits have been assigned as necessary to ensure everyone will get at least one story on January 5!

After Christmas, you will hear from me with a link where you can preview how your story will look in the archive. I may point out/suggest a few typo corrections if I catch them, which will be noted in the email you receive from me if so for your approval.

As things are moving pretty smoothly, I'd like to open up the possibility of there being even MORE stories this year for everyone to enjoy! Below the cut here you will find a list of all pairings which were actually requested for this year's exchange. From now until January 1, you can submit to me a story of ANY length (from a drabble up to whatever!) which will be posted to the archive when all new stories are revealed on January 5. Again, authors' identities will be kept secret until the reveal on January 12, and in this case you won't even know who you're writing your story for, so it'll be a double-surprise :)

Stocking-stuffer submissions should go to sockii@policefans.org. You do not have to have signed up to originally participate in the challenge to send in a stocking-stuffer story. But if you're feeling a little extra-creative between now and the New Year, this is your chance to make someone a little extra-happy!

( List of all requested pairings )

OK, folks, the time is counting down to the submission deadline! You have until midnight EST tonight to get your story in (countdown clock for the timezone-challenged :))

[ETA: Due to the trouble that seems to be going on with my regular email account at the moment, please send your submission to BOTH sidewinder72@earthlink.net AND sockii@policefans.org. Hopefully this will deal with the problem and make sure your submission is received on time.]

The updated list of received stories which have met the basic requirements for the exchange is below. If you sent me your story and don't see your name on the list below, please leave a comment here. I will provide you with an alternative email to try sending it to me, or explain why your name is not on the list.

Remember, as stated in the FAQ and has been the rule every year, your story must be 1,000 words in length at minimum (and this year I'm checking this as stories come in, to avoid last-minute scrambles to meet this requirement.) If your story submission doesn't meet this requirement by the deadline, a call for a pinch-hit for your recipient will go out, and you will be considered in default as far as being able to participate in xmas_rocks next year.

List of currently accepted/approved submissions:
1. Scaramouche
2. joanne
3. Trin
4. Trickseybird
5. Chrissy (mayqueen517)
6. arrys_girlie
7. electricwitch
8. elessar
9. ScrewTheDaisies
10. Marianna
11. luisadeza
12. Lady Simoriah
13. Trey
14. Jen
15. Simon Fink
16. Hector Rashbaum
17. Highway Joe
18. narcisse

OK folks, this post is going to be updated through the next few days as I receive stories. Your name will be added to this list once I've

- received your story
- made sure I can open it, read the formatting, and it makes the minimum word count

So if you've sent in a story and don't see your name listed here, please contact me immediately!

As in previous years, all authors will receive a link, sometime between now and the week after the deadline, where they can preview how their story will look in the archive. So if you catch any formatting or other errors in your story, that will be the time to let me know.

Thanks again, everyone - and let's try to get those stories in! If you have any last minute questions, now's the time to ask - but check the FAQ first to see if you can find your answer there!

Current list of authors who have completed and submitted their "assignment":
1. Scaramouche
2. joanne
3. Trin
4. Trickseybird
5. Chrissy (mayqueen517)
6. arrys_girlie

Yo ho ho, everyone!

This is just a reminder that everyone's stories are due next MONDAY, DECEMBER 22. So far I have yet to receive anyone's stories, but I hope that's not because folks have forgotten-but just because they are working hard to make them the best they can!

Remember, submissions should be emailed to sidewinder72@earthilnk.net. Preferred format is .rtf or plain text, as I do NOT use Microsoft Word or Word Perfect and sometimes have formatting troubles trying to convert those file formats on my mac. If you have any questions yet about your assignments or know you will not be able to complete them, please let me know AS SOON AS POSSIBLE so I can get requests out to potential replacement authors.

Thanks!

Assignments have been mailed!

If you do not receive yours, please first check your junk mail, and if it's not there, leave a comment here and I will contact you to resend your assignment.

Please keep in mind a few things as you review your assignment.

- You only have to write ONE story from the list requested by your recipient.

- Your offers may only match one request from your recipient, or it may match more. I could not guaranty matching more than one in order to complete the matching process for everyone. If you believe there is some error and you received an assignment matching nothing you offered, please contact me at sidewinder72 @ earthlink . net immediately.

- If you feel so inspired, you can write ANY of the pairings requested by your recipient, whether you initially offered it or not.

- If your recipient did not supply any prompts and you would feel more comfortable writing based on one, please contact me, and I will pass along the message and attempt to get further info from your recipient.

Remember, you have until December 22 to submit your story! I will post again in coming days with some reminders on how to submit your final story :)

Thank you to all who signed up to participate this year. Below you will find the final list of participating authors.

If you signed up and your name is not on this list, please let me know as soon as possible!

Also, please make sure to watch your email in the coming week for a message from me with the subject line "Your xmas_rocks assignment". I will try to have assignments mailed out by November 10.

Final list of participants:
1. ScrewTheDaisies
2. luisadeza
3. Jen
4. Hector Rashbaum
5. electricwitch
6. Tas
7. JM
8. Trin
9. Chrissy (mayqueen517)
10. khemlab
11. trickseybird
12. Evaine
13. Lady Simoriah
14. Highway Joe
15. Scaramouche
16. arrys_girlie
17. Chrissy (clippedwings)
18. Joanne
19. Marianna
20. Leah on the stairs
21. narcisse
22. Trey
23. Simon Fink
24. Fuschia
25. me :)

Hello once again!

This is one more reminder that the sign-up deadline is approaching on November 3 - that's 7 days away. Now is the time to make your decision on whether or not to participate if you've been debating it still.

Now is also the time to check back on the status of the pairings you've requested and offered.

If all of the pairings you requested are in the RED, you may want to consider revising your sign-up to include at least one pairing that has been offered by someone other than you. Take a look at the pairings listed in green and orange and see if you can switch any of your requests.

If all of the pairings you've offered are in the ORANGE, you should consider revising your sign-up to include at least one pairing that has actually been requested by someone (other than yourself, of course).

To sign-up or revise your sign-up, please leave a comment on the official sign-up post.

This is just a friendly reminder that there are 2 weeks remaining to get in your sign-up for this year's fiction exchange. Currently we have 22 sign ups confirmed, three of which are writing only.

The good news is so far, I believe (but don't hold me to it 100%), everyone currently has at least one match as a writer and on their requests. Of course, there are still a lot of bandoms and pairing requests in the red or not requested/offered at all yet. If you're worried about signing up and not having anyone interested in writing the pairings you want - or receiving the pairings you'd be comfortable writing, don't be shy about promoting xmas_rocks to your friends and communities focused on the pairings you like! That's the best way to help ensure more folks will be able to get the stories they want this year.

And also don't forget that you have up until the sign-up deadline of November 3 to change your sign-up as well, if you've had a change of heart about what you like or see another pairing you'd like to request/offer based on the current status of the pairing list.

I've had a couple folks ask if they could volunteer to write a story (or stories) this year without requesting anything for themselves, for whatever reason (either they're too late to get their requests in, don't want to have to request/offer 5 or more pairings, or they're just incredibly generous, wonderful folks!)

So I just wanted to take a moment to say, yes, if you'd like to sign-up only to write a story, you may do so. Please comment on the sign-up post just as you would for a regular sign-up and just include a note that you are offering only, not requesting. If so, you do not have to offer 5 or more pairings, only those you'd feel comfortable writing if requested. You will be bound by the same time deadline, word count minimums, and other rules as all other participants are, so keep that in mind.

By allowing this, we'll be increasing the chances of successfully matching everyone's requests with a willing author, after all, and it means that some lucky folks might even receive more than one story off their request list!

The question was raised to me off-comm, but I thought it was worth explaining in more detail here.

"So what does the color-coding mean? What's a 'good' color vs. a 'bad color'?"

The color-coding on the pairing list is a way for you to track the pairings that have been requested vs. the pairings that have been offered. It's there to help you see which requests you've made, or might like to make, have the best chances of being filled. It also lets you see which of your offers are more likely to be taken up as well.

If a pairing is listed in green, that's a "good" thing. It means more people have offered to write it than have requested it (or there are equal numbers of requests & offers, but more than 1 of each). So if it is one of your requests, there is a chance you will get that pairing in your story.

If a pairing is listed in orange, it's basically a "neutral" thing. It's been offered, but no one's requested it yet. If all of your offers are in orange, at some point you should consider changing them before the deadline of November 3, because that means no one has requested anything you've offered to write. However, if you're still deciding what to request, orange means it could be a good choice as at least someone out there has offered to write it already.

If a pairing is listed in red, it could be a bad thing, but it depends. Red means there are more requests for receiving a story than there are offers to write it. Or there may be one request & one offer only - and only you, as a requester of that pairing, know whether or not you were the person who also offered to write it. Closer to the deadline, I will usually ask all participants to review the pairing list and look closely at those red pairings; are there any of them you're willing to add to your offered list? If all of your requests are in red, can you change any of your requests to something with a better chance of being matched on? Or can you go to your friends in that fandom and see if anyone else is interested in signing up to participate, increasing the chances for successful matching?

So that's basically how the color-coding system works. As an admin, I'm always happy when I can change a pairing to green :) It can be fun watching the colors change through this month (just like the leaves on the trees, heh).

This is it - time to sign-up for this season's xmas_rocks exchange!

Please read the sign-up instructions closely and make sure to include all of your information. Your sign-up will not be accepted unless it is complete.

( Sign-up details )

Pairing nominations are now CLOSED for this year's fic exchange.

Please, if you nominated pairings and they were approved, check the list of accepted pairings to make sure yours are there. If not, comment here.

We will be opening sign-ups tomorrow, so watch for the sign-up post and the full details on the sign-up procedure then.

Today is your last day to get in pairing nominations for this year's exchange!

Remember, a pairing MUST be on the approved pairing list in order to be requested during sign-ups, beginning Monday.

Hello everyone!

This is just a reminder that you have until this Saturday, October 4, to get in your pairing nominations.

Please use this time to check the current nominations list. Make sure the pairings you nominated are there, and if you didn't use your full 8 nominations up, now is the time to add those pairings you were debating still (or bug your friends to get their nominations in as well.)

Sign-ups will open on next Monday, the 6th, so now is also a good time to start looking over that list and think about which pairings your going to want to request - and which ones you'll be willing to offer to write.

This is it--the official pairings nomination post!

Please comment below with up to 8 pairings you would like to nominate for this year's xmas_rocks exchange. They might be pairings you're planning on requesting yourself because you'd like to read them--or maybe they're pairings you'd like to write if someone sees them on the list and goes, "Oh, that would be interesting!"

Remember that nominating pairings does not commit you to signing up for the exchange; you've got plenty more time ahead for that. But if you're even considering participating, please nominate your pairings now to make sure they'll make it to the final eligibility list. You also don't have to nominate all 8 at once--if you have one or two ideas for now, please feel free to send them in, then add the rest of your nominations later.


As per the F.A.Q., please follow this format when nominating your pairings:

Band Name (Band Member A's full name/Band Member B's full name)
Crossover (Band Member A's full name, Band/Band Member B's full name, Band)
Crossover (Band Member A's full name, Band/Solo Artist B's full name)

For instance, one person's nomination list might look like:

1. The Beatles (John Lennon/Paul McCartney)
2. The Beatles (John Lennon/George Harrison)
3. The Beatles (Johh Lennon/Brian Epstein (Beatles' manager))
4. The Who (Pete Townshend/Roger Daltrey)
5. Foo Fighters (Dave Grohl/Taylor Hawkins)
6. Crossover (Pete Townshend, The Who/Roger Waters, Pink Floyd)
7. Crossover (Mick Jagger, The Rolling Stones/David Bowie)
8. Crossover (David Bowie/Elton John)

Please see the F.A.Q. for full rules on who and what can be nominated.

Give full names and not just first names or pairing nicknames/abbreviations, please! I don't know all the nicknames for every pairing out there, and this will save me having to ask you for further information before accepting or declining a nomination.

I will update this post with a list of accepted nominations as they come in, so you can see easily what pairings are on the list already. If something's already on the nominations list, you don't have to request it again! So please check the list over first before sending in your requests.

If you don't have a livejournal account, you can also send me your nominations directly at sidewinder72@earthlink.net, just put "xmas_rocks" somewhere in your subject line.

Now let's get started!

You have until October 4th to submit your nominations!

( List of currently accepted nominations )