yuletide: Yuletide For Newbies, or, what is this yuletide thing anyway?

Mary Crawford (

marycrawford) wrote in

yuletide,
@ 2006-10-26 23:05:00

Yuletide For Newbies, or, what is this yuletide thing anyway?
[Note: I'm not part of the Official Yuletide Team, just trying to help out. :-) ETA: This post now updated for Yuletide 2008!]

Yuletide is a yearly fan fiction gift exchange that has been around since 2003. The focus is on rare and obscure fandoms, from fandoms so tiny that nobody's ever written a story for them to fandoms that used to be decent-sized, but have died down to a small trickle of stories.

Why should I participate?
If you participate, you will get a story in that one, rare fandom that you always wanted to read, written just for you. And you'll be able to make someone else happy by writing a story in their fandom, just for them. The stories can be gen, het, slash, or anything in between. You can also request and offer specific characters. The stories must be at least 1000 words.

Which fandoms can I ask for?
You can pick three to four rare fandoms to request a story in, from a master list of over 2500 fandoms that people have nominated. And you can offer as many fandoms to write in as you want. You will still get one story written for you and be assigned one story to write; the extra fandoms just make it easier to match you with someone else.

When's the deadline?
You'll have to upload your story by December 20th 2008 at 9:00 pm, US Eastern time.
Then, on December 25th, the story archive goes live! You'll be able to read the story that was written for you, and everyone else's stories as well. At this point the authors of the stories are still unknown, so you can try and guess, and leave feedback for people who may or may not be your best friends. This is a big part of the fun. Then, on December 31st, the authors' names go up on the archive too.

Okay, this sounds cool, where do I sign up?
Here is the sign-up page, where you should go when sign-ups start. Watch

yuletide_admin for announcements. When you sign up, please read all the instructions carefully; however, if you goof, you can submit your choices again. Just make sure to use the same name/email combination.

No, wait, I need more information.
There's the Yuletide FAQ. Bear in mind that the hard-working Yuletide team is still updating the FAQ for this year, so some information may be out of date. The up-to-date information will always be posted at

yuletide_admin: look there first.

Other things you may need to know:
- You must be at least 18 to participate.
- You have to write a story for someone, using the fandom and characters they requested, if you participate. This is a real obligation. If you default, you may be banned from ever participating again.
- The secret gift exchange part of Yuletide means that you won't know who is writing a story for you, and you will have to keep your own assignment a secret.
- Please read all the instructions and information first; if you still have questions, please comment below or at

yuletide_admin or email the Yuletide team: yuletide at yuletidetreasure dot org.
- Have fun!

(Post a new comment)

	Help! sahiya 2006-10-27 02:00 am UTC (link)
	Okay, I realize someone else figured this out on their own, but I didn't. How do I select characters' names that aren't next to each other? I'm on a Mac, using Firefox. (Reply to this) (Thread)

	Re: Help! triskellian 2006-10-27 08:01 am UTC (link)
	Hold down the Command (Apple) key while clicking all of your selections. (On a PC it's the Control key.) (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

	Re: Help! sahiya 2006-10-27 02:48 pm UTC (link)
	Thanks! (Reply to this) (Parent)

(Deleted post)

	Re: Help! sahiya 2006-10-27 02:49 pm UTC (link)
	Thanks! (Reply to this) (Parent)

lacunarity
2006-10-27 02:27 am UTC (link)

Sorry if this question has been asked elsewhere.

When I'm doing a selection of characters I'm willing to write, I keep getting a popup saying that I shouldn't choose more than four characters at a time. I'm willing to write any combination of about 10 characters in a fandom with many, many characters. Is there a good way for me to say I'm willing to write all the permutations?

(Reply to this) (Thread)

	flambeau 2006-10-27 08:14 am UTC (link)
	If I remember correctly from last year, what you do is offer the same fandom several times over, until you've been able to pick all the characters you want. (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

	lacunarity 2006-10-27 11:47 am UTC (link)
	I've been able to pick all the characters, but I'm asking if I need to pick them multiple times so I can get the character combinations I'm willing to write. (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

flambeau
2006-10-27 12:08 pm UTC (link)

Yes, sorry -- if things are working the way they did last year, and you want to offer to write A/B and B/C but not A/B/C, you pick the same fandom twice in order to be able to offer those specific combinations. With more characters, pick the same fandom more times. *g*

(With reservations that the mods might have come up with something else this year! But they haven't mentioned it if they have.)

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

lacunarity
2006-10-27 01:30 pm UTC (link)

Hopefully next year they'll drop the limit on number of characters offered to write. It's just annoying because if I'm okay with writing any pairing combination of A B C D E & F I have to offer:
ABCD
ABEF
CDEF

It took me a while to optimize that, so most people would probably have to choose more. Add in just one more character and the number of permutations doubles.

This is only an issue in fandoms with really big casts, like Sandman, Discworld, Avatar, etc.

(Reply to this) (Parent)

p_zeitgeist
2006-10-28 02:12 am UTC (link)

Okay, here's a totally noob question that I can't get an answer to via the FAQ (although I fear I can guess what the answer will be). And that question is, is there any way of getting any information on what the requests for a fandom look like before you've committed to writing for it? It looks to me as though you can't even look at what characters have been requested for a fandom without having submitted at least the first part of the signup form, let alone have any hint of what a requestor might turn out to want.

Which strikes me as a potential issue, if one is going to take the idea of making a story a gift, and writing to a recipient's tastes, at all seriously. It's looking to me as though one could offer to write, say, for Baum's Oz books, volunteer to take on any characters from the first book, and then find that what your recipient is really yearning for is rapefic featuring Glinda, the Witch of the West, and the Cowardly Lion. Which would be great for the correct writer, but perhaps you're not that writer.

So, is there a way to gather enough information to avoid this sort of thing? I know it's supposed to be a challenge and all, but it strikes me as unfair to everyone to go around promising to do something before you have enough information to make a reasonable guess at whether you can actually do it.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

marycrawford
2006-10-28 11:10 am UTC (link)

Is there any way of getting any information on what the requests for a fandom look like before you've committed to writing for it?

AFAIK, there isn't. And I think that's part of the challenge: you're not signing up to a sure thing. OTOH, the recipient can ask for something specific if she wants, but that's not a sure thing either.

There is a bit in the FAQ about this here and here:

The minimum requirements for a story are that it be one thousand words in one of the fandoms on your recipient's list, using all of the characters they specify, if any -- although you are not limited to only the characters they specify, nor do you have to include all characters, if they chose "Any." It is not mandatory that you follow your recipient's detail comments. Those are there solely to give a general sense of what the person might like to read, even if they include additional character requests. If you can accommodate them, great. If you're not sure, heck, give it a try (it is a challenge, after all!). However, if you don't feel that you can accommodate their specific requests, that's fine, too.

In your example, you'd be signed up to write a story about Glinda, the Witch and the Cowardly Lion. The recipient added a note saying 'I'd love rapefic if you feel up to it', but you really don't feel up to it, so you write a gen story about Glinda, the Witch of the West and the Cowardly Lion, and that's fine.

It looks to me as though you can't even look at what characters have been requested for a fandom without having submitted at least the first part of the signup form

Well, you can look at the master character list for that fandom, which does at least tell you which characters are available via the dropdown menu. But it's true that you can't tell which specific characters have been requested for that fandom. You will only be matched to someone who's asked for the characters you offered to write, though; don't choose 'any' as a character option unless you mean it. *g*

Hope that helps.

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

p_zeitgeist
2006-10-29 06:35 pm UTC (link)

Thanks very much! It does help, particularly the link to the master character list, which I hadn't found.

(I had found the FAQ about minimum story requirements; I'm just capable of tying myself into knots over things like the implied, if minor, tension between the hard requirements and the strong encouragement to consider a story as primarily a gift, to be tailored as much as possible to the recipient's taste and wishes. Although I do realize that the world is not perfect, and that probably no one expects for it to always be possible to resolve that tension in an ideal kind of way.)

So now I shall go and look again, with reference to the characters on the master lists, and see whether that doesn't cut through some of the fog of anxiety.

(Reply to this) (Parent)

aka_arduinna
2006-10-28 09:13 pm UTC (link)

If you're really not comfortable signing up without more details about stories, there's another option -- you can wait for the New Year's Resolution challenge after the author reveal, when all the unanswered requests go live in a big list, with all the details visible. You can pick and choose anything you want to write from that. It's not a story exchange like Yuletide, but it might be a good way to see what sorts of things people request in the fandoms you think you'd be able to write, so maybe you'd be more comfortable risking it next year.

Honestly, most of the requests are pretty general. *g* Most people are so psyched at the thought of *any* story in their tiny fandom that they don't want to make things too hard for their santa. Also, asking for very specific scenarios is pretty much frowned on, and anyone who does ask for one knows there's a good chance it won't be met. As long as you write the fandom and the characters, you've met the challenge. The details are totally optional.

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

p_zeitgeist
2006-10-29 06:39 pm UTC (link)

Most people are so psyched at the thought of *any* story in their tiny fandom that they don't want to make things too hard for their santa. Also, asking for very specific scenarios is pretty much frowned on

Ah, that's very helpful to know. Because even if you're confident of being able to write *something* in a fandom you've offered, the thought of disappointing somebody on Christmas morning is the kind of thing that, let's just say, encourages careful consideration before you volunteer.

(Reply to this) (Parent)

	(Anonymous) 2007-07-12 08:30 am UTC (link)
	hi! I've been watching and reading the stories for yuletide for a couple of years, and have decided to participate this year. i apologize if this is already addressed, but i couldnt find anything about it: my fandom isnt on the list of rare fandoms. are we able to nominate/submit it to be on the master list? thank you :) (Reply to this) (Thread)

marycrawford
2007-07-12 05:13 pm UTC (link)

Hey, I hope you're watching this so you'll know I answered! *g*

Glad you're joining, it really is a lot of fun.

my fandom isnt on the list of rare fandoms. are we able to nominate/submit it to be on the master list?

Yes! Very likely it will be the same as last year: in the autumn, the call will go out for people to nominate rare fandoms, and you can put in your suggestion then. Please keep watching this community for the announcement.

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

	(Anonymous) 2007-08-04 12:32 pm UTC (link)
	cool! thanks for replying! =) (Reply to this) (Parent)

anitaray
2007-10-04 04:45 pm UTC (link)

I don't think the FAQ talks about this (though it addressed the converse scenario) so I'm just sending this question out there:

What happens if nobody requests the fandoms/fictypes that I am offering to write? Because there's 1600 fandoms, and as far as I can tell, about 250-300 participants. And the fandoms I've picked out are highly, highly obscure, even on that list of obscuredom...

Just wondering.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

marycrawford
2007-10-04 05:36 pm UTC (link)

Hi! I Am Not A Mod, but I will tell you what I know, and the mods can chime in if necessary.

Because there's 1600 fandoms, and as far as I can tell, about 250-300 participants.

Heh. You're right about the number of fandoms, but way off on the participants - last year, there were 900 participants, and the number has risen every year. I expect us to break a thousand this year. So that means there may well be others who share your tiny fandom (yay!).

Here's a couple of things to consider:

- You can offer to write as many fandoms as you want, so when in doubt, add more fandoms!
- If nobody requests any of the fandoms you offer, I believe you will be asked to re-offer different fandoms so the Yuletide crew can match you. If you don't have any such 'back-up' fandoms and you think yours might all be one person fandoms, you should maybe not sign up.
- You can also wait and look at the signups page - it's not visible now, but when signups go live, the page will show all the fandoms with numbers and colors added, so that you can tell which fandoms have people requesting and/or offering, and how many. (It sounds complicated, but it's really easy when you see it.) That way, you can see if anyone is asking for your fandoms. This method isn't foolproof, because the numbers change until the very last minute while people change their minds and re-do their signups, but it should give you some idea.

Hope that helps!

(Reply to this) (Parent)

	doire 2007-12-23 04:53 pm UTC (link)
	Far too late for this year, but perhaps for next year. What conventions are there for sign-up names? I thought I read the FAQ thoroughly and opted for even more pseudonymous than my LJ name. Now I read the contributers list there are names I know so, clearly, not everyone does. Umm, looks like I plan to repeat the ~~terror~~ experiance. (Reply to this) (Thread)

marycrawford
2008-10-17 03:53 pm UTC (link)

Eep, I just found this and realized I never replied to it. I'm sorry!

In case you were still wondering, I don't think there are any real rules or conventions for sign-up names for Yuletide. You'll be completely anonymous until author names go live, so it's not really an issue.

You can use your LJ name or another pseud you use, or call yourself Yuletide Fairy or whatever you like. The only thing that you might want to keep in mind is that if people read your story and love it, they'll probably want to look you up to see if you've written anything else they might like. So it's a good idea to fill in your LJ and/or website address when you sign up, no matter what pseud you use.

(Reply to this) (Parent)

	daigranon 2008-11-03 12:07 pm UTC (link)
	Oh, this looks exciting ^^ (Reply to this) (Thread)

	marycrawford 2008-11-03 01:06 pm UTC (link)
	It is! And signups are open now. :) (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

	daigranon 2008-11-03 01:35 pm UTC (link)
	Yes, I just signed up! (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

	marycrawford 2008-11-03 01:49 pm UTC (link)
	Wooo, go you! I need a lot more time to wibble about my options. :D (Reply to this) (Parent)

alyse
2008-11-09 01:21 pm UTC (link)

Hi there.

I know that in the past there have been rules that say you're only able to sign up if:

a) you've been a participant in previous yuletide challenges; or

b) you've filled one of the unfilled 'New Year' requests.

I assumed that this was to make sure that people were actually capable of delivering on what they were offering.

I know it meant I couldn't sign up the first time I wanted to, and I did mean to fill one of the outstanding requests to be eligible, but I'm afraid my writing mojo died for most of 2007. But it's back now :) and I can't see any such rule.

I was wondering whether I'd just imagined it, or whether you'd opened up sign ups to new authors this year? I'd quite like to sign up if I could.

Thanks.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

marycrawford
2008-11-10 08:11 am UTC (link)

Ack, I'm sorry to hear this was so confusing. Yuletide is totally open to new authors, and as far as I know it's always been and the rules you mention were for people who had defaulted, but I'll ask

elynross if my memory is correct. It was definitely open for new authors in 2007 - the only rule was that you must not have defaulted (signed up and then not written a story) in 2006, and that you must be over 18. (You can still see this mentioned in the FAQ here.)

So, in short, Yuletide is open to new authors in 2008! Do go and sign up if you want to join - you have until 9 PM US Eastern Time tonight (Monday 10th) - and good luck! :-)

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

	alyse 2008-11-10 11:11 pm UTC (link)
	Thank you. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	elynross 2008-11-10 04:16 pm UTC (link)
	Just confirming Mary's comment, yes, you can sign up! You're right, we did do qualifying stories for a year or two, in hopes of cutting into our default rate, but it didn't seem to make a lot of difference, and made a lot more work keeping track of things, so we dropped it a year or two ago. (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

	alyse 2008-11-10 11:12 pm UTC (link)
	Thanks :) (Reply to this) (Parent)

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