Yuletide letter 2014
Dear Yuletide Writer,
Thank you so much for offering one of these tiny fandoms! Please rest assured that I will be in love with your story; I've been doing Yuletide off and on for a number of years and I've always been thrilled with my gifts. The fact that you're willing to go deeply enough into one of these worlds to write about it is a gift in and of itself.
It's been a couple years since I've done this, and I feel like I shouldn't do a copypasta from previous letters, but OTOH a lot of what I said then still holds true now. So bits of this are repeated, but tweaked for the modern age, and the specific details about each request are from scratch, how's that?
First and most important, I fully embrace the "Optional Details are Optional" aspect of Yuletide. If you're not the kind of writer who wants more information about the recipient, if you already have an idea you're all revved up about, or if you do read this and think, "Uh, no, that's not what I had in mind," that's truly okay with me. Figure out what prompted you to offer the fandom and write about that. For me, Yuletide is about the joy in the writing as much as it is in the receiving, and I want it to be that way for you, too. Plus, I love reading premises that I myself would never have thought of, so it won't bother me at all if you do something very different from my prompts.
If you're the kind of writer who wants more to go on, I'm including stuff I like and a few things I don't, but don't feel obligated to include all of this or go by any specific prompt. I'm just launching a few spitballs, and if something sticks, great.
I'm akamarykate on LJ, DW, AO3, and Tumblr. I don't do a good job of bookmarking fic on AO3, but my Tumblr posts and likes might give you an idea of who I am as a fan, if you're looking for that kind of thing.
I love to read about: Deep, abiding friendships, both the platonic kind and the kind that turns into something more romantic; banter, pining, and bantering while pining; women being awesome in lots of different ways; competence; teamwork; found families; reunions after long or desperate separations; quirky magical elements; reluctant (or confused) heroes; leaps of faith; screwball romantic comedies; interesting, vivid settings; flickers of light in dark places; and consequences.
While I adore plotty, episodic stories, especially for my tv fandoms, I realize that's not always doable in 1000 words. Which is fine, because I've also fallen in love with vignettes and character sketches and retellings and the wide, wide variety of possibilities inherent in the act of storytelling. Romance/sexytimes of any variety (het, f/f, m/m, non-binary, etc.) is good with me, if it makes sense for the characters as you're writing them, but I really do love gen stories just as much.
I'm usually less thrilled to read: Plots that hinge on characters being stupid, obtuse, humiliated, or embarrassed; easy outs; gratuitous torture or angst (I am fine with non-gratuitous torture and angst!); and, at least for Yuletide, major character death.
Request #1: Early Edition
Characters: Any (Gary Hobson, Marissa Clark, Toni Brigatti, Paul Armstrong)
Details: I don't usually use "any" because I know it can be misused, but I truly mean it, trust me! I nominated these four characters because a) Gary and Marissa are the best example of a platonic m/f friendship I've seen and I adore their relationship; b) Gary interacting with cops is so full of possibility for shenanigans or serious angst and everything in between; and c) Gary/Toni = OTP of my 14-year-old heart. But you can do any combo you want, or any one character; you can also bring in other characters from the show's run if that works for you. Pre- or post-canon is fine, episode followups and vignettes and PWPs are great...seriously, just bring me back my show for a few paragraphs and I will be your fan for life.
Why I love this show: You know, at this point I've probably been marked down on some panfandom list of People We Look at Sideways, because I cannot let go of this show. I know its flaws, and I realize how very very 90s it is, but none of that makes me love it any less. I love Gary's love/hate relationship with the paper and his need to do something to make other people's lives better, even though he resents being led around by the nose in order to do it; I love that often what looks like a chaotic series of events around the paper can end up being connected; I love the adult friendships, especially the one between Gary and Marissa; I weep for the epic Gary/Toni episodes and fic and vids that could have been. Then there's Chicago. And the plaid. And the cat.
The first two seasons are out on DVD and I think they show up on Netflix occasionally.
Possible prompts:
--Gary and Marissa negotiating how to take care of the paper and run the bar and have personal lives while being occasionally exasperated BFFs
-- Marissa and Toni SAVING THE DAMN WORLD because you know they could
-- Toni and Paul being matched up as partners on some case that may or may not have anything to do with Gary and the paper
--Gary dealing with Paul's persistent need to know what the hell is going on with Gary
--One of the cop characters going back through Gary's file and trying to make sense of him, or maybe hitting up people from past eps or other recurring characters for info
* *
Request #2: The Witch of Blackbird Pond (Elizabeth George Speare)
Characters: Kit Tyler, Nat Eaton
Details: I would love fic about what Kit and Nat do after they're married; do they have adventures? Right other wrongs? Have a swoony honeymoon in Barbados (okay, the concept of a honeymoon is anachronistic, I'm sure, but you get the idea)? Kit was one of the first strong female characters I remember admiring, faults and all, and Nat was my first boy- bookcrush, so I just want to know more about them. Romance is good, negotiating marriage is good...oh, and Kit's beloved Barbados could put in an appearance and I wouldn't complain. You're welcome to include other characters if that's where the story takes you.
Why I love this book: At this point, this story is embedded in my brain as some kind of prototype (no, seriously, I wrote a critical thesis about YA witch stories and this was Exhibit A). I first read it in fifth grade, and I read it at least once a year for many years after that. When I went back to it a few years ago I was afraid it wouldn't hold up, like so many childhood favorites, but it really does (and so many of the issues are still relevant). I love the tightness of the plot (like how the girl whose doll Kit saves turns out to be the same one she teaches to read), the intelligence of the characters, the way Kit makes her own decisions and arguments, the sweeping romance of the Kit/Nat storyline (or at least that's how I saw it at age 11), and the way Kit and her family negotiate the boundaries between family, community, and belief.
Possible Prompts:
--Kit and Nat having (newlywed? :) adventures post-novel: sailing around on The Witch, fighting other injustices, being slightly anachronistic sore thumbs sticking out wherever they make their home.
--Kit loves Barbados so much; does she ever return there? Does she show off her island to Nat?
--Alternatively, there were problematic aspects to Kit's life in Barbados (servants, colonization, etc.); if she goes back, does she see those problems with new eyes after her experiences in Wetheresfield?
--Also alternatively, I wouldn't mind seeing Kit in Barbados before the novel--what experiences and relationships made her the person she is? You wouldn't have to include Nat in this one.
* *
Request #3: Ombria in Shadow (Patricia McKillip)
Characters: Mag, Lydea, Faey
Details: I love the worldbuilding and elusive magic in this book, the weird but loving relationship between Faey and Mag, and the way Lydea steps into this world she knows nothing about and becomes the cause of huge change through her sheer need to belong somewhere and to take care of other people. Anything that explores even one of those aspects, pre- or post-novel, would be great. You don't need to include all three characters if that's not where the story takes you, and you're welcome to include other characters from the novel if you like.
Why I love this book: The whole world of Ombria and its shadowy past as an actual place fascinate me. There's so much elided, but still embedded in the writing and the details that make it into the story. Faey and Mag have that odd relationship based on need and use and love; Lydea has it in her to effect so much change though she's not born to a position of power. And there's something in the writing that's as elusive as Ombria itself; as many times as I've read it, I still have to completely immerse myself in it to figure out what's going on, and even then I'm not always sure I grasp it completely. Finally, there's the writing. It feels lush but it's not overwritten; McKillip simply knows when to throw in a startling, perfect image or comparison at just the right time.
Possible Prompts:
--Where did Faey come from? Stories about her life and works before the novel's events would be great, as would anything about the shadow/past Ombria in which she lives.
--Faey and Mag while Mag is growing up, before she realizes she's human. How does Faey use Mag; how does wee Mag explain the different layers of Ombria to herself?
--Lydea, Mag, and Faey after the novel; how do they interact in this new world where so much has been forgotten, merged, or severed? What kind of an Ombria do they build? (I realize this is huge and thematic and you're only writing 1000 words--just a little scene or vignette from sometime in the future would work great!)
* * *
Again, many, many thanks! Please have fun with this and I hope your Yuletide experience is everything you're hoping it will be!
This entry was originally posted at http://akamarykate.dreamwidth.org/385079.html. You may comment either here or there.
Thank you so much for offering one of these tiny fandoms! Please rest assured that I will be in love with your story; I've been doing Yuletide off and on for a number of years and I've always been thrilled with my gifts. The fact that you're willing to go deeply enough into one of these worlds to write about it is a gift in and of itself.
It's been a couple years since I've done this, and I feel like I shouldn't do a copypasta from previous letters, but OTOH a lot of what I said then still holds true now. So bits of this are repeated, but tweaked for the modern age, and the specific details about each request are from scratch, how's that?
First and most important, I fully embrace the "Optional Details are Optional" aspect of Yuletide. If you're not the kind of writer who wants more information about the recipient, if you already have an idea you're all revved up about, or if you do read this and think, "Uh, no, that's not what I had in mind," that's truly okay with me. Figure out what prompted you to offer the fandom and write about that. For me, Yuletide is about the joy in the writing as much as it is in the receiving, and I want it to be that way for you, too. Plus, I love reading premises that I myself would never have thought of, so it won't bother me at all if you do something very different from my prompts.
If you're the kind of writer who wants more to go on, I'm including stuff I like and a few things I don't, but don't feel obligated to include all of this or go by any specific prompt. I'm just launching a few spitballs, and if something sticks, great.
I'm akamarykate on LJ, DW, AO3, and Tumblr. I don't do a good job of bookmarking fic on AO3, but my Tumblr posts and likes might give you an idea of who I am as a fan, if you're looking for that kind of thing.
I love to read about: Deep, abiding friendships, both the platonic kind and the kind that turns into something more romantic; banter, pining, and bantering while pining; women being awesome in lots of different ways; competence; teamwork; found families; reunions after long or desperate separations; quirky magical elements; reluctant (or confused) heroes; leaps of faith; screwball romantic comedies; interesting, vivid settings; flickers of light in dark places; and consequences.
While I adore plotty, episodic stories, especially for my tv fandoms, I realize that's not always doable in 1000 words. Which is fine, because I've also fallen in love with vignettes and character sketches and retellings and the wide, wide variety of possibilities inherent in the act of storytelling. Romance/sexytimes of any variety (het, f/f, m/m, non-binary, etc.) is good with me, if it makes sense for the characters as you're writing them, but I really do love gen stories just as much.
I'm usually less thrilled to read: Plots that hinge on characters being stupid, obtuse, humiliated, or embarrassed; easy outs; gratuitous torture or angst (I am fine with non-gratuitous torture and angst!); and, at least for Yuletide, major character death.
Request #1: Early Edition
Characters: Any (Gary Hobson, Marissa Clark, Toni Brigatti, Paul Armstrong)
Details: I don't usually use "any" because I know it can be misused, but I truly mean it, trust me! I nominated these four characters because a) Gary and Marissa are the best example of a platonic m/f friendship I've seen and I adore their relationship; b) Gary interacting with cops is so full of possibility for shenanigans or serious angst and everything in between; and c) Gary/Toni = OTP of my 14-year-old heart. But you can do any combo you want, or any one character; you can also bring in other characters from the show's run if that works for you. Pre- or post-canon is fine, episode followups and vignettes and PWPs are great...seriously, just bring me back my show for a few paragraphs and I will be your fan for life.
Why I love this show: You know, at this point I've probably been marked down on some panfandom list of People We Look at Sideways, because I cannot let go of this show. I know its flaws, and I realize how very very 90s it is, but none of that makes me love it any less. I love Gary's love/hate relationship with the paper and his need to do something to make other people's lives better, even though he resents being led around by the nose in order to do it; I love that often what looks like a chaotic series of events around the paper can end up being connected; I love the adult friendships, especially the one between Gary and Marissa; I weep for the epic Gary/Toni episodes and fic and vids that could have been. Then there's Chicago. And the plaid. And the cat.
The first two seasons are out on DVD and I think they show up on Netflix occasionally.
Possible prompts:
--Gary and Marissa negotiating how to take care of the paper and run the bar and have personal lives while being occasionally exasperated BFFs
-- Marissa and Toni SAVING THE DAMN WORLD because you know they could
-- Toni and Paul being matched up as partners on some case that may or may not have anything to do with Gary and the paper
--Gary dealing with Paul's persistent need to know what the hell is going on with Gary
--One of the cop characters going back through Gary's file and trying to make sense of him, or maybe hitting up people from past eps or other recurring characters for info
* *
Request #2: The Witch of Blackbird Pond (Elizabeth George Speare)
Characters: Kit Tyler, Nat Eaton
Details: I would love fic about what Kit and Nat do after they're married; do they have adventures? Right other wrongs? Have a swoony honeymoon in Barbados (okay, the concept of a honeymoon is anachronistic, I'm sure, but you get the idea)? Kit was one of the first strong female characters I remember admiring, faults and all, and Nat was my first boy- bookcrush, so I just want to know more about them. Romance is good, negotiating marriage is good...oh, and Kit's beloved Barbados could put in an appearance and I wouldn't complain. You're welcome to include other characters if that's where the story takes you.
Why I love this book: At this point, this story is embedded in my brain as some kind of prototype (no, seriously, I wrote a critical thesis about YA witch stories and this was Exhibit A). I first read it in fifth grade, and I read it at least once a year for many years after that. When I went back to it a few years ago I was afraid it wouldn't hold up, like so many childhood favorites, but it really does (and so many of the issues are still relevant). I love the tightness of the plot (like how the girl whose doll Kit saves turns out to be the same one she teaches to read), the intelligence of the characters, the way Kit makes her own decisions and arguments, the sweeping romance of the Kit/Nat storyline (or at least that's how I saw it at age 11), and the way Kit and her family negotiate the boundaries between family, community, and belief.
Possible Prompts:
--Kit and Nat having (newlywed? :) adventures post-novel: sailing around on The Witch, fighting other injustices, being slightly anachronistic sore thumbs sticking out wherever they make their home.
--Kit loves Barbados so much; does she ever return there? Does she show off her island to Nat?
--Alternatively, there were problematic aspects to Kit's life in Barbados (servants, colonization, etc.); if she goes back, does she see those problems with new eyes after her experiences in Wetheresfield?
--Also alternatively, I wouldn't mind seeing Kit in Barbados before the novel--what experiences and relationships made her the person she is? You wouldn't have to include Nat in this one.
* *
Request #3: Ombria in Shadow (Patricia McKillip)
Characters: Mag, Lydea, Faey
Details: I love the worldbuilding and elusive magic in this book, the weird but loving relationship between Faey and Mag, and the way Lydea steps into this world she knows nothing about and becomes the cause of huge change through her sheer need to belong somewhere and to take care of other people. Anything that explores even one of those aspects, pre- or post-novel, would be great. You don't need to include all three characters if that's not where the story takes you, and you're welcome to include other characters from the novel if you like.
Why I love this book: The whole world of Ombria and its shadowy past as an actual place fascinate me. There's so much elided, but still embedded in the writing and the details that make it into the story. Faey and Mag have that odd relationship based on need and use and love; Lydea has it in her to effect so much change though she's not born to a position of power. And there's something in the writing that's as elusive as Ombria itself; as many times as I've read it, I still have to completely immerse myself in it to figure out what's going on, and even then I'm not always sure I grasp it completely. Finally, there's the writing. It feels lush but it's not overwritten; McKillip simply knows when to throw in a startling, perfect image or comparison at just the right time.
Possible Prompts:
--Where did Faey come from? Stories about her life and works before the novel's events would be great, as would anything about the shadow/past Ombria in which she lives.
--Faey and Mag while Mag is growing up, before she realizes she's human. How does Faey use Mag; how does wee Mag explain the different layers of Ombria to herself?
--Lydea, Mag, and Faey after the novel; how do they interact in this new world where so much has been forgotten, merged, or severed? What kind of an Ombria do they build? (I realize this is huge and thematic and you're only writing 1000 words--just a little scene or vignette from sometime in the future would work great!)
* * *
Again, many, many thanks! Please have fun with this and I hope your Yuletide experience is everything you're hoping it will be!
This entry was originally posted at http://akamarykate.dreamwidth.org/385079.html. You may comment either here or there.