Some times you have one of those days where dates are mixed up, we will get back at this as soon when we have the time table sorted out.
The Dear Letter request: what purpose would it serve to you. We try to keep the requests as general as possible, as stated here:
Suggestions for your requests
While you certainly want to request the sort of story you want to read, try to be as general as possible. A request that reads more like a story summary is less likely to be chosen:
"I want a Fellowship story in which they are attacked by ruffians and the hobbits are trapped in a tree by wargs and Gimli is injured." may be too specific, and people may feel trapped by the request.
Being more general is better. Indicate the tone of story you would like. For instance: "I would like an exciting Quest adventure with the Fellowship; Gimli hurt/comfort would be welcome."
Or "I would like dwarves. The story can have drama but needs an up-beat ending."
Or "I would like an angsty hurt/comfort story about Maglor." What you would like to receive
( ... )
The rules for the exchange say: "[After receiving your recipient's name] You may then check your recipient's own stories and so forth to get an idea of what she likes."
Dear Author letters put that information in one location so there is no guessing or detective work involved. They list likes and dislikes that are too extensive to put in a prompt. (Letters for exchanges that are matched based on characters and/or relationships often list prompts. This isn't needed for this exchange and expanding on the prompt given would be rude at best given the rules.) Most people-- I can't generalize, of course-- want to write something that will make their recipient happy and avoid things they dislike. Having something easily available for the writer of what things to avoid is, in my experience, extremely helpful.
People can always check the archive(s) where the assigned author posts at to see what she likes or writes. At MPTT you can check both the story list of an author and reviews to see what they like. You can't call that detective work to be honest. A quick look t the archive will already be quite telling. What makes this exchange so great is that people will claim prompts: not knowing who is behind it initially. That is very different from exchanges where pairings and genre writing should be matched to an author. Also usually those preferences are already required in the request people can write for, in single fandoms Dear author posts are hardly used in that respect.
Also making listings of likes and dislikes in a 'dear author post' will limit some authors, pointing them to such entries can work disencouraging to them. We hope that you can understand that as well: others need that freedom and free reign, others can always check an author profile to see what they love to write and read about.
I'm moving this over to email so I can quote some things discussed via email earlier this year.
Two things specific to this comment first, though: I've participated in single-fandom, book-based exchanges before, both Tolkien and non. Letters in such cases are useful for pointing what parts of canon someone loves (themes, characters, etc.) and things in canon to avoid that may not be obvious at a glance through someone's profile and story listing.
That is very different from exchanges where pairings and genre writing should be matched to an author.
I honestly don't see a difference between the Yule exchange and other exchanges save that the person picks out a prompt versus choosing to write a specific character or relationship. Fix exchanges are in my experience universally blind matching; people don't know who they're writing for until the assignments are emailed out.
1. I'm not clear on when the prompt claiming will occur-- Nov. 18? A day later?
2. Would it be possible to have a link to a Dear Author Letter listed in the email to our recipient?
Reply
The Dear Letter request: what purpose would it serve to you. We try to keep the requests as general as possible, as stated here:
Suggestions for your requests
While you certainly want to request the sort of story you want to read, try to be as general as possible. A request that reads more like a story summary is less likely to be chosen:
"I want a Fellowship story in which they are attacked by ruffians and the hobbits are trapped in a tree by wargs and Gimli is injured." may be too specific, and people may feel trapped by the request.
Being more general is better. Indicate the tone of story you would like. For instance:
"I would like an exciting Quest adventure with the Fellowship; Gimli hurt/comfort would be welcome."
Or
"I would like dwarves. The story can have drama but needs an up-beat ending."
Or
"I would like an angsty hurt/comfort story about Maglor." What you would like to receive ( ... )
Reply
Dear Author letters put that information in one location so there is no guessing or detective work involved. They list likes and dislikes that are too extensive to put in a prompt. (Letters for exchanges that are matched based on characters and/or relationships often list prompts. This isn't needed for this exchange and expanding on the prompt given would be rude at best given the rules.) Most people-- I can't generalize, of course-- want to write something that will make their recipient happy and avoid things they dislike. Having something easily available for the writer of what things to avoid is, in my experience, extremely helpful.
Reply
Also making listings of likes and dislikes in a 'dear author post' will limit some authors, pointing them to such entries can work disencouraging to them. We hope that you can understand that as well: others need that freedom and free reign, others can always check an author profile to see what they love to write and read about.
Reply
Two things specific to this comment first, though: I've participated in single-fandom, book-based exchanges before, both Tolkien and non. Letters in such cases are useful for pointing what parts of canon someone loves (themes, characters, etc.) and things in canon to avoid that may not be obvious at a glance through someone's profile and story listing.
That is very different from exchanges where pairings and genre writing should be matched to an author.
I honestly don't see a difference between the Yule exchange and other exchanges save that the person picks out a prompt versus choosing to write a specific character or relationship. Fix exchanges are in my experience universally blind matching; people don't know who they're writing for until the assignments are emailed out.
Reply
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