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: Now updated for Yuletide 2009!]
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 be able to make someone else happy by writing a story in their fandom, just for them. And in return you'll get a story in that one, rare fandom that you always wanted to read, written just for you.
What kind of story can I ask for?
You can request and offer specific characters, but not pairings: the stories can be gen, het, slash, or anything in between. You can supply details about your interests and tastes, but your writer is not bound by them, and the same goes for the story you'll write. 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 3500 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 story deadline?
You'll have to upload your story by Monday, December 21st, 9PM Eastern US 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 New Year's Day, the authors' names go up on the archive too.
Okay, so where do I sign up?
You can sign up right now, at the sign-up page. You have until Thursday, November 12 2009, 9PM US Eastern Time to sign up!
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 exact 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in mind that the hard-working Yuletide team is always updating the FAQ for the current year, so some information may be out of date.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!
ETA: Now updated for Yuletide 2009!]
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 be able to make someone else happy by writing a story in their fandom, just for them. And in return you'll get a story in that one, rare fandom that you always wanted to read, written just for you.
What kind of story can I ask for?
You can request and offer specific characters, but not pairings: the stories can be gen, het, slash, or anything in between. You can supply details about your interests and tastes, but your writer is not bound by them, and the same goes for the story you'll write. 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 3500 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 story deadline?
You'll have to upload your story by Monday, December 21st, 9PM Eastern US 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 New Year's Day, the authors' names go up on the archive too.
Okay, so where do I sign up?
You can sign up right now, at the sign-up page. You have until Thursday, November 12 2009, 9PM US Eastern Time to sign up!
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 exact 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 always updating the FAQ for the current 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!