Pinch Hitting For Yuletide 2016
Wake up email
The wake up call has been sent out to the pinch hitters’ yahoo group - if you received the email, you're already signed up for the pinch hit mailing list. If you should have received the email and didn't, please check your spam filters.
And now for the general explanation and details:
What are pinch hits?
Pinch hits are assignments that the original author has had to default on, or assignments that weren't matched to any authors. As people default, the Yuletide mods post the assignments to the pinch hit mailing list, where they're available for anyone to claim.
Pinch hits are one of the most popular parts of Yuletide, and there's a lot of competition to claim them. There are more people on the pinch hit list than sign up for Yuletide proper.
Every year, people who did not sign up for the main challenge will write pinch hits in order to help out those who otherwise might not get a story. These pinch hitters are encouraged to leave prompts at a post on the Livejournal or Dreamwidth admin journals. There is no guarantee of a story, but we encourage participants to check these prompts and see if there is anything they can write.
Do I need to be signed up for Yuletide to be a pinch hitter?
Nope! Anyone with an AO3 account can be a pinch hitter.
How do I become a pinch hitter?
Sign up for the Yuletide Pinch Hitters list on Yahoo groups. You can do that on the website, or by email:
How do I unsubscribe from the pinch hit mailing list?
Send a blank email to yuletide_pinch_hit-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com with the subject line Unsubscribe.
How do I claim a pinch hit?
Keep an eye on your email. Pinch hits are generally sent out in batches, starting with a small flurry in the first week or two, then a slow trickle until the final couple of weeks before the deadline, where there's often a dozen or more a day.
If you see one that interests you, hit reply, write your AO3 name in the body of the email, and send it without changing the subject line. You can say that you want the pinch hit in the body of the email message, but do not change the subject line beyond the "Re:" your email program adds automatically.
You must include your AO3 name in your response in order to receive the pinch hit. If you are the first responder but you do not include your AO3 name, the pinch hit will go instead to the first responder who did include their AO3 name.
Pinch hits go very fast - many within minutes - so act fast if you see something you want and are willing to commit to.
If you're the first person to request a pinch hit, the Yuletide mods will respond and let you know it's yours. You'll be able to see it listed on your AO3 profile page by clicking "Assignments" in the left-hand navigation pane. If the Yuletide Mods don't respond to you, you didn't get the pinch hit.
What am I committing to if I claim a pinch hit?
You're committing to write a complete story of at least 1,000 words in one of the recipient's chosen fandoms, using their chosen character(s). You are held to the same rules as if you had signed up initially and been assigned a match through the system.
For pinch hits that are assigned before 11 December, the deadline is the same as the regular deadline: 18 December at 9am UTC (check what that is in your time zone)
After the default deadline, the pinch hits that we send will be due at 9am UTC on 20 December. That is, pinch hits that we send from 11 December onwards will have that adjusted deadline.
Post-deadline pinch hits will generally be due 48 hours after they are assigned. However, the sooner the better in these cases.
Can I write a pinch hit even if I wasn't officially assigned to it?
Sure! In that case, it would be a Treat.
How do I post my pinch hit?
The process is the same as posting an original assignment. Here are the posting instructions.
Watch this space
We are considering moving to google groups in 2017. If you have an opinion on that, or suggestions for a smooth transition, feel free to comment. The current yahoo group will be used throughout 2016.
The wake up call has been sent out to the pinch hitters’ yahoo group - if you received the email, you're already signed up for the pinch hit mailing list. If you should have received the email and didn't, please check your spam filters.
And now for the general explanation and details:
What are pinch hits?
Pinch hits are assignments that the original author has had to default on, or assignments that weren't matched to any authors. As people default, the Yuletide mods post the assignments to the pinch hit mailing list, where they're available for anyone to claim.
Pinch hits are one of the most popular parts of Yuletide, and there's a lot of competition to claim them. There are more people on the pinch hit list than sign up for Yuletide proper.
Every year, people who did not sign up for the main challenge will write pinch hits in order to help out those who otherwise might not get a story. These pinch hitters are encouraged to leave prompts at a post on the Livejournal or Dreamwidth admin journals. There is no guarantee of a story, but we encourage participants to check these prompts and see if there is anything they can write.
Do I need to be signed up for Yuletide to be a pinch hitter?
Nope! Anyone with an AO3 account can be a pinch hitter.
How do I become a pinch hitter?
Sign up for the Yuletide Pinch Hitters list on Yahoo groups. You can do that on the website, or by email:
- On the web: Click "join this group". You need to have or create a Yahoo account to join via the web.
- By email: Send a blank email to yuletide_pinch_hit-subscribe@yahoogroups.com. To activate your subscription, just reply to the confirmation message you receive from the group.
How do I unsubscribe from the pinch hit mailing list?
Send a blank email to yuletide_pinch_hit-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com with the subject line Unsubscribe.
How do I claim a pinch hit?
Keep an eye on your email. Pinch hits are generally sent out in batches, starting with a small flurry in the first week or two, then a slow trickle until the final couple of weeks before the deadline, where there's often a dozen or more a day.
If you see one that interests you, hit reply, write your AO3 name in the body of the email, and send it without changing the subject line. You can say that you want the pinch hit in the body of the email message, but do not change the subject line beyond the "Re:" your email program adds automatically.
You must include your AO3 name in your response in order to receive the pinch hit. If you are the first responder but you do not include your AO3 name, the pinch hit will go instead to the first responder who did include their AO3 name.
Pinch hits go very fast - many within minutes - so act fast if you see something you want and are willing to commit to.
If you're the first person to request a pinch hit, the Yuletide mods will respond and let you know it's yours. You'll be able to see it listed on your AO3 profile page by clicking "Assignments" in the left-hand navigation pane. If the Yuletide Mods don't respond to you, you didn't get the pinch hit.
What am I committing to if I claim a pinch hit?
You're committing to write a complete story of at least 1,000 words in one of the recipient's chosen fandoms, using their chosen character(s). You are held to the same rules as if you had signed up initially and been assigned a match through the system.
For pinch hits that are assigned before 11 December, the deadline is the same as the regular deadline: 18 December at 9am UTC (check what that is in your time zone)
After the default deadline, the pinch hits that we send will be due at 9am UTC on 20 December. That is, pinch hits that we send from 11 December onwards will have that adjusted deadline.
Post-deadline pinch hits will generally be due 48 hours after they are assigned. However, the sooner the better in these cases.
Can I write a pinch hit even if I wasn't officially assigned to it?
Sure! In that case, it would be a Treat.
How do I post my pinch hit?
The process is the same as posting an original assignment. Here are the posting instructions.
Watch this space
We are considering moving to google groups in 2017. If you have an opinion on that, or suggestions for a smooth transition, feel free to comment. The current yahoo group will be used throughout 2016.