Signups for Yuletide 2008 will be opening soon!
Signups are not yet open, but hopefully some time later today.
If you find any further corrections, let me know, but I'm no longer taking input on ineligible fandoms. Thank you all for your help! (post edited to clean up a bit)
If you're brand new to Yuletide, you might look at marycrawford's Yuletide Challenge for Newbies. And for unofficial views on how to handle and enjoy Yuletide, see untrue_account's Spirit of Yuletide and liviapenn's How Not to Ruin Yuletide! If anyone else has made similar posts in the past, feel free to link in comments.
Filling Out the Signup Form
You must be 18 or over to participate.
You can change your sign-up details until sign-ups close, by signing up again using the exact same name and email. Please double and triple check that you've spelled your name and email right!
You must use a unique name. The sidebar of the sign-up form will show the list of participants. This includes not allowing names that are the same except for spaces/special characters/capitalization.
Writers are only required to 1) write 1000 words in the fandom assigned 2) with the characters chosen. Due to the nature of the challenge, prompts/details are not binding, although most authors try to adhere to them if they can.
Filling Out Your Requests
For every request you make, you get to pick a fandom, choose up to four characters, and list prompts/details about the kinds of things you like. Some people have started making an early "Dear Yuletide Author" post in their own LJ/blog (or in the post that will be there for that purpose in yuletide) and then including that link in their details, so their author has that from the start.
You can make three to four fandoms/character requests. At least three of these must be different fandoms, but a fourth can be the same as one of those three, if you want to specify two separate sets of characters. Additionally, you can specify one to four characters per request, or you can choose "Any" characters, indicating you have no specific character requests.
So you could have:
[Dexter (tv)]: Angel Batista/Debra Morgan/Dexter Morgan
[Dexter (tv)]: Lt Maria Laguerta/Sergeant Dokes
[C S Lewis - Out of the Silent Planet series]: Any
[Cyborg 009 (1979)]: Chang Changku/Geronimo/Jet Link/Joe Shimamura
Note: When you get your assignment, the characters will be separated by slash, like this. The slashes do not indicate pairing requests or any kind of specific relationship. It is purely a separation character between characters.
Don't choose "Any" unless you're geniuinely okay with any combo of characters. And if you choose "Any," it can then be confusing if you list specific characters in your prompts. It's probably best to either choose "Any," or choose specific characters. If you want to give them some ideas to spark their imagination in the prompts, you might let them know that you still really meant it when you said "Any." *g*
You can include any specific suggestions/requests in the optional details area. These details are optional for both requesters and authors, ie, you are not required to include additional information, and authors are not required to use any additional details you do input (although most try).
Some people have found that it's better to not be too specific, but also not to leave the details blank. Some authors are more comfortable with less specific directions, but many like to at least have some idea of your tastes and inclinations, such as slash/gen/het, general situations you enjoy, etc. You can also put more detail into a "Dear Yuletide Author" post on your LJ and/or the placeholder post that will go up in yuletide. For ideas, take a look at thefourthvine's suggestions on how to construct details/prompts
1) You must offer a minimum of three different fandoms, but you can offer more than that. We do ask that you only sign up for fandoms you are familiar with, and that you not sign up for everything! This helps prevent problems later, both with matching and with panic when you get your assignment.
You can specify up to four characters per fandom that you are willing to write, or you may say you'll write "Any." You can also list the same fandom multiple times with varying character specifications, if there are only particular combinations that you'd like to write.Note: Choosing "Any" means that you are willing to include any character that is listed in the full character listing for that fandom. Before choosing "Any" please examine the character listing or the Master List of Fandoms/Characters to be sure that you are willing and able to do this. There will be no reassignment if you end up getting a character combination that you don't like or don't think you'll be able to write well, if you said up front that you were willing to write "Any." This potentially includes being able to write multiple characters who do not actually share screen time/have never met/don't even exist in the same time period! Yuletide is all about the creativity!
If you list specific characters in your offer, you may be matched to someone who requested "Any" characters. This can be very disconcerting, particularly if they mention specifics characters in the details. All we can ask is that you do your best, and hope that your recipient understands well that in saying they'd be happy with any characters, and that they really meant it.
To preserve the mystery and excitement as long as possible, we ask that authors not publicly discuss what they've offered too specifically or what assignments they've received, so as to prevent people from possibly figuring out who is writing for whom. Mind you, if you're an insane person who is offering hundreds of fandoms, it might be a bit harder to pin you down.
If you find any further corrections, let me know, but I'm no longer taking input on ineligible fandoms. Thank you all for your help! (post edited to clean up a bit)
If you're brand new to Yuletide, you might look at marycrawford's Yuletide Challenge for Newbies. And for unofficial views on how to handle and enjoy Yuletide, see untrue_account's Spirit of Yuletide and liviapenn's How Not to Ruin Yuletide! If anyone else has made similar posts in the past, feel free to link in comments.
Filling Out the Signup Form
Filling Out Your Requests
So you could have:
[Dexter (tv)]: Angel Batista/Debra Morgan/Dexter Morgan
[Dexter (tv)]: Lt Maria Laguerta/Sergeant Dokes
[C S Lewis - Out of the Silent Planet series]: Any
[Cyborg 009 (1979)]: Chang Changku/Geronimo/Jet Link/Joe Shimamura
Note: When you get your assignment, the characters will be separated by slash, like this. The slashes do not indicate pairing requests or any kind of specific relationship. It is purely a separation character between characters.
Don't choose "Any" unless you're geniuinely okay with any combo of characters. And if you choose "Any," it can then be confusing if you list specific characters in your prompts. It's probably best to either choose "Any," or choose specific characters. If you want to give them some ideas to spark their imagination in the prompts, you might let them know that you still really meant it when you said "Any." *g*
Some people have found that it's better to not be too specific, but also not to leave the details blank. Some authors are more comfortable with less specific directions, but many like to at least have some idea of your tastes and inclinations, such as slash/gen/het, general situations you enjoy, etc. You can also put more detail into a "Dear Yuletide Author" post on your LJ and/or the placeholder post that will go up in yuletide. For ideas, take a look at thefourthvine's suggestions on how to construct details/prompts
If you list specific characters in your offer, you may be matched to someone who requested "Any" characters. This can be very disconcerting, particularly if they mention specifics characters in the details. All we can ask is that you do your best, and hope that your recipient understands well that in saying they'd be happy with any characters, and that they really meant it.
To preserve the mystery and excitement as long as possible, we ask that authors not publicly discuss what they've offered too specifically or what assignments they've received, so as to prevent people from possibly figuring out who is writing for whom. Mind you, if you're an insane person who is offering hundreds of fandoms, it might be a bit harder to pin you down.